Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Judas Unchained
Book Review: A baroque but relatively satisfying two-novel saga
Summary: 3 Stars
I'd really make this three and a half stars, which counts for both books in this "Commonwealth Saga" (the preceding volume being Pandora's Star). Fans of Dan Simmons' Hyperion series will probably like this one too, though this isn't quite as good. I have shied away from Hamilton until now, especially his six-book series, in large part because of the complaints about their ending. I did not feel cheated by the wrap-up of this saga, nor did it seem excessively pat either. But I did find myself bogging down, and even occasionally confused, particularly during the second book. With a huge cast of characters to juggle, Hamilton gives a whole new meaning to the term "baroque" as it applies to the space-opera genre. (And caveat emptor: the list of characters added at the beginning of Judas Unchained was probably a good idea, but I quickly discovered that it also reveals key plot points [i.e., who is a Starflyer agent], so I never used it again.) Some have complained about his sex scenes, but that seems excessively prurient a reaction to me; those aspects aren't that common or major. But I would say that his female characters are not very well drawn (Melannie is the sort that could and should make a feminist critic red with righteous anger), and when our choice of a "Judas" gets narrowed down near the end, I predicted to myself that it would turn out to be a woman, and I was right. So while these weren't bad books, I can't say they've made me rush to go back and read his other, even-longer galactic saga.Book Review: A satisfactory conclusion
Summary: 5 Stars
In my opinion, Peter F. Hamilton and Alastair Reynolds are the best contemporary Science Fiction authors. Hamilton is a master in introducing uncountable complex characters in thrilling plot lines set in the most bizarre and exotic environments. Sometimes he describes remote places in such a vivid fashion that one may actually think Hamilton was there and witnessed everything first hand. His imagination doesn't know any limits and he manages to keep the ideas and concepts he introduces graspable for the reader. This ability is probably the biggest differentiator to Reynolds who sometimes goes beyond the capability of the reader's imagination.
Judas Unchained is set in a similarly complex and rich universe as the Night's Dawn trilogy. Hamilton deserves credit for going through the effort of designing an alternative or parallel future instead of leveraging off his past creations.
I can imagine that some people may not appreciate the level of detail Hamilton applies to nearly everything in the plot (throughout the first and this book) which is typical for his style. Another big Hamilton differentiator is the amount of sex, love, feelings and attitudes he introduces with his characters. This is quite unusual for a Science Fiction author but maybe the reason why his stories become so incredibly readable. Having said that, Hamilton does overdo it with the amount of sex scenes.
Hamilton managed to develop a fantastic plot with an equally satisfying conclusion, which was not always the case with his books. If you are someone who has avoided his books because of the author's reputation for wrapping up stories badly - you can now relax and enjoy a good read with Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained.
In summary, a good read with a plausible conclusion.
Book Review: A stunning conclusion to the best Space Opera on the market
Summary: 5 Stars
Peter F. Hamilton excelled himself here with Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained. It is absolutely essential to have read Pandora's Star before embarking on Judas Unchained as there is no summary before the reader is plunged right in where the action left off in the first book. It also helps if you read the books consecutively - this is a space opera and as enjoyable as the first book was, a lot of threads and people were introduced that it would be hard to read Judas Unchained without refreshing yourself on what went on before. But since Pandora's Star is extremely well written, for anyone who loves a good read, the though of reading around 2000 pages of brilliant written Space Opera and Science Fiction should not be a daunting task!
This books takes off with the human race grappling with the fact there is an alien out there who does not understand the concept of co-existance. And for a race such as ourselves where genocide is theoretically abhorant (I say that because history rather suggests man has happily wiped out plenty of species...), its going to take a multi-prong approach to working out the solution here!
Fortunately, Hamilton makes the whole voyage utterly satisfying as he gradually brings his highly diverse collection of characters and their different missions in life together in an apocalyptic and breathless conclusion. At no time does Hamilton leave you feeling vaguely cheated or like this was a hurried ending (as has occurred in some of his other novels) - the only hurrying is you reading quicker and quicker, desperate to learn what will happen next. And afterwards, there are a few chapters to help us drift back down to reality as we learn what happened afterwards to our hero's and heroine's...
It is truly truly sad as you get closer to the end of this book and you realise the many wonderful nights you've had, lost in another time in our future, are about to end. I repeat what I said about Pandora's Star, Hamilton deserves to have his name bandied around and recognised with the other great SF authors out there! These two books are about the best SF I have read in years and anyone who calls themselves a SF fan HAS to read them - both!
Book Review: Awesome
Summary: 5 Stars
Of course it isn't available for several more months, but it is just simply :-)Book Review: Big fun, strongly recommended
Summary: 5 Stars
I read a lot, five or so books a week, albeit mostly technical titles. Though I like pop fiction, I seldom find much of it really enthralling. Likewise, I find myself giving up on authors as they mature. (Perhaps mature is the wrong word: "age" might be better, when I think of Patricia Cornwell, Tom Clancy, or Dan Simmons.)
Very happily, I can report that this is a fine, absorbing, diverting read, which I unreservedly recommend to all. Let me recommend also reading it together with the first bunch of pages ("Pandora's Star"): it's only one book, and it was a mite troublesome for me to try to recall characters and events I'd last encountered two years and hundreds of books ago.