Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton
reviewed by Dominic Cilli
This is a meticulously crafted novel that blends murder mystery, horror story and thriller into one very
compelling and entertaining science fiction novel. This should come as no surprise to fans of the author. He has consistently
proven himself to be one of the most creative and imaginative writers in science fiction. There aren't very many authors
out there who can juggle three genres, a couple dozen characters and a multitude of plot threads with this much detail and
pull it all together into one seamless novel.
Manhattan in Reverse by Peter F. Hamilton
reviewed by Richard A. Lupoff
This collection contains nine stories of varying lengths. The longest of them is "Watching Trees Grow,"
is actually a short novel -- it runs the better part of 100 pages of rather small type. It's an alternate history
story, and in an era when these things are as common as lying politicians, it's the most fascinating,
and convincingly written example since Ward Moore's Bring the Jubilee (1953).
The story begins at Oxford University in 1832, but it isn't the 1832 that we are familiar with.
The Evolutionary Void by Peter F. Hamilton
reviewed by Dominic Cilli
The Evolutionary Void is the third and final volume of Peter F. Hamilton's The Void Trilogy,
but that is a little bit misleading. Yes, it is true and that is how it will be listed in bibliographies, but in
reality it's really the fifth volume of the Commonwealth Saga and the culmination of one of the
grandest modern space operas ever written. If you are unfamiliar with Peter F. Hamilton, don't even think of
reading any of The Void Trilogy before you have read both Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained.
The Temporal Void by Peter F. Hamilton
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
It was the best of universes, it was the worst of universes. That Dickens-like dichotomy pretty sums up the attitudes
of residents of our universe towards the Void, a separate universe with its own physical laws that somehow exists
inside our own. For members of the Living Dream religion, the Void is the promised land, a place where they could
live exactly as they want to. For others, the Void is a menace, not just because of its existence, but because
it is expanding, and devouring our own universe from within.
The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
This is a big book. The author doesn't seem to be able to write any other kind, yet by the time
you get to the end it feels like all of it 600+ pages have been devoted to accomplishing one major goal; that of
setting the reader up for the really big story that is yet to come. And when you're talking galaxy-spanning space opera with
a cast of characters every bit as large as its setting, there's nothing wrong with that.
Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson
Readers of Pandora's Star will recall that that novel ended with a doozy of a cliff-hanger ending. Judas Unchained
jumps forward from that time, as the leaders of the Commonwealth are attempting to deal with an attack that was far beyond
anything they had anticipated. Some suspect treachery, a few individuals have started to believe that the Starflyer is real, and
that the Guardians, known for a hundred years as a terrorist organisation, may have been right all along.
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Misspent Youth by Peter F. Hamilton
reviewed by Donna McMahon
At 78, Jeff Baker is not only a rich man, but a legend. In the early 21st century Baker invented the memory crystal, and then
stunned the world by refusing to patent it. Instead he published its structure freely on the internet, sparking a
global "free source" revolution in information and economics.
So when the European Union's massive DNA re-engineering project is ready, Baker is chosen to be the first man in human
history to be rejuvenated to the physical age of eighteen.
The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton
reviewed by Rodger Turner
On a start-up colony planet, a chance meeting between an indentured sociopath and an alien entity blends the two
together forming an outwardly human hive collective. Spreading disorder and rebellion, he and his
followers escape the planet to begin spreading through out the Confederation. Nothing seems capable of stopping
them. The Navy tries, a group of privateers try, the AI consciousness running space
platforms tries, the alien scientists try. Even the galaxy's worst bad guy exiled to a planet
without escape tries. They all recognize that unless somebody stops this monster,
their civilization will disappear.
A Second Chance at Eden by Peter F. Hamilton
reviewed by Rodger Turner
This is a collection for Hamilton fans (Rodger is an unabashed one). It is a delightful
supplement to the Night's Dawn trilogy with its techno-chronology between stories.
The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton
reviewed by Stephen M. Davis
This novel, the sequel to The Reality Dysfunction,
concerns the return of souls from the Beyond. The author does an
excellent job of keeping this from getting silly, and the possessors act in a generally logical
fashion, with a bit of localized mayhem thrown in to keep things interesting.
A Quantum Murder by Peter F. Hamilton
reviewed by Lisa DuMond
The novel's image of a civilization razed, but clawing its way out of the mud is a fascinating
one. And sobering, too, if you can admit to yourself how possible that scenario
is. It's a cautionary tale. It's a well-plotted mystery.
Greg Mandel Trio by Peter F. Hamilton
reviewed by Rodger Turner
Rodger looks at three connected books of this UK bestselling author:
Mindstar Rising, A Quantum Murder and The Nano Flower.
He found Hamilton's dialogue is crystal sharp, his settings veer towards the
convincing, his prose is slick, his charcters a joy to follow.
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