Anyone here read the Void series by Peter F. Hamilton
- Thread starter infinix
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I'm almost done with the second book, should finish it in the next day or two.
Very much enjoying the series, but wishing that I could remember the Starflyer war books better. Oh, and the Edeard stuff better have one heck of a pay-off considering the amount of pages it takes up.
Hamilton really seems to enjoy playing with the super-advanced technology his humans have in the series.
Very much enjoying the series, but wishing that I could remember the Starflyer war books better. Oh, and the Edeard stuff better have one heck of a pay-off considering the amount of pages it takes up.
Hamilton really seems to enjoy playing with the super-advanced technology his humans have in the series.
The Void series is the first of Hamilton's books that I've read. Loved it and I'm going to go read the Starflyer war books as soon as I have more free time.
The Edeard's thread ties into the rest of the story very well, though how his personal story concludes is up to each reader to decide. That's part of what I wanted to talk about.
And yes, Hamilton's description of the Higher and Advancer human is quite intriguing. He makes it sound like all of the Highers, after they make it into ANA, are basically living in their personal holodeck. Which makes me wonder why the Highers even bother with the rest of the interstellar politics.
I've read the first two.
Wonderful series. This trilogy takes place after the events in the Commonwealth books Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained. I highly recommend those, as well.
The first Hamilton book I read was Reality Dysfunction, and I was amazed at the heady mix of hard SF and space opera. I bought the book on a whim and didn't realize it was only the first part until I reached the end. Then I rushed out and bought the second book, only to discover it was part of a trilogy and the third book was still months away from release.
Since then, Hamilton has repeatedly teased me in this fashion. He's my favorite of living SF writers and I'll read anything he writes.
The first Hamilton book I read was Reality Dysfunction, and I was amazed at the heady mix of hard SF and space opera. I bought the book on a whim and didn't realize it was only the first part until I reached the end. Then I rushed out and bought the second book, only to discover it was part of a trilogy and the third book was still months away from release.
Since then, Hamilton has repeatedly teased me in this fashion. He's my favorite of living SF writers and I'll read anything he writes.
Got it on my "to read" list. His "Night's Dawn" saga was an incredible adventure.
Plus, the man is simply a true geek, a lover of the science fiction genre. Very proud of his native UK and it's contributions to same.
Plus, the man is simply a true geek, a lover of the science fiction genre. Very proud of his native UK and it's contributions to same.
Definitely one of the best space opera writers of his generation, and an absolutely amazing world builder. My one caveat - he goes in for the deus ex machinae ending at times, which after the incredible work to that point can seem like a bit of a let down. Of course, others may disagree with that.
But both of these universes (Nights Dawn Trilogy/Confederation series, Commonwealth/Void) are overall an excellent experience full of rich characters, great concepts, and adept story telling.
infinix, anything in particular you want to discuss?
But both of these universes (Nights Dawn Trilogy/Confederation series, Commonwealth/Void) are overall an excellent experience full of rich characters, great concepts, and adept story telling.
infinix, anything in particular you want to discuss?
Absolutely love Hamilton's ability to build worlds and characters, but more importantly, his ability to close long, complex story arcs, one way or another. I'm looking at you, George Rest and Relaxation Martin.
Regarding what I want to discuss... How do I hide spoilers? I've seen others do it....
**WARNING!!!! MAJOR SPOILERS BENEATH**
You brought up one point I wanted to talk about.
1. Deus ex Machinae. At the end of void series, it literally took one person turning into a Q like being to resolve the problem. It is hard to believe that those who built the actual void never came across the chance or technology to go post-physical themselves before attaining the requisite knowledge to actually build the void.
2. I don't get the dreamers at all. Why the hell would dreamers want to be in the void? With all of the implants and rejuvenate sessions, one would think there is no want for whatever the void's psychic abilities, even with resetting, has to offer. Also, with so many people being able to reset each others' lives, how the hell is that going to work?
3. How is Edeard and Selena going to be able to live in the regular universe? Edeard's dreams are still floating around on their version of the web and any dreamer who meets them will worship them like the gods that they are. Also, how do you think Selena will feel when she eventually gets to experience all of Edeard's dreams, especially the ones that relates to her personally?
Finished Evolutionary Void. Spoilers obviously...
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As to how it works when everyone has their own reset button? Not a clue.
I think Hamilton went a little overboard with his everybody lives happily ever after endings, but I can forgive that. What annoyed me far more was how rushed the ending overall was. Everything ended in like ten pages, with another twenty pages of character codas after that. No mention of what happened to Ilanthe, how the Commonwealth copes. Are all those alien races still at war with Humanity?
I too had some questions after wrapping up the series.
WHO THE HECK is Lionwalker?!
How did the Brandt colony ship get past the Raiel and into the Void?
Who/what is Myraial(Ozzie's girlfriend) and how does some drugged out vampire hippy have better weapons technology than the most advanced agents in the Commonwealth?
Where the heck did Ozzie go, and is he post-physical or what(Same question for that Paul Crawley guy)?
And as much as I liked the Aaron(and the concept of an agent without memories) character, he didn't make much sense. Gore, the master-manipulator for 1,500 or more years, of all things Commonwealth, uses a brain-damaged totally unstable man as his chief(and seemingly only) true agent? I was really let down by the reveal of who Aaron was working for, and his background.
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My interpretation of it(and it is so quickly jammed in there at the end that I could be wrong), is that the Void is the Firstlifes failed attempted at going post-physical. It sucked all of them into the Heart ending their civilization, and was a sort of Bermuda triangle for all the other races that later stumbled into it. Until the Raiel went to war against the Void, and sealed it off from the rest of the galaxy.
