A little while ago it seemed to me that big space operas were a out of fashion. I felt this was a little bit of a shame as I can be quite partial to them from time to time. But with authors like Reynolds together with Walter Jon Williams, Kevin J. Anderson (and others) this subgenre is certainly back in vogue and from the evidence I have had of late it is in fine health.

Of the three I mention Reynolds fiction is the most involved, the least traditional within the form and to be truthful can be hard work. Now I have nothing against working hard at a book if I am rewarded for the effort I put in.

In this book I did find ample reward – this is an intense story presented in three separate time periods ovr a period of slightly more than a century. In the first of these time periods Quaiche is a planetary scout who finds himself in the service of a quite frankly mad Queen Jasmina. He has also earned himself an enemy in Surgeon-General Grelier by quickly rising in the Queen's service until he seems about to replace Grelier as the Queen's favourite.

A series of failed scouting runs threatens Quaiche's position and he has one final chance on a run scouting a new planet. Whilst investigating the ice world he discovers evidence of an old alien civilisation.

In the final of these time periods Quaiche is at the head of a religious organisation on the planet – named Hela by Quaiche - a religion where huge travelling cathedrals continuous circle the globe.

This is hard work – as I said at the top. I suppose made even harder by this being the first of Reynolds's novels I've read but not the first in this universe, so I am not exactly fully versed with the author's worlds. But that said I did enjoy this and I might well be tempted to read the next.