The Reality Dysfunction Part I: Emergence
by Peter F. Hamilton
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Book Summary Information
Author: Peter F. HamiltonEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1997-07-01
ISBN: 0446605158
Number of pages: 592
Publisher: Aspect
Book Reviews of The Reality Dysfunction Part I: Emergence
Book Review: An all out space opera
Summary: 5 Stars
Before you read this, I would like to note that I am writing a review on the entire series of 6 books. With that out of the way, here goes:
This series is excellent. It is an all out space opera that is set in a complex universe with lots of diverse characters and exciting events. The rich tapestry that Hamilton sets forth is very immersive and I would be surprised that if you read the first book, you would not end up reading all six.
A little more specific. I felt the story was a little slow taking off, but Hamilton does an excellent job at pacing the books and introducing new plots, characters, ideas, and settings that kept the books holding my attention. Hamilton also does a wonderful job throughout the series in developing a history for almost all of the items that he puts in his universe. It really made me feel like I was participating in the story.
As far as futuristic technologies go, the ideas that Hamilton puts forth are by no means unique, but he does such a wonderful job of immersion that they feel unique. My favorite example is the collective society of Edenism. A collective is a concept that has existed in science fiction for a long time, but I felt that Hamilton's version of the collective was phenomenal in that it had a mature history and a well thought out social structure. You could actually see how and why Edenists thought differently than unmodified humans.
Some issues that other people mentioned not liking was the Deus Ex Machina feel of the final book in the series. Some feel that Hamilton might have copped out, or painted himself in a corner. I kept these arguments in my mind while reading the series and in no way felt cheated by the ending. The ending is alluded to throughout the series, and the entity that people are seeking to solve the problem is by no means sprung upon the reader. The effects of the entity are a bit quick, but I felt that the positive, humanist ending was more than enough to have made the journey worth it.
Another complaint that I read was that characters were introduced only to never be heard from later on. Again, I feel that this does a disservice to Hamilton's rich universe. I frequently found that each character and event was carefully integrated and relevant to the overall story and outcome of the book. I felt that Hamilton does a wonderful job of tying events and characters together.
A final complaint that I remembered was that the main antagonist in the book is brutal. Here, I cannot disagree. Hamilton is happy to let the reader see the darker side of human nature with a very cruel and brutal bad guy. The antagonist is a product of his environment, as will be learned in the 5th and 6th books, and delights in anarchy and satanism. Though brutal, I felt that this made the events that involved the antagonist that much better, always adding to the history of the character.
If you can't tell, I am extremely happy that I picked this up in the book store. It occupied my time with a wonderful story that was set in a universe with history and events that were well paced and action packed. I loved the series and will most certainly read other books by Hamilton.
A final note: I was often worried that Hamilton would take the series down a Christian-centric religious road. He does not do this; things are kept rational. It could be said that Hamilton feels that religion is an issue holding us back, seeing as the atheist Edenist culture is frequently referred to as the most enlightened human society.
Summary of The Reality Dysfunction Part I: Emergence
In the far future, humanity has divided into two diametrically opposed groups. The Edenists are genetically engineered space-dwellers with telepathic affinity for their biotechnological homes and ships. The Adamists, effectively the Luddites of the future, are willing to pioneer new worlds, much as their ancestors did hundreds of years ago. The two groups, peopled by fascinating characters, clash on a primitive world called Lalonde, setting in motion a tale of adventure unparalleled in this universe.This is space opera on an epic scale, with dozens of characters, hundreds of planets, universe-spanning plots, and settings that range from wooden huts and muddy villages to sentient starships and newborn suns. It's also the first part of a two-volume book that is itself the first book of a series. There's no question that there's a lot going on here (too much to even begin to detail the plot), but Hamilton handles it all with an ease reminiscent of E. E. "Doc" Smith. The best way to describe it: it's big, it's good, and luckily there's plenty more on the way.
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