Inhibitor Phase

By: Alastair Reynolds

Narrated by: John Lee

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 40 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.

©2021 Alastair Reynolds (P)2021 Orion Publishing Group

fixed

there a missing section at the end of chapter 6 please fix this as soon as possible. it seems to have been fixed, will update if i find any other problems

Revelation space revisited - no spoilers

Being a huge Alastair Reynolds fan, I was very excited about this book. I have to say I was a bit disappointed. My honest opinion is, that Inhibitor phase seems less imaginative than the original books, although it will probably satisfy the Revelation Space universe hunger with many fans. I would have liked it to bring more earth shattering ideas, and maybe more exploration of the unknown parts of the RS universe. It seems more like a nod to the trilogy, rather than a new installment.
In regards to narration, I think the performance is OK, but the lack of pauses during scene changes is a big problem, although the listener will soon get over this.
If you're generally thinking about reading the Revelation Space novels, just go ahead and do that: The trilogy is great, and no sci-fi fan should leave it unread.

Fantastic return to Revelation Space

Hyperpigs, Pattern Jugglers, and Nest Builders, whats not to like. I loved it. Thanks :)

not the complete book!

Chapter six of the book (named Chapter seven in the app) cuts off mid sentence.

Too much magic

The characters in Inhibitor Phase are demigod like and basically without flaws that would hinder them acting good. The technologies are all powerful, solving way too many plot points, to the point it really doesn't matter what happens, cause there is an implement that will negate it.

Now this still is a Revelation space novel, and I love the setting, and it has good parts.

Reynolds and Lee in fine form

It’s a fine novel if you’re familiar with and a fan of Reynolds’ former works in the Revelation Space universe. Far from his best work, but I’m a fanboy and can’t be helped.

Speaking of familiarity: “Conch” is pronounced “conk” throughout the entire story. That should have been picked up at some point.

Not the best of Reynolds

It is a strong work of science fiction. But:

- Too much dying and too much acceptance of death

- Unnecessarily lengthy dialogues, sometimes badly written

- Some Ill-intentioned social commentary (e.g on “muskies”)

- Some unintentionally annoying characters (e.g Pinky)

- A rather predictable plot

A treasure hunt.

I want to know what happens to the wolves. do we win? what are the ramifications of the encantor?

More soap opera than space opera

I am usually a big fan of Alastair Reynolds but this book was a big let down. Tedious long goodbyes, am dram reunions (I lost count of the number of 'amazing' returns to life) and protracted naval gazing eclipsed the limited story.
A significant section featuring the Swine Queen seemed very similar to the vastly superior Consider Phelbas by Iain M Banks.
The techincal production is also faulty with a section missing in chapter 6.
Weak stuff