Inhibitor Phase
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- Create Date：2021-09-24 08:51:35
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- Author：Alastair Reynolds
- ISBN：0575090715
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Summary
Miguel de Ruyter is a man with a past。
Fleeing the 'wolves' - the xenocidal alien machines known as Inhibitors - he has protected his family and community from attack for forty years， sheltering in the caves of an airless， battered world called Michaelmas。 The slightest hint of human activity could draw the wolves to their home， to destroy everything 。。。 utterly。 Which is how Miguel finds himself on a one-way mission with his own destructive mandate: to eliminate a passing ship， before it can bring unwanted attention down on them。
Only something goes wrong。
There's a lone survivor。
And she knows far more about Miguel than she's letting on 。 。 。
Ranging from the depths of space to the deeps of Pattern Juggler waters， from nervous， isolated communities to the ruins of empire， this is a stealthy space opera from an author at the top of his game。
Praise for Al Reynolds' Revenger
'A swashbuckling thriller' The Guardian
'A blindingly clever imagining of our solar system in the far flung future' The Sun
'A rollicking adventure yarn with action， abduction， fights and properly scary hazards' The Daily Telegraph
Fleeing the 'wolves' - the xenocidal alien machines known as Inhibitors - he has protected his family and community from attack for forty years， sheltering in the caves of an airless， battered world called Michaelmas。 The slightest hint of human activity could draw the wolves to their home， to destroy everything 。。。 utterly。 Which is how Miguel finds himself on a one-way mission with his own destructive mandate: to eliminate a passing ship， before it can bring unwanted attention down on them。
Only something goes wrong。
There's a lone survivor。
And she knows far more about Miguel than she's letting on 。 。 。
Ranging from the depths of space to the deeps of Pattern Juggler waters， from nervous， isolated communities to the ruins of empire， this is a stealthy space opera from an author at the top of his game。
Praise for Al Reynolds' Revenger
'A swashbuckling thriller' The Guardian
'A blindingly clever imagining of our solar system in the far flung future' The Sun
'A rollicking adventure yarn with action， abduction， fights and properly scary hazards' The Daily Telegraph
Reviews
Zozo
，
I haven’t finished yet but the usual Reynolds stuff is there:A guy who doesn’t know who he is。 People being jerks to other people with no reason。 Blackmail and giving in to blackmail easily。
Ali Dunn
，
Inhibitor Phase is Alastair Reynolds at his best。 Wolves that aren’t really wolves， pigs？ Brilliant idea。 Loved every minute of this space opera。 The ending was a bit flat but a great book nonetheless。
S。J。 Higbee
，
Reynolds used to be a space scientist and that clearly shows in this book， which is absolutely crammed with all sorts of technical details to explain why the world is the way it is。 I’m aware that I used to thoroughly enjoy reading these types of books， back in the days when most hard sci-fi was stuffed full of techie toys and deep explanations as to why things were the way they were。Reynolds has attempted to humanise Miguel by giving us a ringside seat in a first-person viewpoint。 And the gripp Reynolds used to be a space scientist and that clearly shows in this book， which is absolutely crammed with all sorts of technical details to explain why the world is the way it is。 I’m aware that I used to thoroughly enjoy reading these types of books， back in the days when most hard sci-fi was stuffed full of techie toys and deep explanations as to why things were the way they were。Reynolds has attempted to humanise Miguel by giving us a ringside seat in a first-person viewpoint。 And the gripping start of this book quickly pulled me into the adventure。 However， because this is set in the Revelation Space world， there are all sorts of techie tricks and gismos that we apparently need to know about in jaw-dropping detail。 Inevitably， in order to keep the pace up in a book crammed with all sorts of adventures， the characterisation suffered。 It doesn’t help that he is a posthuman， who has lived for a very long time with layers of experiences that makes it difficult to empathise with him。 And Reynolds simply hasn’t the time or inclination to give us more than a few bonding moments with a very complex being， so that over the course of the story， I didn’t really care about any of the main protagonists。I also struggled with the sheer bleak awfulness of the lives that humanity has been reduced to in this terrible post-apocalyptic universe that has been razed by the Inhibitors。 That’s more my problem than the writing – I hadn’t remembered just how terrible the Revelation Space world actually is。 However， I didn’t have any problem with continuing to turn the pages， due to the stunning inventiveness of Reynolds’ imagination。 I never knew what would happen next。 And there were times that when I thought I did know what was going on， it turned out to be something else。 If you have read and enjoyed Reynolds’ Revelation Space novels， then track down this one – you won’t be disappointed。 If you are fed up with the current taste for character-led space opera and yearn for the hard sci-fi adventures we used to see， then grab a copy。 This wasn’t my favourite Reynolds’ read – but it certainly offers something very different from much of the current space adventures on the shelves。 The ebook arc copy of Inhibitor Phase was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest opinion of the book。7/10 。。。more
