[IYU]⇒ Descargar The Abyss Beyond Dreams A Novel of the Commonwealth Commonwealth Chronicle of the Fallers Peter F Hamilton Books

The Abyss Beyond Dreams A Novel of the Commonwealth Commonwealth Chronicle of the Fallers Peter F Hamilton Books

Download As PDF : The Abyss Beyond Dreams A Novel of the Commonwealth Commonwealth Chronicle of the Fallers Peter F Hamilton Books

The Abyss Beyond Dreams A Novel of the Commonwealth Commonwealth Chronicle of the Fallers Peter F Hamilton Books

Okay, I admit it, I'm a complete sucker for Hamilton's work. I've read everything he's written... and not just once. Before you read this you must read The Void Trilogy. And before you read those you must read the Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained pair. And, really... the absolute best place to start would be with Fallen Dragon. I envy anyone who has these amazing pieces of truly wonderful space opera ahead of them.

As for this work... I never believe that anything I read of Hamilton's will be able to live up to everything he has already done. How could it possibly?? ... And then it does.

This does. You will love it. I guarantee it.

/Steve Gibson.


Tags : Amazon.com: The Abyss Beyond Dreams: A Novel of the Commonwealth (Commonwealth: Chronicle of the Fallers) (9780345547194): Peter F. Hamilton: Books,Peter F. Hamilton,The Abyss Beyond Dreams: A Novel of the Commonwealth (Commonwealth: Chronicle of the Fallers),Del Rey,0345547195,Action & Adventure,Science Fiction - Space Opera,FICTION Science Fiction Space Opera.,Imaginary wars and battles;Fiction.,Shapeshifting;Fiction.,ENGLISH SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY,Fiction,Fiction Action & Adventure,Fiction Science Fiction Space Opera,Fiction Thrillers General,Fiction-Science Fiction,GENERAL,General Adult,Great BritainBritish Isles,Imaginary wars and battles,Monograph Series, 1st,Science Fiction,Shapeshifting,United States,bisacsh

The Abyss Beyond Dreams A Novel of the Commonwealth Commonwealth Chronicle of the Fallers Peter F Hamilton Books Reviews

I have read all of Peter Hamilton’s work, after having first been exposed to him through his magnum space opera opus, Night’s Dawn trilogy, a 3,500 page, door stop of a work. I think he is the best modern science fiction writer of this generation. His blend of originality, especially as applied to alien constructs, and hard science fiction is unmatched in my opinion. Sure, he tends to be a little long winded, but I can overlook that in the presence of excellence.

This novel is the first of a two part sequel to the Commonwealth series (Pandora’s Star and Judas Unchained) and the Void trilogy. I read these five novels (about 4,000 pages worth) several years ago and it took me a little time to become re-familiar with the underlying story and landscape. Do not let anyone tell you that this novel can be appreciated as a stand-alone work; don’t even try it. The world that Hamilton has created cannot possibly be appreciated by starting in the middle of the story.

In The Abyss Beyond Dreams, Nigel Sheldon (a clone) enters the Void with the assistance of the Raiel, seeking to land on Querencia and rescue the Commonwealth citizens stranded there, destroying the Void in the process. He is stranded on a second Void world, however, Beinvenido and must devise a new plan. A secondary thread follows a cell of revolutionaries that Nigel employs to advance and accomplish his absurdly ambitious plan.

As an aside, Hamilton repeats what has become a pet peeve of mine among science fiction writers in general and Hamilton in particular; the need to create a new epithet to be used by future humans, and repeat it ad nauseam throughout the work. In earlier Commonwealth and Void novels, we were repeatedly assaulted with such terms as "Dreaming Heavens!", “TANJ” (There ain't no justice) and “TANSTAAFL” (There ain't no such thing as a free lunch). In this work, the word “crud” has replaced the perfectly functional “f” word in all its many forms. Uracus (the Bienvenido parallel to Hell) is also used ad nauseum. Far from contributing to the originality of the story, it instead is annoying and comes across as silly.
When I finish a book, I am seldom tempted to go beyond giving it a star rating when prompted by - there's just isn't enough time or energy for more. However, occasionally I find myself with a lasting impression of something really clever, original, thought-provoking, or just really well done. So much so, that a few days later I can't help myself and take the time to reflect and write something down.

