Peter F Hamilton - Commonwealth Saga

[Lateralus]

Well following on from reading Hamilton's Night's Dawn Trilogy, I promptly went out and bought the two books in his Commnwealth Saga, as recommended by Anham. Note - the wiki page contains plot spoilers

The first book is Pandora's Star, and similarly to his other books, the second book Judas Unchained is a most definite continuation of the same story rather than a sequel or stand-alone book. Also, as with his previous books, the characterisation and detail that goes into describing the overall setting makes for a very immersive book. They're set in 2380, when humans have created wormholes for instantaneous travel across space, and as a result of these the main mode of transport are trains, which is a touch I quite like for a Sci-Fi story.

Also, they've developed a process of rejuvenation, whereby people essentially get new bodies grown once they reach a certain age, and their personalities are simply copied into the new bodies. The result is that there are people who are hundreds of years old in mind, and are notably different from "first-lifers" who lack the same experience.

As I said, the characters are really well developed, and it's all done in such a way that you feel you actually understand them rather than just having been told about them. It's definitely a strong point in Hamilton's writing.

The premise of the story is that an astronomer witnesses a star disappear instantly as it is enclosed within a massive forcefield, and the Commonwealth decides to go and investigate. As you may deduce from the title "Pandora's Star", the solar system contained by the forcefield is home to something that shouldn't be let out.

If you like good sci-fi (Iain M Banks, Alastair Reynolds etc), then you'll like this. The books total well over 2000 pages between them, and will keep you hooked.

For my birthday, in addition to the few remaining Discworld books I have yet to get, I've asked for the Greg Mandel trilogy by Hamilton, and can't wait to start them.

[Roman Totale]

I like the sound of this and the Greg Mandel series, so I'll probably spend an obscene an amount of money at Waterstones this weekend.

[Lateralus]

I'm seriously going to have to hold off buying the first two of his Dreaming Void trilogy as the final one isn't due out until sometime in 2010, and I know that if I start an epic story and then can't finish it for over a year, it'll drive me mad.

I'd really like to hear what other people think about his books though, as Joose never got much past saying he couldn't put down the Night's Dawn ones.

In fact, some discussion along the lines of a spoiler thread for books could be good.

Holy crap, a 5punk book club. I can't decided if this is the most brilliant or the most tragic idea I've ever come up with.

[spoodie]

I've had Hamilton recommended to be a couple of times and I might have to try one of his, now I've finished off the Xeelee Sequence books by Stephen Baxter. Which are excellent.

Also I came across this recently. It's quite old but short and an interesting idea, so you should read it if you haven't already: The Last Question by Isaac Asimov (1956)
I can sense some inspiration for one Douglas Adams ideas in there.

[HereComesPete]

If you've got the card I think there's a dealio of some kind on at the moment, double points or similar. Sadly it doesn't stack with the birthday offer they do.

I may get these books of sci-fi win too, they sound rather good^tm.

[Lateralus]

If you've got the card I think there's a dealio of some kind on at the moment, double points or similar. Sadly it doesn't stack with the birthday offer they do.

I may get these books of sci-fi win too, they sound rather good^tm.

Given that you live a whopping 5 minutes from my house, do you just want to borrow a couple? If you're like me I guess you'll go and spend £50 on books on a whim and then happily hoard them for the rest of your life, but thought I'd offer!

[amblin]

.

[FatherJack]

Pandora's Star
Judas Unchained
Misspent Youth
The Dreaming Void

What order should they be read in?

[Joose]

I'd really like to hear what other people think about his books though, as Joose never got much past saying he couldn't put down the Night's Dawn ones.

Still making my way through them. Trouble is, I have a tendancy to read three books at once, and im currently doing my best to learn all of shadowrun, which is eating into my normal read times. End result is im still only about halfway through book two.

[FatherJack]

Still making my way through them. Trouble is, I have a tendancy to read three books at once, and im currently doing my best to learn all of shadowrun, which is eating into my normal read times. End result is im still only about halfway through book two.

If I haven't got twenty or more series (books/manga/TV/web) stories ongoing in my head, I feel like I haven't got anything to pre-buy/look forward to - I don't know if it's a skill peculiar to me, but I can immediately pick up any story from where I left off and "be there" as I was last time I was experiencing it.

I hate "previously ons..." I don't need them and I feel them eating into the New Story every second they take, and I'm always mentally and often vocally saying "well, YEAH.....DUUUUUH"

[spoodie]

Trouble is, I have a tendancy to read three books at once:(

I'm the opposite; I read a third of one book at once. That probably means I read very slowly or just means nonsense.

