The Guardian blurb about Revenger says, “Swashbuckling! Pirates of the Caribbean meet Firefly.” I’m a big fan of Alastair Reynolds’s Space Operas. Revenger is a Young Adult SF novel featuring two feisty teenage sisters, Adrana and Fura Ness. Their father, hobbled by bad financial investments, is on the brink of bankruptcy. Anrana and Fura run away and join a starship as Bone Readers in an effort to restore the family fortune. Each starship has a “bone” or alien technology that allows instantaneous communication with other starships. But, in order for this system to work, Bone Readers are needed to make the connection. That’s why Bone Readers are the most valuable part of a starship’s crew.
The starship Adrana and Fura sign on to is called Monetta’s Mourn. Monetta’s Mourn is a scavenger ship that seeks “baubles” or sites where alien tech can be found and then sold for profit. After one of these missions, Monetta’s Mourn is attacked by a pirate ship, Nightjammer, led by Bosa Sennen. Bosa kills most of the crew of Monetta’s Mourn except for Adrana and another crew member who pretends to be Fura. Fura manages to hide on Monetta’s Mourn until she’s rescued. But the time waiting for rescue makes Fura determined to rescue her sister. Plenty of adventure and double-dealing result. If you’re in the mood for some old fashioned SF storytelling, Revenger delivers. GRADE: B+
Sounds good. I’ve read some of his other books and the plot of this one appeals to me.
Jeff, REVENGER is a quick read. The Young Adult format will strain your credibility at times, but the ride is worth it!
I’m a fan of Reynolds but I didn’t like this one as much as you did. It read too much like a YA novel. The sequel Shadow Captain has just come out.
Steve, I’m reading SHADOW CAPTAIN now. The audience for REVENGER and SHADOW CAPTAIN is 12-year-olds…or that 12-year-old inside most of us!
And to be honest, that is exactly why I should read these, as I tend to still really enjoy feeding that 12 year old inside me.
Carl, I’m reading the sequel to REVENGER, SHADOW CAPTAIN, now.
Not a Reynolds fan, and the generally the plot sounds recycled. Skip for me.
Rick, you’re right about REVENGER not breaking new ground, but I found it an entertaining tale.
I haven’t picked this one up mostly because I have not been into obvious revenge-plot books of late, and the description of this gave me that vibe. I did recently grab my long-shelved copy of The Prefect and read it and loved it. I need to pick up Elysium, the sequel. I had forgotten just how much I enjoy Reynolds’ writing. He is one of the modern SF authors who just grabs my attention every time.
Carl, glad is see you back! REVENGER is fun, if you factor in that it’s a Young Adult novel.
I mentioned in an above comment that the YA aspect is really why I should go ahead and give it a try as I do enjoy YA fiction.
Carl, I’m seeing more and more SF and fantasy written in the Young Adult format. Publishers obviously want to attract kids at a younger age.
These juvenile books (sorry, YA is the correct term now … :)) are not for me!
Wolf, most of the Young Adult SF books I’ve read feature a lot of action. I grew up reading Robert Heinlein’s SF “juveniles.” Love CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY!