7.5/10

I've never read a book by Alastair Reynolds but it's an author I'm aware of and know he's a well thought of name in the sci-fi community. So when I started reading this book I was a little confused as to why we were in the 1800's aboard a ship off the coast of Norway. One thing I noticed though, it was really compelling to read and the characters were interesting. It's not often you can feel immersed in a book so quickly but this is one that I can say did the task well and in a short space of time.

This tale is set over a number of different time periods all involving Dr Silas Coade and each version echoes the other. There are many time twists throughout this and each period is enjoyable in it's own way. I really enjoyed the story and the differing periods but the ending fell a little flat for me overall. I was impressed with the majority of this though and would recommend to anyone slightly interested and it has definitely made his works jump higher in my list of "to-reads".

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy for review.

An interesting sy-fy adventure that although slow to start had a good plot and reasonably swift pace.
Eversion had a "Quantum Leap" kind of feel to it with its groundhog situation but the writing also drew styles from a variety of places, that ultimately i found irritating. Overall I'm certain many would enjoy this book.

I've been highly recommended this Alastair Reynolds so i was really excited to read this book.
And while I did like it, I just didn't love it as much as I thought I would.
I will still be giving the author another chance bit I'll be reading one of his older works.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Eversion is an homage to classic and pulp adventure fiction with an SFnal twist; more steampunk than Gothic although it is often creepy, embracing elements of psychological and physical horror. The result is a neat puzzle box of a narrative that I was aware as I sped through that I’d enjoy a lot more on screen. That said, I had to admire the panache with which it embraces its influences (even those that make my eyes roll) – and for the unexpectedly touching pay-off. A well-executed adventure from an author who knows his craft that will appeal a great deal more to readers who enjoy steampunk settings and pulp vibes more than I do.

Big thank you for the arc from my favourite writer. I was so excited to read it!
Sadly it was not for me. I had stopped at 30% as the language was too tedious to follow ( it was masterful, so it's totally just me, maybe having English as a second language limit my interest in old style writings). I also found the slow pace well... Tedious. It could not hold my attention, and with the repeated journey i felt like I'm reading the same story all over again - could not love it the first time, didn't want to reread it over and over again.
It had a feel like a writing exercise in old style sci-fi.
My love for Mr Reynolds' books make me feel like a traitor here, especially as I'm still curious about how the story goes. Maybe I'll try again at a later date.
I'm certain it will be loved by many and i do envy them.
Hopefully next time Mr Reynolds. Good luck with the book.

An entertaining mix of classic action&adventure and sci-fi that kept me turning pages as I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It's a bit slow at the beginning but after a few chapters it becomes a fast paced novel that kept me reading.
I appreciated the storytelling and the world building
It was the first book I read by this author and will try others as I read it's a bit different from his other work.
This one is recommended if you want to read an entertaining story, a bit old fashioned at times but compelling.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Although best known for his Space Opera books, in recent years Alastair has been producing material that is deliberately different. There’s his well-known Revelation Space series, certainly, but as well as his last novel, award-nominated Inhibitor Phase, there’s been “Space Pirates” with the Revenger series, stand-alone books such as House of Suns and Pushing Ice and the Poseidon’s Children series. To this we now must add Eversion, a story where all is not what it seems, and preconceptions are often ruined.

From the publisher: “A small group of intrepid explorers are in search of a remote and mysterious artefact. It's a well-funded expedition, well organised, which is lucky as they're sailing north of Bergen on the schooner Demeter, searching for a narrow inlet which will lead them to a vast uncharted lake - and their goal­­­--

Until disaster strikes.

Doctor Silas Coade wakes from disturbing dreams, on the steamship Demeter, in pursuit of an extraordinary find almost too incredible and too strange to believe, secreted within a lagoon in the icy inlets of Patagonia. But as they come in sight of their prize he and the crew see they are not the first to come so far: there is a wreck ahead, and whatever ruined it may threaten them as well--

Shaking off his nightmares, Doctor Silas Coade joins his fellow exploders on the deck of the zeppelin Demeter and realises something has already gone dangerously wrong with their mission. If any of them are to survive, then he will have to take the exploration - and their lives - into his own hands . . .”

The reviews for this one are describing it as “Gothic SF”. I must admit that at first this reads like something courtesy of Jules Verne or even H P Lovecraft. (Conan Doyle’s The Captain of the Pole-Star also springs to mind.) It’s an expedition story, written by a doctor on board the schooner Demeter (Bram Stoker readers, take note!) which takes on Lovecraftian tones as the expeditioners approach the mysterious Edifice (see also At the Mountains of Madness).

The expedition group are a varied lot. Of the main characters, Topolsky is the tempestuous Russian leader, the rich gold-digger paying for the expedition, who seems to actively dislike Coade and sees his presence as a necessary evil. The Captain of the vessel, Van Vugt, is calm, even under increasing pressure. Coronel Ramos is a long-time friend of Coade, who is being paid to be the group’s bodyguard. Dupin is the hyperintelligent youngster on the voyage whose mathematical genius leads him prone to seisures. Reporter Miss Ada Cossile seems to be ever present and forever sniping at Coade.