[HereComesPete]

I hate "previously ons..." I don't need them and I feel them eating into the New Story every second they take, and I'm always mentally and often vocally saying "well, YEAH.....DUUUUUH"

Bloody annoying they are. Given it's generally one week since the previous episode, I remember what's going on fine thankyouverymuch.

Shame my brain isn't like that for other things, like birthdays, days, time, dates, my own name etc.


Lat - I do love to go into a book shop with the explicit intention of buying a couple of books and walking away with a huge bag full of them. But I'm poor. I'd be happy to take them off your hands for a short time and read about trains through worm holes, I'm smiling gently at the notion and I've not even read it.

As to how I procure them - I could wander to yours (although I've changed bus route and no longer go past yours) but I wouldn't want you to go out your way to just pop over and drop them off, it's cold and stuff costs a lot these days. I was thinking a few xmas beers or another trip to the cinema, but time seems to run out so much faster this end of the year, as does money.

[Lateralus]

Misspent Youth
Pandora's Star
Judas Unchained
The Dreaming Void

This is the chronological order I believe, although I've only read the middle two.

Lat - I do love to go into a book shop with the explicit intention of buying a couple of books and walking away with a huge bag full of them. But I'm poor. I'd be happy to take them off your hands for a short time and read about trains through worm holes, I'm smiling gently at the notion and I've not even read it.

As to how I procure them - I could wander to yours (although I've changed bus route and no longer go past yours) but I wouldn't want you to go out your way to just pop over and drop them off, it's cold and stuff costs a lot these days. I was thinking a few xmas beers or another trip to the cinema, but time seems to run out so much faster this end of the year, as does money.

It's no problem to just pop by yours on the way home from work as I drive past Jesmond half the time anyway. Also, I'm going to the Cluny for a few birthday drinks on Sunday evening if you fancy it?

[HereComesPete]

I'm thinking I'll be back from yorkshire by then so I may well wander down to the cluny for a few. The cider that gets poured with crushed ice out the tap is rather good, like a tramps slushie.

[FatherJack]

Big books are big.

[FatherJack]

The 'Void' books on their own are now a trilogy, making this now six books in a rough series. And they're all great, nearly finished The Dreaming Void - the dream bits which start in the first Void book are good enough for a book on their own and are largely fantasy-style but the rest of the story is based in the sci-fi continuation of the events of the Commonwealth books, but he pulls off interweaving the two styles superbly.

[mrbobbins]

The 'Void' books on their own are now a trilogy, making this now six books in a rough series. And they're all great, nearly finished The Dreaming Void - the dream bits which start in the first Void book are good enough for a book on their own and are largely fantasy-style but the rest of the story is based in the sci-fi continuation of the events of the Commonwealth books, but he pulls off interweaving the two styles superbly.

Ooh, I'm getting through these as audiobooks, I didn't realise that the Void trilogy followed on from the Commonwealth so wasn't aware I was getting myself into this many books at the start. Thouroughly enjoying them though, in fact I was halfway through reading the Nights Dawn Trilogy when I got the first commonwealth audiobook, I carried on with those and sadly neglected the Night's Dawn books, sorry, I promise I'll finish you next year.

I've just started the 2nd Void book and I too am enjoying the dream sections, maybe even more than the main bits.

[spoodie]

Ah ha! I forgot the name of the books with MorningLightMountain in and tried to search. Having only heard the name in audio(books) I was searching for "Morning Light Mountain", which gives very unhelpful results.

I couldn't really get on with The Dreaming Void. Maybe time to try again.

[mrbobbins]

I couldn't really get on with The Dreaming Void. Maybe time to try again.

I found it a slightly different style to the previous Commonwealth books, I didn't really 'get' the universe at first, I don't think the scene setting and atmosphere was there to really flesh it out. But I would recommend carrying on as it really is very good and has a welcome return for quite a few major characters from the MorningLightMountain books.

(I never knew it was spelt that way either, I've gone through all of them as audiobooks, which makes the different narrators between books slightly jarring, especially when they pronounce the names completely differently!)

[ProfHawking]

Ooo, Peter F Resurrection
I read the void trilogy a while back, fantastic stuff. Until reading this thread today I didn't realise the commonwealth saga came first. I do prefer to read things in the right order if poss, so that rather annoys me. Anyway, I'll have to get that, but also have already got the night's dawn trilogy on order from amazon. So i'll prob read those first when they arrive, then the commonwealth ones.
Would I be right in thinking the correct order is:
Misspent youth
Pandora's star
Judas Unchained

I also have Fallen Dragon to read, arrived in the post today actually. Don't think that fits in anywhere else does it?