''Revenger'' is a 2016 science fiction novel by British author

Alastair Reynolds Alastair Preston Reynolds (born 13 March 1966) is a Welsh science fiction author. He specialises in hard science fiction and space opera. He spent his early years in Cornwall, moved back to Wales before going to Newcastle University, where he s ...

. It is unconnected to any of Reynolds's previous works, and is the first book in the ''Revenger Trilogy''. A sequel, entitled '' Shadow Captain'' was published on 10 January 2019, and a third and final book in the trilogy, ''

Bone Silence ''Bone Silence'' is a 2020 hard science fiction novel by Wales, Welsh author Alastair Reynolds. This is the third and final novel in the ''Revenger Trilogy'' series, with the prequels being ''Revenger (novel), Revenger'' and ''Shadow Captain (no ...

'', was published in 2020. ''Revenger'' won the 2017

Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the pl ...

for Best Young Adult Book, and was a finalist for the 2018 Philip K. Dick Award.

Synopsis

Tens of millions of years in the future, sisters Adrana and Arafura ('Fura') Ness are skilled bone readers—the primary method by which spaceships communicate with one another. Their skill at bone reading leads them to be taken on as apprentices aboard ''Monetta's Mourn'', a spaceship captained by Pol Rackamore. Rackamore and his crew engage in the practice of finding ancient technological artifacts, called "baubles". While in search of these artifacts, ''Monetta's Mourn'' is attacked by the infamous space pirate Bosa Sennen, separating the sisters and leaving Fura adrift on a ship in empty space.

Reception

''Revenger'' has been labelled by some reviews as a

young adult novel Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...

, although it has not been marketed as such by the publisher. Reynolds addresses this on his blog, saying he hopes the novel "is a straightforward SF novel that also happens to be accessible, and perhaps accessible to somewhat younger readers." Mark Yon of SFFWorld.com describes the novel as "an entertaining pirate romp ... with a touch of ''Firefly''." ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' calls ''Revenger'' a "remarkably creative, resonant space opera."

References

{{Locus Award Best Young Adult Book 2016 British novels 2016 science fiction novels Space opera novels Novels by Alastair Reynolds Victor Gollancz Ltd books