I'm about 300 pages into Pandora's Star and I'm really enjoying it. So, I'm just wondering what you have to say!
He's one of the great writers of the modern space opera. Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are excellent novels. The Dreaming Void continues the series and is very good as well even though a lot of it is setup for the trilogy. The Temporal Void should be out latter this year. Overall I'd recommend pretty much anything he's written, except Misspent Youth.
I've tried to get into The Reality Dysfunction at least three times but have never really been in the mood, I guess .There's a hell of a lot of characters to keep up with.
I don't read a lot of novels, but I did do the Reality Dysfunction trilogy years ago and absolutely loved it, really addictive reading. Sounds like I should check out some of his newer stuff now too! Thanks for the heads up!
I've read a fair number of Peter F. Hamilton's works — The Reality Dysfunction series, Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained — and have been left fairly impressed with them. I'm not kidding, though, when I say you really have to be careful about keeping track of his multitude of characters and intertwining plot points. There's a lot of both, which are reasons why I consider Hamilton to be "heavy" reading — a pleasure, yes, but not lightweight like, say, a lot of Star Wars and Star Trek space operas (which, BTW, are good in their own ways ... well, most of the time). Gatekeeper
I've had The Reality Dysfunction for a couple of years but still haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I made a conscious decision that I wouldn't start it until finishing Kevin J. Anderson's 'Saga of Seven Suns' series.
It's true that Pandora's Star would be helped by one of those glossaries at the back with the names of primary characters. I'm enjoying how many different science fiction areas he touches on...and he doesn't seem to be afraid of it being good ol' space opera.
Pandora's Star is pretty good. I never finished Judas Unchained. To be fair though, its not like the quality of writing dropped or anything, I just got tired of it late in the book, because the climax seemed to stretch on forever. I think the story went past its 'natural length' but if you like vast epic ripping space opera, it definitely fits the bill.
Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained were two of the best SF novels I've ever read. I didn't care as much for the Dreaming Void or whatever it was, but it was pretty good too. The Reality Dysfunction series was tits.
It only really comes together near the end of the first book. But by then you're totally into it. Just go with the flow until then and don't worry about losing track. The rest of the trilogy is awesome, until the ending, which I won't spoil but is a trifle too quick. Judas Unchained/Pandora's Star is cool too, with a more satisfying ending. And on another note, I wish I had neural nanonics...
I loved Pandora's Star / Judas Unchained and also the Reality Dysfunction series. Also really liked the stand alone Fallen Dragon. The Dreaming Void I really struggled with - took me ages to get through it, and the story just didn't gel with me for some reason. Will probably check out the sequels though in the hopes they pick up.
The Temporal Void is out on 3rd October, according to the proof copy I got in this morning's post. 743 pages, so it'll be a weekend or two before I can say whether it sparks into life (I wasn't too keen on Dreaming Void, but suspected it was set-up for something more impressive).