Alastair Reynolds Books in Order

Alastair Reynolds is a Welsh author best known for his Revelation Space space-opera science-fiction series. The Revelation Space universe includes numerous novels, novellas, and short stories, set across several centuries, roughly between CE 2205 to 40 000.

The author has also written additional space operas, including Century Rain.

Here are the Alastair Reynolds books in order for his series and standalone novels.

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Revelation Space Universe (Publication Order)

The Revelation Space universe is a shared science-fiction setting that includes several interconnected series, standalone novels, and short fiction spanning thousands of years.

The Inhibitor Sequence

1. Revelation Space, 2000
2. Redemption Ark, 2002
3. Absolution Gap,  2003

Prefect Dreyfus Emergencies

1. The Prefect, 2007 (also titled Aurora Rising)
2. Elysium Fire, 2018
3. Machine Vendetta, 2024

Revelation Space Universe (Chronological Order)

To get the most out of the Revelation Space series, here is the recommended reading order. This list includes all books, novellas, and short stories. Dates in parentheses indicate approximate in-universe chronology. Publication years are included for reference. Short fiction originally appeared in various magazines and collections.

• Great Wall of Mars – (2205; published 2000) – short story
• Glacial – (2217; published 2001) – short story
• A Spy in Europa – (ca. 2330–2340; published 1997) – short story
• Weather – (2358; published 2006) – short story
• The Prefect (Prefect Dreyfus Emergencies #1) – (2427; published 2007)
  (titled Aurora Rising in the UK)
• Elysium Fire (Prefect Dreyfus Emergencies #2) – (2429; published 2018)
• Machine Vendetta (Prefect Dreyfus Emergencies #3) – (2431; published 2024)
• The Last Log of the Lachrimosa – (ca. 2500–2550; published 2014) – short story
• Diamond Dogs – (ca. 2500–2550; published 2003) – short fiction collection
• Monkey Suit – (2511; published 2009) – short story
• Dilation Sleep – (ca. 2513–2540; published 1990) – short story
• Chasm City – (ca. 2517–2524; published 2001)
• Grafenwalder’s Bestiary – (ca. 2540; published 2006) –- short story
• Turquoise Days – (2541; published 2002) – short story
• Revelation Space (The Inhibitor Sequence #1) – (2524–2567; published 2000)
• Nightingale – (ca. 2600; published 2006) – short story
• Redemption Ark (The Inhibitor Sequence #2) – (2605–2651; published 2002)
• Absolution Gap (The Inhibitor Sequence #3) – (ca. 2615–3125; published 2003)
• Galactic North – (ca. 2303–40,000; published 2006) – short story collection
• Inhibitor Phase (The Inhibitor Sequence #4) – (ca. 2780–2858; published 2021)

About The Revelation Space Universe

The Revelation Space series includes six main books (three in the Revelation Space series, two in the Prefect Dreyfus series, and one standalone novel. It also includes numerous novellas and short stories, which are all listed above.

While the main trilogy includes around 300 years, between CE 2427 and 2727, the whole universe spawns several centuries, ranging from CE 2205 to 40 000. In an interview, the author mentioned that in his books he likes to include elements that might be at some point possible. For example, he doesn’t believe that we’ll be close to FTL travel anytime soon. Hence, his series doesn’t have any FTL travel, and his work mostly borrows from his knowledge and work experience, and his belief of what will be possible in the near or distant future.

Standalone Revelation Space Novels and Novellas

• Dilation Sleep,  1990
• A Spy in Europa, 1997
• Galactic North, 2006
• Great Wall of Mars, 2000
• Glacial, 2001
• Diamond Dogs, 2001
• Chasm City, 2001
• Turquoise Days, 2002
• Weather,  2006
• Grafenwalder’s Bestiary, 2006
• Nightingale, 2006
• Monkey Suit, 2009
• The Last Log of the Lachrimosa, 2014
• Revenger / Revelation, 2018

Poseidon’s Children Books in Order

The Poseidon’s Children series is a near-future science-fiction trilogy focused on humanity’s expansion into the solar system.

1. Blue Remembered Earth, 2012
2. On the Steel Breeze, 2012
3. Poseidon’s Wake, 2015

Revenger Universe Books in Order

The Revenger universe is a space-opera setting centered on fast-paced adventure stories set in a distant, post-collapse future.

