Peter F. Hamilton – Pandora’s Star / Judas Unchained
In this latest tour de force, Peter F. Hamilton creates an universe of the same magnitude as the one he created for the Night’s Dawn trilogy. Although they have different names, both books are only one story – the first one will leave you hanging for the second, which in turn won’t make much sense without the first.
The first book, Pandora’s Star, begins with the creation of wormhole technology (with a very memorable scene), and ends with the whole setting for the drama to unfold, with the threat of the Primes already in full swing. The second book (and I recommend that you read them in a row), Judas Unchained, picks up the action, and it develops the characters further, with some not-so-shattering plot twists (I expected some more surprises). It kind of drags in the middle, but the last third of the book makes it worth it. And no deus ex machina ending this time!
I liked the story, although I don’t think it’s for everyone. A bit too many characters perhaps, it makes it difficult to become 100% immersed in the storyline, it could be shorter also. It could explore more the characters from the “evil” side (what would the Starflyer’s perspective feel like?). There’s also the cul-de-sac of the SI “character” – it feels Hamilton had other plans for it and didn’t include them in the conclusion (perhaps there will be further stories on this universe?). On the other hand, I really like Hamilton’s notion that the concept of economics is relevant to science fiction – the lack of which sadly makes a lot of science fiction irrealistic, and he does create a vast and interesting canvas with the seamless integration of the old and the new, with what defines us as human.