This is a difficult book to describe or explain without giving things away. However, as the publisher’s quotes above show,it is obvious that Coade seems to be making the journey more than once, in some sort of Quantum Leap meets Groundhog Day situation. Whilst doing this we cover a range of different places, from sailing ship to airship to spaceship, whilst we work out what is going on. This is a lot of fun in that we go from Jules Verne and steam punk to Doc Smith and Star Trek as the good Doctor tells the crew of the novel he is writing. This also covers a variety of styles of writing, from something that is Lovecraftian to China Mieville. There’s even a touch of Dante’s Inferno in there, albeit in an ice world.

As the book progresses, little hints that things are awry begin to connect and make sense. For me this meant that I found myself turning the pages more, intrigued to know if the reasoning for the various mysterious events. The good news is that, despite a lot of metaphorical plates being spun at once, it does all eventually come together. There’s a big reveal about halfway through that the rest of the book spends its time resolving until there’s an apt, bittersweet ending.

In summary then, this is an unusual story that is not typical Alastair Reynolds, but whose narrative drive, clever plot points and rigorous science make this an engaging read. Alastair deserves credit for writing something different, rather than just producing what readers know him best for. I enjoyed this one a lot.




Eversion by Alastair Reynolds

In the 1800s, Doctor Silas Coade is the Assistant Surgeon upon the 'Demeter', a sailing ship with a mission to find a mysterious artifact. Things go wrong from the start when one of the men in charge of security on the mission is hurt in a freak accident. Coade has to perform an emergency trepanation to relieve swelling on the brain, but the man starts to mutter strange things whilst recovering, including the title of Coade's book which he has never told or shown to anyone.

When they are almost to their destination, they see the wreck of the 'Europa', the ship which supposedly found the artifact first, but those onboard the Demeter had not been told that the Europa crew did not survive & they are understandably angry. Things go from bad to worse when their ship is sent by the strong currents on a collision course with cliffs of ice & Coade is killed by a falling mast. Many years later, a steam ship is travelling to find a mysterious artifact, onboard is young doctor, Silas Coade, the name of the ship - Demeter.....

What a read this is. Once I started it I was hooked! Events are relived over & over again but with some small changes, by the same characters, & the main character starts to remember snippets from the previous missions. It's a story that gradually builds as the reader begins to work out some of what may be happening & therefore a review cannot say too much in case the plot is revealed. In one or two places we are told rather than shown, & some of mathematical talk about spheres etc lost me, but this is a definite recommend if you enjoy science fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Orion Publishing Group/Gollancz, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This book threw me from the get-go, as it starts off on a sailing ship, the Demeter, in the 1800s, following the coast of Norway northwards to find a mysterious ‘Edifice’. We’re introduced to Dr Silas Coade, who splits his time between tending to the crew – including a trepanning treatment, eek! – and writing a fictional story about steam-powered ships, and other fantastical inventions.

Knowing this is a sci-fi novel, it was odd reading the first several chapters. I kept expecting a leap forward in time, or some other shenanigans, but this keeps on with the Moby-Dick feel for quite some time, reminding me perhaps of Jules Verne by way of Dan Simmons’ The Terror. Had the author decided to leave his sci-fi for another genre, and I’ve missed the fact?

But stick with it. The opening chapters are the slowest, true, but we meet the crew we’ll follow for the rest of the trip. We also learn a lot about Dr Coade, including his bad habits, his wants and dreams.

And then disaster strikes the good doctor, only for him to wake amongst the pages of his fantastical story… about submarines and other futuristic wonders. Their steamship, The Demeter (I can’t help but think a nod to Dracula!), has found the narrow entry leading to the mysterious Edifice, a structure of such twisted geometry that the word ‘eversion’ springs to at least one mind. Turns out it’s a real word, not dissimilar to inversion – worth looking up, and I learn something new every day!

So yes, this story is not all that it seems. Skipping through the centuries, always following Dr Coade, we soon realise that much more is going on than the slow beginning would have you believe. But what? Hah – you’ll have to read it to find out, no spoilers here! 😉

From slow beginnings, the mystery of the tale soon caught me up. It’s very different to previous works, such as Revelation Space, but let the author stretch those creative muscles to new places! Despite the length, it actually feels like rather a brief story, looping around within itself, but never repetitive. The ‘need to know’ kept me going, and while we are eventually privy to the truth, there are moments to wonder what’s really real, after all.

I can see why reviews are mixed on this one, largely, I suspect, because it’s not entirely what might have been expected. It’s also not entirely upbeat, which doesn’t always work in these miserable real-times, when it asks how does one make impossibly hard choices. Personally, I loved the clever construction, the reflective scenarios, the little clues and not quite red-herrings, and the weirdness that kept me guessing.

Recommended for those willing to try something a little different.

