Tähtivaeltaja Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 28 (2013) Nominee
Alastair Preston Reynolds
アラステア・プレストン・レイノルズ
Alastair Preston Reynolds
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1966-03-13 （Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, South Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom）
- Nationality
- Wales, United Kingdom
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Cornwall, England (early childhood) → Newcastle (university studies) → Scotland (University of St Andrews) → Noordwijk, Netherlands (ESTEC, worked at ESA, 1991–2004) → Wales, near Cardiff (returned 2008; resident)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Research astronomer (former)
- Active Years
- 1989-
- Affiliations
- European Space Agency (ESA), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC, Noordwijk)
- Nominations
- Arthur C. Clarke Award nomination: Revelation Space (2001), Hugo Award shortlist: Troika (2011), Locus Award winner: Revenger (2017)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle University | — | Physics and Astronomy | — | 在学期間不明 | United Kingdom |
| University of St Andrews | — | Astrophysics | PhD | 在学期間不明 | United Kingdom |
Newcastle University
Physics and Astronomy
Period:
在学期間不明
Country:
United Kingdom
Studied physics and astronomy (undergraduate)
University of St Andrews
Astrophysics
Degree:
PhD
Period:
在学期間不明
Country:
United Kingdom
Earned a PhD in astrophysics
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | British Science Fiction Award | Chasm City | Best Novel | British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) | Winner |
| — | Seiun Award (Best Translated Short Fiction) | Zima Blue | Best Translated Short Fiction | Japanese National Science Fiction Convention (Seiun Award) | Winner |
| — | Seiun Award (Best Translated Short Fiction) | Weather | Best Translated Short Fiction | Japanese National Science Fiction Convention (Seiun Award) | Winner |
| 2010 | Sidewise Award for Alternate History | The Fixation | Short fiction | Sidewise Awards | Winner |
| 2011 | Hugo Award | Troika | Novella | World Science Fiction Society (WSFS) | Shortlisted |
| 2017 | Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book | Revenger | Young Adult | Locus Magazine | Winner |
| 2001 | Arthur C. Clarke Award | Revelation Space | — | Arthur C. Clarke Award committee | Nominated |
| 2006 | Arthur C. Clarke Award | Pushing Ice | — | Arthur C. Clarke Award committee | Nominated |
| 2009 | Arthur C. Clarke Award | House of Suns | — | Arthur C. Clarke Award committee | Nominated |
| — | BSFA Award nomination | Absolution Gap | — | British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) | Nominated |
| — | BSFA Award nomination | The Prefect / Aurora Rising | — | British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) | Nominated |
British Science Fiction Award
2001
Work:
Chasm City
Category:
Best Novel
Organization:
British Science Fiction Association (BSFA)
Result:
Winner
Seiun Award (Best Translated Short Fiction)
Work:
Zima Blue
Category:
Best Translated Short Fiction
Organization:
Japanese National Science Fiction Convention (Seiun Award)
Result:
Winner
Seiun Award (Best Translated Short Fiction)
Work:
Weather
Category:
Best Translated Short Fiction
Organization:
Japanese National Science Fiction Convention (Seiun Award)
Result:
Winner
Sidewise Award for Alternate History
2010
Work:
The Fixation
Category:
Short fiction
Organization:
Sidewise Awards
Result:
Winner
Hugo Award
2011
Work:
Troika
Category:
Novella
Organization:
World Science Fiction Society (WSFS)
Result:
Shortlisted
Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book
2017
Work:
Revenger
Category:
Young Adult
Organization:
Locus Magazine
Result:
Winner
Arthur C. Clarke Award
2001
Work:
Revelation Space
Organization:
Arthur C. Clarke Award committee
Result:
Nominated
Arthur C. Clarke Award
2006
Work:
Pushing Ice
Organization:
Arthur C. Clarke Award committee
Result:
Nominated
Arthur C. Clarke Award
2009
Work:
House of Suns
Organization:
Arthur C. Clarke Award committee
Result:
Nominated
BSFA Award nomination
Work:
Absolution Gap
Organization:
British Science Fiction Association (BSFA)
Result:
Nominated
BSFA Award nomination
Work:
The Prefect / Aurora Rising
Organization:
British Science Fiction Association (BSFA)
Result:
Nominated
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Terminal World
2010 Steampunk-tinged planetary romance / Hard science fictionSet on a distant-future planet where zones of differing technological level coexist. Part steampunk-tinged planetary romance, part SF adventure, the protagonist becomes embroiled in discoveries about the world and struggles for survival.
