Alastair Reynolds, former scientist and now full-time writer. Most of what he writes is science fiction, with a strong concern for scientific verisimilitude (although he is prepared to break the rules for the sake of a good story). He has lived in England, Scotland and the Netherlands where he worked as an astrophysicist for the European Space Agency until 2004, but now makes his home back in his native Wales. Author's note on the Relevation Space series:My earlier books are Revelation Space (2000), Chasm City (2001), Redemption Ark (2002), Absolution Gap (2003) and The Prefect (2007), all of which are set in the same universe. They can be read independently, although it's preferable to read Revelation Space, Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap in that order. Chasm City and The Prefect can be read at any point in the sequence.