Diamond Dogs, Alastair Reynolds
Diamond Dogs is a really effective novella, for my money. I reread it recently, but I remembered the key points from the first time I’d read it — a twisty story that got under my skin. There’s lots of little references and clues to point you to what the story is going to do, and there’s plenty of worldbuilding and detail to keep you wondering. It helps to know a little bit about the larger universe of Reynolds’ books, just for background… but it’s not necessary.
It’s creepy and psychological and well structured. It’s just one of those novellas which perfectly gets under the skin, scratches that itch, etc, etc. I won’t give away anything else…
Love this one! My favourite Reynolds.
It is one of those really tightly written, beautifully done stories, isn’t it?
Yes – it’s the perfect length for the material; not rushed as many novellas that should be novels are, or bloated, as too many stories in general are these days. Being not overly long it can get away with its signature gothic grotesquery and crowd of largely unsympathetic characters, too.
Yeah, I kind of just want to launch people into it with no warning and watch ’em get their minds blown.
Me, too!