The Prefect: Difference between revisions

''[[The Prefect]]'' is a novel by [[Alastair Reynolds]], set within his "Revelation Space" universe. Chronologically, it occurs before the main series and functions as a prequel, fleshing out the backstory of the fictional future history.

It is the Belle Epoque, the peak of human society. Around the planet [[Death World|Yellowstone]] a ring of ten thousand orbital habitshabitats called "The Glitter Band" is known far and wide. Each habitat is a society unto itself, with its own rules and culture. Uniting them is the political philosophy of Demarchy - democratic anarchy - where the one and only universal law is that no citizen be denied the right to vote. Thus, the Glitter Band contains a myriad of possible human cultures, ranging from idyllic egalitarians who [[Space Amish|consciously limit the use of technology]], to Matrix-style worlds where everyone is [[Brain In a Jar|plugged into a virtual world]], to “[[Sadistic Choice|voluntary tyrannies]]” where citizens [[Crapsack World|live under hellish regimes]] and have virtually no rights - aside, of course, for the right to vote.

{{quote| "a rock face carved with enormous stone likenesses: eight vast heads, the fifth and seventh of which were women." }}