Adaptations of the Revelation Space universe

This article offers an overview of all known adaptations, to date, of works set in Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space universe (RSU).

Live-action films or TV series

To date, there have been no live-action film and TV adaptations of works set in the Revelation Space universe.

Animated films or TV series

To date, there have been no animated adaptations of works set in the Revelation Space universe.

However, in 2019, the animated television anthology Love, Death and Robots adapted two of A. Reynolds' short stories from the non-RSU anthology Zima Blue and Other Stories - the eponymous Zima Blue and Beyond the Aquila Rift.

Theatre

2017 marked the premiere of a live-action theatrical adaptation of the RSU novella Diamond Dogs. The novella was adapted into a play by The House Theatre in Chicago, with performances at the Chopin Theatre.

In addition to clever stage design to depict various environments, from Yellowstone locations to the Blood Spire on Golgotha, it also uses some special puppetry effects for the sequences involving the titular diamond dogs from later in the narrative.

Diamond Dogs cast

• John Henry Roberts - Richard Swift
• Christopher Haimsworth - Roland Childe
• Katherine Keberlein - Celestine
• Abu Ansari - captain Forqueray
• Joey Steakley - Dr. Trintignant
• Elana Elyce - Hirz

Diamond Dogs crew

• Steve Pickering - head adapter
• Lindsay Dorcus - puppeteer
• Nathan Allen - art direction
• Mary Robinette Kowal - puppet design

Poster for the Diamond Dogs theatrical adaptation

Alastair Reynolds meeting with the cast and crew of the theatrical adaptation

A scene from the theatrical adaptation, set inside the Blood Spire

The author jokingly testing the spacesuit costume made for the play

Diamond Dogs - A Live Sci-Fi World Premiere Adaptation in Chicago

Video trailer 1

Diamond Dogs - Sci-Fi Onstage in a Chicago World Premiere

Video trailer 2

Diamond Dogs - A Ferocious Live Action Sci-Fi World Premiere in Chicago - Scene A

Video preview

Audiobooks

The book-published RSU narratives to date have all been adapted to audiobook format by the Orion Publishing Group and by audiobook developer/publisher Tantor Media. They are available from various online audiobook retailers.

All of the RSU audiobook adaptations have been narrated by John Lee.

John Lee's narration mostly distinguishes between individual characters, both male and female, by subtly different colours of voice and other vocal mannerisms. In the case of a few particular characters from certain groups, he also uses accents (to a certain extent).

Major characters from Yellowstone's Demarchist elites (e.g. Dan Sylveste, Pascale, Jane Aumonier) are given a faint French-sounding accent, hinting at the Francophone ancestry of their families and their apparent knowledge of Canasian, a partly French-descended future language.

Most Russish-knowledgeable characters are rendered with a British accent, though Ilia Volyova has a vague, mock-Russian accent.

Some other characters, such as several hyperpigs (e.g. Sparver Bancal) and certain civilians (e.g. Hirz) are given more colloquial, regional or "working class" British accents, for extra distinction from other characters.

Music

Chasm City concept album by Ultranaut

In 2013, the independent Canadian metal band Ultranaut recorded their short concept album Chasm City EP, based on the eponymous standalone novel. The album consists of four longer tracks and seems to be told from the viewpoint of H alias "Tanner Mirabel", the protagonist of the novel.

Many of the locations and events in the novel and some of the other Revelation Space works are referenced througout the album, including Sky's Edge , Yellowstone, Hospice Idlewild, and even the Nostalgia for Infinity.

The first track is predominantly instrumental, and includes some narration, based on the arrival of H to Hospice Idlewild and subsequent orbit-to-surface commute to Chasm City. The troubled history of settling Sky's Edge is vaguely referenced in the opening lyrics of the second track. Latter parts of the same song and then the third track reference the protagonist's current personal quest on Yellowstone, driven by his experiences on Sky's Edge. The fourth track references the events he takes part in years later, during the events of Redemption Ark and other novels in the Inhibitor trilogy.

The lyrics of each track are included in the individual videos' descriptions on the band's channel.

