Glacial

by Alastair Reynolds

Novella. First published in the magazine Spectrum SF, February 2001.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook

Unknown Binding

First published February 1, 2001

About the author

I'm Al, I used to be a space scientist, and now I'm a writer, although for a time the two careers ran in parallel. I started off publishing short stories in the British SF magazine Interzone in the early 90s, then eventually branched into novels. I write about a novel a year and try to write a few short stories as well. Some of my books and stories are set in a consistent future named after Revelation Space, the first novel, but I've done a lot of other things as well and I like to keep things fresh between books.

I was born in Wales, but raised in Cornwall, and then spent time in the north of England and Scotland. I moved to the Netherlands to continue my science career and stayed there for a very long time, before eventually returning to Wales.

In my spare time I am a very keen runner, and I also enjoying hill-walking, birdwatching, horse-riding, guitar and model-making. I also dabble with paints now and then. I met my wife in the Netherlands through a mutual interest in climbing and we married back in Wales. We live surrounded by hills, woods and wildlife, and not too much excitement.

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Great short story by one of my favorite science fiction authors Alastair Reynolds. This is one of his earlier works.

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glacial is a story that follows on well from the author’s Great Wall of Mars short story, allowing us to see more of the characters we were introduced to. Although I saw how things would develop with this one, it kept me curious throughout. Not quite a full three-star rating, but close enough for me to round the rating up.

All in all, an enjoyable quick read from the author.

[5t4n5 Dot Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some years after the events of Great Wall of Mars , the Conjoiners have escaped the solar system and are busy trying to find a new home.

Enter planet Diadem, which the Conjoiners discover has already had human visitors and a settlement.   But something went wrong and they're all dead -- or maybe not quite all of them.

And then there's the worms.

Another great story from Alastair as he feeds us more info on the abilities of Conjoiner minds and we get to know our protagonist, Clavain, a little bit more too.

Available in the collection, Galactic North .

And now, without hesitation, it's straight into Night Passage , the third book in the Revelation Space Universe.

[Rikhard Von Katzen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whodunnit murder mystery in Spaaaace! The biggest problem with this story is how frequently the main character repeats that he has no reason to be suspicious of Iverson, which telegraphs 'Iverson's' guilt.

[Esteban Vega · Rating 2 out of 5]

Regular cop story in abandoned base on ice planet. Not really much else, Clavain and Galiana's characters aren't developed :'(

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ivf :o

[Declan Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing novella - possibly my favourite work of Reynolds, even though it doesn't have the epic scope of his novels. He combines murder mystery, character development and first contact in a compelling hard SF melange. Moreover, the icy, spooky atmosphere will have you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

Highly, highly recommended.