Pushing Ice – Alastair Reynolds
Alastair Reynolds has written a number of excellent SF novels in the space opera genre, notably his vast Inhibitor series (Revelation Space, Chasm City, Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap). One of his great strengths is his scientific background - he works as an astrophysicist for the European Space Agency. With Pushing Ice, he is back into space opera in a big way. It is set in the future of our own solar system, at a time when mankind has spread out from Earth, throughout the solar system. The crew of the commercial spacecraft Rockhopper IV make their living attaching drive motors to water-rich ice comets in the outer planets. The crew are miners, engineers and demolition experts. They are therefore expendable (as in the film Alien) when the owners of the space craft become aware that Janus, one of the moons of Saturn is in fact an alien space craft which is about to leave the solar system. As the Rockhopper is the only vehicle able to get close to Janus, they are sent to have a “quick look” before it leaves. Unfortunately for them, they are dragged by Janus out of the solar system, and end up at the other end of the universe in an alien construction which contains countless other alien cultures which have arrived there in a similar fashion. The essence of the book is, are these people who are far from being scientists, ready to make first contact with aliens? And can they handle the technology and information that is available to them without destroying themselves in the process? I hope that this is the first book in a new series from Alastair Reynolds. I can see at least two sequels from the story lines left dangling at the end of this excellent and most enjoyable book. And I thoroughly recommend this book to all of you who enjoy space opera.
Publisher: Gollancz (Orion Books) Date: 2005 Pages: 457 Pages Price: £14.99 ISBN: 0-575-07438-8 Format: Hardback Reviewed by: Rod Cameron Date Reviewed: March 2006