1. Revenger, 2016
2. Shadow Captain, 2019
3. Bone Silence, 2020

Mammoth Books Presents Books in Order

Merlin

• Merlin’s Gun, 2012
• The Iron Tactician, 2016
  

Standalone Novels

• Sleepover, 2012

Doctor Who: Third Doctor Books in Order

• Harvest of Time, 2013

Short Story Collections

• Zima Blue and Other Stories, 2006
• Beyond the Aquila Rift, 2008
• Deep Navigation, 2010
• Thousandth Night and Minla’s Flowers, 2009
• Belladonna Nights and Other Stories, 2021

Short Story Anthologies

Novellas and Short Stories

Standalone Novels

• Century Rain, 2004
• Pushing Ice, 2005
• House of Suns, 2008
• Terminal World, 2009
• Medusa Chronicles, 2016 (with Stephen Baxter)
• Eversion, 2022
• Halcyon Years, 2025

Alastair Reynolds Biography

Alastair Reynolds was born in 1966, in Barry, Wales, however, he grew up in Cornwall, and then moved to other northern areas of England and Scottland over the years. He enrolled at Newcastle University, where he studied space science in the form of physics and astronomy. Later on, he went to the University of St Andrews, from where he got his PhD in astronomy in 1991. After school, he moved to the Netherlands in Noordwijk, which is where he also met his French wife, Josette.

While in the Netherlands, he worked for the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESA) as a research astronomer, working on various aspects of binary stars. He worked there until 2004 when he decided to pursue his dream of writing books full time. In 2008, he moved back home to Wales, and he currently lives near Cardiff.

Alastair Reynolds began writing his first stories between 1989–1991, while he was still a graduate student. The first four sci-fi stories got published between 1990 and 1992. While working for ESA, he began working on his first full-length novel to become Revelation Space, which would eventually be published in 2000. In 2009, the author signed a 10-book deal with the publishing house Gollanz, from where he got an advance of £1 million.

Over the years, Reynolds wrote and published numerous books, novellas, and especially short stories (around 50 written to date), all in the New Space Opera subgenre of science fiction. Some of the prevailing themes in his works are climate change, globalization, suppression of personal freedom, technological races, different intellectual systems, and memory implants.

Alastair Reynolds Awards and Nominations

Alastair Reynolds won and was nominated for several awards over the years.

Awards

• Chasm City: 2001 BSFA Award for Best Novel
• The Fixation: 2009 Sidewise Award for Best Short-Form Alternate History
• Slow Bullets: 2016 Locus Award for Best Novella
• Revenger: 2017 Locus Award for Best Young Adult Novel

Nominations

• Revelation Space: Inhibitor Trilogy Book 1: 2000 BSFA Award for Best Novel; 2001 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel; 2001 Locus Award for Best First Novel; 2001 Arthur C. Clarke Award
• Great Wall of Mars: 2001 Locus Award for Best Novella
• Chasm City: 2002 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
• Glacial: 2002 Locus Award for Best Novella
• Diamond Dogs: 2002 British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story
• Redemption Ark: Inhibitor Trilogy Book 2: 2003 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
• Turquoise Days: 2003 Locus Award for Best Novella
• Absolution Gap: Inhibitor Trilogy Book 3: 2003 BSFA Award for Best Novel; 2004 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
• Century Rain: 2005 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
• Pushing Ice: 2006 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel; 2006 Arthur C. Clarke Award
• Signal to Noise: 2006 BSFA Award for Best Short Fiction
• Aurora Rising: 2007 BSFA Award for Best Novel; 2008 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
• Nightingale: 2007 Locus Award for Best Novella
• Zima Blue and Other Stories: 2007 Locus Award for Best Collection
• Galactic North: 2007 Locus Award for Best Collection
• The Sledge-Maker’s Daughter: 2007 BSFA Award for Best Short Fiction
• House of Suns: 2009 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel; 2009 Arthur C. Clarke Award
• Troika: 2011 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award; 2011 Locus Award for Best Novella; 2011 Hugo Award for Best Novella
• Sleepover: 2011 Locus Award for Best Novelette
• Deep Navigation: 2011 Locus Award for Best Collection
• The Old Man and the Martian Sea: 2012 Locus Award for Best Novelette
• Blue Remembered Earth: 2013 John W. Campbell Memorial Award
• On the Steel Breeze: 2014 John W. Campbell Memorial Award
• The Last Log of the Lachrimosa: 2015 Locus Award for Best Novelette
• Slow Bullets: 2016 Hugo Award for Best Novella
• The Medusa Chronicles: 2017 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel; 2017 John W. Campbell Memorial Award
• The Iron Tactician: 2017 Locus Award for Best Novella
• Beyond the Aquila Rift: The Best of Alastair Reynolds: 2017 Locus Award for Best Collection
• Revenger: 2018 Philip K Dick Award
• Elysium Fire: 2019 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
• Shadow Captain: 2020 Locus Award for Best Young Adult Novel
  Permafrost: 2020 Locus Award for Best Novella
• Bone Silence: 2021 Philip K Dick Award
• Belladonna Nights: And Other Stories: 2022 Locus Award for Best Collection
• Eversion: 2023 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel; 2023 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel

References

• Alastair Reynolds official website
• author’s personal blog
• B&N author interview on returning to Revelation Space universe

Books Reading Order » Science Fiction Authors » Alastair Reynolds Books in Order

Last Updated on February 2, 2026