The Prefect

The Prefect is a 2007 science fiction novel by Welsh author Alastair Reynolds (ISBN 0-575-07716-6). It is the fifth novel set in the Revelation Space universe, and takes place prior to the four previously released Revelation Space novels, but after some of the short stories. It is a standalone novel, containing no characters from any other Revelation Space works. The Prefect is set in the 25th century in the Glitter Band, the realm of thousands o... more

The Prefect is a 2007 science fiction novel by Welsh author Alastair Reynolds (ISBN 0-575-07716-6). It is the fifth novel set in the Revelation Space universe, and takes place prior to the four previously released Revelation Space novels, but after some of the short stories. It is a standalone novel, containing no characters from any other Revelation Space works. The Prefect is set in the 25th century in the Glitter Band, the realm of thousands of orbital habitats surrounding the planet Yellowstone in the Epsilon Eridani system, and the height of human civilization at the time. Events take place prior to the advent of the Melding Plague that had already ruined the Glitter Band and caused a massive decline in Yellowstone civilization at the time of the other Revelation Space novels. Tom Dreyfus is the titular prefect, a member of a special investigations police force called the Panoply that is responsible for protecting the Glitter Band. The novel offers a thoroughly in-depth study of... less