Overall, it's a bitter-sweet-dreadful novel, with an optimistic spirit about friendship, ethics, moral principles and tough choices. I was enraptured by the ingenuity of its construction, the (apparent) frailty of the main character, the premise and its conclusion, but I deeply missed the vastity of the universe. After being grounded in several incarnations of exploration ships, having twisted myself up with the great characterizations, I have to say that I came out of this a bit inside-out, as well.

As the story develops, the relationship, not direct but in the mood and gloom remains until the story twists suddenly. In successive versions of the story, the group comes to blows but nevertheless gets closer and closer to setting foot inside the vast structure. The surface plot – as exciting as it is – is scaffolding, a misdirection away from the real mystery lying beneath. Possible spoiler: apparently the similarity between Eversion and the Netflix series "1899" is coincidence.Reynolds takes your classic science-fiction trope of a time loop story, and he spins it just enough to keep things fresh. One of my issues with Revelation Space were the poorly sketched characters, barring a few like Scorpio. The author – Alastair Reynolds – is quite famous for his space opera Revelation Space as well as other works, but I’ve never read him before, except for his novella Permafrost.

Especially since the vessel's name as well as the crew are always the same and each expedition goes wrong (usually pretty badly too).

It is clear though, that the characters are made more interesting by the situations they find themselves in. This was a very clever and unique book and has single-handedly reawakened my interest in checking out more the author’s work. There’s little to no sci-fi in the first 30% of this book and you’d be forgiven for thinking Reynolds was just indulging himself in a seafaring romp. Overall, Reynolds paces things well and builds the mystery at the same time as giving clues that will allow some to enjoy a sense of achievement in getting ahead of the narrative - it's a beautifully constructed novel and never fails to keep the reader engaged. So, my recommendation is to persevere through the Jules Verne-like opening to the emotional payoff of the ending.