The Temporal Void

Don't start this if you're not in the mood for a long sci-fi story with lots of characters and interwoven storylines. This is very typical of Hamilton's writings, so if you have read other books of his, you won't be at all surprised. I normally prefer shorter novels because I have a limited attention span, but... this is very engaging if you have the time to commit. I do have the next in the series on audio and will be listening to it over the long cold winter.

There is some swearing and no detailed sex or gore. The narration is terrific... in fact, I think this book in audio is less daunting than it would be reading a 740 page book.

All in all, Hamilton has a specific writing style where he intertwines multiple story threads and brings them all to conclusion within the pages of a novel, even if that novel is part of a larger series... if you like any of his work, you should like all of his work.. this one included. ( )

The middle tome of the Void Trilogy is in some ways the best book I've read by Hamilton - there really isn't a dull patch in it and it contains the most emotionally affecting material I've read by him. It is, however, interesting to observe where these passages occur:

There is a story within a story - the dreams about the Waterwalker - which has reached 13 installments by the end of this second volume. This story really came to dominate my interest and emotional connection to the book and here's the thing about it; instead of jumping between the points of view of disparate characters in different locations, it sticks constantly to the point of view of one character, the Waterwalker, and we get to know other characters through him. I care more about what happens to him than about the fate of the galaxy which, outside the dreams, is under threat of destruction, whilst various parties intrigue, politic and generally machinate...

In the really daft film, The Core, someone suggests that saving the world is too much - one should just aim to save those you love...another facet of this is that it really is easier to care about the fate of an individual in a dream than about all those myriad characters who get approximately equal but insufficient time back in the real world. It's easier to write, too. Unfortunately the Waterwalker looks quite familiar; anyone who has read as much Hamilton as I have will have noticed that stock characters keep showing their faces in different books with different names and different circumstances and this is going to become a serious problem if it carries on.

The science-fictional idea central to this trilogy is the Void itself - and it is an interesting one - the most interesting and original one Hamilton has come up with, I think. My feeling is that Hamilton has the potential for more than mere space opera if he can weave together all his strengths in one book and recognise and hence avoid his weaknesses; Hamilton is a writer who has been improving as time goes on, but needs to carry on doing so.
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More wonderful stuff from Hamilton. The book is half science fiction concerning events without the Void, and half fantasy concerning the adventures of Edeard within the Void. Everyone outside the Void knows Edeard's life story and Hamilton carefully scatters bits of dialogue hither and thither to give clues about what's going to happen in those parts of the book. And yet still he manages to make that part of the tale unpredictable, fun, and interesting.

Because of the large cast and fairly fast pace of the novel it does occasionally feel like some of the characters are just kind of milling around, waiting until Hamilton needs them for something important. Paula Myo in particular, one of the characters to reappear from the Commonwealth Saga, seems to spend most of the book travelling around the galaxy confirming minor plot points for her boss, but not really getting anywhere. Given the size of the series and the number of characters, this minor flaw really only serves to highlight the fact that Hamilton is dashedly good at keeping all the narrative threads in check. ( )

More wonderful stuff from Hamilton. The book is half science fiction concerning events without the Void, and half fantasy concerning the adventures of Edeard within the Void. Everyone outside the Void knows Edeard's life story and Hamilton carefully scatters bits of dialogue hither and thither to give clues about what's going to happen in those parts of the book. And yet still he manages to make that part of the tale unpredictable, fun, and interesting.

Because of the large cast and fairly fast pace of the novel it does occasionally feel like some of the characters are just kind of milling around, waiting until Hamilton needs them for something important. Paula Myo in particular, one of the characters to reappear from the Commonwealth Saga, seems to spend most of the book travelling around the galaxy confirming minor plot points for her boss, but not really getting anywhere. Given the size of the series and the number of characters, this minor flaw really only serves to highlight the fact that Hamilton is dashedly good at keeping all the narrative threads in check. ( )

I'm frankly getting rather awed by Peter F. Hamilton.

Any single book doesn't quite DO his stories justice, which is kind of weird because each book seems to be bigger than a mountain, more sprawling than wide plains, and filled with meandering and sometimes inconsequential passages. They could be tightened up with more focus on the core stories and threads. Easily.

BUT.

When it comes to the sheer scope in time and space for all his books, each of which is interconnected with common events, histories, and characters who live for an awfully long time thanks to the heavy SF factors of re-life and alternate methods like multi-life, dream paradise, AI, or even some much stranger methods... everyone eventually comes back to play in this awesomely developed universe.

It only keeps getting larger and stranger with every new book. Some characters don't get interesting until after their lives get turned upside down, others are fantastic from the get-go. But when it comes to every core story met with truly awesome convergences between all these threads, Hamilton just can't be beaten.

His imagination is truly phenomenal.

Okay, this kinda sounds like an apology for his work, but don't be confused. I love this. It has a few faults, but damn, when I compare this to practically any other SF author on the grounds of glorious worldbuilding and scope of characters, Hamilton basically wins by default.

Epic SF, folks. Just think of the most sprawling fantasy you most love and multiply it by two, give it everything from bionics, massive dreaming collectives, a total space-opera atmosphere with multiple alien forces, and then shake it up by having an intelligent UNIVERSE threaten to grow and eat our own. Epic stakes. Epic scope. And through it all, thousands of years of novels and history pulling forward to this late historical date.

I'm frankly amazed. And it's getting better with every book I read.

The last time I was this bowled over was the first time I read through the WoT series. Both have their faults. But for the patient reader, both are freaking awesome. :) ( )