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polarantagonist's review
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
qjbrown96's review against another edition
4.0
FINALLY finished this. It was a very long book with more characters then you could ever imagine. So many in fact that I had to buy the companion book just to help remember. Think of all the characters that appeared in TWoT and put them all in one book and you still wouldn’t have as many as this. Most of the characters end up being entertaining even though everyone, especially Joshua, are the horniest people in the galaxy. Seriously, Peter Hamilton has a serious sex fetish. Of 1,100 pages I would say 100-150 is dedicated to sex or the desire to have sex.
All that being said this book is the most epic book I’ve ever read. Everything about is just huge. I think on a reread I’d end up giving it 5 stars but the first 200 pages of this book was really hard for me to get into. I was very surprised about the horror elements in this book but I absolutely loved it. I wish there was more of it. I’ll definitely be continuing this series and will probably read everything by Hamilton.
All that being said this book is the most epic book I’ve ever read. Everything about is just huge. I think on a reread I’d end up giving it 5 stars but the first 200 pages of this book was really hard for me to get into. I was very surprised about the horror elements in this book but I absolutely loved it. I wish there was more of it. I’ll definitely be continuing this series and will probably read everything by Hamilton.
malenfant's review
adventurous
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
tomcamp's review
2.0
Peter F. Hamilton's motto must be "If 10 words are good, then 1,000 are better!" This book could easily have been half as long, maybe a third. The problem with authors in this day and age is that once they have a modicum of success, editors no longer edit. I even question if an editor actually read this book. It is unfortunate, because it is a very good story, with interesting characters. So, if you have a ton of time on your hands, perhaps doing 10 to 20 years in the state pen, then by all means pick up this tome.
being_b's review
2.0
So many loooong descriptions of future tech whose operation is utterly irrelevant to the plot. So many lithe and lissome18 year old girls in a "simple sundress" or tight top gushing over the eroticism of screwing much older men. Will someone please excavate the nuggets of sfnal goodness from this steaming pile of self-indulgence?
theapartmentmakemake's review
1.0
Couldn't actually finish it (about 50%). Did not enjoy reading the book. Sci-fi parts were really good, but all the drama and romance felt more like 50 Shades of Grey than any good Sci-fi I've ever read. Probably a great book for someone else, but not my cup of tea.
infinitebatmans's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Plot wise this is a solid 4/5. Needless and gratuitous sex scenes and deceiving every woman by the size of her breasts and the shape of her butt severely limit my ability to recommend this book. Hopefully Hamilton improves because if it is more of this I may be jumping off before too much longer.
tshim's review
4.0
Mary Sues, Gary Stus, flat characters, smut out the wazoo, spelling errors, pacing problems, and an ending that is quite literally Deus Ex Machina... And yet I still read this series once every couple of years. Why? Because the rest of the series is pure, unadulterated awesome. This is truly an exemplar of how fun 'rule of cool' can be.
If you're willing to suffer through its flaws, you won't find a funner, more interesting trilogy. Perks include:
***bioengineered spaceships
***wormhole-generating starship engines with a twist: they don't work in gravity wells. This also leads to one of the COOLEST chase scenes in biblio history, and consequently the most hilarious, badass nickname I've ever come across.
***believable, interesting aliens with actual, interesting psychological differences from humans
***beautifully believable jargon and slang that lend the world an incredibly real feel.
***Edenists, tied with the Culture for coolest scifi society. They're a people with an artificial telepathy/empathy gene, letting them a) be supernally well-adjusted from growing up in such a supportive, welcoming, empathetic environment, and b) function as a perfect democracy when needed.
***Some of, if not THE, coolest space battles, sci-fi hand-to-hand combat, and futuristic shoot-outs in all of fiction.
Vague spoilers:
***Al Capone with magic, building an interstellar empire. I dare not say more.
If you're willing to suffer through its flaws, you won't find a funner, more interesting trilogy. Perks include:
***bioengineered spaceships
***wormhole-generating starship engines with a twist: they don't work in gravity wells. This also leads to one of the COOLEST chase scenes in biblio history, and consequently the most hilarious, badass nickname I've ever come across.
***believable, interesting aliens with actual, interesting psychological differences from humans
***beautifully believable jargon and slang that lend the world an incredibly real feel.
***Edenists, tied with the Culture for coolest scifi society. They're a people with an artificial telepathy/empathy gene, letting them a) be supernally well-adjusted from growing up in such a supportive, welcoming, empathetic environment, and b) function as a perfect democracy when needed.
***Some of, if not THE, coolest space battles, sci-fi hand-to-hand combat, and futuristic shoot-outs in all of fiction.
Vague spoilers:
***Al Capone with magic, building an interstellar empire. I dare not say more.
lorune's review
5.0
One of the most challenging books/serie i even read. The sheer size of the books is so daunting when you start in the first book.
The story is not overly complex in the general sense, however its told from quite a few different angles, so expect yourself to be going over already read pages to figure out where u heard that guy's name before.
It all comes together in the end (of the series) but at some points it really feels like the book is going nowhere, the first book was the hardest to get through due to well being mostly introductionary to the serie, and giving u the starting parts of the main story line.
On its own this book would not be worth 5 starts, but in the context of the total serie's i wish i could give it 6 starts :)
The story is not overly complex in the general sense, however its told from quite a few different angles, so expect yourself to be going over already read pages to figure out where u heard that guy's name before.
It all comes together in the end (of the series) but at some points it really feels like the book is going nowhere, the first book was the hardest to get through due to well being mostly introductionary to the serie, and giving u the starting parts of the main story line.
On its own this book would not be worth 5 starts, but in the context of the total serie's i wish i could give it 6 starts :)