With his "top-notch" (Maxim) debut, Revelation Space, Alastair Reynolds was widely hailed as the new leader of cutting-edge hard-science fiction; a reputation he confirmed with the "awe inspiring"* sequel, Redemption Ark. Now, with Absolution Gap, he concludes the saga that made him "the most exciting space opera writer working today" (*Locus).

Ancient killing machines, designed to locate and destroy any life form reaching a certain level of intelligence, have been stirred from eons of sleep. Their latest target: Humanity. Seeking refuge on an apparently insignificant moon light-years away, it begins to dawn on war veteran Clavain and his ragtag companions that to beat one enemy, it may be necessary to forge an alliance with something much worse...

"The final volume in British author Reynolds's SF trilogy that began with Revelation Space (2001) fulfills all the staggering promise of the earlier books, and then some. The world Hela, an airless moon of the gas giant Haldora, is remarkable for two things: relics of the extinct alien race called the scuttlers, and the Quaicheist faith, whose observers (aided by infection with a virus that induces religious fervor) watch Haldora in the hope of viewing one of its mysterious, split-second disappearances. Church records show the disappearances are slowly increasing in frequency and duration. Rumors abound, and arriving pilgrims confirm that Haldora's changing behavior is a sign of the end times. When his indoctrinating virus weakens on occasion, however, Quaicheist founder Horris Quaiche has other ideas — as does young iconoclast Rashmika Els, self-taught scuttler archeologist. Meanwhile, unhappy war veteran Nevil Clavain leaves self-imposed exile on the planet Ararat to help his friend, human-pig hybrid Scorpio, and rejoin the battle against the implacable Inhibitors, 'wolf' machines that seek out and destroy star-faring civilizations. From a slow start, Reynolds's plot rapidly builds momentum, hurtling to a stunning conclusion. Cinematic imagery and strong characters ably carry this juggernaut of a story, with Big Ideas strewn about like pebbles on a beach. It's not the best book to introduce Reynolds to those who've never read him, but it's without a doubt a fitting finale to the series, a landmark in hard SF space opera. Roebert Kirby at Peters, Fraser and Dunlop. (June 1)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Widely hailed as the new leader of cutting-edge hard-science fiction, Reynolds concludes his popular saga with Clavain and his ragtag companions considering forging an unholy alliance in order to save humanity from recently reawakened ancient killing machines.

The winner of the British Science Fiction Award concludes his popular Revelation Space trilogy, as Clavain and his ragtag companions consider forging an unholy alliance in order to save humanity from recently reawakened ancient killing machines.

Alastair Reynolds was born in Barry, South Wales, in 1966. He studied at Newcastle and at St. Andrew's Universities and has a Ph.D. in astronomy. He currently works as an astrophysicist for the European Space Agency.