Elysium Fire

It's been a number of years since I read the first book in this series (although, as it happens still less than the gap between their publication dates...) and I found that I didn't remember much of it beyond the setting. Nonetheless, this does continue with plot elements from the previous book, and seems to be setting things up for a further one. Which hopefully, won't be another eight years coming.

The main story here is new, however, so my lack of recollection wasn't as big a problem as it might have been. The novel flips between Dreyfus investigating an apparent plague of unexplained deaths in the “present” and the childhood backstory of a man who is somehow connected with them. As the story goes on, the latter becomes more relevant to the former and elucidates some of what's going on that isn't apparent to the main viewpoint characters. Both include inventive detail, building on what was previously established in the first novel and the “present-day” parts include some dramatic moments as the situation becomes increasingly dire.

There are plenty of twists in the plot, and some of the questions of identity and the reliability of memory that have featured in other books by Reynolds. It's an enjoyable return to the universe of Revelation Space with a fast-paced and complex plot and some great ideas.

A worthy sequel to “The Prefect” but also an excellent stand-alone, although you might miss a few nuances if you haven't read the earlier book. It also helps if you've read some of Reynolds' other books in the Revelation Space universe, but nothing critical will be missed if this is your first Reynolds book. Having said that, however, the reading is much enhanced if you've read the other books, and the tale does re-introduce characters, environments and other elements seen in those books to great effect. The story moves along briskly, and the tension is ratcheted upward satisfactorily. There are multiple POVs here, but I found sufficient coverage given to all. I hope there are more tales to come in this series and in this universe.