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ladyjedi's review
5.0
I can say that I am a Hamilton fan. And this book I liked, a lot. I have the other 2 in the series, and intend to read them.
fellrnr's review against another edition
5.0
A stunningly good debut novel. It’s a novel that sucked me in and wouldn’t let go. I loved the pacing and the characters, and the near future scifi technology was all credible. The setting in England is refreshing.
beetree's review against another edition
3.0
This book was kind of so-so for me. I really liked the characters but I found that a lot of the tech stuff went over my head, so I couldn't engage with the book as much as I would have liked to. The history of how things got to be the way they were felt very sparse and sketched out, so I felt like my grasp on that part was a bit tenuous.
peter_xxx's review against another edition
4.0
I'm reading the Hamilton series out of order. :-) I've read his big space opera's and now I started with his first series. The Greg Mandel books are more cyberpunk then the other books of Hamilton I've read. But you can already spot some of his common themes in here.
I had a hard time starting in this book. It starts with two seemingly smaller cases before the real story unfolds. But once the story really kicks off; I was really into it. the book reads like a train, and there are some twists and turns to keep everything going.
Read this if you like to enjoy your books.
I had a hard time starting in this book. It starts with two seemingly smaller cases before the real story unfolds. But once the story really kicks off; I was really into it. the book reads like a train, and there are some twists and turns to keep everything going.
Read this if you like to enjoy your books.
ulope's review against another edition
4.0
You can tell that this is PFH's first book. Compared to his later ones (esp. the Commonwealth series) there are quite a few more stereotypical characters and at times the plot dragged on a bit. However I still enjoyed it and will probably read more of this series in the future.
There were also some (in hindsight) eerily accurate "predictions" for a book that was written in 1993 (credit crisis, global warming, Britain electing itself into a hole, smartphone like devices).
There were also some (in hindsight) eerily accurate "predictions" for a book that was written in 1993 (credit crisis, global warming, Britain electing itself into a hole, smartphone like devices).
aronr's review against another edition
3.0
This was just okay. I didn't particularly like the gimmick that makes the main character *special*, which unfortunately is the premise of the series. I'll still read the next book, but this series doesn't seem to be on the same level as Hamilton's later series, which are absolutely spectacular.
However at the very least, you do see some ideas and broad strokes that are developed heavily and successfully in his later series.
However at the very least, you do see some ideas and broad strokes that are developed heavily and successfully in his later series.
chrisgordon65's review against another edition
4.0
I've been wanting to try a Peter F. Hamilton book for while and, this being his first, it seemed a good jumping on point.
This novel is equal parts whodunnit and sci-fi near-future story complete with a swag of you-beaut gizmos and gadgets. It works on both levels.
As a whodunnit, most of the clues are drip-fed throughout the novel, and as a work of sci-fi that falls somewhere between utopia and dystopia, the science seems achievable, just not for a while. Written in 1993, his timeline of tech have mostly not been met, although cyber-faxes seem a pretty good prediction of mobile phones (and why is it that in sci-fi they so often overestimate the tech we'll have by now, but grossly underestimate what our phones can do?)
Like a number of private detectives before him (Cliff Hardy is a personal fave), the central character is a former soldier which helps supply him with ample doses of world weariness. The character types and relationships aren't terribly new to genre, but delivered quite well. I've read that Hamilton feels this trilogy was an essential part of his learning curve but not a story-line he wishes to resurrect and this might relate partly to the fact his future stories (I gather) deal with BIG IDEAS... or it could be a due to a few of the cliched elements in the book, like the buxom-as-hell young girlfriend.
But I liked it. I thought it was clever, that the mystery portion was fair and intriguing. Of the science fiction elements, I most liked the gland-enhancement that gave him his powers as a nearly psychic detective (and I love the TV show Psych, so there may be a connection). I don't know Hamilton's politics but his use of the People's Socialist Party as the Big Bad may suggest an antipathy for the Left? The rest of his works may tell me more.
But again, I liked it. I intend to see out the full series and am even keener to read what he wrote beyond that.
This novel is equal parts whodunnit and sci-fi near-future story complete with a swag of you-beaut gizmos and gadgets. It works on both levels.
As a whodunnit, most of the clues are drip-fed throughout the novel, and as a work of sci-fi that falls somewhere between utopia and dystopia, the science seems achievable, just not for a while. Written in 1993, his timeline of tech have mostly not been met, although cyber-faxes seem a pretty good prediction of mobile phones (and why is it that in sci-fi they so often overestimate the tech we'll have by now, but grossly underestimate what our phones can do?)
Like a number of private detectives before him (Cliff Hardy is a personal fave), the central character is a former soldier which helps supply him with ample doses of world weariness. The character types and relationships aren't terribly new to genre, but delivered quite well. I've read that Hamilton feels this trilogy was an essential part of his learning curve but not a story-line he wishes to resurrect and this might relate partly to the fact his future stories (I gather) deal with BIG IDEAS... or it could be a due to a few of the cliched elements in the book, like the buxom-as-hell young girlfriend.
But I liked it. I thought it was clever, that the mystery portion was fair and intriguing. Of the science fiction elements, I most liked the gland-enhancement that gave him his powers as a nearly psychic detective (and I love the TV show Psych, so there may be a connection). I don't know Hamilton's politics but his use of the People's Socialist Party as the Big Bad may suggest an antipathy for the Left? The rest of his works may tell me more.
But again, I liked it. I intend to see out the full series and am even keener to read what he wrote beyond that.
s_curca's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliantly paced book, can keep you hooked well into the night past your normal bedtime.
The distopian future it presents is really lightweight in terms of "wow" factor, which really makes it all the more real. The author does not dwell on it but it really helps build the overall picture and can really see it come into play and shape the actions of characters as well as the overall action of the book.
Not light but not excessively hard SF from the author of highly acclaimed space epics, a bit closer to home.
Definitely a read if you feel you need a classic scifi read, great actions and evolving characters and also how scary close we are to achieving the narative written almost two decades ago.
The distopian future it presents is really lightweight in terms of "wow" factor, which really makes it all the more real. The author does not dwell on it but it really helps build the overall picture and can really see it come into play and shape the actions of characters as well as the overall action of the book.
Not light but not excessively hard SF from the author of highly acclaimed space epics, a bit closer to home.
Definitely a read if you feel you need a classic scifi read, great actions and evolving characters and also how scary close we are to achieving the narative written almost two decades ago.
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. I prefer Hamilton's epic space opera titles. This one never grabbed me. Oh well.
zmb's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting world - global warming, a fallen Party headed by a Lenin/Big Brother figure, psi "gland" enhancement - and an interesting story. A bit predictable in parts and lacking in humor, and perhaps a bit overly ideological.