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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
I don't think I have any complaints other than the book is huge & my arms now ache!
Story Telling - At the start of the book, there was so much groundwork being laid, I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep up with the massive flows of information. The author does an amazing job of telling around 10+ different story lines that interconnect & stay interesting even though you're jumping around. There are some bits that are more interesting than others, but I think that's the same for all books with multiple story lines.
Characters - I laughed when I saw the character list at the start of the book. Pah, I don't need a character list, well that actually did come in handy in the middle of the book! We're following a lot of characters, some are small & some are huge, but they're all very important if you want to figure out what is happening. I think the characters are interesting enough, and developed to a point, where I care, but potentially not care deeply, at least not for them all. I really love puzzling out how they're going to connect to each other though!
World Building - Is the best part. The galaxy the book entails is so well thought out & the author does an amazing job of detailing it to us in a way where we can learn chunk by chunk what we're seeing. I love the various aliens & the various potential aliens, I really enjoy a bit of politics in my books & appreciate the terrorist story line! It really does entail a bit of everything, and nothing is half done, if a theme gets added, then its added with detail and lots of thought.
Excited to get onto the next book, especially after that end!
Story Telling - At the start of the book, there was so much groundwork being laid, I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep up with the massive flows of information. The author does an amazing job of telling around 10+ different story lines that interconnect & stay interesting even though you're jumping around. There are some bits that are more interesting than others, but I think that's the same for all books with multiple story lines.
Characters - I laughed when I saw the character list at the start of the book. Pah, I don't need a character list, well that actually did come in handy in the middle of the book! We're following a lot of characters, some are small & some are huge, but they're all very important if you want to figure out what is happening. I think the characters are interesting enough, and developed to a point, where I care, but potentially not care deeply, at least not for them all. I really love puzzling out how they're going to connect to each other though!
World Building - Is the best part. The galaxy the book entails is so well thought out & the author does an amazing job of detailing it to us in a way where we can learn chunk by chunk what we're seeing. I love the various aliens & the various potential aliens, I really enjoy a bit of politics in my books & appreciate the terrorist story line! It really does entail a bit of everything, and nothing is half done, if a theme gets added, then its added with detail and lots of thought.
Excited to get onto the next book, especially after that end!
This is a sweeping epic set 400 years in the future. A distant star disappears from sight and we curious humans must investigate. There is a huge cast of characters that are woven together towards the cliffhanger ending. This is not a stand-alone novel. Once you start this massive book you are in for the long haul with its sequel Judas Unchained.
This book is true Peter Hamilton style. There is a level of complexity as he goes to great lengths in describing every minute detail. Some may find the techno-jargon tedious but I find it creates a depth to scenery and characters that very few authors can match. The story is fleshed out to the point where I feel like I'm right there walking along the enzyme-bonded concrete with my friends from the Commonwealth.
This book is true Peter Hamilton style. There is a level of complexity as he goes to great lengths in describing every minute detail. Some may find the techno-jargon tedious but I find it creates a depth to scenery and characters that very few authors can match. The story is fleshed out to the point where I feel like I'm right there walking along the enzyme-bonded concrete with my friends from the Commonwealth.
Features many Peter F. Hamilton (can we call him PFH? is that too 2021?) hallmarks: vaguely benevolent ultra-wealthy immortal dynasts, portal technology to solve FTL travel, and heavy doses of exposition covering a whole spectra of technology/alien concepts.
My issues with this are twofold:
First, for every novel idea worth exploring (MorningLightMountain) there's a couple that have been done before (backed up sentience, portals) and a half-dozen that don't really matter (e.g. enzyme-bonded concrete, which appears as a phrase at least a dozen times). Would prefer speculative sci-fi to push more, & Culture series does better.
Second, viewed purely as a space opera, the 100+ character cast and dozens of A, B, C, D plots are just a bit thin to stand on their own. Maybe 1/3 of the characters and 1/4 of the plots are honestly quite good - it's a pity one has to jump through the rest of the hoops.
There's just enough juice in here: the MorningLightMountain chapter(s), certain high-payoff scenes - such that I slogged through all 2000 pages of this and the sequel (because if you're in for one, you're in for both) - but I'm not sure I'll keep going in the PFH-verse.
