Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days - Alastair Reynolds

Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days - Alastair Reynolds
March 2009

Diamond Dogs and Turquoise Days are two novellas that have been published together in one volume. They take place within the Revelation Space universe.

I've read a lot of Alastair Reynolds' science fiction in the past couple of years. A lot of the technology that is in use in his universe seems plausible, and I like his interpretation on the societal effects of said technology. There is a focus on the people on fringes of society in his stories and his commentary seems to be that despite the advances made in science, there is little hope for a post-scarcity society because there is always human greed and human error to contend with. There are still poor and desperate people who have become every more cunning or violent and there are rich people who have grown bored and have devised games of death so they can experience the thrill of danger. There is also an imbalance of wealth and technology between worlds so that within the same universe he can explore societies at different points of development.

Diamond Dogs was enjoyable, but I thought the end was predictable. There were a few points made in Diamond Dogs that I found interesting, but the story seemed a bit long-winded and there were points where my interest flagged.

I enjoyed Turquoise Days more, possibly because there was more an exploration of the protagonist's feelings and because the Pattern Jugglers are one of the things I like most about Reynolds' universe.