Decent, but certainly not one of Alastair Reynolds' best. The book is very slow to get moving. Most of the book is taken up with a treasure hunt that frankly seems pointless (and set up by a slightly sadistic family member). The characters don't shine or make you fall in love with them. The ending is kinda neat, but the first four-fifths of the book seems mostly extraneous. Overall, it's passable beach reading, but entirely forgettable. ( )

I have enjoyed those books by Alastair Reynolds' that I have read, but I would be hard pressed to recall the full plots to any of them and probably could not describe well any of the characters. Rather, I could summon up particular scenes and images from them.

But Blue Remembered Earth will almost certainly be one that sticks with me. Although the plot might be described as "an Easter egg hunt in space" with lots of twists and changes of locale across the solar system, it is nonetheless a tight narrative. And the main characters, while not particularly outré, are memorable and distinct. (There are some delightfully outré secondary characters, though, as befits a Reynolds novel.) The future setting, technology, and economy are thought through. And the setting isn't at the dizzying remove that the Revelation Space novels are.

[Audiobook note: This book can be a difficult listen, at first. The reader, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, has an African accent, which is appropriate to the characters. The accent may be a problem for people who aren't used to hearing a variety of accents beyond American and British. Nonetheless, he is an excellent reader who handles the variety of characters well. No, the real problem is the muddiness of the recording. The producer or recording engineer did a poor job, because this books lacks the crisp audio that would have served the reader better. Shame on them.] ( )

Why I picked it up: An undersea section with the United Aquatic Nations, and although super-long, narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.

Why I finished it: If I'm honest, the main reason is that I drove 10 hours to NY Sheep & Wool, and then back. But I became fascinated with the treasure hunt through this hopeful future where humanity has conquered climate change (with Africa as an ascendant world power) and technology is utopian, not dys.

I'd give it to: Greg might like it for the space flight and solar system exploration. ( )

This follows on quite nicely from the future Earth setting of The Water Thief, albeit this story is about a family who made their fortune during the times of climate collapse, whereas The Water Thief is about a family dumped an all but forgotten in a climate refugee camp.

So definitely read The Water Thief before diving into this, it may give you a bit of perspective as to the what the world went through outside of the Akinya family.

But, i digress, what about this story?   Well, this story is the first in a trilogy that is another of Alastair's super long narrations that he so wonderfully excels at.

The matriarch of the family dies and the family is set spinning down a trail of clues left behind by said matriarch, all while tearing itself apart along old lines of enmity.

And it's a great paperchase of clues.

Slow starting, but stick with it, you'll be well rewarded.

And now i'm diving straight into the second book of this trilogy, On the Steel Breeze.

Bye for now. ( )

Loved it, can't wait for a sequel ( )