Reviews

The Abyss Beyond Dreams by Peter F. Hamilton

crimsoncor's review against another edition

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5.0

Reread as I got ready to finally read the sequel. Liked it even more this time, I think with some separation from the other books in the series. There was some initial disappointment, I think, that it wasn't the other books, but reading it at more of a distance, the book really shines. Maybe that is because the plot is in many ways duplicative of the the earlier Void trilogy that it seemed less fresh when reading it so soon after that. But the characters and plot here really stand-up well and I always really enjoy the strong female characters that Hamilton populates his worlds with. It doesn't hurt that his vision of a future techno-utopia is a world I'd just really like to live in.

chlcrc617's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

rael1001's review against another edition

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5.0

Holy Crap

paweljw's review

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

vickerstaylor's review against another edition

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3.0

Thought this one started off really well (really enjoyed some of the horror-esque moments) but it veered into a storyline I didn't really find that interesting with characters I wasn't super invested in.

jmoses's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a nice jump back into the Void setting. It's not really about the Commonwealth though. If you liked the Commonwealth books, but weren't that into the Void series, probably give this one a pass. It's good, solid Hamilton, but it's not "omg Commonwealth yay".

I really enjoyed it, however. We get to see more of "fun time Nigel" in this one, instead of "srs bsns Nigel", which was fun, and the world/setting was interesting too. I thought that the
Spoilercommunism/Leninism overthrowing/revolution thing
was a bit heavy handed though. I mean, I get why it was a plot device (and it makes sense in the story) but I just didn't really enjoy it. It was drawn out and complicated and just...not very interesting at times. Especially toward the end it was super predictable, which isn't something I usually complain about with Hamilton.

Apart from that, I don't have any complaints. Oh, other than "what the shit" at the end, since I didn't really get this was the first in a new series when I started it. It's pretty damn clear at the end, though. :/

jamsl94's review against another edition

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4.0

A slow start leads to an excellent story of infiltration and revolution

sophonparticle's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved it for the nano-tech, space exploration, steampunk, telekinesis, androids, enhanced human and animal biology, etc.

dabrit's review against another edition

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5.0

Nigel Sheldon goes into the void to try to discover the truth behind what has kept an element of humanity captive for over 3000 years. In doing so he tries to free them. Fantastic mix of fantasy and science fiction. Thoroughly enjoyed.

led's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0