Absolution Gap

By: Alastair Reynolds

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 27 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

The Inhibitors were designed to eliminate any life-form reaching a certain level of intelligence - and they've targeted humanity. War veteran Clavain and a ragtag group of refugees have fled into hiding. Their leadership is faltering, and their situation is growing more desperate.

But their little colony has just received an unexpected visitor: an avenging angel with the power to lead mankind to safety - or draw down its darkest enemy. And as she leads them to an apparently insignificant moon light-years away, it begins to dawn on Clavain and his companions that to beat one enemy, it may be necessary to forge an alliance with something much worse.

©2008 Alastair Reynolds (P)2009 Tantor

John Lee butchers Clevanes voice.

John Lee makes the decision to change the way he does Clevanes voice, compared to the way he did the voice in redemption ark. It sounds silly and it's very distracting to the immersion.

Well done, as always.

I love Reynolds. I love Lee. The entire series has been fantastic. Listen to the entire thing from start to finish.

favorite thus far!

I've enjoyed the series, but this book has been my favorite! He ties in many concepts and broad timelines, and the character development is superb. I felt more invested in the characters in this book. looking for to the next one.

everyone here are wrong

all these dummies are wrong. Ending is fine, just don't expect a giant battle like on Hollywood, Enders game or all those superhero movies that came out lately

If You Came This Far ....

Would you consider the audio edition of Absolution Gap to be better than the print version?

Yes. This series (including Chasm City and The Prefect) make up a 5 book story arch that is very complicated and intense. John Lee's reading adds to the overall experience and makes it unforgettable.

What did you like best about this story?

There are familiar elements in this story: racism, aggression, colonialism and petty rivalries woven within some great scientific backdrops such as String Theory and Relativity Theory. This is what makes this series, and this book so compelling. If you enjoyed the series, you will enjoy this book. It is a great conclusion to the series, and moves at a much faster pace than Redemption Arc.

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

He is probably the best narrator on Audible. Just fantastic in how he can create memorable voices over a long story. Awesome job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were several horror elements to this book that I thought were great, and put a dark spin on some story aspects. This book seemed a bit edgier than previous entries in the series and it worked well.

Any additional comments?

If you are a fan of Dan Simmons and Peter F. Hamilton I think you will be as engrossed in this series as I was. This is not a light story. It is heavy at times, intense and can be very complicated (at times maybe too complicated for its own good). But over all it is excellent and sets the standard for modern Science Fiction. Highly recommend.

better than absolution gap

This is a great book- WAY better than Redemption Ark was, so I'm glad I finally broke down and listened to it. Where Redemption Ark drove me crazy with too much Skade & too much irrational conjoiner behavior, here we just have two intertwining rollicking adventures. not quite as strong as revelation space, but a pleasant surprise.

We start off on the Pattern Juggler world where Redemption Ark ended, with Clavain and the refugees trying to set up a new temporary society. We skip from there to a lighthugger and then to Hele, which is a small world far away from mainstream society. A miracle occured there hundreds of years ago which led to a new religion. There is also a bridge, possibly built by aliens, and Reynolds usual odd ball characters. It's a good ride that pulls you in like many of his best stories.

Pretty good

What made the experience of listening to Absolution Gap the most enjoyable?

This episode picks up nicely after Redemption Ark. Sometimes hard to follow, but still good sci-fi. I really like John Lee as narrator, and generally like books that he does.

Where we going?

What a great book and now an audio book. It doesn't get any better. I can't wait for the next book.

Great conclusion to the true trilogy.

Read Chasm City before this to interrupt the constant barrage of multiple power groups trying to win the fight for survival. A few references in this book will be happy memories to you, in my opinion.

Don't hesitate but listen to the series in order..

This book is waiting for you as the last of the Revelation Space series. Worth the wait to get to this one - it ties the series together nicely. Again, well written and well narrated.