My issues with this are twofold:
First, for every novel idea worth exploring (MorningLightMountain) there's a couple that have been done before (backed up sentience, portals) and a half-dozen that don't really matter (e.g. enzyme-bonded concrete, which appears as a phrase at least a dozen times). Would prefer speculative sci-fi to push more, & Culture series does better.
Second, viewed purely as a space opera, the 100+ character cast and dozens of A, B, C, D plots are just a bit thin to stand on their own. Maybe 1/3 of the characters and 1/4 of the plots are honestly quite good - it's a pity one has to jump through the rest of the hoops.
There's just enough juice in here: the MorningLightMountain chapter(s), certain high-payoff scenes - such that I slogged through all 2000 pages of this and the sequel (because if you're in for one, you're in for both) - but I'm not sure I'll keep going in the PFH-verse.
Well written but a really hard trudge to get all the way through. Sometimes thrilling but often seemed pointless and everything was way too drawn out. That said....I generally did enjoy it.
Stopped reading to read Foundation again before the TV Series came out. And never got back into it
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Upping my rating to a 5 after a second read. One of the best SciFi books I know. Thought provoking, mildly terrifying at times, and truly imaginative.
Very frustrating book. Lots of very cool concepts and technology and ideas. Very bland characters but there are also a lot of them so they are hard to distinguish. Also it's one of the most infodumpy books I've ever read. It seemed like every chapter was a new planet with every single thing described in excruciating detail. This would kill the story momentum because just as something really cool would happen it would shift to a large info dump or one of several very boring storylines. There were really interesting parts as well, but often just as I was getting into one of those we'd shift back to some crime investigation plot or something else that didn't seem connected to the overall story at all. It did get really good towards the end before ending on a cliffhanger.
In short this book is just way too long. If it was more focused on the stuff that was really interesting it would be great. As it is it's just sort of ok.
Update: After my re-read of this book I have to say my enjoyment of it increased quite a bit. When I read it the first time I wasn't as experienced of a reader and especially true of sci fi. I think I went in not knowing what to expect and it hurt a bit. This time I went in expecting an ensemble cast, an expansive story told over many different planets, and several plot threads that weave together. This time I had much more appreciate for the extremely cool technology, and how Hamilton extrapolates how that tech might affect the development of society and space flight and things like that. I think at least one conclusion he draws is pretty wrong in my opinion, but it's not a big deal. Yes there is still an issue I have about some sub plots that seem unconnected, but on this re-read I was able to pay closer attention and see what he was trying to do with developing character there. I still could have done without the murder subplot. The others tie together into the main story pretty nicely. And without spoiling I'll just say yes there is alien shit in this book, and it's absolutely incredible. There's one chapter that blew me away that I definitely didn't appreciate as much the first time. The ending/climax of the book still slaps and the cliffhanger is quite a hook. Just make sure you have Judas Unchained ready to go.
In short this book is just way too long. If it was more focused on the stuff that was really interesting it would be great. As it is it's just sort of ok.
Update: After my re-read of this book I have to say my enjoyment of it increased quite a bit. When I read it the first time I wasn't as experienced of a reader and especially true of sci fi. I think I went in not knowing what to expect and it hurt a bit. This time I went in expecting an ensemble cast, an expansive story told over many different planets, and several plot threads that weave together. This time I had much more appreciate for the extremely cool technology, and how Hamilton extrapolates how that tech might affect the development of society and space flight and things like that. I think at least one conclusion he draws is pretty wrong in my opinion, but it's not a big deal. Yes there is still an issue I have about some sub plots that seem unconnected, but on this re-read I was able to pay closer attention and see what he was trying to do with developing character there. I still could have done without the murder subplot. The others tie together into the main story pretty nicely. And without spoiling I'll just say yes there is alien shit in this book, and it's absolutely incredible. There's one chapter that blew me away that I definitely didn't appreciate as much the first time. The ending/climax of the book still slaps and the cliffhanger is quite a hook. Just make sure you have Judas Unchained ready to go.
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated