4am -- artist's impression

Not Four in the Morning
Originally uploaded by tamaranth

I missed the 04:00 4/4 photo challenge what with being asleep. But here is an artist's impression of what I would have seen if I'd woken up.

Yes, it is very very close. And very heavy. And armed with fearsome talons and a heavy-metal purr.

Alastair Reynolds' 'House of Suns'

I have a Theory about this book and none of the reviews I've googled seems to have reached the same conclusion. If you've read it and are up for spoilery discussion, continue under the cut ...

( DO NOT CLICK UNLESS YOU'VE READ THE BOOK OR DON'T CARE ABOUT SPOILERS )

2009/25: House of Suns -- Alastair Reynolds

House of Suns -- Alastair Reynolds

Perhaps the Lines had it all wrong. We accumulated experience for the sake of it, stretched our lives out across millions of years, but even when things were going well ... there was a neurotic anxiety at the back of all our minds, a shrill voice instructing us to see everything, to look round every corner, to leave no stone unturned. We were like children who had to try every sweet in the shop, even if it made us sick. We knew there was more of the galaxy than we could ever encompass by ourselves, but the voice did not allow us to take that as license to give up. All it said was try harder. (p. 214)

( very slightly spoilery review, no worse than blurb )