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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
If my slow progress with this book wasn't evidence enough of how mediocre I was finding this novel, then the absolute wall I hit 60% of the way through during an interminably boring attempt at constructing political intrigue was more than enough to close the case. I've read similar stories all executed in a much more interesting way by Messrs. Simmons, Banks and Herbert. Perhaps the book wouldn't have been so bad if the writing had at least been engaging.
This is a huge space opera. It did take me a bit to latch onto it, but it is a magnificent read and a true sci-fi classic in the best sense of that genre. Hamilton is a great writer.
A gripping (but very long) book that really suffers from some stuff that comes off as straight sexism. I think the author was trying to make the post-death society one of libertine decadence on purpose but the amount of focus given to women’s attractiveness was overwhelming any subtextual commentary.
Finally it is over. Until part 2 which, on balance, I probably will read if I find it in a charity shop. Ultimately the end was quite good, but it was a good job that I'd already read a few reviews and was aware that I shouldn't be expecting any resolution.
Speaking of those reviews that I'd read; I don't have anything to add that hasn't already been covered in the other 1-3 star reviews. Too long - check. Sexism - check. I'm not going to discuss the sexism except to say that maybe Hamilton is suggesting that this is how things will be 3-400 years in the future, some kind of dim judgement on the human race. Except that I think it's suspect that he couldn't imagine a more enlightened society. What else? Too much detail - check - in fact, make that needless detail. There's an occasion where it describes exactly what a character is having for breakfast, but I'm thinking, "why now, when you haven't told me in excruciating detail what every other character happens to be eating?" Then there's all these machine models. He'll go, "such and such climbed aboard the AC4652...", and you're like, "this is literally irrelevant. It's just a thing you've made up. I do not need to know what model of spaceship/locomotive engine/other machine this is.
And, as everyone else has said, for all the negatives there are a few really big positives. The sections that are from the Prime perspective are pretty special, and there's one or two other bits, it's just a real shame that the book's so fat and that it isn't all as good as its good bits. It creates a duality in my mind about whether I should read anymore Hamilton because there's probably something really brilliant in there, but it's going to be so damn irritating to get to it. I'm trying to think of a suitable metaphor... let's say perhaps when you go to see a band because you've heard one song that you think is absolutely brilliant, but they play it as the encore and you've got to stand through an hour of turgid shit first. When they played that song though, it was an emotional and uplifting experience, and you tell everyone for weeks about how brilliant it was. But do you buy any of that band's albums or go to see them again?
Oh yeh; I read this is supposed to be hard sci-fi, but I have a problem with that. There's hardly any physics in it, no explanation of how things are done. He's just invented wormholes and ftl drives so that he doesn't have to bother with science. And it's all technology with no description of how it works. How does information travel instantly throughout the galaxy? There are one or two mentions of different gravitational strengths on different sized planets, but the mixture of air is always exactly the same... I'm not saying all these things have to be covered in detail; I just don't think it's fair to call this hard sci-fi. Space opera however, is bang on.
Now, I do have another of Hamilton's books on my TBR shelf already, and while reading Pandora's Star I've been oscillating between I won't bother reading it, I'll read it only if I enjoy Judas Unchained and now, well, maybe I will read it after all. Who knows? I'm just going to let that sit for a while.
Speaking of those reviews that I'd read; I don't have anything to add that hasn't already been covered in the other 1-3 star reviews. Too long - check. Sexism - check. I'm not going to discuss the sexism except to say that maybe Hamilton is suggesting that this is how things will be 3-400 years in the future, some kind of dim judgement on the human race. Except that I think it's suspect that he couldn't imagine a more enlightened society. What else? Too much detail - check - in fact, make that needless detail. There's an occasion where it describes exactly what a character is having for breakfast, but I'm thinking, "why now, when you haven't told me in excruciating detail what every other character happens to be eating?" Then there's all these machine models. He'll go, "such and such climbed aboard the AC4652...", and you're like, "this is literally irrelevant. It's just a thing you've made up. I do not need to know what model of spaceship/locomotive engine/other machine this is.
And, as everyone else has said, for all the negatives there are a few really big positives. The sections that are from the Prime perspective are pretty special, and there's one or two other bits, it's just a real shame that the book's so fat and that it isn't all as good as its good bits. It creates a duality in my mind about whether I should read anymore Hamilton because there's probably something really brilliant in there, but it's going to be so damn irritating to get to it. I'm trying to think of a suitable metaphor... let's say perhaps when you go to see a band because you've heard one song that you think is absolutely brilliant, but they play it as the encore and you've got to stand through an hour of turgid shit first. When they played that song though, it was an emotional and uplifting experience, and you tell everyone for weeks about how brilliant it was. But do you buy any of that band's albums or go to see them again?
Oh yeh; I read this is supposed to be hard sci-fi, but I have a problem with that. There's hardly any physics in it, no explanation of how things are done. He's just invented wormholes and ftl drives so that he doesn't have to bother with science. And it's all technology with no description of how it works. How does information travel instantly throughout the galaxy? There are one or two mentions of different gravitational strengths on different sized planets, but the mixture of air is always exactly the same... I'm not saying all these things have to be covered in detail; I just don't think it's fair to call this hard sci-fi. Space opera however, is bang on.
Now, I do have another of Hamilton's books on my TBR shelf already, and while reading Pandora's Star I've been oscillating between I won't bother reading it, I'll read it only if I enjoy Judas Unchained and now, well, maybe I will read it after all. Who knows? I'm just going to let that sit for a while.
I got confused with various sub plots, finishing this was almost herculean effort for me. I finished this frustrated: I was not sure did I "get" everything in this story- good or bad? Next book will tell, I guess.
I was hoping for something akin to an Asimov book, but found this book very disconnected with some story lines left dangling (and from reading reviews, not picked up in the final book in the series). Plus the portrayal of the women characters are single dimensional sex objects except for Paula who is described like a man. I don't recommend this book.
A thousand pages and you still can't bring the sodding thing to some sort of conclusion. Going to take a whole other book is it? In the so called 'Golden Age' this could have been put to bed quite satisfactorily in about 300 pages. Shame really cos the story is quite interesting, just leaves a bad taste in my mouth thinking I'm going to have to work my way through another 1000 pages just to get to the bottom of it all. Wouldn't be so bad if the writing and world building were top notch, making it a pleasure just to immerse oneself in it, but it isn't and the only thing that has kept me ploughing on is the storyline. Like I said, a thousand bloomin' pages, oh come on!
I knew it was part of a saga but really, that's not so much a cliffhanger as "end of part one". And I so wanted to read [b:The Windup Girl|6597651|The Windup Girl|Paolo Bacigalupi|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1278940608s/6597651.jpg|6791425] before [b:Judas Unchained|45244|Judas Unchained (Commonwealth Saga, #2)|Peter F. Hamilton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170278147s/45244.jpg|44507].
3 stars? Normal good rambling Hamilton, we'll see where it ends.
3 stars? Normal good rambling Hamilton, we'll see where it ends.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced