''Poseidon's Wake'' is a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

novel by Welsh author

Alastair Reynolds Alastair Preston Reynolds (born 13 March 1966) is a Welsh science fiction author. He specialises in hard science fiction and space opera. Early life Reynolds was born in Wales and spent his early years in Cornwall before moving back to Wales, ...

. It forms the conclusion of Reynolds' ''Poseidon's Children''

future history A future history, imaginary history or anticipatory history is a fictional conjecture of the future used by authors of science fiction and other speculative fiction to construct a common background for stories. Sometimes the author publishes a t ...

trilogy, which follows the expansion of humanity and its

transhuman Transhuman, or trans-human, is the concept of an intermediary form between human and Posthuman#Transhumanism, posthuman. In other words, a transhuman is a being that resembles a human in most respects but who has powers and abilities beyond those ...

descendants into the galaxy over the course of many centuries. ''Poseidon's Wake'' follows '' Blue Remembered Earth'' (2012) and '' On the Steel Breeze'' (2013), and was published by Gollancz on 30 April 2015.

Background

Reynolds submitted the manuscript of ''Poseidon's Wake'' to Gollancz in October 2014, and completed his editorial revisions in November 2014. Gollancz released the novel's cover art and announced its print and digital release date in January 2015.

Plot introduction

''Poseidon's Wake'' is a loose sequel to Reynolds' 2013 novel ''On the Steel Breeze'', featuring numerous recurring characters, but can also be considered a stand-alone story. Set in the distant future, after humans have travelled to other stars and encountered mysterious robotic aliens known as Watchkeepers, the novel depicts an expedition by interstellar colonists to a mysterious solar system which contains an ancient and devastating secret.

Reception

Erlingur Einarsson of ''

SciFiNow ''SciFiNow'' was a British magazine formerly published every four weeks by Kelsey Media in the United Kingdom, covering the science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction, horror genres. It launched in April 2007, with the print publication ceasing i ...

'' gave ''Poseidon's Wake'' a highly favourable review, describing it as "grand, involving and full of light and wonder" and naming it "one of the best sci-fi novels of the year", while acknowledging that it was more slow-paced than other science fiction works. Eric Brown of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' also reviewed the novel favourably, calling it "a well-paced, complex story replete with intrigue, invention and an optimism uncommon in contemporary SF". Mark Diston of ''

The Register ''The Register'' (often also called El Reg) is a British Technology journalism, technology news website co-founded in 1994 by Mike Magee (journalist), Mike Magee and John Lettice. The online newspaper's Nameplate_(publishing), masthead Logo, s ...

'' was far more critical of the novel, describing it as "pedestrian, long-winded and ineffective" and saying that Reynolds' characters lack "life ndhumour".

References

External links

* {{Alastair Reynolds British science fiction novels 2015 British novels Future history Novels by Alastair Reynolds Victor Gollancz Ltd books