Stick with this series!

I've gotten the three books in this series as well as Chasm City, a stand alone novel in the same universe. When reading these reviews, I notice many negative comments, and I actually, at one point, probably written the same.
However, after quitting the first book, and focusing on books by other "british space opera" writers such as Peter Hamilton and Richard K. Morgan, I went back to give it another try.
I think what makes these books great is probably the same thing that turns some listeners off. The mythology of the universe is so deep, that until you are familiar with it, it is overwhelming with the references to the different factions, planets, aliens, etc.
But once that familiarity is gained, the stories are so rich, that I am disappointed that I have finished.
And as far as the narrator goes, it seems as though people either love or hate John Lee. But he is incredibly talented with a unique style and once you get use to him, his narration is addicting.

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84 out of 100.

I really liked Revelation Space, Chasm City, and even The Prefect. This is a small step backwards. I still think his best work is Pushing Ice, or House of Suns.

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Fermi Paradox as SF Fable

This is book two in the main sequence of the Revelation Space series. I found that I was much more engaged with the story and characters in this novel compared to my level of interest in REVELATION SPACE. Many of the story elements that were introduced in the first book are given meaning here. This is grand scale Space Opera, on a level with Olaf Stapledon and Stephen Baxter. Humanity is starting to branch into political factions that resemble different species. In many ways Reynolds reminds me of Larry Niven, especially in the way he throws out big ideas. It is a book full of ideas and that is its strong suit. This was a fun book to listen to, and even though the situations had nothing to do with reality, I found myself reveling along with the author; rooting him on to see what he would come up with next.

I have heard it said that Reynolds was trying to tell a meaningful story without resorting to the usual worn out Science Fiction trappings such as Faster than Light travel, and tractor beams. In this he is not entirely successful. His slower than light ships do require certain plot constraints that FTL stories neatly avoid. The time-scales for the story are necessarily lifetimes long. To do this he must, of course, include longevity and hibernation technology to insure his characters live long enough to see the end. There is a nice use of Time Travel that becomes a critical plot element. Of course steller evolution plays a big part in Revelation Space, as indeed the very idea of evolution of intelligent life. This is so central to the story that if you are not already familiar with the Fermi Paradox you will be by the end of this book. So it seems that Reynolds has traded one SF trope for another. All just tools in the story teller’s kit.

John Lee is again the narrator for Reynolds. To my ear Lee is much more in sync with the text in this book than in the previous novel. I do think that here he had better characters to work with, and his voice is as soothing as ever. His voice is so sonorous that at times I found myself tuning the story out and listening to John Lee almost as I would listen to music. And that is a danger for this book, for, like all the Alastair Reynolds books I have encountered so far, it does require an attentive listener. This book is much better than REVELATION SPACE but does ot reach the level of excellence of CHASM CITY.

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It's good but a minor niggle

If you could sum up Redemption Ark in three words, what would they be?

Alastair Reynolds writes a great tale. He's a former physicist and tries hard to keep his yarn consistent with the universe we inhabit... except in one thing. For some reason, he thinks the flow of time increases in a gravitational well... of course it does exactly the opposite (time slows.) It's a weird error and not even necessary as a plot device - so maybe it's better he sticks to writing. :)

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

JL's performance is excellent - far better than it was in Revelation Space

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Well worth the time

Reynolds is a good writer and Lee is a good narrator. The story and content is well above average. The curious thing is that the author presents some of the most radical concepts and themes almost as mundane life in the 28th Century descriptions.

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Fascinating

I am listening to this book every chance I get. It's complicated, sometimes confusing, but always interesting. Characters that appeared in the first book of the trilogy, suddenly appear in this book, pulling the story together and allowing the author to take the story in all kinds of directions. The narrator, John Lee, is one of my favorites. He did some of Daniel Silva's earlier books. I really hope audible gets the third book in the series, Absolution Gap. I can hardly wait to hear it.

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Still not up to par

What would have made Redemption Ark better?

Have to say that I was hoping for an improvement over books 1 and 3 but it was really boring. I could not get through the first half.

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Finally getting to the good stuff

Any additional comments?

This book finally gets to the really interesting part of the Revelation Space series, the real bad guys. While i appreciated the buildup Reynolds delivered in the first two entries, the third is, by far, the best yet. Even though the 'long plot' is being developed rather slowly, the writing and solid narration keeps me listening to find out what happens to the main characters and hoping the end of the series delivers what I've been anticipating. If you made it through the first two books of the series, you won't be disappointed by the third book!

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Slow Start but worth it

I really enjoy this author. I find his books to be a bit of a work to get into but then the story really takes off and you never want it to end. I highly reccommend.

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Great Listen!

I thought this book was pretty awesome... I especially liked the way the writer invents the technology of the time, and even describes how it works! I mean, you know it's SF way beyond our capabilities, but the way it's introduced into the story makes the reader believe that it's completely feasible for the era and not just a mind prop.

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