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Absolution Gap (Gollancz S.F.) | 
 enlarge | Author: Alastair Reynolds
Publisher: Gollancz
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £1.29
You Save: £6.70 (84%)
New (41) Used (13) Collectible (1) from £1.29
Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 85839
Media: Paperback
Pages: 672
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 5.1 x 1.9
ISBN: 0575075570
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780575075573
ASIN: 0575075570
Publication Date: May 13, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Amazon.co.uk Review
With Absolution Gap, Alastair Reynolds completes the star-spanning Inhibitors trilogy in which the previous books were Revelation Space and Redemption Ark. The Inhibitors are a mechanical plague, mindlessly but very resourcefully wiping out space-going civilisations that come to their notice. Their latest target is humanity, which lost a round in Redemption Ark. One small human faction now has stealth weapons and technologies that can almost fight Inhibitor assault to a standstill, but running away still seems the only long-term option. From the same cryptic source as that supertechnology, filtered through a young girl's mind, comes the urgent message to make an interstellar trek to Hela, barren moon of the gas-giant Haldora. Hela is home to an obsessive religion fuelled partly by mind viruses and partly by the miracle of Haldora. This unpredictable, unbelievable event happens in an eyeblink, but more and more often. For the devout this increasing frequency is a signal of the End Times, which is why a group of vast mobile cathedrals lumbers forever around Hela--to keep Haldora at the zenith for best observation of its marvels. And on this last circuit, with a madman in command, the greatest cathedral of all plans an impossible short cut over the mysterious, delicate bridge spanning an immense rift in Hela's surface: Absolution Gap. There's a lot of action with both familiar and enjoyably exotic weapons; there's suffering, deceit, loss and triumph; there's a hideous revenge straight out of Jacobean tragedy, a series of awesome revelations and the last voyage of the lightship Nostalgia for Infinity that was so strangely transformed in Revelation Space. Ultimately, behind the enigma of Haldora, a dreadful choice awaits: whether or not to bargain with powers that may be the answer to the Inhibitors--but may be something worse. Alastair Reynolds makes his huge story compellingly readable, with characters we care about, and gives impressive descriptions of beauty and cataclysm. This is very superior space opera. --David Langford
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| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
 Flashes of brilliance... but not enough of them September 7, 2007
Grev (Brighton)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Having read Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days (which I loved), this, the second Alaistair Reynolds novel I've read, proved a major disappointment. The main problem with the novel is that at least 50% of it's length is taken up by highly detailed descriptions of the workings of a fairly uninspired religion founded by a madman - gripping reading it ain't. The revelations at the end of the novel are it's saving grace, but large chunks of the text could have been edited out without affecting the plot one iota - in fact i'd go so far as saying that this novel has probably put me off reading any of his novels ever again. Reynolds and Peter F Hamilton appear to be vying with one another to write ever longer novels - don't either of them have editors?
This should have been the third in a quadrilogy June 25, 2007
G. C. Bowen (England)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Firstly let me say that I did enjoy this book, but it really doesn't feel like the finale to such an epic series of events. Most of the book focuses entirely on the characters thoughts and feelings and very little on the continuing war with the inhibitors. Maybe the author after building the virtually unstoppable nature of the inhibitor threat over two previous books so well, the author felt unable or unwilling to put forward a credible description of the actual battle with them and thus relegates this part of the novel to "offscreen action" and infoms the reader only of the end results of these confrontations that would seem son integral to the tension of the storyline. The book finishes without dealing with most of the issues that I thought would form part of the finale and indeed seems to wrap up the entire story almost as an after thought in the space of quite literally one or two paragraphs.
I did like the character and did want to learn more about them, but not at the complete expense of the plot, especially when a lot of the actions of the main characters seem to be quite inexplicable at times and they frequently seem to jump between one mindset and other just to facilitate further twists in turns in their realtionships with one another . Thats why I have to say that while this book is an enjoyable part of the story, I can't see why the author chose to all but abandon the main thrust of the storyline in order to focus on the minutae of the characters lives, and that's why in my opinion a fourth book to deal with the outcome of the story properly would have made this book sit a whole lot better with me.
 A massive cop-out January 27, 2007
Anton (UK)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
While the previous books in the series were an ejoyable read, this one falls flat on two counts. Firstly, as mentioned above, everything of real interest happens off-page. All the interesting characters and machines from previous books are wiped out almost carelessly. What's left is a collection of the most uniteresting and unengaging of his characters, which makes this book a hard slog. Gallingly, it isn't even worth reaching the end for. Reynolds wrap up his story with a deux ex machina, and does it in the space of a page. All the action happens off page, again. The book ends with the beginning of another story, which you'll have no interest in reading, should it ever appear, a) because you won't care about the survivors and b) because you'll be too frustrated to try. Damn shame, really.
 You can see the joins December 18, 2005
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I think that's the best way to describe it - there are some great ideas here but the story lacks polish in some places. I found myself saying 'Ah, another character development scene' in places, because this book does not seem to carry the same conviction or pack the same succession of punches as Reynolds' other excellent books. Maybe he was sick of the characters by this time?
 Still a bloody good read August 13, 2005
David Nelson (Newborough,Vic Aust)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I've been reading the sometimes scathing reviews of this book with a bit of disappointment. Obviously not many people ( those who thought that Al Reynolds finished this series with gaping holes,) know of his short story 'Galactic North' which spells out exactly what was going to happen concerning the 'Inhibitor' manace and the oncoming 'Greenfly' infestation. That story was published years before 'Absolution Gap' and even before the first 'Revelation Space' book. Get a grip, he'll probably be returning to the series soon (hopefully) and we'll be able to see where this new story arc may lead. It's impossible to denegrate this guys writing when he puts absolutely everything into his books. Maybe he'll investigate the 'shadows' which he left hanging, or maybe he'll start at a different spot and it'll all be brand new again. Either way, I can't wait!
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