Abyss turned out to be such an occasion. "Turned out" because about a third of the way into the story I did not anticipate it would merit a full review. That leads me to the first suggestion to an undecided reader - Abyss really pays off as a story, but you need a little patience. The best way I can describe its non-linear plot structure is iterative - and you need to get through the first iteration of the Bienvenido-based story line. Once you do, the next "pass" will start filling in the extra details, letting you know the story is not what you thought it was. And I am not saying the first iteration is a chore, only that it is more about the characters and the setup, and not the action. Another suggestion reading the Void Trilogy first will really benefit you in two major ways. First you will understand the nature of the Void, the references to Querencia, Edeard, Skylords, and Inigo. Second knowing how that trilogy ended will inform you of what can and cannot happen at the end of Abyss, which is essentially a prequel.

Now, with all that said, allow me to explain the main reasons for writing this review. What I greatly like about Hamilton is how well he places stories of non-sci-fi genre, often criminal fiction, into meticulously built sci-fi universes. Past examples include a police procedural murder mystery (Great North Road), or high-tech private eye novels (Greg Mandel stories). At the center of the Abyss is another type of criminal fiction. Giving away the exact sub-genre would be a spoiler (I think), but in my opinion that is the key twist that makes this book. I thought it was well-disguised, its use was clever and original, and also a bit cynical.

We live in highly political times, and reading through the reviews I see people making issue (positive or negative) of the perceived politics of the novel. Everyone reads through the prism of their views and experience, so I get it. That said, I think Abyss is apolitical - I knew nothing of Peter Hamilton's politics before this novel, and I don't think I know any more about them now. The novel makes use of the historical patterns and stereotypes we all recognize, the actors merely say things appropriate to their roles, to advance the plot. If you are interested in digging for a deeper message/commentary, it may be the old one - humans repeat the history they forget. And people who do remember it can take advantage. Hamilton may also be suggesting that Humanity cannot evolve with the technological progress as much we'd like to think it can. The Void's humans came from the high-tech post-scarcity society. When the Void stripped away the technology, those humans reverted to type, gave up the evolutionary gains and ended up becoming very much like their ancestors. But then maybe that is not a Hamilton's message, but merely my own takeaway. However, the mere possibility of a message, as well as a few other features of the novel made me think of something else.

I believe this may be the first novel Peter Hamilton has written since the passing of Iain Banks. Whether an intentional homage, or merely a figment of my imagination, but I thought I saw many Banksian elements in Abyss, elements not common in Hamilton's past. The story itself reminded me of Matter, Inversions, and Use of Weapons (its non-linear plot and a twist at the end). Then there were a few graphically gory moments that I do not recall in Hamilton's prior work, but would fit nicely in a Culture novel. And the scale, the daring, and the cynicism of the main plot twist I referred to earlier also seem to be something out of Banks. Again, maybe it's just my imagination, but that comparison just kept arising for me as I was reading the Abyss, and I have never found myself making such comparison in the past. Perhaps I was too appreciative of their differences to notice the similarities.

Finally, you may already know that Abyss is part 1 of 2, with another story to come. Quite often such setups leave you hanging with a frustrating cliffhanger, with loose ends unresolved until the next installment. I think Abyss sets up really well in this regard - most of its major plot lines and character stories come full circle, some catching you by surprise if you missed or forgot a detail from previous iteration. There is a clear new plot avenue for part 2, paired with the main unresolved threat from part 1.

Summary - a well-written, well-plotted story with engaging characters, a genre-bending twist and a great hook for part 2. The only reason for the 4-star rating is that I think 5 stars should be reserved for classics that hold up over time. Time will tell on this one...
Okay, I admit it, I'm a complete sucker for Hamilton's work. I've read everything he's written... and not just once. Before you read this you must read The Void Trilogy. And before you read those you must read the Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained pair. And, really... the absolute best place to start would be with Fallen Dragon. I envy anyone who has these amazing pieces of truly wonderful space opera ahead of them.

As for this work... I never believe that anything I read of Hamilton's will be able to live up to everything he has already done. How could it possibly?? ... And then it does.

This does. You will love it. I guarantee it.

/Steve Gibson.