Pandora's Star, Peter F. Hamilton: November Scifi Discussion

[chrispenycate]

Originally Posted by thesoothsayer

Probably should have read this post earlier since I'm finding it a little bit hard to get into the book after the prologue where the astronauts were greeted by the Californians on Mars for exactly the same reason as Chris. Still, I'm going to soldier on, and hope that it gets better and has other interesting ideas to draw me in.

You quite probably wouldn't have agreed with me, anyway; I'm a minority taste, and you couldn't have found out without trying.

But Hamilton does have lots of good ideas; I just preferred it when he didn't try to put all of them in one book. And I have duly obtained "The dreaming void", despite knowing it's likely to suffer from the same limitations...

[Rodders]

Originally Posted by chrispenycate

But Hamilton does have lots of good ideas;

Yes, but the trouble is that his stories have just turned into a tool used to string these ideas together rather than being a good story first with some good ideas in it.

[caffran]

The story is the age old Alien invasion plot, with a few twists. how is that not good?

Pandora's Star is utterly superb, quite possibly the best i've ever read. good characters, an idyllic future (who wouldn't want to live for a thousand years?) a huge Interstellar empire what's not to like?

Judas Unchained was a slight let down, mainly because of the ending. It makes sense but seems a little too easy for me. this is the main reason i was disappointed with the end of 'Night's dawn' trilogy.

I've recently finished the Void trilogy, the follow up to the Commonwealth saga, and was not impressed. i don't like fantasy, and it has no place in an SF novel, even with such a extra-ordinary way of realising it.

And now i hear he might be doing another trilogy set exclusivley within the void.

[io_anonimus]

Is one of the few writers playing with idea of a society where immortality is the norm which I liked as I think we will be there in some decades, even the timing of this in the books is interesting. Unfortunately he did not try to picture new social rules only applied the actual ones to the new environment and is exactly here where I wanted to see his imagination.
The Pandora Star is in my opinion the only one I enjoyed and even this was longer than necessary, I think that it should have only half of the actual length. The other two are only examples on how to milk a good initial idea happening often in other trilogies. When an author is starting to describe very detailed the geography and climate of fancy worlds is a sign that he is out of new ideas.
As other pointed that he has some problems with the scientific aspects I remember that his Fallen Dragon was based on a temporal paradox but excepting this was a good book.

[sassy1]

I love Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained.

I like reading about different characters with completely different lifestyles, seeing how they live. I thought the different species of alien were unique and really interesting. I love how there are various sub-plots, but all of them seem entwined somehow.

I also like his descriptions of all the different settled worlds and how they are all different. One world for women only. One really industrialised. One going back to basics with little technology. One that genetically manipulates its residents to have everyone 'perfect' and live in harmony.
Although I do think some of the ideas are rather unrealistic and unscientific, that's one of the reasons I enjoy reading Fantasy and Science Fiction.... throw something fantastical in the works, and try and imagine how it would change the world.

Really do love these books.