D
，
First up I want to say that I love the early work of Alastair Reynolds。 Chasm City and Pushing Ice are two of my all time favourite books。。。That said the last few books I have read by him have really not been to the same standard （Revenger， Blue Remembered Earth and now Inhibitor Phase）-Spoilers ahead-This novel starts off really well！ A rag tag group of humans on the run from The Inhibitors （a seemingly un defeat-able group of machines from his previous books。 We have a good few pages where it First up I want to say that I love the early work of Alastair Reynolds。 Chasm City and Pushing Ice are two of my all time favourite books。。。That said the last few books I have read by him have really not been to the same standard （Revenger， Blue Remembered Earth and now Inhibitor Phase）-Spoilers ahead-This novel starts off really well！ A rag tag group of humans on the run from The Inhibitors （a seemingly un defeat-able group of machines from his previous books。 We have a good few pages where it seems that things have really changed for the human race。 But then about 20 pages in our hero is swept away by a mystery character who has a seemingly hyper advanced ship that can do anything including fly everywhere undetected by the Wolves， make anything， save anyone etc。We then zip around the galaxy， the super ship overcomes every problem it faces and then bop， we have a super-weapon and it turns out the Inhibitors were not such a problem after all （I presume， that ending？ what a stinker！） On top of all this we are subjected to page after page of pig love where the main character seems to think Pinky is the embodiment of all that is good and great in humanity （hard to get my head around， how can the pigs function at all with trotter hands and use the high tech doo dads， opposable thumbs are so 20th century I guess？）All in all it was nice to have the memories of Revelation Space and Chasm City bubble up in my brain from when I was in my early 20s but this book was a huge disappointment for me。 。。。more
Andy
，
Nostalgia for InfinityThere seems to be some debate about whether this can be read as a standalone novel。 Sure， you could do that。 But not only would you be missing all the subtle callbacks and lore references， you'd be missing out on the sheer delight of a return to this corner of the future after nearly 20 years （Elysium Fire excepted）。 I like to think Alastair Reynolds wrote this with a huge grin on his face - because I read it with one on mine。 If you're in any way invested in the Revelation Nostalgia for InfinityThere seems to be some debate about whether this can be read as a standalone novel。 Sure， you could do that。 But not only would you be missing all the subtle callbacks and lore references， you'd be missing out on the sheer delight of a return to this corner of the future after nearly 20 years （Elysium Fire excepted）。 I like to think Alastair Reynolds wrote this with a huge grin on his face - because I read it with one on mine。 If you're in any way invested in the Revelation Space universe， then this is the book you didn't even realise you were waiting for。 Enjoy。 。。。more
Diane Chilton
，
Glad to see Alastair Reynold getting back to the form that made me a fan many years ago。 The less said about the foray into talking elephants in previous books the better。 Hyperpigs however are on an entirely different level and the return to Revelation Space is most welcome with new and old characters alike。
Brandon
，
Inhibitor Phase by Alastair Reynolds is a riveting novel of space travel， advanced alien technology， unique characters， and daunting implications。 In the far future a species of machines called the Inhibitors are intent on wiping out space-faring civilizations。 Humanity is on the brink of extinction， spread thin throughout space in small pockets of civilization。 Miguel de Ruyter， leader of a community hiding out on a desolate planet， living underneath the rock to hide from the Inhibitors known a Inhibitor Phase by Alastair Reynolds is a riveting novel of space travel， advanced alien technology， unique characters， and daunting implications。 In the far future a species of machines called the Inhibitors are intent on wiping out space-faring civilizations。 Humanity is on the brink of extinction， spread thin throughout space in small pockets of civilization。 Miguel de Ruyter， leader of a community hiding out on a desolate planet， living underneath the rock to hide from the Inhibitors known as wolves， is called into action by the ghosts of his past。 Reynolds describes Inhibitor Phase as a standalone novel set in the Revelation Space universe， but I would go so far to say that the original RS trilogy and Chasm City are required reading for this story。 There are many references to the earlier books， and in some cases， spoilers for the plots of the other books。 So， if you haven’t read that series yet， I would recommend starting at Revelation Space， the first in the series。For those of you who have read the other novels， Inhibitor Phase is an excellent addition to the series。 Fans of the series will love this book。 This book is almost a nostalgia trip going back through and visiting many of the worlds and characters we have seen before。 We get Conjoiners， hyperpigs， a look at a ruined Chasm City， another look at the Pattern Jugglers of Ararat， and much more。One of my favorites parts of Inhibitor Phase is the detailed explanation of space travel， and the limitations and advantages thereof。 Reynolds is a master of space opera。 Much of the book takes place on the highly advanced stealth ship called the Scythe。 In addition to all that， Reynolds brings his incredible creativity and uniqueness to his characters like we have come to expect。With Inhibitor Phase， Alastair Reynolds is at the top of his game， giving us everything we want in a space opera。 From advanced alien AI to stealth ships to the hard science of space travel， this is a great novel to read for fans of the Revelation Space series。 。。。more
