The Prefect cover art

The Prefect

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The Prefect

By: Alastair Reynolds
Narrated by: John Lee
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About this listen

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.

©2008 Alastair Reynolds (P)2011 Tantor Adventure Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Space Opera

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Critic reviews

"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)
All stars
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A.R. keeps writing these excellent books with very imaginative storylines which enables the reader to conjure up fantastic images of the characters and vistas used in his stories. Keep them coming Alastair.

keep them coming

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If you could sum up The Prefect in three words, what would they be?

Good never lasts

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Prefect?

The victim's posthumous revenge.

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

His voice fits with science fiction. Maybe I have just heard lots of his readings. The down side is the characters become similar.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not a laugh or cry type book, but there were parts which made me shout, either "don't do that" or "surely not!"

Good build up, but the end somewhat predictable.

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apart from some of the senior perfects making 101 errors, and Lee slightly limited in his range, it was great and I listened with increasing obsession.
Lee's narration is near perfect for this type of book and his inability to do a range of female voices doesn't matter too much. with this type of storyline very few other sound right. Dreyfus is a great character and the basic detective story really engaging. going straight on to the next one in the series. if you like space opera Sci-Fi then I'm sure you'll love this.

I found it compelling but not perfect

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This was thoroughly enjoyable. With plenty of action, subterfuge, and the right amount of sci-fi to be understandable but not overwhelming. I highly recommend it and look forward to listening to the next in the series.

An excellent rollercoaster ride

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Loved the book, these stories get better and better with excellent narration, a highly recommended read.

Superb!

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Fantastic story with lots of clever twists and turns. Imagery and plot was brilliant. Couldn't still listening to the Audible edition

One of the greats

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This was a attention grabbing plot full of action and enthralling dramatisation of the characters.

Fascinating and riveting plot.

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Only read this as on the free list. Great story spun a little in the Reynolds way but masterful.

Excellent

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Intense, powerful and nerve wracking, one of Alastair's best. Took me on a journey I will never forget.

Incredible

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Really enjoyed both the story and it’s telling. There were some parts that I didn’t like where the characters made basic mistakes and they didn’t sit well with me, but the rest of it made up for those sections. Onto the next one :-)

Great story and narration

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