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)

Riveting to the end with a neat twist.

Great to bring together some of the key threads of other books into the whole picture. Also a nice change that the whole book is in such a short time period, not spread out over decades.

Somewhere in the Middle

Once you find your favorite sci-fi series, everything else is somewhere in the middle of being okay and so-so. You are always comparing them even though the story is different and not from the same author. “The Prefect” might be my new favorite sci-fi series that I want to keep track of. Maybe because the book is being read by one of the best narrators, John Lee. Or maybe I just need a new series to follow because most of my favorites have already ended or coming to an end. Whatever the case may happen to be, the first book is a few stars beyond being good, but not great.

You simply can't go wrong with these two.

Complex, yet refined.
Intelligent, yet accessibile.
Relaxing, yet terrifying.

No complaints and onto the sequel, Elysium Fire.

A creative and well paced SF story

If you're looking for a highly original premise, this is your book. I doubt I'll ever find a story with this many diverse concepts crammed into it again!

Fantastic big hearted well plotted

A new series for me and my first Alastair Reynolds—but not my last. Dreyfuss is my favorite sort of heroic main: smart, ironic, very very good at his job. John Lee’s narration was masterfully paced and gave terrific subtle characterizations.

DCC

what were you guys smoking when you wrote this one outside of the box I am loving it keep them coming thank you for letting me in your world

Great book all the way around

Great engaging story, space opera at its best. The narration was superb that action was fast paced without being frenetic. I would recommend.

Took Two Tries

The first time I started this story I got a bit lost in the universe he created, but the second time around I couldn't put it down. Wonderful book.

Terrible voice acting

The story was interesting but it was very difficult to listen to. The female voices were especially poorly performed. The story itself kept me entertained so I kept on listening but I got very close to stopping and just getting the book to read myself

Fresh take on Sci Fi

Where does The Prefect rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I think it was an excellent story. It started a bit slow though, but it gradually picked up. It did take a bit to get used the accent of the narrator, but it still was a nice listen.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Prefect?

When Jane gets decapitated in order to remove the Scarab. And when Dryfuss meets the Clockmaker.

Which character – as performed by John Lee – was your favorite?

I'm going to have to say Gafney. He made me see his sneers without ever seeing him. Second is Sparva.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Sure.