One of the big contributing factors to this novel’s success is the atmosphere that Reynolds injects into his Revelation Space books.

I'm sure some very important information was missed out on a body scan too - won't say anymore, just look out for it. Somewhat different from Revelation Space—and that’s probably a good thing— Chasm City delivers an interesting mix of mystery, thriller, and philosophy. Tanner's pursuit of Reivich takes him across light-years of space to Chasm City, the domed human settlement on the otherwise inhospitable planet of Yellowstone. Long dead (crucified, in fact), Sky’s memories somehow survive in a kind of virus that a cult passes on to travellers. As the ships’ societies gradually begin to drift apart and they develop into a sort of cold war, Sky realises that old ghost stories about a mysterious sixth ship trailing the fleet are actually true – a dark and silent vessel has been shadowing them for generations.I started off publishing short stories in the British SF magazine Interzone in the early 90s, then eventually branched into novels. In this chaos of plague and desolation, Tanner seeks his prey, only to discover that Reivich is more clever than he originally thought. If you think about the logistics of it too much it falls apart (how do they still have expensive restaurants for the rich and thus currency, or capitalism at all? Also, the generation ship race seemed a bit unrealistic - why would it matter which generation ship reached Sky's Edge first - a big planet ain't going to feel full if tens of thousands of such ships arrive at an empty world, let along a handful. Honor to the author, no plotlines are left hanging in the air as the book nears it finale, neatly tugged in as the tales spins on.

There is scant AI in Chasm City, but there is plenty of reflection on identity and the ramifications of using technology to alter one’s identity. Both touch on philosophy of the mind, a field that fascinates me, and I suspect this is why they intrigue me. Taking 1000 or 5000 years, one can easily imagine a colony or even a solar system where they teach kids that their holy woman (who knows? In the midst of his hunt, he begins experiencing virus-induced flashbacks from the life of Sky Haussmann, the founder of his home world, Sky's Edge, who is both revered and reviled for the crimes he committed for his people. The one-time high-tech utopia has become a Gothic nightmare: a nanotechnological virus has corrupted the city¿s inhabitants as thoroughly as it has the buildings and machines.The one time high-tech utopia has become a Gothic nightmare: a nanotechnological virus has corrupted the city’s inhabitants as thoroughly as it has the buildings and machines. In particular, Reynolds doesn't expend much effort on 'side characters' - one minute they want to kill the protagonist, the next ( after a couple of overly-long and unrealistic dialogue exchanges ) new alliances are forged. I remember the gargantuan, Gormenghast-esque spaceship with a miniscule crew spending decades to travel between stars; I remember the archaeological dig of an extinct alien species whose myths hinted at some terrible and vengeful god; I remember the impression that humanity’s scattered, isolated colonies were all authoritarian dictatorships, their little remaining statecraft consisting mostly of threats and coercion. However, I 'd still take one star down for a too false Hollywood-ish trick the author produces in the very last chapter to deal with Tanner and his likely antagonist.