Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton
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Book Reviews of Pandora's Star
Book Review: A brilliant story set in a wonderfully realised universe
Summary: 5 Stars
Humanity has reached the stars - the Commonwealth is spread to over 600 star systems across 400 light years with Earth at its centre. Long life can be enjoyed by nearly everyone thanks to rejuvenation and of the alien races encountered to date, only one, the Silfen, is sentient and poses no threat to humanity. All human worlds are interlinked by wormholes and travel to each is as simple as stepping on a train. Organic circuitry tattoos give the owners everything they could need, from e-butlers to unisphere interface. With memory crystals in widespread use, even death can now be overcome.
When Dudley Bose observes the Dyson Pair, two stars over a thousand light years away, instantly disappear, enclosed in some sort of force field, human curiosity is triggered and the first faster-than-light starship is built. Captained by Wilson Kime, an ex-NASA pilot that flew on the first mission to Mars over three hundred years ago, the Second Chance is tasked with investigating the barrier and what they discover inside.
The Guardians of Selfhood are considered nothing more than an organized terrorist group that brings misery to the Commonwealth through its propaganda messages and acts of violence. Led by Bradley Johansson and based on Far Away, the clans that make up the Guardians fight against what they claim is an alien entity, the Starflyer, controlling and influencing the human race through its servants.
Pandora's Star is the first part of The Comonwelath Saga and is a full fledged space opera containing multiple plot threads that include the discovery of, and mission to, the Dyson Pair; the activities of Adam Elvin, the Guardians main man when it comes to arranging weapon and technology shipments to Far Away; the brutal one-mindedness of Paula Myo, a detective with the Intersolar Serious Crime Directorate, while she investigates a case of murder, and of her continuing dedication to tracking down Adam Elvin; the political manoeuvring of various individuals to gain support for their causes; following the journey of Ozzie Isaacs, the co-inventor of wormhole technology, as he travels the paths of the alien Silfen in search of answers to the Dyson pair. Even this doesn't cover it all, there is just so much to take in and enjoy.
As you can imagine, this book covers a whole lot - but it hits the ground running. Chapter one starts the book off as it means to go on and doesn't let go, even once you've reached the end you're left wanting more. There is little here that is not to like if you enjoy a well thought out and action packed story. The book is well paced and the subplots are almost all interesting and add to the story and in-universe history. There are a couple of exceptions, these being the political manoeuvring section and to an extent some of the Guardians sections, especially those set on Far Away that feature the clans. These couple do add to the back story and raise some questions, but the difference in pace sticks out like a sore thumb.
The Second Chance plot is one of the best in the book and the most enjoyable as far as a sense of wonder and discovery go. It is especially good when the Guardians attempt a sabotage of the Second Chance during it's construction during what has to be one of the stand out passages in terms of pure all out action. If you like detective fiction, then the Paula Myo subplot will suit you to the ground. Seeing a character as defined as Paula conducting an investigation and showing how resourceful she is brings a smile to your face. Ozzie and his self-imposed mission along the Silfen paths from planet to planet is also a good example of fine storytelling of adventure and exploration. I can only imagine what sort of stories could come out of the Silfen paths if Peter so wished.
What really works in Pandora's Star is the way that Peter has built a universe from scratch and made almost every aspect believable. There is the sort of depth here that you don't normally find in a single book, but even though there are the occasional info-dumping passages it really doesn't feel that it detracts from the story, simply adds to the experience. Few books have managed to have this affect on me and this book can come heartily recommended with very few complaints. An almost perfect balance between world building and storytelling makes this a must read for any fan of the genre.
Book Review: A top tier book, without a doubt!
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow! This is one of the best sci-fi books I've read in a long time.
Pandora's Star is a complex, perhaps epic, tale about the evolution of the Commonwealth (note the capital "C"), as it affects a wide variety of characters. With the invention of wormhole generators, humanity found an effective way to colonize the stars. With proper terraforming and zoning, they created designer worlds, such as a world devoted to X-games type sports, industrial worlds, etc. Naturally, as humanity expanded onto new worlds, new political factions evolved, and sentient alien lifeforms are discovered.
The central storyline revolves around a pair of stars that suddenly disappear. Of course, this happened thousands of years ago since light takes time to make it through the galaxy (points to the author for remembering this). Humans decide to launch an exploratory mission to discover what happened to the stars, and unintentionally loose a hostile and powerful lifeform bent on genocide of humans (hence the title of the book I would assume). Adding to the mix of interesting concepts is rejuvenation, allowing anyone with enough money to rejuvenate their body to whatever age they chose, and the interesting concept of Grand Families, who through rejuvenation and the miracle of compounding interest, amass so much money as to run the galaxy and be the true powers behind the government.