Stephen
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A book worth waiting for， more revelation space please。
Ron T
，
What a Great StoryA relentless tale that starts off with an interdiction and rolls through several mind-bending character changes without slowing down。 The author keeps the pace moving even as relativity and non-lightspeed capable spaceships make this a voyage of ages。 Miguel de Ruyter is only trying to protect his family from the wolves。 He and his wife Nicola and daughter Victorine are hiding with a small group of humans from the aliens who would destroy them all。But Miguel is also hiding from What a Great StoryA relentless tale that starts off with an interdiction and rolls through several mind-bending character changes without slowing down。 The author keeps the pace moving even as relativity and non-lightspeed capable spaceships make this a voyage of ages。 Miguel de Ruyter is only trying to protect his family from the wolves。 He and his wife Nicola and daughter Victorine are hiding with a small group of humans from the aliens who would destroy them all。But Miguel is also hiding from a past he does not remember。 A past that comes looking for him when he recovers the sole survivor of a destroyed starship… 。。。more
Colin Whiteside
，
Reynolds takes a well-deserved victory lap around the Revelation Space universe， frequently indulging the more baroque and grisly elements that he usually reserves for novellas and short stories。 We all know how this ends， but it's great fun reaching the destination again。 Reynolds takes a well-deserved victory lap around the Revelation Space universe， frequently indulging the more baroque and grisly elements that he usually reserves for novellas and short stories。 We all know how this ends， but it's great fun reaching the destination again。 。。。more
Andrew Morrison
，
Reynolds re-trends some of his greatest hits not just by returning to the Revelation Space universe but going over some of his old favourite story element。 All of it is well done so it's still good， but it's not quite as good as the first time he did it。 Reynolds re-trends some of his greatest hits not just by returning to the Revelation Space universe but going over some of his old favourite story element。 All of it is well done so it's still good， but it's not quite as good as the first time he did it。 。。。more
Bradley
，
This new book by Reynolds is going to be slightly difficult to review。 If you haven't read any of the previous novels in the Revelation Space universe， or the short stories or novellas， then you might have a perfectly fine time with the read。 It takes us on a long trip through time and space， letting us still feel the horror of the Melding Plague， passing through the time of Chasm City and through the ruins of Yellowstone back when it used to glitter in The Prefect and heads us right through the This new book by Reynolds is going to be slightly difficult to review。 If you haven't read any of the previous novels in the Revelation Space universe， or the short stories or novellas， then you might have a perfectly fine time with the read。 It takes us on a long trip through time and space， letting us still feel the horror of the Melding Plague， passing through the time of Chasm City and through the ruins of Yellowstone back when it used to glitter in The Prefect and heads us right through the Wolves and the self-replicating ancient horror that is destroying all sentient life， more than touching on the events in Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap and sending us through Galactic North， as refugees and later as a kind of resistance front。The writing is tight and the story is nearly perfect。But。 Nearly halfway through， I kept getting this nagging feeling that I had read this before。 I was really enjoying everything about Glass， but just seeing Clavain return made me wonder how he was involved in all this。 Mind you， I loved him in the earlier books and while I didn't read them when they came out， I did read them almost a decade ago， so maybe I was thinking that my memory was messing with me。 That may still be the case， of course， and I would have to re-read the other books I mentioned again， side-by-side with this new one， to see the real differences， but I'm pretty sure that I just read a pretty extensive re-write of Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap。 A lot must have been cut out and even more was tightened up， turning Inhibitor Phase into 。。。 dare I say it 。。。 a superior product。Am I just imagining things？ I don't think so。 Of course， it could be a combination of all the short stories and novellas and novels wrapped up in my head， re-formed into THIS， a fully coherent， streamlined tale of the extras， and I'm just tripping。Either way， I enjoyed it。 Maybe less than I thought I would because so much of it seemed so damn familiar， but I still enjoyed it。 After all， I enjoyed all the others， too。Even though I spent a lot of time on this issue， I should mention that the Revelation Space series， as a whole， is something REALLY huge and amazingly detailed for any kind of SF comparison。 Indeed the complicated and subtle distinctions between what we call people， be they cyborgs， half pig-half human， uploaded minds， ocean intelligences， slugs， or so much more， is perfectly offset by the pitfalls of tech， enhanced by blood-as-physical-weapons， universe-devouring nanotech， and such large-scale constructions that would have sent Niven or Clarke into conniptions。 This SF is on another scale from most。 My problems or praise with it are only expressed in a comparison with Reynold's other books。 Definitely worth the read。 。。。more
