* Astronomy

Hailed as the "man who gave credibility back to space opera", British writer Alastair Reynolds has signed a 10-book deal worth £1m, it was announced tonight , in one of science fiction's biggest-ever contracts.
Reynolds, a former astronomer from south Wales, said he was "amazed and thrilled" at the deal with the Gollancz imprint of the UK-based publishers Orion, which has published his previous eight novels, starting with his 2000 debut, Revelation Space.

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