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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Interesting & creative plot and setting. However, after wading through the 988 pages of this book, I was disappointed that it ended on a cliffhanger. I started this bookunaware that there was a sequel and I was hoping for resolution of the main storyline. Now I have to decide if I want to continue the series.
Good enough that after 800+ pages I started reading the concluding novel (another 900+ pages) right away!
Oh boy, this was really not an easy book to get through. About 1/3 was really interesting, 1/3 was OK, and the other 1/3 was "this book is long enough without adding stuff that doesn't seem to matter much." The thing that finally killed it for me though, was the last page. I thought I would finally see some resolution for my favourite story thread and...no. I have to read the OTHER HALF of the story to get that, namely, [b:Judas Unchained|45244|Judas Unchained|Peter F. Hamilton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1316501189l/45244._SY75_.jpg|44507].
I don't know that I have the stamina for Round 2.
I don't know that I have the stamina for Round 2.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The kind of book I get a hankering to read again every few years, as it's well-written and imaginative.
3 1/2 Stars.
Enjoyed the story. Takes two premises and runs with it:
1. Rejuvenation/Re-Life'ing is (mostly) mainstreamed. This implies a good bit of immortality. A lot of reviews complain that the culture wasn't much different between present day and 24th century. But with a lot of people who were born now still being around, I can see how culture would move slower than normal.
2. Rapid expansion due to worm holes. Society has spread out through many planets (which is good because of #1 above). During these phases, all alien life has at worst been indifferent to humans, if not friendly. Because of this, and relative peace time, no push to technically advance on the military front.
This story takes the two ideas above and attempts to speculate what a society like this would react when its survival is potentially threatened. I found this exploration fascinating for the most part from the mystery of what happened when a start suddenly "disappears", trying to speculate what would cause that and why...
Cons: As many have mentioned, the author does a horrible job of portraying females. Females are one of two types: 1) Beautiful and sex kittens. Using sex to manipulate. or 2) "Ballbusters" who are pretty much like men.
Enjoyed the story. Takes two premises and runs with it:
1. Rejuvenation/Re-Life'ing is (mostly) mainstreamed. This implies a good bit of immortality. A lot of reviews complain that the culture wasn't much different between present day and 24th century. But with a lot of people who were born now still being around, I can see how culture would move slower than normal.
2. Rapid expansion due to worm holes. Society has spread out through many planets (which is good because of #1 above). During these phases, all alien life has at worst been indifferent to humans, if not friendly. Because of this, and relative peace time, no push to technically advance on the military front.
This story takes the two ideas above and attempts to speculate what a society like this would react when its survival is potentially threatened. I found this exploration fascinating for the most part from the mystery of what happened when a start suddenly "disappears", trying to speculate what would cause that and why...
Cons: As many have mentioned, the author does a horrible job of portraying females. Females are one of two types: 1) Beautiful and sex kittens. Using sex to manipulate. or 2) "Ballbusters" who are pretty much like men.
The problem with this book is my attention span.
There are multiple parallel threads, all good stories, but if i zoom out i suddenly somewhere completly different. After a while i want to rest my fiction reading and start a facts book, but this book never ends.
With above exception I do love the stories, I am curious about the world, and started to look at for the next book as soon as I finished this. But forced my self to take a break and recharge with some leadership books. :)
There are multiple parallel threads, all good stories, but if i zoom out i suddenly somewhere completly different. After a while i want to rest my fiction reading and start a facts book, but this book never ends.
With above exception I do love the stories, I am curious about the world, and started to look at for the next book as soon as I finished this. But forced my self to take a break and recharge with some leadership books. :)
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Love the series. It may take a bit to be hooked by the story.
It is never a good sign when you start skipping paragraphs in a book to try and finish it as fast as possible. Reading becomes a chore, and I really found this book to be too bloated for its own good, with whole plot lines and characters that I felt could have been removed. There is a really interesting mystery at the heart of this novel, which kept me slogging along to the end, only to discover that the true conclusion comes in the sequel. But to give Peter Hamilton his due, the universe he created is absolutely fascinating, even breathtaking at times. It hinges on two technologies, wormhole travel and cellular rejuvenation, resulting a human race which is both immortal and expansive. There are hints of social commentary in the text, which might have been interesting to explore, but the bulk of the novel focuses on the oligarchs of humanity and their lifestyle of immortal excess. Oh and lots of sex, this is a very horny universe with very horny humans. This is explained as a byproduct of rejuvenation, that old people who are made young again would only want one thing, sex.
To focus on some of the positives, I found the storyline focusing on Ozzie as he followed the Silfen (aka space elves) paths some of the strongest material in the book. The worlds they visited were wonderfully exotic and the entire endeavor seamlessly fit into the overall story of the impending alien invasion. On the other end of the spectrum I was baffled by the character of Mellanie. She is introduced as a seemingly throwaway side character, who then seems to skyrocket into important (on a galactic scale) in the final 200 pages of the book. In my opinion she wasn't established properly which led to her being a very unlikable one dimensional femme fatal character. She was another aspect of the novel which I wish would have been cut, but perhaps she'll be instrumental in the sequel, if I ever get around to reading it.
To conclude, Peter Hamilton had some great ideas in Pandora's Star, some wonderful world building and imaginative technological advancements. When he stuck to the core of the novel, the mystery concerning the Starflyer alien and its influence on human affairs, I was enthralled. But it was the bloat which made the reading experience a chore, as whole chapters and characters of the novel felt inconsequential to that greater mystery.
2.5/5 stars
To focus on some of the positives, I found the storyline focusing on Ozzie as he followed the Silfen (aka space elves) paths some of the strongest material in the book. The worlds they visited were wonderfully exotic and the entire endeavor seamlessly fit into the overall story of the impending alien invasion. On the other end of the spectrum I was baffled by the character of Mellanie. She is introduced as a seemingly throwaway side character, who then seems to skyrocket into important (on a galactic scale) in the final 200 pages of the book. In my opinion she wasn't established properly which led to her being a very unlikable one dimensional femme fatal character. She was another aspect of the novel which I wish would have been cut, but perhaps she'll be instrumental in the sequel, if I ever get around to reading it.
To conclude, Peter Hamilton had some great ideas in Pandora's Star, some wonderful world building and imaginative technological advancements. When he stuck to the core of the novel, the mystery concerning the Starflyer alien and its influence on human affairs, I was enthralled. But it was the bloat which made the reading experience a chore, as whole chapters and characters of the novel felt inconsequential to that greater mystery.
2.5/5 stars