I’m a big Alastair Reynolds fan. He writes space operas mostly. But this slim Subterranean Press volume (85 pages) from 2008 delivers a short, compact story. Reynolds presents a future society that has colonized planets. But the culture is Mongolian (I guess Genghis Khan ended up conquering the world). Movement among the star systems is possible by The Infrastructure, a mysterious structure that allows faster than light travel. But The Infrastructure is breaking down and incursions by other civilizations (some non-human) become more frequent. A government secret agent (codename Yellow Dog) investigates the alien incursions. I found Alastair Reynolds’ story entertaining and compelling. Recommended. GRADE: B+