Sarah
，
I was excited to read a book by Alistair Reynolds， since I've been seeing his books for a long time but hadn't read one yet。 I was a little reluctant to jump in at the tail end of a series， but he promised it was not required to read the previous books and it's true。 There was no problem understanding what was happening， and I don't feel like I missed out on anything， except for maybe why Warren cared so much for Pinky's regard。 And I guess everything to do with Nevil。 I do feel like there were I was excited to read a book by Alistair Reynolds， since I've been seeing his books for a long time but hadn't read one yet。 I was a little reluctant to jump in at the tail end of a series， but he promised it was not required to read the previous books and it's true。 There was no problem understanding what was happening， and I don't feel like I missed out on anything， except for maybe why Warren cared so much for Pinky's regard。 And I guess everything to do with Nevil。 I do feel like there were probably some major spoilers for the first books， so if you've got the time， read the whole series！ This was a very interesting story， with some original characters， technology， and storytelling。 The pacing is quick and doesn't get overly bogged down with background。 There's a tendency toward suicide missions， but also a sense that death might be narrowly averted。 Towards the end it feels like death isn't quite as permanent as it used to be， though I'm trying not to give anything away。 In the instances where the narrator switches to another character， the voice changes not at all， which felt jarring。 These minor things didn't take away from what I felt was a very well told and interesting story， and I will be glad to read additional books by this author！ 。。。more
Carl Barlow
，
What is left of Humanity is under slow siege， terrified of attracting the notice of the ancient Inhibitor machines。 However， Hourglass， an augmented human of considerable ability， has learned of a possible weapon against the so-far unbeatable Inhibitors。。。 but she will， of course， require help in acquiring it。At last Reynolds allows us to revisit his Revelation Space sequence， and in style。 The plotting of IP is relatively straightforward， being a sequence of required quests in order to achieve What is left of Humanity is under slow siege， terrified of attracting the notice of the ancient Inhibitor machines。 However， Hourglass， an augmented human of considerable ability， has learned of a possible weapon against the so-far unbeatable Inhibitors。。。 but she will， of course， require help in acquiring it。At last Reynolds allows us to revisit his Revelation Space sequence， and in style。 The plotting of IP is relatively straightforward， being a sequence of required quests in order to achieve desired results and， ultimately， get the Macguffin。 Written in the first person （fairly rare， I think， for Reynolds）， the action is immediate， often visceral， and rarely lets up to the extent that I thought he might be veering into Neal Asher territory （which I wasn't too sure about - I like my favourite extant British authors to be distinct） - there's less focus on magnitude and wonder， more on battles and the means to fight them。 But that doesn't make IP anything less than a satisfying addition to the RS universe， just a somewhat unexpected to one as a core novel。IP can be read as a standalone， but there are references and Reynolds trademarks aplenty for the aficionado （music references， untrustworthy memories， returning characters and other life forms）。 And we learn the fate of my all-time favourite SF ship， previously known as the Nostalgia For Infinity。Thoroughly entertaining and thoroughly recommended。 。。。more
Tomas Gajan
，
Absolutelly epic， reading Alastair Reynolds is like watching a BBC nature documentary narrated by David Attenborough， although you know beforehand what to expect and you can count on it， that it will be beatifully shot a technically brilliant， it still manages to show you something new and leave you in awe when you are finished。 For me it is a toss up for the best novel of the year between this and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir， which has the edge in terms of exploration themes， but looses in t Absolutelly epic， reading Alastair Reynolds is like watching a BBC nature documentary narrated by David Attenborough， although you know beforehand what to expect and you can count on it， that it will be beatifully shot a technically brilliant， it still manages to show you something new and leave you in awe when you are finished。 For me it is a toss up for the best novel of the year between this and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir， which has the edge in terms of exploration themes， but looses in the “epicness” category。Regardless， this a very welcome return to the Revelation space universe， highly recommended to anybody who likes the series previous installments， i just hope we will soon return and dont have to wait almost 20 years for a new book in this universe。 。。。more
Jorg
，
A solid and enjoyable entry in the Inhibitor universe， with lots of imaginative wonder and tying up plenty of loose ends （perhaps this IS the last one？）。 Could have benefited from a more careful editing， and despite claiming to be a "standalone" novel is not the greatest entry point to this narrative universe。 I would say it would be too confusing to someone new to Inhibitors， from many references to characters and places and events in other books to technologies briefly mentioned here but descr A solid and enjoyable entry in the Inhibitor universe， with lots of imaginative wonder and tying up plenty of loose ends （perhaps this IS the last one？）。 Could have benefited from a more careful editing， and despite claiming to be a "standalone" novel is not the greatest entry point to this narrative universe。 I would say it would be too confusing to someone new to Inhibitors， from many references to characters and places and events in other books to technologies briefly mentioned here but described in more detail elsewhere。 Even this long-time fan had to run to Absolution Gap an Galactic North upon finishing this one to get a quick refresher。 Still， definitely recommended for fans of these series， and for those interested in large-scale almost-hard-sf space opera; this is several heads above most other practitioners in the field。 。。。more
Chushajo
，
Reynolds is my favourite sci if author。 For me his ides and writing style， which incorporate baroque gothic horror elements have always been what have made him so unique。 He also generally writes hard sci fi which has always made his ideas so compelling。 His recent Revenger series still maintained some elements of the creepy but moved away from some of the hard sci fi and brought him into the YA realm。 I enjoyed these books but not the extent of the revelation space series。For me， his latest ent Reynolds is my favourite sci if author。 For me his ides and writing style， which incorporate baroque gothic horror elements have always been what have made him so unique。 He also generally writes hard sci fi which has always made his ideas so compelling。 His recent Revenger series still maintained some elements of the creepy but moved away from some of the hard sci fi and brought him into the YA realm。 I enjoyed these books but not the extent of the revelation space series。For me， his latest entrance， after such a hiatus into the revelation space universe was beyond exciting。 Unfortunately Reynolds seems to have brought more that a little of the Revenger flavour to the Revelation space universe。 His ideas are still amazing， but a minimal few seem to have lost their hard sci fi origins and appear to be explained as “because aliens”。 Most noticeably for me all the gothic and baroque elements are gone， leaving a very toned down Reynolds style which I felt really affected my enjoyment。 I also felt that some of the characters that appear should not when taking into account what occurred in the other revelation space books。Despite all this I enjoyed it but I hope for a return to Reynolds more adult gothic style for later instalments。 。。。more
Yev
，
Although Reynolds states that this can be read as a standalone， I don't think he'd want to want to say otherwise。 It's true that it can be， but I think that would be decidedly inadvisable。 This books draws upon thirty-one years of Revelation Space stories， though mostly it references from the last twenty-two years。 If you're someone who cares about getting all the references， you'll need to have read all his previous RS works before reading this。 If that's too much， then having read Great Wall o Although Reynolds states that this can be read as a standalone， I don't think he'd want to want to say otherwise。 It's true that it can be， but I think that would be decidedly inadvisable。 This books draws upon thirty-one years of Revelation Space stories， though mostly it references from the last twenty-two years。 If you're someone who cares about getting all the references， you'll need to have read all his previous RS works before reading this。 If that's too much， then having read Great Wall of Mars， the Revelation Space Trilogy， and Chasm City should be sufficient to recognize almost all of them。 This takes place between the end of the final chapter of Absolution Gap and its epilogue and at the time of Great Wall of Mars for the flashbacks。There are noticeable differences in this as compared to the RS trilogy。 While I still consider it rather bloated for how much is accomplished in around 500 pages， at least he's improved his pacing and avoided skipping parts of the plot for whatever reason he may have had in previous books。 The characters still have some very silly dialogue and questionable characterizations at times， though he's become better at presenting them consistently。 The weakest part to me was the plot。 It's odd in that it's more of a fantasy plot than what I'd typically consider science fiction。 This isn't necessarily undesirable， but it was strange to have read it in what's often described as a "Hard SF" series， not that I'd agree with that。 If this were a fantasy story， it'd be that a wizard comes to find the chosen one who has to acquire the sacred keys to unlock the forbidden temple of the gods to acquire the holy relic of power to defeat the evil overlord。 It was similar to that to me， but as science fiction。 I don't know how much this would matter to the average reader because the purpose of much of it is to show off tech and do fancy space things。 The best part was that finally the Inhibitors are shown in battle and are given much more detail of how they go about destroying everything than has been shown in all the past books combined probably。 I would have preferred much more involvement from them， but it wasn't meant to be。 If there's another book， maybe it'll be about fighting them， but I doubt it。 。。。more
W R Stiller