Yeah, I didn't buy why anyone would want to give up Commonwealth life for life in the Void. I guess it sort of filled the void(no, not that Void) left by all of Earth's religions fading away. Especially the souls drifting into the Heart.
As to how it works when everyone has their own reset button? Not a clue.
Edeard and Salrana are going to be celebrities of course, but it isn't going to make their lives impossible. As to Salrana, she was always the biggest regret Edeard had, and he brought her(not his wife or any other woman) out of the Void. They'll have some heavy conversations, but I don't see them splitting up over it.
I think Hamilton went a little overboard with his everybody lives happily ever after endings, but I can forgive that. What annoyed me far more was how rushed the ending overall was. Everything ended in like ten pages, with another twenty pages of character codas after that. No mention of what happened to Ilanthe, how the Commonwealth copes. Are all those alien races still at war with Humanity?
I too had some questions after wrapping up the series.
WHO THE HECK is Lionwalker?!
How did the Brandt colony ship get past the Raiel and into the Void?
Who/what is Myraial(Ozzie's girlfriend) and how does some drugged out vampire hippy have better weapons technology than the most advanced agents in the Commonwealth?
Where the heck did Ozzie go, and is he post-physical or what(Same question for that Paul Crawley guy)?
And as much as I liked the Aaron(and the concept of an agent without memories) character, he didn't make much sense. Gore, the master-manipulator for 1,500 or more years, of all things Commonwealth, uses a brain-damaged totally unstable man as his chief(and seemingly only) true agent? I was really let down by the reveal of who Aaron was working for, and his background.
I agree with you there. We had just one sentence showing the Admiral Kazimir chasing down Marius, yet nothing about how the ANA recovered. Also, we had one sentence where ANA say (paraphrase) "There are powers I have yet to utilize" as if ANA could really kick some ass if it chose. Except that never happens.
Yes, who is he that the book ends with his comment? Perhaps a character for the next books?
I think it was implied that they somehow drifted in there against their will. Details missing.
I find his inclusion of Ozzie both exciting and disappointing. This is the guy the common wealth basically treats like a god yet in real life is so underwhelming thanks to Ozzie basically lobotomizing himself. I think Myraial is supposed to be representing how Ozzie used to kick ass. So Ozzie is now split into three, the laid back one, the smart one, and the deadly one. Hmm... I wonder if Hamilton did that on purpose.
I really liked Aaron, too. I think the unstable mind was a side effect that Gore never foresaw. I like how Aaron is contrasted with the Delivery Man. One has a name but no motivation. One has all the motivation, but no name. But yes, I agree that Gore having only one agent is rather odd.
This is exactly my opinion of him. Wonderful tales; dreadful endings (one of the series ends in an almost literal deus ex machina, to the point that I thought he was deliberately tweaking our tails with it). Still, if you can put that to one side, the journey there is still marvellously engrossing.
I love the cybernetic/nanotech/wetwired stuff he incorporates into his books in various forms. Very cool.
Just picked up the first one a week or two back- dunno when I'll get round to it though.
I'd read his Commonwealth duology first if you haven't. A lot of characters and references are made to it in the Void trilogy.
I very much wish I had read the two series right after each other instead of separated by years.
I very much wish I had read the two series right after each other instead of separated by years.
Yeah I've got his prior books...
Sorry, real life keeping me busy for a while.
I think that's the intention though - it's a failed attempt at transcendence, and that's what makes it's legacy so dangerous. Indeed, the creators don't even realize they didn't achieve transcendence, if you'll recall.
Hamilton has latched onto both series with the concepts of immortality in general (one of his first major works was about rejuvenation, which led brilliantly to this series), and he's looked hard at the search for heaven and hell within the context of scifi.
The Night's Dawn Trilogy is clearly an example of his interpretation of the afterlife, especially hell, and how it applies to a humanity evolving into transhumanity.
The Commonwealth Saga is less concerned about those concepts, but he comes back with a vengeance in the Void saga, and how the road to heaven is just as perilous in many ways as that of hell. It's more than a little reminescent of Pilgrim's Progress, though it's far more nuanced and smashes you less over the head with the allegory - a 21st century Pilgrim's Progress for the realities of a transhuman world.
Which, in some ways, makes the Deux Ex Machinae more than a little appropriate - he's essentially talking about the quest for immortality and the perils it entails.
Hell, the Night's Dawn Trilogy has an even worse DxM ending than the Void, if you can believe that.
So in some ways it may be thematically appropriate, but in others it's more than a little frustrating.
Still, his worlds are amazing, and captured my imagination like few have since Hyperion and Dune.
I think a lot of that goes to Hamilton's interpretation of the psychology of the virtually immortal. Your 12.146 birthday party isn't going to seem quite as special as your 6th.So some aspect of it is desire for new experiences, basically boredom, and of course the dreams themselves are described as so vivid you basically feel like you are there. And then there's the other aspect of it - it's the one thing you are actively denied. Can't go into the Void - and for darn good reasons.
And of course reseting reality to your personal parameters is quite a bit better than even the reality promised to you by the Commonwealth.
It promises to be Heaven - it just kills everyone else.
Which is an interesting thought construct for our own condition.
The Lionwalker is just some guy, but hes oooooold. Like Ozzie old. He was in the commonwealth saga, when the astronomer who observed the dyson barriers going up (forget his name) misses recording it the first time he goes to some frontier planet and asks for help from the only amature on the planet. This is Lionwalker. He was already past his second life and had made his unlimited money already. He also goes on to head the void observation station where Inego first has his dreams of Edeard. Not sure if I missed some subtlty that makes him some sort of Silfan like observer or something but I think hes just "That Guy". You know, the guy who keeps showing up when important shit goes on but never really takes an active role.
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