The highly-acclaimed first novel in the Revelation Space universe When human colonists settled the Amarantin homeworld, few of them bothered to question the disappearance of its native population almost a million years before. But in the year 2551, one man, Dan Sylveste, is convinced that solving the riddle of the Amarantin is vital to human survival. As he nears the truth, he learns that someone wants him dead. Because the Amarantin were destroyed for a reason. And if that reason is made public, the universe--and reality itself--could be forever altered. This sprawling operatic novel ranges across vast gulfs of time and space to arrive at a terrifying conclusion. Alastair Reynolds, who holds a Ph. D. in Astronomy, has written a vivid and action-packed story that will linger in the minds of its readers. " A] tour de force... ravishingly inventive. " --Publishers Weekly "Best science fiction novel of the year" --Science Fiction Chronicle