Halcyon Years

By: Alastair Reynolds

Narrated by: Tim Treloar

A private investigator is hired to look into a mysterious, high-profile death aboard the starship Halcyon in this fresh new science fiction masterpiece from the "mastersinger of space opera" (The Times) and the creator of the beloved Revelation Space universe. Strap in for a gripping murder mystery.

Yuri Gagarin is a private investigator, who picks up small cases from his local community, runs into trouble with the local police, and generally ekes out a living as best he can. He's aboard the Halcyon - a starship, hurtling through space, carrying thousands of passengers with thousands more sleeping the journey away.

Only his usual investigative work - catching cheating spouses, and small time con artists - is about to take a turn. He's hired by a mysterious woman called Ruby Red to look into a death in one of Halcyon's most elite families . . . and then warned off the case again by a second mysterious woman called Ruby Blue. Caught between the two, he's about to be embroiled in a murder mystery in which - at any moment - he could be the latest victim.

Gripping, fast-paced fun, this is a classic noir mystery with a science fiction twist, which will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat to the end.

A fresh new masterpiece, from the master of science fiction.

Critic reviews

"Comparisons to Dune abound...At a time when large-scale SF is flourishing, Absolution Gap is as good as it gets, and should solidify Alastair Reynolds' reputation as one of the best hard SF writers in the field."—SF Site on Absolution Gap

"Reynolds writes a lean and muscular prose where the intense action scenes are leavened with the kind of bright, shining, mind-boggling science talk that characterizes the best of post-modern space opera."—Science Fiction Weekly on Absolution Gap

"Alastair Reynolds continues his rise to the top of SF...Revelation, Redemption, Absolution...Reynolds provides them all."—The Guardian (UK) on Absolution Gap

"Alastair Reynolds [is] one of the leading lights of the New Space Opera Movement . . . . Revenger is tremendous fun." —Locus on Revenger

"Reynolds possesses the true and awesome widescreen SF imagination...an exciting, thought-provoking novel."—Locus on Century Rain

"One of the giants of the new British space opera."
—io9 on Alastair Reynolds

"[Reynolds is] a mastersinger of the space opera."
—The Times (UK) on Blue Remembered Earth

"Heir to writers like Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, Reynolds keeps up the tradition of forward thinking... An immensely thrilling, mind-bending piece of work."
—AV Club on House of Suns

"[Reynolds] is one of the most gifted hard SF writers working today."—Publishers Weekly on Beyond the Aquila Rift

"Eversion by Alastair Reynolds is a masterful surprise in this author’s work ... a finely written science fiction mystery that I could not put down."

—SciFi Mind on Eversion

"Reynolds packs plenty of emotion into this mind-bending plot... The result is an excellent adventure that’s sure to keep readers on their toes."—Publishers Weekly on Eversion

"The author of Inhibitor Phase (2019) and Permafrost (2017), among many other fine SF novels, just might have outdone himself here ... [An] utterly brilliant exploration of life, death, and consciousness ... It's his most ambitious, certainly, and at the very least, one of his best. Required reading for SF fans."—Booklist on Eversion

"This was a very clever and unique book and has single-handedly reawakened my interest in checking out more of the author’s work."

—BiblioSanctum on Eversion

"Alastair Reynolds' Eversion is yet another excellent story told by a master novelist ... As a writer, the craft in this book floored me. As a reader, the story kept me glued to the page. Highly recommended."—PrimmLife on Eversion

Sci Fi Detective story

Sci Fi Detective stories, a popular genre for Alastair Reynolds. Detective stories are not something I usually get into but this Author is a master and he makes it well worth my time

Enjoyable

I enjoyed it. It's not my favorite Reynolds book but I thought it was good. Most of the story takes place in a pretty grounded setting with bits if advanced technology here and there. Definitely a unique setting. I would recommend it if you are a scifi or mystery fan. The book starts pretty confusing but everything is explained eventually.

another great AR title

AR is just the best of author
in decades. Great narration. sf noir is a great genre I think.

Space Opera Noir (BrettD review)

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I think the mix of noir detective and space opera makes for a new and unique combination. The Prefect/Aurora series is similar but the technology is very advanced. Here the main character still uses a land line phone. This is a strong novel. I like Eversion and some of the older greats better. But I will still recommend this to others for a read. Hopefully Reynolds keeps writing for years to come.

Disappointingly simplistic to a Reynolds fan

I currently have 22 Alistair Reynolds books in my audible library. I'm wishing I had stopped after 21.

The plot of Halcyon Days is simplistic compared to any of Reynolds' other works. It's a relatively straight line mystery told from the point of view of the main character without any of the complex subplots that I've come to expect from a Reynolds space opera.

The narration although not up to John Lee's standards was fine.