You are listening to a Clarks World magazine podcast with your host and narrator Kate Baker.

Greetings Clark World Citizens. I hope this podcast finds you very well. I hope you're in the post-holiday bliss

that is returning things and eating as much as you possibly can and planning for those new years resolutions to lose all the weight that

you've gained over the past two weeks. Again there's not much news to report so I'm just going to go right into our second to last story for the month of December 2014, the month that closes out the year.

The piece is titled The Sledgemaker's daughter and is by

Alistair Reynolds. A professional scientist with a PhD in astronomy, Alistair Reynolds worked for the European Space Agency in the Netherlands

for a number of years,

but has recently moved back to his native Wales

to become a full-time writer.

His first novel, Revelation Space, Native Wales to become a full-time writer.

His first novel, Revelation Space, was widely hailed as one of the major SF books of the year.

It was quickly followed by Kasm City, Redemption Arc, Absolution Gap, Century Rain, and Pushing Ice.

All big sprawling space operas that were big sellers as well.

Establishing Reynolds is one of the best and most popular new

SF writers to enter the field in many years.

Upcoming is his new book, Slow Bullets, and you can find Alistair at his website,

Alistair Reynolds.com.

It's A L A S T A I R R E N O O D S. M. O D S.

I'm going to give this one a trigger warning

for anyone who might be listening.

There is an instance of sexual assault in this, although it is not described, it is implied.

So, I invite you to sit back, relax, and let me tell you a story.

...