dwhatson reviewed Permafrost by Alastair Reynolds
A Short Wonderful Read.
5 stars
Alastair Reynolds is better known for writing galaxy-spanning space operas. So what's he doing writing a time-travelling, climate-change novel? As it turns out, he's done rather well. One of Reynold's consistencies is that he makes the science in his novels believable; even when he's invented parts of it. We follow the desperate attempts of a group of scientists, engineers and physicians to send people back in time so that a disastrous future might be avoided. The technology is, of course, untested and has already claimed the mind of at least one of the travellers. While this may sound like a stock-standard scenario for a science fiction story, and it does, Reynold's skill as a storyteller elevates it from the mundane. Reynold's narrative jumps between different time periods. He makes use of this to dispense breadcrumbs of information which begin making sense the further the novel progresses. As mentioned earlier, Reynolds …
Alastair Reynolds is better known for writing galaxy-spanning space operas. So what's he doing writing a time-travelling, climate-change novel? As it turns out, he's done rather well. One of Reynold's consistencies is that he makes the science in his novels believable; even when he's invented parts of it. We follow the desperate attempts of a group of scientists, engineers and physicians to send people back in time so that a disastrous future might be avoided. The technology is, of course, untested and has already claimed the mind of at least one of the travellers. While this may sound like a stock-standard scenario for a science fiction story, and it does, Reynold's skill as a storyteller elevates it from the mundane. Reynold's narrative jumps between different time periods. He makes use of this to dispense breadcrumbs of information which begin making sense the further the novel progresses. As mentioned earlier, Reynolds makes the science believable. His ideas regarding time travel and the possible outcomes are no exception. Reynolds keeps the story's pace up by telling it through the eyes of his protagonist, Valentina Lidova. As events begin changing in across time periods, Valentina begins to ask questions. My only complaint is that I wish the book had been longer but, only because I was enjoying the ride and did not want it to finish. If you're a fan of Alastair Reynolds, I'm sure you'll like this one. And if you've not read any Reynolds, Permafrost isn't a bad place to start.
