Worth it for Diamond Dogs alone
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Diamond dogs was the first Alistair Reynolds story I read some years ago, (when it was published by PS Publishing as a single novella before even Revelation Space was released) and it was a perfect introduction.
In Diamond Dogs the characters are forced to use outlawed technology to alter and augment themselves in order to progress, almost computer-game-style, up a series of increasingly (mentally and physically) challenging levels of the alien Blood Spire, an artifact discovered and kept secret by one of the protagonists, who gathers together a group of singularly-skilled individuals to conquer it. They suffer indescribable punishment along the way, and always there are unanswered questions: what is at the peak? and why are they compelled to continue?
Throughout are references to "back home" where the melding plague is taking over Chasm City (and we have to read later books to find out) and this grounds the story well in the wider universe which Reynolds has created.
The abstract puzzles are so well described that they made me feel that I was developing a mastery of multi-dimensional mathematics as it progressed, and so it draws you in to the possibility of mind and body modification and enhancement that we see in some of the factions who inhabit those later novels and the motives that lead people to evolve themselves into ultra-human states.
If you don't read Diamond Dogs, you won't have a true feel for the universe in which Revelation Space, Chasm City and others are set - and you will have also have missed out on a superb and engaging story, that I, for one, keep returning to, to re-read again and again, whenever I'm waiting for Reynolds to publish something new.
Turquoise Days is just a bonus.
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Short but sweet
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This book collects two novellas that were previously published separately as limited editions, both set in the same universe as Reynold’s ‘Revelation Space’ series of novels. Opening story Diamond Dogs deals with an expedition to uncover the secret at the heart of Blood Spire, a mysterious alien artefact that has killed all who have previously attempted the challenge. In effect this appears to be a very straight-forward puzzle story, as the expedition enters a room, solves a puzzle, and proceeds to the next room where another puzzle awaits, not dissimilar to an old style computer or roleplaying game, or as Reynolds all but namechecks in the text, the puzzle solving aspect of such films as The Cube and the Indiana Jones movies. Despite a vivid cast of characters (including a cyberneticist obsessed with replacing body parts, and an ex-couple where memory suppression has dimmed one’s recollection of the other) it’s a case of so far, so basic. Reynolds masterstroke however is to change the emphasis – the actual puzzles are not the focus (they rapidly move into realms of such advanced mathematical complexity that Reynolds only skims over the details), even what lies at the heart of the artefact is not the focus, instead it is the competitive spirit of the characters, and the lengths to which they will go to – even eventually shedding their own humanity behind them – in their quest to beat the puzzle. It’s the players, not the game, that’s are the stars here, and Diamond Dogs is a fantastic exploration of obsession as a result. The second novella, Turquoise Days, deals with a scientist studying a world inhabited by Pattern Jugglers – alien biomass forms that float on the planet’s oceans and absorb the thoughts of those who swim in them – and the calamitous results of the arrival of a group of offworlders. Perhaps not quite as gripping as Diamond Dogs, this s nevertheless an interesting examination of an alien culture, and the hidden motives of the off-worlders provide an action-packed finale. All in all, both these novellas are good solid batches of science fiction, and recommended for either established Reynolds readers or newcomers (these stories are only tangentially linked to Reynolds full-length novels, and are perfectly self-contained as a result). Reynolds can occasionally suffer from pacing problems with his bloated doorstopper-sized novels, but what these novellas lose in ‘epic’ feel they more than make up for in good pacy storytelling. Good stuff.
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Diamond Dogs-hit, more like it.
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Too short to be any good, too long to write off as a wasted moment. I didn't spot anywhere on the cover that the book was TWO stories. Then again, it doesn't say that they were going to be dull and over-contrived either.
Massive disappointment - avoid like the (melding) plague.
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Keep it coming
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My dictionary defines a novella as "a work of fiction intermediate in length and complexity between a short story and a novel." And both novellas in this book fit that definition perfectly - neither comes across as a short story strung out, or a novel written in a hurry. Diamond Dogs is a quest to, and then through, an alien artifact. That it is set in the Revelation Space universe is not especially relevant. It is a nice compact stand-alone story, although not particularly original. Turquoise Days is about the Pattern Jugglers, and is a very welcome expansion to a part of Revelation Space that has only been glossed over in the past. It is also rather a touching story, being about change arriving from without, love for an existing way of life and living in harmony with the planet. If you are a Revelation Space addict, then the book is worth the money just for the Pattern Jugglers insight. If you aren't and just want a good read, then in combination the two stories are still worth the time. Four stars.
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Light snacks
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Two very different short stories here, with no connection other than the universe in which they are set. The first story could almost be an Edgar Allan Poe or Hammer Horror tale - a strange tower full of deadly puzzles that attracts those who cannot resist a challenge. An interesting tale, but I couldn't help feeling it was somehow incomplete. Perhaps the mark of a good short story? The second novella focusses on an isolated world that is co-inhabited by Pattern Jugglers and humans. This is more like it! Great to read more about the Jugglers, whilst moving through an exciting narrative. As others have said, the book is short, which is why I only give it 4 out of 5, could've done with another story.
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