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is the first book I have read from Alastair Reynolds， and when I read the summary about the wolves I loved the premise and the lure of adventure。 The story was great， however there are two things at let it down one was the ship Scythe and how it could re-configure to do anything， which is just a bit cheesy for my liking。 the other thing I still cannot get my head around is the concept of Hyper pigs and why！ What a strange thing to do and also I dont see the value （but I haven’t read the res This is the first book I have read from Alastair Reynolds， and when I read the summary about the wolves I loved the premise and the lure of adventure。 The story was great， however there are two things at let it down one was the ship Scythe and how it could re-configure to do anything， which is just a bit cheesy for my liking。 the other thing I still cannot get my head around is the concept of Hyper pigs and why！ What a strange thing to do and also I dont see the value （but I haven’t read the rest in the series so it maybe explained there）。 Dont get me started on how and why people were eating pigs。。。There was also a couple areas that were glossed over mainly about how the ocean world seems to be immune to the wolves， it also has a corrosive sea with various memories in it and the suddenly one of the human memories seems to be in charge。 as was the way some characters were killed off and then suddenly alive again （albeit in a different form or miraculously saved）。The ending was also a bit strange， as it felt like it should lead into a sequel， it almost felt like the ending was rushed。 Even though I haven’t read the rest of the series there was also an explanation of how this book fitted into the timeline which was useful。 I felt the book （which I bought on Kindle） was very expensive for what I got and its unlikely I will read others in this series。 。。。more
Dave Snowdon
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It felt good to be back in the revelation space universe。 Can't say much more without spoilers。 It felt good to be back in the revelation space universe。 Can't say much more without spoilers。 。。。more
Anthony O'Connor
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4。5First things first， at the start of the book dat boi Alastair Reynolds opines that Inhibitor Phase could be read as a standalone sci-fi yarn that people who've never read a Revelation Space book in their life could enjoy and understand。 While I respect ol mate's right to believe that， my response is a fairly ardent "yeah nah， mate。"The number of callbacks， references and straight up continuations contained within Inhibitor Phase are pretty dizzying for someone like me who has read all the boo 4。5First things first， at the start of the book dat boi Alastair Reynolds opines that Inhibitor Phase could be read as a standalone sci-fi yarn that people who've never read a Revelation Space book in their life could enjoy and understand。 While I respect ol mate's right to believe that， my response is a fairly ardent "yeah nah， mate。"The number of callbacks， references and straight up continuations contained within Inhibitor Phase are pretty dizzying for someone like me who has read all the books， and I suspect for newbies will basically be borderline bewildering。Happily， those of you （us） who HAVE read the books， will enjoy this book as the proper fulfilling epilogue to the series we never quite got with Absolution Gap。 I'll tread lightly here when it comes to spoilers， but suffice to say a whole bunch of storylines that felt abruptly cut off are continued （and often concluded） in ways that feel apt and emotionally satisfying。Yet again， Reynolds's extraordinary imagination impresses， but in a disciplined fashion， with little to no bloat and no tangents that feel unnecessary。 I have no idea if Reynolds will return to this universe （I'd love to see Dreyfus face the Melding Plague， just quietly）， but if not he's finally given it a proper send off and a reminder of why we love these stirring， surreal and utterly transporting tales in the first place。Cheers ta， Al。 。。。more
Ralph Blackburn
，
Inhibitor Phase by Alastair Reynolds（Revelation Space）- An excellent Revelation Space novel， with all the cool and outrageous ideas we expect from Alastair Reynolds， and all the tension， excitement， and unexpected happenings that make Revelation Space such a mind-blowing experience。 I'm not going to give you chapter and verse， but If you've read the others in the series， you won't be disappointed。 Also， if you haven't read the others， this book can be a standalone introduction to that series。 Ye Inhibitor Phase by Alastair Reynolds（Revelation Space）- An excellent Revelation Space novel， with all the cool and outrageous ideas we expect from Alastair Reynolds， and all the tension， excitement， and unexpected happenings that make Revelation Space such a mind-blowing experience。 I'm not going to give you chapter and verse， but If you've read the others in the series， you won't be disappointed。 Also， if you haven't read the others， this book can be a standalone introduction to that series。 Yes there are some references to previous books and stories， but not to the detriment of this story。 You may find you want to continue the story starting here！ Enjoy！ 。。。more
John Ferngrove
，
