The Evolutionary Void by Peter Hamilton

This is the concluding volume of the Void Trilogy and as you might expect from Hamilton is is superior quality Sci Fi. The Pilgramage of the living dream fleet to the void seems unstoppable and it turns out that the accelrator faction have their own plans for the pilgrimage. Everyone else thinks that the interferences with the void will cause the death of the Galaxy but can anyone stop them?

The Fantasy alternate storyline set in the void which was such a novelty in the first two books get comparatively little attention here other than that which is required for the resolution of the "main" sci fi plot. Nevertheless Hamilton does a masterful job of pulling all the many strands together into a tidy conclusion.

My one concern about this trilogy is that I could really have used a wiki or at very least a list of characters to guide me through the complex overlapping strands. Remember this story is set in the future universe of Hamilton's previous Starflyer saga and many threads carry over so there is a lot to remember. Sadly I couldn't find any comprehensive reference on the net and that did hinder my progress slightly.

The Temporal Void by Peter Hamilton

The second book in Peter Hamilton's Void Trilogy and the story is shaping up nicely. The void at the heart of  our galaxy was created by ancient intelligences and inside the void all things are possible including psychokinesis and even the manipulation of time itself. Unfortunately the energies required to power this wonderland comes from the gradually consumption of of the world outside the void and the current citizens of the galaxy seem powerless to stop it. Throw in a complex cast of characters including many survivors or Hamilton's previous Starflyer saga and you have a rich and engrossing story. I found the first book a little slow to get started but by now I am fully hooked. The fantasy sections detailing the life of a character who lives inside the void are an interesting counterpoint to the modernistic sci-fi of the rest of the story. Recommended.

Peter Hamilton: The Fallen Dragon

A stand alone novel from the creator of Nights dawn. Space opera with a small dash of future philosophy thrown in. There were times when I struggled to keep reading this. For most of the middle section of the novel I wasn't sure who was good who was bad, which characters I liked which characters I didn't like. George R.R. Martin can do moral ambiguity and still keep your interest in his characters but in this book Peter Hamilton can't. Nevertheless there is a good story in there with plenty of clever stuff. Example of the clever stuff: A couple of hundred years after the invention of faster than light space flight the age of space exploration is fizzling out because it has turned out to be uneconomic. Recommended if you are prepared to put in a bit of effort to get to the end.

Older Instant Book Reviews

• Conn Iggulden, Lords of the Bow: Second book in Iggulden's "Conqueror" saga about Ghengis Khan. This is probably a great read but I struggled to get over how utterly dislikeable Ghengisk and his Mongol horde are.
• Gary Gibson: Stealing Light: Start of clever space opera series by a new to the scene Scottish SF writer. The central theme of the novel revolves around a simple premise that has profound implications. Good Stuff.
• J V Jones, The Bakers Boy: Volume 1 of series. Plot is pretty standard fasntasy fare involving lowly kitchen boy's lonely journey to become (no doubt) saviour of the universe. Nevertheless entertaining escapism.
• Kevin J. Anderson: The ashes of the Worlds: Book 7 in the extraordinarily good Seven Suns Saga. Sadly weak but at least it ties up all loose ends albeit sometimes unconvincingly. Made essential by the quality of the first six books.
• George R. R. Martin Dream Songs (bk 1): A Retrospective from the creator of Ice and Fire. Stories range from so so to excellent. Authors commentary though is first rate.
• Demon of the Air by Simon Levack: Detective Story set in Montezuma's Mexico. So so.
• Figure of Hate: Bernard Knight. Medieval Detective Story. Entertaining.
• Blood River by Tim Butcher: True Story of Journalists Journey down the Congo. Gripping but depressing.
• Metal Swarm by Kevin Anderson: Latest in series. Great.
• The Dreaming Void by Peter Hamilton: New Sequence from creator of Night's Daw. SLow to get started but picks up towards the end.