Chasm City

By: Alastair Reynolds

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 23 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Named one of the best novels of the year by both Locus and Science Fiction Chronicle, Alastair Reynolds's debut Revelation Space redefined the space opera. With Chasm City, Reynolds invites you to reenter the bizarre universe of his imagination as he redefines Hell.

The once-utopian Chasm City - a domed human settlement on an otherwise inhospitable planet - has been overrun by a virus known as the Melding Plague, capable of infecting any body, organic or computerized. Now, with the entire city corrupted---from the people to the very buildings they inhabit---only the most wretched sort of existence remains. For security operative Tanner Mirabel, it is the landscape of nightmares through which he searches for a lowlife postmortal killer. But the stakes are raised when his search brings him face to face with a centuries-old atrocity that history would rather forget.

©2008 Alastair Reynolds (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Consistently startling.... Reynolds remains one of the hottest...SF writers around." ( Publishers Weekly)

You’re a man. You’re another man. You’re neither.

A man isn’t who he is, he’s actually another man who, in fact, is also another man. Reynolds is very articulate writer, but he’s created a few literary abominations, such as, House of Suns. This isn’t House of Suns, though, it’s rather a good book, if you can look past a few absurdities here and there.

action and mystery

this is actually set before Revelation Space, but builds its own part of the universe of that book. mysterious, as our protagonist wrestles with dream and memories that may or may not belong to him while navigating a world that is openly hostile to his aims. very enjoyable!!

The narration

I liked the story. I liked how it kept building and plot twisting all the way to the end.

Cannot recommend enough

The story was dark, humorous, highly creative, and thoroughly engrossing. Never have I experienced so many twists and turns in the course of one book. One of the best audiobook experiences of my life.

Very atmospheric

It has been a while since I took iPod out of my car into home to listen to a book. Chasm City was the book which gripped me so much that I did that.

This was my first "read" of Reynolds and quite a pleasant one! I am great fan of darker, atmospheric and realistic (as far as we can imagine it today) science fiction which covers not only science and technology but also human aspect of future. This book has it all! Story is very atmospheric and surrounding, settings and tech are not completely whacked out like in some sf fantasy books and there is a lot of human aspect and emotions, unlike some dry classics like Rama or Ringworld.

The Narrator is very adequate. In Revelation Space - which I listen to now - John Lee has the annoying habit to start a sentence with much intonation and trail out from there, becoming silenter and silenter - this was complained about by some in reviews to RS. Well, it is not present here! John Lee is really much better in this one IMHO.

Rolled Gold

The best Alastair Reynolds book I have heard at Audible. Human colonized worlds, futuristic space travel and the twists – turns in the plot left me feeling like a pretzel. Just add salt and I’m ready to be dropped in a bag of Rolled Gold.

A sci-fi must-read

This book is fantastic. for anyone that loves science fiction particularly hard science fiction this book is amazing. I couldn't recommend more. it's a great follow-up to Revelation space. excellent prequel explains a little bit more about the world. the universe this author has created is amazing in its depth. I love it. will continue reading.

Unexpectedly different

So coming here after Revelation Space, this book offers achingly little evidence of being part of the same series and when it finally does, only vague implications. That being said, it was a great story and enjoyable experience. Reynolds has a habit of providing the reader bits of information and evidence here and there to implicate certain things, and never actually specifying end conclusions. This can be frustrating, but in this book there is enough evidence eventually to form credible theory on what the author was trying to say.
On the narration - there is no chapter announcements, and literally zero pause from one scene on this side of the galaxy to another hundreds of light years distant. I became very familiar with the 30-second rewind trying to figure out what just happened with the perceived story skipage.

Interesting plot, terrible characters

I enjoyed the convoluted plot but didn't like any of the characters. Overall it's a quite dark story.

Good. Stretches the imagination pretty far.

Generally a good story. There is at least one unusual character plot twist that, until it is ultimately revealed, tended to confuse me, but not so much so as to detract from the story. I think the author really requires the reader to stretch their imagination with this story - making things almost unbelievable to me.