Add to this the concept of the Starflyer, a potentially fictional alien whose final agenda is unknown but presumed to be not in the best interest of mankind, and the Guardians of Selfhood, an underground and essentially terrorist organization who are pledged to fight the Starflyer, and it's a merry mix indeed.
For main characters the variety is impressive. There is Wilson Kime, the commander of the initial manned mission to Mars and possessed of exceptional military command presence; Paula Myo, a genetically bred single minded detective who has only had one unsolved case in 130 years (the arrest of a particularly beguiling agent of the Guardians of Selfhood); Nigel Sheldon, one of the co-inventors of the wormhole generator and the head of one of the Grand Families; Ozzie, the other co-inventor of the wormhole generator and semi-anti-authoritarian, except that because of his great wealth he effectively is "the man" when he wants to be; Dudley Bose, the astronomer who first notices the disappearance of the two stars; Melanie, an immature but ambitious gold-digger who sleeps her way to her goals, and the SI, an artificial intelligence created by man who is generally benevolent but seems to also have its own agenda. There are many others, but you get the idea.
Peter Hamilton manages to weave multiple storylines, some of which it is unclear as to how the fit into the main story arc. I'd consider him the "Tom Clancy" of science fiction in this regard. He manages to inject some science into science fiction, considering things like different gravitational forces depending on the mass of the colonized planets that other authors don't bother with. In hindsight it doesn't sound impressive, but he remembers to do this type of thing in a variety of areas, and it just lends credibility to the tale.
The main storylines include political maneuvering by the Grand Families (Nigel Sheldon), the military mission to the disappeared stars (Wilson Kime), the Indiana Jones type adventures of Ozzie, the rise of Melanie (more interesting than it sounds), the plans and raids of the Guardians of Selfhood against the Starflyer, and the investigation of Paula Myro into the Guardians of Selfhood. I may have left out one or two.
The only minor annoyance I found is that the author is British (no, that's not the annoyance) and occasionally some of the descriptions reference buildings in London (e.g., the layout of Parliament) that while I'm sure are accurate, do nothing for helping me visualize the scene.
Lastly, be forewarned that Pandora' Star is only half the story. It literally and metaphorically leaves you mid-stream in the story. You'll have to read "Judas Unchained" to get the second half.
This book is great. I plan on checking out several of Peter Hamilton's other books as soon as I finish this one, which won't be long given how hard it is to put down.
Book Review: Space opera, super-sized - Part 1
Summary: 5 Stars
Sometimes, it's nice to read a story with some real meat to it, a sprawling epic that runs at least 800 pages. It makes the 300-400 page books seem like mere appetizers, delicious but not all that filling. These epics, however, are the main course. Of course, the portion size only makes a difference if its worth consuming: in the case of Peter Hamilton's Pandora's Star, the author has served up a winner.
At nearly a thousand pages, Pandora's Star would be substantial enough, but actually, it is only half of a story that concludes with Judas Unchained. After a brief prologue, the story begins in the late 24th Century, when mankind has, through wormhole technology, spread out among the stars. The Intersolar Commonwealth is a prosperous community of worlds, where people can live practically forever through rejuvenation processes; even death is not really scary, as individuals download their memories and reinstall them into clones. While not a complete utopia, the Commonwealth is in many ways an ideal society.
Against this backdrop, astronomer Dudley Bose makes an incredible discovery when he observes a star disappear. It is quickly evident that the star system in question has actually been contained in a giant force field of some sort. Wilson Kime, the four hundred year old former astronaut who is one of the last individuals alive to be in a "regular" space flight (a Mars mission that ended in an unexpected manner) is tapped to pilot the first true faster-than-light ship in an effort to find out more about this missing star. This mission, however, takes an unexpected turn when the force field disappears shortly after they arrive.
Thus, the Dyson Alpha system is really the Pandora's Star of the title: like the mythical box, once opened, all sorts of bad things begin, none of which are really resolved in this novel (which is, as said previously, not really a standalone book but really just part one of a 2000 page saga).
There are lots of plot lines woven together in this story. It's hard to really define a central character, but the main protagonists (among the dozens of characters) include Kime, whose piloting work is only the first task he will undertake for the Commonwealth; there is Ozzie Isaac, who is seeking his own answers to some cosmic riddles and will go on a quest that will take him to some strange and hostile planets; and there is Paula Myo, a top-notch detective whose investigations into a political/terrorist movement will lead her to suspect some grand conspiracies.
This is grand space opera, taking place on many worlds with many characters and such science fiction staples as space travel and weird alien races. It is to Hamilton's credit that he can make this all work well (so far) without the story ever dragging. I am giving this the full five stars, but in a way, it is conditional; a bad conclusion in the next book will diminish this one as well. But for what it is, Act One of a two-act story, Pandora's Star is a success and should be enjoyed by any science fiction fan willing to give it the time (and given the number of multi-volume stories out there, there should be no lack of such fans).
