And as this tale proceeds, stepping out of one echo into another, we approach what is a very fine science fiction tale indeed. This one is focused more on human and it appears that not only mind, the mystery behind its mechanisms of defense when dealing with something unbearable.

The excitement for the expedition’s leaders in finding the Edifice is shattered, in each version of the expedition, by discovery of a wrecked vessel, the Europa, and its dead crew members. It gradually builds up tension, and is definitely messing with your mind - you won't be able to discern reality from imagination until almost at the end.Compared to the average sci fi thriller, this one was solid with a bit of mystery and an intriguing plot. At what point does adherence to a role, however important to the survival of a mission, give way to the human need for connection? The surface plot – as exciting as it is – is scaffolding, a misdirection away from the real mystery lying beneath. Silas begins to have dreams and flashbacks, and exclaims, “A ship is a dream of whispers, the dead man said. Without skipping a beat though, readers next find Silas on a steamship, and next a dirigible, and finally on a spaceship.

scenario that occurs in some of the best of Gene Wolfe's fantasies such as Castleview and There Are Doors - but it is less often found in science fiction, and Reynolds makes a great job of dealing it. A late-comer to the worlds of science fiction, John Folk-Williams circled around it, first by blogging (primarily through Storied Mind) about inner struggles and the mind’s way of distorting reality. The titular “eversion” refers to both the topological paradox of a sphere being turned inside out without tears or creases and the physical situation of the knowledge-sucking mind-spider lurking at the heart of the edifice. Needless to say it is a weaving of narrative, a slow coming together of strands to a truer view of what actually going on. I'd compare "Eversion" to "City of Silk and Steel" by the Carey family, which was also very well written, with a thoroughly good beginning, middle, and end.Silas is a well-written protagonist with compelling internal conflict, but you only get the full picture once the book is complete, so it’s hard to judge at first. In this case, the above comprises about the first five chapters, and it’s essentially all also detailed on the back cover.

But the summary of this book intrigued me enough to have me taking a chance on it, and it ended up checking all the boxes for me and truly exceeding my expectations. Eversion is an excellent, time-hopping, swashbuckling adventure, with a great twist about 60% into the narrative.Another thing that differentiate it from the others is that it's missing the grand scope, the vast universe and distances, the immensity of time scale which I loved to read about in his other books. I was born in Wales, but raised in Cornwall, and then spent time in the north of England and Scotland.