Alastair Reynolds: Revenger (Hardcover)
Hardcover, 411 pages
Published Sept. 20, 2016
Tens of millions of years in the future, sisters Adrana and Arafura ('Fura') Ness are skilled bone readers—the primary method by which spaceships communicate with one another. Their skill at bone reading leads them to be taken on as apprentices aboard Monetta's Mourn, a spaceship captained by Pol Rackamore. Rackamore and his crew engage in the practice of finding ancient technological artifacts, called "baubles". Also, in the story, "quoins" are units of currency and the more bars the higher the value. While in search of these artifacts, Monetta's Mourn is attacked by the infamous space pirate Bosa Sennen, separating the sisters and leaving Fura adrift on a ship in empty space.
This was a fun read, with an engaging story about a flawed but, mostly, likeable prodagonist. Written in a fun to read style.
This book contains an enthralling plot full of interesting characters in a world I could sit and read an encyclopedia about without a trace of irony or boredom. And yet something holds me back from giving it a fifth star: it did not compel me to rethink any of my assumptions. Not that there is no depth here, but rather that the depths are largely unexplored by the novel.
Revenger is the Rainolds book I'd recommend to my 13 year old niece.
No, you know what, I wouldn't inflict this on her.
