Inhibitor Phase - Alastair Reynolds

A return to the Revelation Space universe is always good news for Alastair Reynolds fans. It's a rich universe that always has potential, not least in the existence of the terrifying entities called the Inhibitors, also known as wolves. As pretty much invincible AI technology whose only purpose is to eradicate the human race from every corner of the universe where they can find it, this is almost guarantees a thrilling adventure in every encounter. In Inhibitor Phase, it's more of an undercurrent of threat than an encounter, with humanity now down to a few remote outposts, trying to keep themselves hidden, fearful of what might happen should the wolves be alerted to their presence.

That's the case for the small outpost of five thousand souls on Sun Hollow, who since they have no contact with anyone else, might as well be - and could even be - the last remnant of humanity in the universe. So when a ship approaches and risks alerting the wolves, they have no option to destroy it. Miguel de Ruyter volunteers for this dangerous and perhaps one-way mission, but one person somehow manages to survive the destruction of the ship in a sleeper casket. Despite his better judgment and concerns of other inhabitants of Sun Hollow, de Ruyter brings her back. And indeed it does transpire that he has brought trouble back, since the person in the casket is not who she claims to be. But then it turns out that neither is Miguel.

Without giving any more details of their identities, the two set off on an incredibly hazardous mission, neither trusting the other, working with equally dangerous and untrustworthy Conjoiners - technologically enhanced and interconnected humans - to the destroyed habitat ring of Yellowstone to retrieve some objects that might help them wipe out the scourge of wolves. That's evidently not going to be as simple as it sounds and it's only the first stage on a journey with many more unknown hazards to face. Several old names and places pop up here; Chasm City, the Rust Belt, Jugglers and John the Revelator, the 800 year old captain fused with his ship.

Although working in familiar territory, Reynolds is indeed as creative as usual in the types of hazards that occur and the means that are employed to overcome them. It's not exactly a thrill a minute, it's a bit drawn out in some places and it might not be the author's best entry in the series, but Inhibitor Phase definitely falls on the better side of Reynolds' work. It's more of a space opera quest with convenient - or maybe not so convenient really - 'juggling' tricks and devices used to resolve matters, and there's not really any deep consideration of humans, science and technology, but Reynolds feels at home here in Revelation Space with strong characters that take us to a suitable conclusion.