The Six Directions of Space

By Alastair Reynolds
Subterranean Press, $35.00, 85 pages

The Six Directions of Space posits that Genghis Khan (or his descendants) managed to conquer the globe and create an everlasting Mongol empire. More than 1,000 years later, this empire is galactic, and an agent named “Yellow Dog” works to investigate evidence of ghosts in some far-reaching transit station on the edges of empire. The evidence, as presented, suggests more than simple specters-these are a glimpse of something far larger than so-called “ghosts.”

In an eighty-five-page page novella, this serves as prologue to the opening up of the world, the galaxy, to a multi-verse spanning conflict of numerous warlike races and societies. To explain in detail the various natures of the competing civilizations would spoil the joy of discovery presented in Alastair Reynold’s novella. Though this joy is solely from the perspective of the reader, for there is certainly no joy for the characters within.

The Six Directions of Space is a delightful story of the expanding understanding of the nature of the universe. Here, the universe is far bigger than imagined, and Reynolds has crafted an exciting story filled with intrigue and an action-packed ending. Whether the page count warrants the price tag is up to the reader, but Subterranean Press consistently puts out a high-quality products, both in terms of content as well as production. This is a beautifully-bound hardcover with a limited print run, and it should be considered worth a look.

Reviewed by Joe Sherry