Galactic North (Revelation Space)

Galactic North is a compilation of eight stories set in the Revelation Space universe. Each of the eight stories has Reynolds' unique fingerprint...dark, frequently noir-ish, often goth-esque scifi tales brimming with far future human cultures spread through numerous star systems and their -- both good and ill -- interconnection with advanced technology. Amongst my favorite stories in this collection is Weather, which details the rescue of a Conjoiner separated from the rest of her collective and how she helps a stranded lighthugger get out of a sticky situation. This tale also elaborates on and gives us some much desired details of the mysterious Conjoiner drive that has allowed Humanity to approach near-light speed and thus colonize multiple star systems in a relatively short period of time...a mere few centuries. Also amongst my favorites is Grafenwalder's Bestiary, which tells the story of illicit collector of all things organic and rare, Carl Grafenwalder. His penchant for collecting anything living that is exceptionally rare or virtually unique leads him on a quest -- a quest that he himself doesn't always understand -- for a creature that is thought to be only a myth. But his hunt for this creature of quasi-myth leads Grafenwalder into a predicament he never could have imagined. Reynolds acknowledges in the afterward that some of the stories featured in this collection were written very early in the evolutionary process of developing his Revelation Space universe. Because a handful of these stories were written almost two decades before publication of this collection, it makes the author's growth as a writer especially stark. His earliest stories show promise (amongst them, Dilation Sleep, the earliest published work in Reynolds' Revelation Space setting), but there is definitely a clear demarcation between his earliest works and his more later material. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing...to see an author's growth in his craft. But nonetheless, I couldn't help wishing that some of the stories had been fleshed-out a bit more. None of this detracts from what the author has created, an artfully constructed future history with its own personalities, cultures and worlds that -- when everything is said and done a few thousand years from now -- may end up being remarkably like what Humanity's actually expansion into the galaxy may look like. Alastair Reynolds has crafted a universe where the dilapidated and the vaunted nest side by side together; a universe where the believable and the extreme are merely two sides of a coin that Reynolds has tossed madly into the air...gyrating and gesticulating wildly, I am enjoying the coin's arc through space...directly towards me.

Someone told me the Galactic North, would answer questions left by absolution gap. I think there’s a little truth to that. And definitely the short stories are a lot more fun. The upside of the stories, are the characters in them and the action. The downside, is the logical consistency, especially when it comes to motivation and larger scope. I still find myself frustrated. The character might balance consequences for a whole civilization against the consequences for a single person. Especially a single person that’s not themselves. I at least in a larger works. Reynolds leaves many loose ends and unanswered questions. They are so frustrating, it limits my desire to continue reading other materials. But I think these issues are far less of a problem in a short story format.

I just finished reading this collection today and really thoroughly enjoyed every single story. I have seen different comments about reading order of the Revelation Space series and I think you could either read Galactic North first or last. I have so far read them in the following order.... Revelation Space , Chasm City (Revelation Space) , Redemption Ark (Revelation Space) , Absolution Gap (Revelation Space) , Galactic North and I just started The Prefect (Ace Science Fiction) . I am glad that I waited until after reading the first four books to read these short stories. Here's why... After I finished Absolution Gap I had that feeling you get when you finish a fantastic series of books. You just want more. Yet, you're a little exhausted and wrung out from all the ups and downs, ins and outs of the intricate plots and character developments. Galactic North was exactly what I wanted and needed. Short bursts of the Revelation Space universe that either filled in gaps of backstory, added new twists and dimensions to otherwise known settings/characters, explored previously unknown settings/characters or continued plot arcs begun in the novels. You get to go back to Mars with Clavain and Galiana, seeing how Felka got the way she is and how she was as a little girl. Others stories involve political intrigue and espionage on the moons of Jupiter; interstellar piracy amongst Ultras mixed with a deeper look into the mind-bending scientific achievements of the Conjoiners; a horror story regarding the after effects of the melding plague and the resulting deep space exodus of pilgrims to other systems; a story set in the Rust Belt era of Yellowstone regarding the owner of a "bestiary" who's plans for dominance in his chosen field come back to bite him in a vicious and unexpected way (with a cameo from a Diamond Dogs character); a tale of a mercenary mission originating from Sky's Edge that goes very, very wrong; and lastly the epoch-spanning eponymous tale that (sort of) picks up where Absolution Gap left off and which wraps up around A.D. 40,000. I'm looking at you, Greenfly. So as I said, these chunks of the Revelation Space universe were just what I was looking for after putting down Absolution Gap for the last time. I wanted more but not a LOT more. The way these stories are arranged is perfect starting with Clavain and ending with the far-flung future outcomes of events set in motion within the novels themselves. If you really enjoyed the main story arc of the novels you should check these nuggets of gold out at some point. You will be very glad you did.