Back where it all began。When Reynold's Revelation Space first arrived it had the biggest impact on a lifetime of on and off Science Fiction reading in at least a decade。 As the series continued there was a sense of some of the initial scope and grandeur getting lost， then petering out into a very ambiguous lack of a convincing ending。 But the huge sweep of ideas left a lasting impression of that all too rare thing， SciFi written by a physicist for physicists。 After Revelation Space Reynolds went Back where it all began。When Reynold's Revelation Space first arrived it had the biggest impact on a lifetime of on and off Science Fiction reading in at least a decade。 As the series continued there was a sense of some of the initial scope and grandeur getting lost， then petering out into a very ambiguous lack of a convincing ending。 But the huge sweep of ideas left a lasting impression of that all too rare thing， SciFi written by a physicist for physicists。 After Revelation Space Reynolds went off into other areas many of them quite thrilling。 But for me， at least， much like Iain M。 Banks he never quite managed to recapture mind-blowing promise of his initial offering （Consider Phlebus in Banks' case）。 More recently we've had his Revenger series featuring caricatured space pirates complete with robot parrots， 'splice the engines'， and my impression has drifted from gradually increasing indifference to downright contempt。 Indication of a new release in the Revelation Space universe was advertised at least a year in advance and I didn't know whether to be prepared for renewed enthusiasm or a final disappointment。 Well It's here and I can say I am not remotely disappointed。 All the mind-boggling concepts of classic Reynolds are recast to take the story of humanity's desperate struggle with the exterminating 'Wolves' on another couple of hundred years from where we so strangely left off。 Pattern Jugglers， Light Huggers， exotically enhanced Conjoiners， recovery of lost personalities are back and combined in new ways to create a story as satisfying as any in the original series， with clear scope for future continuation， should the author be willing to give us another ride in what I think of as the deepest， richest SciFi universe ever created。 （Just crying out for a screen adaptation）。Alistair Reynolds is back and restored as my all time favourite writer of hard science fiction。 。。。more
John
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One of his best。Unshackled by the heavy lifting that sometimes bogged down the main three revelation space novels， Alastair Reynolds latest exploration of that cosmos is a pacy， character led thriller。On the surface this is a quest for a way to defeat or at least hold back the deadly alien threat of the Inhibitors and buy time for humanity to climb out of the rubble and restore itself 。But the heart of it is the relationship between the main characters， their pasts and the secrets they have kept One of his best。Unshackled by the heavy lifting that sometimes bogged down the main three revelation space novels， Alastair Reynolds latest exploration of that cosmos is a pacy， character led thriller。On the surface this is a quest for a way to defeat or at least hold back the deadly alien threat of the Inhibitors and buy time for humanity to climb out of the rubble and restore itself 。But the heart of it is the relationship between the main characters， their pasts and the secrets they have kept long buried 。It has been a long time since I read Absolution Gap and while you don't really need to know what happened in the original trilogy， this is a coda to that series so you will get more from it if the preceding volumes are fresher in your mind。 。。。more
Gog Stephenson
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A very fun and fast paced book， it's pretty much just a "space" road trip filled with pit stops of varying levels of excitement。 Personally I found that much of the technology （and some concepts） in this story veered off from supposedly hard sci fi and well into the realm of fantasy。 This isn't a put down though， the fantastical sections were by far the most engaging parts of the book。 The book has a rough start but quickly picks up in pace， characters are fleshed out。 Characters are added， some A very fun and fast paced book， it's pretty much just a "space" road trip filled with pit stops of varying levels of excitement。 Personally I found that much of the technology （and some concepts） in this story veered off from supposedly hard sci fi and well into the realm of fantasy。 This isn't a put down though， the fantastical sections were by far the most engaging parts of the book。 The book has a rough start but quickly picks up in pace， characters are fleshed out。 Characters are added， some fun ones too。 The two weakest parts I find about this book are follows: I think the first person view lends to the POV character being incredibly weak as they fill in the perspective of the viewer。 I also found a character or a development of two characters to be rather exceptionally weak， as there wasn't enough time to flesh out said development。 。。。more
Maki_music
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Great addition to the timeline。 I hope Mr。 Reynolds never stops exploring the amazing universe he has created
Patrick Mézard
