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The Prefect Audiobook
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(4.00) - 3,580 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Tom Dreyfus is a Prefect, a law enforcement officer with the Panoply. His beat is the multifaceted utopian society of the Glitter Band, that vast swirl of space habitats orbiting the planet Yellowstone, the teeming hub of a human interstellar empire spanning many worlds.
His current case: investigating a murderous attack against one of the habitats that left 900 people dead, a crime that appalls even a hardened cop like Dreyfus. But then his investigation uncovers something far more serious than mass slaughter—a covert plot by an enigmatic entity who seeks nothing less than total control of the Glitter Band.
Before long, the Panoply detectives are fighting against something worse than tyranny, in a struggle that will lead to more devastation and more death. And Dreyfus will discover that to save what is precious, you may have to destroy it.
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"A sci-fi novel that pat recommended. There are 10,000 habitats in the democratic Glitter Band. An AI attacks in an attempt to become the autocratic ruler. Thalia Ng fights servitors in one of the habitats, while field prefect Dreyfus tries to stave off the attack in other ways. "
— Steve (4 out of 5 stars)
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“This is solid British SF adventure, evoking echoes of le Carré and Sayers with a liberal dash of Doctor Who.”
— Publishers Weekly -
A fascinating hybrid of space opera, police procedural and character study.... This is solid British SF adventure, evoking echoes of le Carre and Sayers with a liberal dash of Doctor Who.
— Publishers Weekly
The Prefect Listener Reviews
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" Not bad! I don't normally like cop shows but I enjoyed this. I hope the clockmaker shows up in other books. "
— Joe, 2/15/2014 -
" Decent hard science fiction though it got sloppy at parts. For example, I'd assume that a super secure police/military facility would keep a demonstrably dangerous prisoner under guard, even if injured, instead of under the occasional eye of the attending physician. "
— Dynagrip, 2/7/2014 -
" The book overall was very good and the author did a good job of keeping it moving and interesting. My problem was the ending. He built to an exciting climax and then there was nothing. All of a sudden the lead charactor came too and everything was over with little to no explanation. "
— Larry, 2/3/2014 -
" In "The Glitter Band" of 10,000 orbiting human habitats, there is still the occasional need for your basic determined uncorruptible police detective. A fascinating scenario of a possible human future, it's a little slow getting started, but then moves along nicely. "
— Karen, 1/30/2014 -
" Not bad, if a little clumsy in spots. Suffered from being read immediately after a _really_ good police procedural. "
— Michael, 1/18/2014 -
" Ah the memories of reading "Revelation Space". And a few other books of the series. But alas, it seems the style of writing of Reynolds is getting on my nerves these days. The plot is always good, the style isn't. "
— Kiril, 1/8/2014 -
" A very worthwhile story that met the needs of a "traditional" SciFi fan - solid, with good character development and a very intriguing plot, matched with an imaginative "universe" that in itself is very stimulating. "
— Tony, 1/6/2014 -
" When you take A loose Federalism to the logical extreme (democratic anarchy) in a post-scarcity environment, it opens up a blank canvas for the author's imagination. Reynold's wildly varied societies along with the 'space detective' protagonist remind me of Asimov's Robot novels. "
— SciFi, 1/2/2014 -
" Tense and full of cool and big ideas. "
— Annick, 12/23/2013 -
" Interesting but not mind blowing. "
— Jordan, 12/16/2013 -
" Arguably his best book to date. "
— Amr, 8/5/2013 -
" Another great Reynolds scifi novel, and can be read as a stand-alone book (I have not read the other Revelation Space novels as of yet). He continues to amaze with his world-building. "
— Perrin, 2/28/2013 -
" Really enjoyed this detective story set in an incredibly imaginative environment. "
— Eric, 7/27/2012 -
" A bit of a plodder, by Reynolds' high standards. The characters lack that dark edge one is used to from these books - they're a little two-dimensional, and that detracts from the impact of the plot. Still, not at all a bad choice for fans of the genre. "
— Robert, 4/13/2012 -
" Not as good as his other Revelation space books but fun. I was a little surprised that by the end, crazy things were happening, but I didn't really seem concerned about the characters or the outcome.. oh well. "
— Jason, 3/16/2012 -
" A rollicking-good space opera. Lots of fun. "
— Nancy, 3/16/2012 -
" This is one of the only books I've not been able to finish for some reason... maybe because it's more of a cop story than what I tend to like... maybe I'll try it again someday. Sorry Alastair. "
— Rebecca, 2/16/2012 -
" second read as good as the first! "
— Orijinalchris, 12/7/2011 -
" Yet another great story from Alastair Reynolds. I'm not a great sci-fi fan but he always manages to conjure a great story within an interesting future universe. It's great fiction _with_ science, not fictional science in a giant geek-fest-comic-boy-love-in. "
— Jamie, 12/2/2011 -
" By far my favorite of Reynolds Revelation Space series. Classic detective novel set in space! "
— Adrian, 11/7/2011 -
" I liked this one a lot. I tend to like detectivey space operas. "
— David, 9/12/2011 -
" Not too long in description, lots of mystery. Very entertaining. Some scenes I wish he didn't gloss over here and there. My first Reynolds Revelation Space book. "
— Tamahome, 6/18/2011 -
" Interesting themes of freedom and government control played out in a space travel world ( the glitter band).<br/>Reynold is always inventive and thoughtful. this novel has its share of good guys and bad guys, almost a detective novel in space clothing. "
— Peter, 5/13/2011 -
" This is one of the only books I've not been able to finish for some reason... maybe because it's more of a cop story than what I tend to like... maybe I'll try it again someday. Sorry Alastair. "
— Rebecca, 4/7/2011 -
" A very worthwhile story that met the needs of a "traditional" SciFi fan - solid, with good character development and a very intriguing plot, matched with an imaginative "universe" that in itself is very stimulating. "
— Tony, 3/26/2011 -
" Not bad! I don't normally like cop shows but I enjoyed this. I hope the clockmaker shows up in other books. "
— Joe, 3/23/2011 -
" Excellent for the novice sf fan. Part detective novel set within fully realised future. Reynolds science works welland he really keeps the plot flowing. The last half of the book just flies by. "
— Marcus, 2/15/2011 -
" Another well plotted, imaginative work by Reynolds. Possibly my favorite of his since Century Rain. "
— Andy, 10/21/2010 -
" If this book had been ~150 pages short it would have been fantastic. "
— nathaniel, 10/9/2010 -
" Not the best in the series, but a worthwhile slice of Glitter Band history. "
— Adam, 9/12/2010 -
" The book overall was very good and the author did a good job of keeping it moving and interesting. My problem was the ending. He built to an exciting climax and then there was nothing. All of a sudden the lead charactor came too and everything was over with little to no explanation. "
— Larry, 8/30/2010 -
" Really enjoyed this book set in Revelation Space. "
— Sean, 7/18/2010
About Alastair Reynolds
Alastair Reynolds is a bestselling author and has been awarded the British Science Fiction Award and the Locus Award, along with being shortlisted for the Hugo Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, and the Theodore Sturgeon Award. He was born in Barry, South Wales, and studied at Newcastle and St. Andrew’s Universities to ultimately earn a PhD in astronomy. A former astrophysicist for the European Space Agency, he lives in the Netherlands, near Leiden.
About John Lee
John Lee is the winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He has twice won acclaim as AudioFile’s Best Voice in Fiction & Classics. He also narrates video games, does voice-over work, and writes plays. He is an accomplished stage actor and has written and coproduced the feature films Breathing Hard and Forfeit. He played Alydon in the 1963–64 Doctor Who serial The Daleks.