Part 1 Emerging From Reefersleep At Hospice Idlewild

Track 1: Emerging From Reefersleep At Hospice Idlewild

Part 2 The Revelation of The Melding Plague And Orbital Descent Into Chasm City

Track 2: The Revelation of The Melding Plague And Orbital Descent Into Chasm City

Part 3 Elegy - The Lament For Sky's Edge And The Vow of Retribution

Track 3: The Lament For Sky's Edge And The Vow of Retribution

Part 4 The Aftermath And The Transcendence of The Lighthugger "Nostalgia For Infinity"

Track 4: The Aftermath And The Transcendence of The Lighthugger Nostalgia For Infinity

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"Music inspired by the Revelation Space series of A. Reynolds" by Scot Mathieson

British Soundcloud artist "scottishnatureboy" (Scot Mathieson) created a 16 track album of "Music inspired by the Revelation Space series of A. Reynolds". The playlist of the album.

Tracks:
1 - The Belle Epoque (Before the Plague) (4:18)
2 - Mixmasters (2:12)
3 - Conjoiners conjoined (4:04)
4 - Palanquin (3:24)
5 - The Melancholia of Departure (2:39)
6 - Pattern Jugglers (4:08)
7 - The Sylveste Institute for Shrouder Studies (3:41)
8 - The Mother Nest's Green Heart (6:02)
9 - Chasm City (3:28)
10 - The Inhibitors (3:24)
11 - Approaching Delta Pavonis, 2564 (3:53)
12 - Galactic Final Memory (5:57)
13 - Rumours of War (5:55)
14 - A Capacity for Animus (4:25)
15 - Beautiful Human Dreams (2:57)
16 - Dilation Sleep (5:06)

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Paul Bestovitch

Dublin-born DJ Paul Bestovitch has an instrumental track called Triumvir Volyova.

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References by musical artists

Albums and musical works that don't necessarily have anything to do with the series, other than references to terms and characters and so on. Listed here for completeness' sake.

Nostalgia for Infinity album

Nostalgia for Infinity is the 2016 debut studio album of the indie rock band Sound of Ceres. The album seems to be a reference to the lighthugger from the.

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Revelation Space album

The title of an album by Japanese rock band Mainliner.

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Revelation Space live concert DVD

The title of a live concert DVD album by another Japanese rock band, Vistlip.

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Chasm City Blues

An Australian band from the Sydney area.

Visual art

• Revelation Space series cover art - Official book cover art for published works set in the Revelation Space universe, by various authors.
• Fan art - Various artworks depicting the Revelation Space universe, by worldwide fans of the setting.

See also

• Alastair Reynolds - Article on the author of the Revelation Space series, including links to official websites and online interviews.
• Translations of the Revelation Space series - Various foreign translations of the Revelation Space works.

Revelation Space series
NOVELS
A Prefect Dreyfus Emergency (crime fiction series, 2007-present) Aurora Rising (2007) | Open and Shut (short story midquel, 2018) | Elysium Fire (2018) | Machine Vendetta (2023) ---- Chasm City (standalone novel, 2001) ---- Inhibitor Cycle (main novel series, 2000-2003, 2021) Revelation Space (2000) | Redemption Ark (2002) | Absolution Gap (2003) | Inhibitor Phase (2021)
ANTHOLOGIES
Galactic North (2006, short stories) Great Wall of Mars | Glacial | A Spy in Europa | Weather Dilation Sleep | Grafenwalder's Bestiary | Nightingale | Galactic North ---- Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days (2003, novellas) Diamond Dogs | Turquoise Days ---- Other anthologies Deep Navigation (2010) - Monkey Suit (2009) Beyond the Aquila Rift (2016) - The Last Log of the Lachrimosa (2014) Infinite Stars (2017) - Night Passage (2017) Belladonna Nights and Other Stories (2021) - Night Passage (2017), Open and Shut (2018), Plague Music (2021)
PUBLISHED ONLINE
Subterranean Press Magazine (2014, summer issue) - The Last Log of the Lachrimosa (2014) Gollancz / Hachette UK (2018) - Open and Shut (2018)
BEHIND THE SCENES / RELATED ARTICLES
Revelation Space universe | Alastair Reynolds | Websites Cultural and scientific references | Adaptations | Translations Book cover art | Fan art