Talk:Absolution Gap

Hard science fiction or space opera, pick one

Space opera and hard science fiction are mutually exclusive genres. One is defined by is mythic unrealistic qualities, while the other is defined by its hard edge realistic hard science. You can't be both at once. --Primalchaos 14:38, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

Incorrect. Space opera is defined by romance and adventure. Unrealistic qualities are obviously common, but not necessarily so. All "hard science fiction" really means is that it only involves technology that could potentially exist. Yes, you can be both, although it is not very common. Hard science fiction is contrasted with soft science fiction, which can have practically anything.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 211.30.195.75 (talk • contribs).

If you'd read the books, you wouldn't be saying that --Closedmouth 08:47, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

I have taken a closer look at the article on space opera. It is defined by romance and adventure. I have read all Reynold's books (You want evidence? Antoinette Bax is harrassed by a police proxy, which isn't in the article on RA). You see, these definitions of genres are not exactly strict and hard, they are flexible. The books in RS have been described as both, because they are both. Here's what is says in the space opera article: "emphasizes romantic adventure, and larger-than-life characters often set against vast exotic futuristic settings". Nothig about mythic unrealistic quallities. Whilst most space opera does not adhere to the laws of physics very well at all, Revelation Space does for the most part, and uses a lot of hard-edged science. So yes, it can be both. Just isn't common. RS is still an awesome series, though.211.30.132.2 11:42, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Scorpio in Chasm City?

Where does Scorp show up in the Chasm City novel? I don't remember him at all (I know there's a random pig with a crossbow, but that doesn't mean it's scorp). —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 211.30.132.2 (talk • contribs).

He's not in the book, no. I remember, because I read this article before reading Chasm City, and was disappointed that Scorpio wasn't in it. I'll change that now. --Closedmouth 11:51, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

Spelling, capitalization

Capitalized a few instances of the name "Inhibitors," cleaned up some spelling.

24.176.169.78 08:51, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

Parallel brane, or folded-over one?

This is probably too close to OR, but the similarities between the threat faced by the Shadows and the Greenfly have always suggested to me that the parallel brane bit isn't the whole story. IIRC there are some brane theories where the brane isn't just a flat sheet but can be folded over, such that distant regions of space-time can lie parallel to each other but still be part of the same brane overall. I've always thought that the book is hinting that the Shadows are in fact far-future humans using this folded-ness of the brane to reach back in time to prevent the release of the Greenfly in the first place (so they're not outright lying about coming from a parallel brane, but nor are they telling the whole story -- presumably because they think letting the people they're in contact with know that they're trying to change history would make them worry about paradoxes and so be less likely to go along with it). --86.128.69.231 17:07, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

Hmmmm...Too OR, I think. Reynolds never really explains the Shadows much (I will admit he is my favourite author by a light-year long shot, but his one failing for me is that he leaves so much unexplained, so much potential for spin-offs, and rarely tells us what's going on). I am sympathetic to your theory of humanity in the future attempting to get back to the time of the Greenfly so they can pwn them, but my theory (also OR) was that the Hela device operated in a manner similar to the Exordium. However, until more info arises, I don't think we can include any of these theories. They are still interesting to speculate on, but not here.211.30.134.111 08:30, 6 November 2007 (UTC)

OR? Not familiar with the term. Mbourgon (talk)

Assuming you're serious: Original Research, which is not allowed. Paul Magnussen (talk) 03:36, 1 September 2011 (UTC)

Aura's protector would have to be Vasko, not Scorpio

Logically, Scorpio would be long dead by the time of the Prologue / Epilogue. Vasko was sworn to protect Aura by Clavain in their last conversation before he was killed. Life extension treatments were not available or successful for hyperpigs I seem to recall, and at any rate Valensin detailed out the rapidly diminishing odds of his surving reefersleep as something like 10%. I believe it must be Vasko waiting on Aura at the pier, yes? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.137.12.146 (talk) 04:01, 30 July 2015 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure it's Scorpio. All of the clues are there. Even if her protector's speech patterns didn't sound like Scorpio--and they do--we have other clues.

In the Ace Books edition, in the Prologue, on page 3: "They'd had the compartment to themselves, but the whole thing--so her companion had said--had smelt of human fear and panic; human chemical signals, etched into the very fabric of the furniture. She was glad she didn't have his acuity with smells."

On page 346, as Scorpio is burying Clavain at sea: "The smell was drilling into his brain. Humans said it was bad, or at least overwhelmingly strong and potent. It was the semll of rotting kitchen waste, compost, ammonia, sewage, ozone. For pigs it was unbearable."

There are more, but you get the idea. The one bit of text in the Epilogue/Prologue that describes her companion is about his sense of smell, and both passages establish use the sense of smell, and the word "human."

Aura's protector in the Prologue and Epilogue is Scorpio--saved from the normal lifespan of a pig because he saved Aura. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Okvern (talk • contribs) 04:26, 22 April 2021 (UTC)