I've just finished "Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds. The first book of his that I've read, and a very enjoyable example of hard SF "space opera" on an epic scale.
Amazon description:
Quote:
|
Nine hundred thousand years ago, something wiped out the Amarantin. For the human colonists now settling the Amarantin homeworld Resurgam, it's of little more than academic interest, even after the discovery of a long-hidden, almost perfect Amarantin city and a colossal statue of a winged Amarantin. For brilliant but ruthless scientist Dan Sylveste, it's more than merelty intellectual curiosity - and he will stop at nothing to get at the truth. Even if the truth costs him everything. But the Amarantin were wiped out for a reason, and that danger is closer and greater than even Syveste imagines ...
|
Highly recommended. My only complaint is the rather lax editing of the book. Numerous typos, and in several places the protagonist "Dan" becomes "Don".