Lake of Darkness review: This bold, experimental slice of deep-space sci-fi is just brilliant

Lake of Darkness
Adam Roberts (Gollancz)

I WAS recently asked for my definition of “hard science fiction” and I burbled something along the lines of “it has to have a lot of science in it, and also spaceships”. I’m not sure the spaceships bit is right. But if, for the sake of this article, my terrible definition is the one in play, then Lake of Darkness by Adam Roberts hits the mark 100 per cent.

In this case, the spaceships are two deep-space…