Book Review: Enzyme-bonded concrete!
Summary: 5 Stars
It seems to getting harder and harder to find good science fiction these days. The sci-fi section at my local library is increasingly dominated by fantasy (been there, done that) and "alternative history" (yuck!).
Then I started hearing some good things about Peter F. Hamilton. I'd seen a couple of his books at the library, and after reading some reviews on Amazon, I decided to give "Pandora's Star" a try. Little did I realize at the time that I'd ultimately end up spending a good chunk of my life slogging through all five of his "Commonwealth" novels. That amounts to some 3500 pages of space opera, for what it's worth.
But it was worth it, if only for sheer entertainment. Hamilton starts with a pretty implausible conceit: Sometime in the near future, a couple of California science geeks invent wormhole technology that allows people to literally step through from one world to another. Thus begins the grand expansion of the human species to dozens, and later hundreds, and later thousands of new planets. Hamilton calls this galactic empire "The Commonwealth."
The first two of the books set in The Commonwealth are "Pandora's Star" and "Judas Unchained." Together they comprise a richly imagined saga of interstellar war with an implacable alien species, but there's a lot more to it than monsters and rocket ships. Peter F. Hamilton's imagination practically defies comprehension. He has filled these books with many richly-envisioned worlds and dozens of fascinating characters, both human and otherwise. We get future permutations of police investigation, tabloid media, political intrigue, sex, work, entertainment, religion, and mind-bending technology. And there's occasionally a bit of laugh-out-loud humor.
The later three books set against The Commonwealth are what Hamilton calls the "Void Trilogy," and while these take place some 1,500 years after the first two books, they include some of the characters from the first two book, mainly because technology has made DEATH pretty much obsolete. And YES, once you finish "Judas Unchained," you'll be running off to the bookstore or the library to pick up a copy of "The Dreaming Void." So be forewarned: Once you plunge into Hamilton's Commonwealth, you'll be hooked.
The only misgiving I had in reading these books, especially those in the far-future "Void Trilogy," was that occasionally the author's efforts to describe various space battles and the weaponry involved bordered on the abstract. But then again, how could it be otherwise? Our human brains are not equipped to grasp quantum physics as easily as Newtonian physics, and so much of the technology Hamilton envisions apparently operates at the quantum level. So there are occasionally times when you'll probably have a difficult time wrapping your little mind around what Hamilton is trying to describe.
It's a minor complaint. For the most part I found all these books tremendously entertaining. Peter F. Hamilton's incredibly rich, detailed portrayal of a future galactic culture is astonishing. I just can't imagine how he does it.
Book Review: Hamilton Does It Again
Summary: 5 Stars
Full disclosure - I'm an avid Hamilton fan from the Night's Dawn trilogy. So when I saw this book on the shelf some time ago, I bought it - and waited. I didn't want to start it until the sequel came out, so I wouldn't have to get half way in to the story and then wait for the conclusion.
I strongly advocate you do the same.
When introducing people to Hamilton's work, I often start them off with this one first. It's a faster pickup than Night's Dawn, while still maintaining Hamilton's outstanding weave of disparate stories into a cohesive whole.
Advanced technology is handled particularly well by Hamilton, working it into his stories without slamming it in your face with technical jargon or detailed descriptions, but instead making it obvious how the new technology works through its use in the plot. I love good hard science fiction as much as the next guy, but nothing bogs a space opera down faster than having the plow through the handling characteristics of a new model laser blaster. If you're a science fiction reader, you already KNOW the science behind these things and can deduce the functioning of the equipment from its use - this, to me, is a much more satisfying mechanism than direct explication. Hamilton's focus, nicely complemented by tangents of real life, is driving the plot forward.
And what a plot it is! If you love space opera, this one has got it all - invading aliens, wormholes, galactic confederations, genetic engineering and human perfectability, social commentary and exploration, artificial intelligence - the works. All held together with a sprawling storyline and ever-growing cast of characters, human and otherwise. Hamilton excels at bringing even minor characters to life, imbuing his storytelling with a human connection that stands out from most. Even a bit player destined to die in a page and a half is brought to life vividly before meeting his fate.
Another great Hamilton technique: when faced with unexplained phenomenon, his characters will speculate just like you or I would - and sometimes they'll be wrong. This is surprisingly rare in fiction in general and science fiction in particular, where every writer and reader is used to being a high-information person with a decent handle on reality. Hamilton captures this realism well.
This is epic space opera at its best, which is what I've come to expect from Hamilton. For science fiction lovers, I cannot recommend this highly enough. For those who've never really gotten into science fiction on a grand scale, this is a compelling and accessible story, and a great place to start.
On a scale from 1 to 10, I rate this FANTASTIC.