Galactic North is an outstanding collection of stories from the Revelation Space universe. For the most part, they are entertaining and engaging, and provide several viewpoints on this terrific space opera/cyberpunk universe. It made me want to read more by Alastair Reynolds. My favorite among these stories is the title novella, "Galactic North" -- perhaps the most expansive piece of short sci-fi I've ever read. But for it's vast scope, it is a pretty tightly crafted tale. Great stuff! Also the epilogue gave me several tips for additional books, including one I've already started reading. (You're right, Reynolds, _Schismatrix_ by Bruce Sterling is melting my face off.)

Histórias curtas, ou contos, bem interessantes. Todos no universo de "Revelation Space". Portanto, quem não está familiarizado com esse universo pode estranhar alguns conceitos utilizados em todos os contos. Nota média: 4 estrelas. Notas individuais: GREAT WALL OF MARS: 9/10 GLACIAL: 9/10 SPY ON EUROPA: 9/10 WEATHER: 10/10 (Sensacional o que foi revelado sobre Conjoiner Drives) DILATION SLEEP: 7/10 GRAFENWALDER'S BESTIARY: 6/10 NIGHTINGALE: 8/10 (Remeteu muito aos "Contos da Cripta") GALATIC NORTH: 6/10

Reynolds als noch bester der Zunft hat hier nicht endlos lange Universen aufgebaut, sondern ein paar wirklich originelle Kurzgeschichten verfasst. Das muss man würdigen.

Ho iniziato a leggere galactic north dopo la saga principale composta da Revelation Space, Chasm City, Redemption Ark, Absolution Gap e The Prefect, e sono quindi riuscito a completare la panoramica su questo universo fantascientifico molto plausibile e definito nei minimi particolari. I racconti si aprono con uno ambientato nell'epoca della colonizzazione marziana, ai tempi delle scaramucce fra i neonati conjoiner e la coalizione, presentando un Nevil Calavain più giovane dell'eroe di Redeption Ark ed Absolution Gap. Altro tema principale in molti racconti è la Melding Plague: molti di essi sono ambientati nel sistema di una Yellowstone irrimediabilmente mutata dal terribile virus. Altri racconti invece risultano per me completamente inediti, come quelli collegati alla luna Europa, alla sua società sottomarina, ai Denizen, o quelli che spaziano sui vari aspetti della cultura Ultras, che ci vengono presentati spesso diversi dalla Ilia Volyova a cui eravamo stati abituati. Una lettura che consiglio a tutti gli appassionati, molto scorrevole e nel pieno stile Reynolds

One of the best collection of sci-fi short stories, highly recommended. Gives depth and breadth to the Revelation Space universe. Memorable characters.

A good mixed bag, and the 1999 story Galactic North is fascinating as it is the map of most of the stories from Revelation Space. Weather is the best of the bunch. Great Wall of Mars (2000) - 4.5 star Great stuff. Fast pacing, good characters, short but wonderful early days of Revelation Space Glacial (2001) - 4.5 star Wonderful continuation of Clavain and Galiana, this time on an ice world, with a murder mystery. Truly great stuff. A Spy in Europa (1997) - 3.5 star A short but interesting spy story, with a nice twist at the end. Weather (2006) - 5 star Wonderful, poignant, and a terrific insight into Conjoiner minds and engines. All superbly written! Dilation Sleep (1990) - 3.5 star Single concept story. Not bad, but not surprising. First story of the Melding Plague Grafenwalder's Bestiary (2006) - 3.5 star Some nice twists, good pacing, not too much dialogue diarrhoea. Nightingale (2006) - 1 star Blah blah infinite dialogue, repeated. A very short story made horrifically long and dull. Pages and pages of idiots arguing over which way to go in a "hedge-maze", etc. Worst-ever piece of work by Reynolds. Galactic North (1999) - 4 star I grand, sweeping vision of the entire Revelation Space series. It's very episodic, but nicely realised in the subsequent books and stories. Still, nothing here compares to Reynold's finest work: Turquoise Days (2002) NOTE: Please, please also read Turquoise Days, a novella, and short stories Enloa, Weather, and Zima Blue. Surely his finest works, along with House of Suns.