“Inhibitor Phase” is the latest novel by Alastair Reynolds and is a return to his ongoing Revelation Space universe.
Deep underground on a rocky, desolate planet called Michaelmas, one of the last outposts of mankind struggles to survive whilst staying hidden from the alien Inhibitors, known as “wolves”, who want to eradicate humanity. On a mission to destroy a passing spaceship before it betrays their presence, Miguel de Ruyter encounters a lone survivor who may know more than she’s letting on. The woman, known only as Glass, will lead Miguel on a quest for a weapon which may end the Inhibitor threat.
It’s been a while since I’ve read one of Alastair’s books, but it all came flooding back as I re-immersed myself in the Revelation Space world. Reynolds has created a living, breathing space empire, so even while reading a story about one isolated part, you still get the sense of a much larger universe affecting events; an universe of sentient spaceships and omnipotent life-destroying weapons.
Whilst this is a standalone book, there is a moderate amount of recapping of previous events in the Revelation Space saga, but that’s to be expected as it has to pull centuries of backstory behind it. The preface assures us that whilst this book can be read without prior knowledge of the preceding books (I recommended reading them all anyway, if you haven’t already), it does reference them a little but without major spoilers. The preface includes a short intro to the major events of the Revelation Space universe and a more detailed timeline, glossary and list of prominent characters is provided at the back of the book.
The first part introduces us to the story’s main characters; Miguel de Ruyter, the administrator of the outpost and the survivor, who calls herself Glass, who will have a profound effect on both Miguel and the colony. Both characters are superbly written, and as usual there is a colourful cast of equally well-drawn supporting characters. There is plenty of hard sci-fi technology but Reynolds’ never lets it overwhelm the story. His prose, while dense in places, crackles with energy and import, and his distinctive style will soon have you in its grip. The story is pacy, exciting and often gory and brutal, but there are moments of humour - Reynolds even manages to squeeze in a “Game of Thrones” reference - and the relationship between Miguel and Glass sparkles first with sassiness and eventually grudging acceptance as they learn to work together and even to rely on each other. The story builds to a thrilling ending as we’ve come to expect from Reynolds.
Alastair Reynolds’ books have always been among the hardest of hard sci-fi, but he never loses sight of the human factor, no matter how altered humans become, or how enormous in scope his stories are. And they are big, with “Inhibitor Phase” being no exception; space journeys take decades, characters go into suspended animation or “reefersleep” for extended periods. This is epic sci-fi, but in the end the story hinges on human decisions.
This novel is every bit as good as the earlier books in the Revelation Space saga, and reading it is like slipping on a favourite old jumper. Fans of those books should not hesitate to buy this. Vast, epic yet very human, “Inhibitor Phase” is vintage Alastair Reynolds.
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