History Creator / AlastairReynolds

** The Poseidon's Children trilogy made up of''Literature/BlueRememberedEarth'', ''Literature/OnTheSteelBreeze'' and ''Literature/PoseidonsWake''.

* PunnyName: The ''Rockhopper'' mining spacecraft from ''Pushing Ice''. Its mascot is the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Rockhopper_Penguin eponymous]] [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins cute species of penguin]] and... [[DontExplainTheJoke you know]]... the ship's routine flights involve "hopping" from one asteroid or comet to the next.

** Literature/{{Revelation Space|Series}} series: CosmicHorror-tinged science fiction SpaceOpera in which 26th century mankind tries to discover why [[AbsentAliens all the other intelligent species they find evidence of seem to have gone mysteriously extinct]].

** Literature/{{Revelation Space|Series}} series: CosmicHorror-tinged hard science fiction SpaceOpera in which 26th century mankind tries to discover why [[AbsentAliens all the other intelligent species they find evidence of seem to have gone mysteriously extinct]].

Alastair Preston Reynolds (born 13 March 1966) is a [[UsefulNotes/{{Wales}} Welsh]] author of a number of science fiction novels and short stories. He's a former physicist and astronomer for UsefulNotes/{{ESA}}, which he worked for during the 1990s and early 2000s, before becoming a full-time writer. Considering his scientific background, these works have the tendency to be about as far up MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness as it's possible to get while still remaining recognizably SpaceOpera. Of particular note is his near-total avoidance of FasterThanLightTravel, despite their interstellar settings, and the extreme cultural and technological divergences shown.

** Literature/{{Revelation Space|Series}} series: CosmicHorror-tinged HardScienceFiction SpaceOpera in which 26th century mankind tries to discover why [[AbsentAliens all the other intelligent species they find evidence of seem to have gone mysteriously extinct]].

* AlternateHistory: A [[PlayingWithATrope pseudo-version of this]] is is used in the novel ''Century Rain'', with [[spoiler:Earth-Two, an exact copy of planet Earth in a different part of the Galaxy, on which the only difference is a 1940s-50s level of society and technology and the non-existance of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII (it ''started'', but the Nazi offensive bogged down in the Ardennes, bringing an early end to the conflict, with far-from-happy consequences). It is later revealed to be one of many 'quantum snapshots' of Earth at different time periods, all done by a mysterious missing alien race.]]

* CityOfCanals: The short story "Zima Blue" has a planet with "one hudred and seventy first known duplicate of Venice, and one of only three Venices rendered entirely in white marble."

* TwoLinesDifferentTimes: ''Beyond the Aquila Rift'' alternates between Greta familiarizing Thom with the new station and their later attempts to awaken Suzy from her surge tank.

* TwoLinesDifferentTimes: "Beyond the Aquila Rift"'s main plot focuses on Greta familiarizing Thom with the new station, while the B-plot (which is actually more of a FlashForward) sees the two trying to awaken Suzy from her surge tank.