Title: GALACTIC NORTH
Publisher: Gollancz
Author: Alastair Reynolds
ISBN: 0-575-07911-8
343 pages
Reviewed by: Adam Donnison

Humanity has reached the stars, taking with it all of its petty jealousies and its capacity for self destruction, along with its inventiveness and pioneering spirit. Sadly, war has not been left behind.

Biotech has reached amazing levels, with Conjoiners using it to enhance themselves and achieve Transenlightenment, a kind of hive mind where all share their thoughts. Demarchists also use biotech, but not to enhance their intelligence as much as to achieve better communication. The Ultras have become cyborgs, part machine, part human. All of these groups mistrust and in many cases misunderstand their counterparts, resulting in dangerous frictions.

Humans, however enhanced, still manage to have passions, fears and failings and it in this background of the worlds of Revelation Space and Chasm City that Alastair Reynolds sets these eight short stories and novellas. Sometimes chilling, sometimes uplifting but always fascinating, the stories chart out a future that is as disturbing as it is intriguing.

Future histories are a long standing tradition in SF, and many great writers have tried their hand at it. It was with rare pleasure that I read this book as it covers the entire spread of Alastair's Revelation Space worlds and he deserves to rank with the best.