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Disappointed。 3 stars with a bit of nostalgia， 2。5 without。** SPOILERS AHEAD **"Any sufficiently advanced technology looks like magic" A。C。 Clarke （sorry for the cliché）。I am afraid this episode is too much on the fantasy side， going against expectations。 Sure Reynolds is not know to be hard-science， more epic space operas with big ideas。 My problem is there are no big ideas （or at least not new ones） and everything feels like deus ex-machina （machinae？）。- De Ruyter fake memories: Chasm City but Disappointed。 3 stars with a bit of nostalgia， 2。5 without。** SPOILERS AHEAD **"Any sufficiently advanced technology looks like magic" A。C。 Clarke （sorry for the cliché）。I am afraid this episode is too much on the fantasy side， going against expectations。 Sure Reynolds is not know to be hard-science， more epic space operas with big ideas。 My problem is there are no big ideas （or at least not new ones） and everything feels like deus ex-machina （machinae？）。- De Ruyter fake memories: Chasm City but not done as well- Gideon stone: we need stuff to go in high pressure environment， here is convenient magical artifact。 We do not care how it works， do not bother trying to grok it。 Let's just use it and replace it with another one should the need arise。- Swinehouse conundrum: seems uselessly complicated。 I feel I have read the haemoclast thing already。 Maybe not from Reynold but almost exactly the same。 And with all their technological advantage， is it the best they could really do。 I would have prefer them to outsmart the Swine Queen throwing the Stones about and let her die with the rest of Yellowstone- Pinky: way to much "Pinky is the best hyperpig/friend/ally/whatever"， "Pinky will outlive us all" （the way it is going， sure。 Maybe not Aura/Jesus though）。 We get it。 At some point， I started skimming all the chatter to get to things getting done。- Re-destruction of the Rust belt/Chasm City: underwhelming。 And Yellowstone again。 I mean， yes this is the major human settlement， but something fresh would have been good too。- Captain Brannegan: feels a bit like a waste。 Could have been more epic， for such an epic character。- Pattern Juggler: okay， tried something new， did not work really well IMHO。- Lady Arek is not dead: massive deus ex-machina。- Charybdis/Nestbuilders/Slugs: underwhelming。 Could have been good， maybe focus on Glass encounter with the slug， maybe more interactions， more historical perspectives。 Feels like Mass Effect/Fantasy: walked in the crypt， blasted enemies， picked secrets， all along with strangely stressful deadlines and unnecessary deaths。- Final: nothing。 What is this Incantor thing？ Wait for Inhibitors Phase season 2。I read it in a couple of days， I wanted to be excited about it， get to the new big idea， the new revelation， but nothing panned out。 At best， this is a rehash playing on nostalgia。Still， I will probably read the next ones because Reynolds has written really excellent novels。 This is not one of these unfortunately。 。。。more
chaos
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"yes and verily"。。。 -Probably Rose。 Interesting book， the story sort of drags you through it rather than unfolding before you。 Reminiscent of the old boys of sci fi work。 I read this one without reading any of the other books in the story and it did well as a stand alone book。 "yes and verily"。。。 -Probably Rose。 Interesting book， the story sort of drags you through it rather than unfolding before you。 Reminiscent of the old boys of sci fi work。 I read this one without reading any of the other books in the story and it did well as a stand alone book。 。。。more
Dave
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Extraordinarily terrific。 Inhibitor Phase， though linked to at least five other novels as well as novellas and shirts in Reynolds’ Revelation Space Universe， was designed as a stand-alone novel at least according to the preface。 It succeeds quite well on its own without necessarily needing more background but there are big broad hints that there’s hundreds of years of history lurking in the background。It opens in a far off hidden corner of the universe where the last remnants of the human race h Extraordinarily terrific。 Inhibitor Phase， though linked to at least five other novels as well as novellas and shirts in Reynolds’ Revelation Space Universe， was designed as a stand-alone novel at least according to the preface。 It succeeds quite well on its own without necessarily needing more background but there are big broad hints that there’s hundreds of years of history lurking in the background。It opens in a far off hidden corner of the universe where the last remnants of the human race have burrowed into caverns on a lonely planet， hoping beyond hope that they’ll escape the notice of the wolves。 No signals， no radio are allowed to escape because of fear of detection。 And， any prospecting craft must be swiftly dealt with。We are barely given a glimpse of the ferocious wolves who have devoured the known universe， but they are not what you’d expect as Reynolds lets us readers know that life out there among the stars comes in many forms， some very unexpected。Without giving too much away， the story is a grand adventure with a Gandalf like figure， glass if you will， gathering warriors and weapons for the great battle with the wolves。 Almost like a Dungeons and Dragons Game， our not-so-merry crew has to go to different spots and gather these fearsome weapons， each of which requires adventures among hulking spacecraft， rescuing giant pig people from being the wrong kind of guests at a giant barbecue， and fighting off aquatic creatures。All of these adventures are in secret to avoid detection from the ever-present wolves who are ready to react at the first sign of human life。Reynolds is a gifted storyteller and this one engages the reader from start to finish on the edge of your seats so they say。It’s also a universe where sentient life is anything other than you expect， often self-replicating or half genetically designed or machine-altered and consciousness is something possessed by many。 。。。more
Cameron
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Amazing！！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Inhibitor Phase
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Inhibitor Phase&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Inhibitor Phase&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0