The novel “Elysium Fire” by Alastair Reynolds was published for the first time in 2018. It’s part of the Revelation Space series and is the sequel to “The Prefect“.
When Prefect Thalia Ng is urgently sent to assist a dying citizen following a completely out-of-the-ordinary collapse, she quickly realizes that something strange is happening. When she brings back the deceased’s head for in-depth examination, she initially receives no explanations about the case but ultimately Supreme Prefect Jane Aumonier reveals that various citizens died due to their neural implants overheating to the point of destroying their brains.
The trust in Panoply, the prefects’ agency, has waned in recent years and demagogues like Devon Garlin are taking advantage of the discontent. The Glitter Band formed by the ten thousand habitats that orbit the planet Yellowstone risks losing unity after some habitats opted for secession. Garlin appears to have access to very confidential information and Prefect Dreyfus thinks he’s hiding something.
In “The Prefect” aka “Aurora Rising”, Alastair Reynolds took us into the golden age of the planet Yellowstone and its Glitter Band with a sci-fi thriller on a big scale. This sequel begins a couple of years later with Panoply facing a series of mysterious deaths at a time when confidence in the prefects has waned following the events of the first novel.
“Elysium Fire” tells a story independent of “The Prefect” but the setting is the same, various characters return in this sequel, and they also have to deal with the long-term consequences of what happened. For these reasons, it’s best to have already read “The Prefect” before starting “Elysium Fire”.
Politics is a theme that is rarely discussed explicitly in “Elysium Fire” but the Glitter Band’s democracy is at the center of the story. Already in “The Prefect” the plot offered some food for thought on the subject and that happens in this sequel as well. Alastair Reynolds is British and gives the impression that he was influenced by Brexit in the development of this new novel.
The Glitter Band represents an attempt to build a utopia governed by direct democracy. Technology allows citizens to vote at any time using systems that are supposed to be totally reliable, what could possibly go wrong? Even in that future, human beings are the same as they are today, with their flaws and dark sides having an influence on that democracy.
A subplot centered on the Voi family, one of the oldest and most influential in the Glitter Band. Its development allows us to understand the extent of the Voi family’s influence on that democracy. Devon Garlin is part of that family even though he tries to hide it to appear closer to the Band’s people.
The novel is not perfect, especially in the ending based on a considerable amount of exposition. In some cases, plot development relies heavily on Tom Dreyfus’ intuitions, and he ends up being right even when he’s wrong. That’s another reason why it’s positive that Thalia Ng has a more prominent role than in “The Prefect”.
In my opinion, the flaws of “Elysium Fire” are minor and overall it’s an excellent sequel to “The Prefect”. Mystery and hard science fiction are well mixed with good use of the future’s technologies in the Prefects’ investigation and in plot twists. For these elements and for the food for thought, I recommend reading this novel. It’s available on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