A few chapters into Eversion and I had to double check that I hadn't downloaded the wrong book. At first I assumed that the ship that Dr Silas Coade is on would turn out to be the usual kind of ship you find in Alastair Reynolds books: a spaceship. The old-fashioned accoutrements and surgical implements didn't necessarily suggest anything different; after all, the Revenger series plays with piracy in a similar steampunk space adventure level. But no, the longer you read, the more it does seem like Reynolds has turned his hand - quite successfully - to historical fiction. All however is surely not what it seems...

For a while however, the journey remains on the high seas. Silas Coade is an assistant surgeon aboard a fifth rate schooner, The Demeter, a private enterprise travelling into the frozen north in search of a mysterious Edifice. A previous expedition, the Europa, has discovered the construction that is reportedly to be found in a lagoon concealed behind a fissure in a huge cliff face. What it is exactly is shrouded in mystery, but the information relayed back has led a Russian, Topolsky, to organise an exploratory expedition. The small crew has been hand-picked for specific skills to navigate the dangerous approach and explore the strange construction, if it really exists at all.

It's not unknown for Reynolds to stray outside the SF genre before, or at least appear in books like Century Rain, even if it inevitably ends up with a SF twist. There are enough strange unexplained goings-on and troubled visions in Dr Coade's nightmares to suggest that there's perhaps more than meets the eye on the Demeter's journey north. There is still a lot to enjoy along the way in the early-to-mid pages of the book - the bulk of it really - as Reynolds' writing is just marvellous, like he is a natural for this kind of thing. The characters, the dialogue and the relationships between them are fascinating and intriguing, clearly suggesting that there is trouble ahead.

It's not all that surprising that Reynolds can work in historical fiction as well as science fiction. A ship is a ship, whether it's a fifth rate schooner heading north of Bergen (or is it a steamship heading south of Patagonia?) or whether it's travelling into unknown outreaches of space; the crew face the same dangers and onboard tensions. As Coade begins to show signs of a troubled mind, even beyond the mere sea sickness he is afflicted with, we begin to detect an element of something being blocked out, whether it's in the romance he is writing or in the morphine self-medication he is administering. There is an underlying fear of the Stone Edifice that they are approaching that surfaces in the book that he is having difficulty finishing and in the vivid drug-fuelled nightmares. His grip on reality seems uncertain.

It should come as no surprise then that a writer specialising in SF and space opera is also operating on several levels of 'reality' here. As they approach the Edifice, the wrongness of the picture becomes more and more apparent, even as the nature of the situation remains for a long time tantalisingly out of reach. It's nothing particularly original maybe, combining Philip K Dick - who was the master of this kind of delusion of breaking through surface realities in Ubik, A Maze of Death and Time Out of Joint - with something of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.

I don't think any of this constitutes a spoiler, as if you've read any of those books and are familiar with Alastair Reynolds, then the general direction of travel of Eversion will be evident to the reader - just not the why or where it is going to end up. Suffice to say that Reynolds puts his own spin on it and addresses or raises some interesting human, moral and philosophical questions, but just as importantly he delivers a thrilling SF adventure.

It pains me to say this, as I am a huge fan of his Revelation Space novels, but Alastair Reynolds’ “Eversion” is not one of his best books, and is more proof that his best days are behind him.
This is quite a difficult book to review as saying too much about it will totally spoil it. Without giving away too much, from the blurb it can be easily deduced that this isn’t a straightforward narrative - suffice it to say that it is like a Jules Verne novel crossed with the Tom Cruise film “Live. Die. Repeat.”
Shorter and brisker than his usual space opera epics, “Eversion” still displays Alastair Reynolds’ usual readability and fertile imagination, but is ultimately unsatisfying and whilst it starts strongly, by around chapter 19/20 it becomes unreadable with the female character going full “smash the patriarchy” with offensive misandry that adds nothing to the plot. How progressive, and how boring. This isn't the first time Reynolds has done this; one can only assume that he is trying to sell his books to the wakey-wakey crowd.
So half a good book then, with a strong premise that Reynolds fails to do anything interesting with.

Think of Diamond Dogs, HMS Terror, Jules Verne, Edgar Allan Poe - or Agatha Christie - in a bunch of virtual alternate realities with a steampunk flavour, and you'll have an idea on what's this book revolving around, but... not quite.

It's even gloomier than his other works and with a longer exposition than usual, but one that will pay off eventually. It gradually builds up tension, and is definitely messing with your mind - you won't be able to discern reality from imagination until almost at the end.

Another thing that differentiate it from the others is that it's missing the grand scope, the vast universe and distances, the immensity of time scale which I loved to read about in his other books. This one is focused more on human - and it appears that not only - mind, the mystery behind its mechanisms of defense when dealing with something unbearable.

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. In Reynolds' novels I am not satisfied entirely with just the Solar system; I need more.

"Eversion" was my first taste of Alastair Reynolds, despite owning a few of his books and hearing great things about them. This story sucked me right in instantly and kept my attention throughout. The writing is exceptional. The characters are incredible. Having reached the end, I wanted to start over again. This should be an instant classic. Off to raid my bookshelves for more Alastair Reynolds!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.