Elysium Fire

This is a sequel to The Prefect, and a part of the wider Revelation Space series, but it's not essential to have read the other books before this one (I read The Prefect about ten years ago and given that these days I can't remember what I had for breakfast by half past two I was a bit daunted about jumping straight into this one, but I needn't have been).
Good Sf should always reflect the times in which it was written, and this is probably Reynolds' most political novel yet. Reynolds of course spent a large part of his career in Europe, and this book is haunted by Brexit. A key plot element concerns a demagogue whipping up secessionary sentiment, and there's an underlying theme about the use and fragility of democracy. But it's not a dull, dry read. There is more of a crime novel feeling than his previous books, with plenty of incident and mystery. The action keeps rollicking along, with well timed shifts and developments in the case. The very end is possibly slightly too infodumpy but it's a niggle, that's all. I suspect that given the simultaneous rebranding of The Prefect to Aurora Rising, this is intended to kickstart a Dreyfus series, and I'll happily be along for the ride.