Borders between civilizationsTechnology vs societyExploration and adventureSurvival and transformation
Revelation Space
2000 Hard science fiction / Space operaA sprawling far-future narrative featuring multiple interleaving storylines. Against the backdrop of conflict with inorganic entities known as the Inhibitors, the novel combines scientific detail with morally ambiguous characters and societies.
Future of humanityAlien intelligencesInstitutional corruptionScientific realism
Chasm City
2001 Science fiction / NoirA standalone story set in the Revelation Space universe, combining noir elements with speculative worldbuilding. The novel won the BSFA Best Novel award.
Revenge and identityUrban decay and corruptionMemory and alteration
House of Suns
2008 Space opera / Hard science fictionA large-scale narrative about clones, long-lived lineages and civilisational interactions across vast spans of time and space.
Longevity and replicationInter-civilisational tensionsLarge time scales
Bibliography
- Revelation Space (2000)
- Redemption Ark (2002)
- Absolution Gap (2003)
- Inhibitor Phase (2021)
- Chasm City (2001)
- The Prefect / Aurora Rising (2007)
- Elysium Fire (2018)
- Machine Vendetta (2024)
- Century Rain (2004)
- Pushing Ice (2005)
- House of Suns (2008)
- Terminal World (2010)
- Blue Remembered Earth (2012)
- On the Steel Breeze (2014)
- Poseidon's Wake (2015)
- Harvest of Time (2013)
- Revenger (2016)
- Shadow Captain (2019)
- Bone Silence (2020)
- Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days (2003)
- Zima Blue and Other Stories (2006)
- Galactic North (2006)
- Deep Navigation (2010)
- Beyond the Aquila Rift (2016)
- Belladonna Nights and Other Stories (2021)
- Eversion (2022)
- Halcyon Years (2025)
Adaptations
- Adaptations of 'Zima Blue' and 'Beyond the Aquila Rift' in Netflix's animated anthology 'Love, Death & Robots' (2019)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Hard-SF informed scientific detailSpace-opera scale narrativesNoir-influenced toneMulti-threaded narratives that converge
- Recurring Motifs
- Far-future civilizationsTension between technology and humanityMemory and identityBoundaries between machine and organic
Legacy
Known for scientific rigor and large-scale worldbuilding, Reynolds is regarded as a leading contemporary hard-SF author. His Revelation Space series and other works have influenced the genre, and selected short stories have been adapted for screen.
In Popular Culture
- Short stories adapted for Netflix's anthology 'Love, Death & Robots' (2019)
- Many short stories have been reprinted in 'Year's Best' anthologies and other collections
Quotes
-
I prefer to keep the science in my books to what I personally believe will be possible; I do not believe faster-than‑light travel will ever be possible, although I will adopt scientifically impossible elements when the story requires it.
Source: BBC interview (2007) (2007) -
I described 'Terminal World' as a kind of steampunk-tinged planetary romance set in the distant future.
Source: Author's comment / book blurb (2010) (2010)
Trivia
- Former research astronomer at the European Space Agency (ESA); his scientific background informs his fiction.
- 'Zima Blue' and 'Beyond the Aquila Rift' were adapted for Netflix's 'Love, Death & Robots' (2019).
- Reportedly signed a £1 million deal with his UK publisher in 2009.
- Won the 2017 Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book for 'Revenger'.