The Prefect

By: Alastair Reynolds

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 19 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Tom Dreyfus is a Prefect, a law enforcement officer with the Panoply. His beat is the multifaceted utopian society of the Glitter Band, that vast swirl of space habitats orbiting the planet Yellowstone, the teeming hub of a human interstellar empire spanning many worlds. His current case: investigating a murderous attack against one of the habitats that left 900 people dead, a crime that appalls even a hardened cop like Dreyfus. But then his investigation uncovers something far more serious than mass slaughter---a covert plot by an enigmatic entity who seeks nothing less than total control of the Glitter Band. Before long, the Panoply detectives are fighting against something worse than tyranny, in a struggle that will lead to more devastation and more death. And Dreyfus will discover that to save what is precious, you may have to destroy it.

©2008 Alastair Reynolds (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A fascinating hybrid of space opera, police procedural and character study.... This is solid British SF adventure, evoking echoes of le Carre and Sayers with a liberal dash of Doctor Who." ( Publishers Weekly)

Great story as expected from Reynolds.

Started out slower than the usual Reynolds books, but like the others it eases you into the rollercoaster ride. He is a master of science fiction.

The Prefect, a good listen

It took a while to get into but after a few hours it held my interest all the way through. Good story and naration. Some of the technicals lacked imagination but overall it was good.

One Word Epic!

Grand storytelling with breath taking conclusion! Leaves me wondering what becomes of Aurora and the Clockmaker.

Best book in series.

Tapestry of Awe

Back in the Yellowstone system this story is set amongst the Glitter band, a group of ten thousand human space habitats that are governed democratically via an organization called Panoply. Each of the habitats have a central stalk that houses a poling core, using abstraction (a hand waving term for network), representatives from each habitat rotate through the civic duty of voting.
This idyllic thing comes crashing to a halt as an Alpha level imprint from the Silvestri 80, Aurora, takes over four habitats and manufactures warbots called Weevils to spread. Meanwhile, a creature from the past called the Clockmaker which was thought destroyed resurfaces to threaten the maybe invincible Aurora.
Field Prefect Tom Dreyfus, Deputy Field Talia Ing, Deputy Field hyper-pig Sparva are just some of the key spicy characters leading the fight against the dark annihilators of humans in this installment. I enjoy how the author juggles multiple story lines into a mesmerizing tapestry of entertainment. Five out of five for this one. Excellent job!

.....

good book worth checking out if i do say so my self i would recommend it

Good but not the best of the series

Great narration imminently listenable, story is good but not as good as others in the series. Sci fi fans will be pleased.

Reynolds weaves threads like a master

I've been feasting on Reynolds books since I saw him recommended a couple of months ago. as a lover of hard-SF I enjoy how he projects future events from a logical progression of technological advancement. The books in the Revelation Space trilogy start with such seemingly unrelated story arcs that he weaves together so satisfyingly over the course of the book.

Another great book by Alastair Reynolds

Great story and a great narrator, John Lee! I've enjoyed all of the books that Mr. Lee has narrated by Mr. Reynolds.

My favourite Renolyds story so far!

This is my favourite story in the Revelation Space story so far. It has all of the wonderful strangeness we have come to expect from Renolyds and comes with so much action!

Complex and absorbing

If you could sum up The Prefect in three words, what would they be?

But which Prefect?

What other book might you compare The Prefect to and why?

Maybe Dune, due to the Plans within Plans aspect of the plot. However, it's been a very long time since I read that so the comparison is probably imperfect.

Which scene was your favorite?

The conversation with the Clockmaker.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Nothing's as simple as it seems.

Any additional comments?

For followers of the Revelation Space series, this book gives some cultural background on the Glitter Band and the Demarchists in general.