Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds

Science Fiction

From Goodreads:

From the author of the Revelation Space series comes an interstellar adventure of war, identity, betrayal, and the preservation of civilization itself.

A vast conflict, one that has encompassed hundreds of worlds and solar systems, appears to be finally at an end. A conscripted soldier is beginning to consider her life after the war and the family she has left behind. But for Scur—and for humanity—peace is not to be.

On the brink of the ceasefire, Scur is captured by a renegade war criminal, and left for dead in the ruins of a bunker. She revives aboard a prisoner transport vessel. Something has gone terribly wrong with the ship.

Passengers—combatants from both sides of the war—are waking up from hibernation far too soon. Their memories, embedded in bullets, are the only links to a world which is no longer recognizable. And Scur will be reacquainted with her old enemy, but with much higher stakes than just her own life.

Slow Bullets is novella length and while it does tell a story it could be setting the stage for something more.  It is told from Scur’s point of view and moves forward at a very brisk pace.  The story line is well developed, the back-story easy to understand and the tension builds as the story progresses.  Reynolds started his career writing short stories so he is a master at making the most of every word.  That is evident in Slow Bullets.

Slow Bullets is a easy read by a master story teller.  It could be the start of something else or it could be a stand-alone. There were hints that made me think there might be more to come.  They did leave questions that were not answered.

Tachyon published Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds in 2014.

I received an ARC of Slow Bullets from Netgalley in return for an honest review.