The Temporal Void (Commonwealth: The Void Trilogy)

The Temporal Void is not as strong as its predecessor, The Dreaming Void, but it's still a strong book, if more of a 3.5 than a 4. The book continues the story, but this time the SF side is stronger than the fantasy. Both have weaknesses. On the SF side, key character Araminta experiments with different romantic/sexual relations. Unfortunately, it comes across less as exploration of future social models than as an exercise in wish fulfillment. It's distracting, but not really intrusive. The other complexities of the SF world work better than in the first book - partly because of greater familiarity, partly because they focus more on individual relationships.

On the fantasy side, the story remains interesting, if a bit political. However, it weakens substantially at the end. I can't decide whether Hamilton got bored with aspects of the Edeard-Salrana relationship, or just made unusual choices. Either way, I disliked the effect, and liked Edeard substantially less as a result - this is problematic, since he's at the center of the entire story, and it's important that we admire him. Even when he takes advantage of "fix-it" magic, he doesn't go far enough.

Overall, a worthy successor to The Dreaming Void,, though I wish Hamilton had paid more attention to the ending and wrap-up.

The Centaurion Station, the base of the Void observation for countless millennia, is torn apart as the Raiel machines move to counter the Void's expansion. Justine, who is at the station as it is destroyed, makes a decision that will affect the whole of humanity; to enter the Void in an attempt to negotiate with the Skylord. Will the Second Dreamer be able to get her safe passage, even if it means exposing herself?

After rejecting the Skylord's offer Araminta now comes to the full realisation that she is indeed the Second Dreamer, the one Living Dream say is destined to lead them into the Void and the life they so desperately wish. However, along with this discovery Araminta now knows she is the target of everyone who wishes to use her to their own advantage. But she will not bow to the pressures put on her and is on the run, unsure where or who to turn to.

Paula is continuing her mission to track down Troblum who holds crucial information about the Accelerators and their plans. Desperate to get hard evidence, Paula tracks him down and comes to the very harsh realisation of how far the Accelerators are prepared to go to fulfill their plans. Meanwhile, the Ocisen Empire are on their way to Commonwealth space to enforce the threat they previously issued: cease the pilgrimage or face the consequences.

After his spectacular display of power and unwavering belief of what is right, Edeard now faces increasingly difficult obstacles in his bid to bring peace to Makkathran. With the gangs planning to undermine the Waterwalker he must stand for what he believes, even if it means unwanted political manoeuvring, and the events that take place in Makkathran lead down the path that will reveal the full potential of the Void.

Continuing from The Dreaming Void, The Temporal Void picks up events immediately following the revelations and keeps the sense of wonder and urgency we were left with. This helps in keeping the story going at a strong pace and it feels that all the groundwork laid in Dreaming is really starting to pay off.

The Commonwealth sections are particularly impressive. We still know what we were told in Dreaming - the Void is expanding, the Ocisens are one their way to stop the pilgrimage, the Second Dreamer knows she is communicating with the Skylord and many other things. What we are given is a situation that reached a climax and now the after effects are being felt. Throughout the whole of Temporal, the Commonwealth sections are consistently entertaining with a couple of nice surprises in there. There are also even less detours this time around which means we get a very nicely focused story.

The Void sections are just as enjoyably and Edeard's story continues in glorious fashion. We are now treated to a more confident Edeard and one who has gained both popularity and notoriety within Makkathran. His ideas are not something the council are used to and his stance against the criminals results in some interesting and page turning action. The powers within the Void exhibited by Edeard, both the ones he discovers and the ones he learns of through others, are amazing and go to show why so many Living Dream members want to pilgrimage to the Void.

This comes to the main revelation of the book: the true nature of the Void. Without giving anything away, the Void becomes a very appealing place to go to. It also effectively ties up that main sub plot, although I fully expect to see more of the Void in the last book with some very interesting things left hanging.

The characters carry through from Dreaming, but the Commonwealth ones do suffer a little in this volume, simply due to short time most of them are on the page. Where Dreaming was around a 60/40 split in favour of the Commonwealth, Temporal is 70/30 in favour of the Void. This gives a great follow through for Edeard and builds on what I think was the strongest element in Dreaming, and probably the strongest in Temporal too.

It's already been confirmed by Peter that The Evolutionary Void will return more to the Commonwealth, and with promises of it being larger again than Temporal I can barely wait the 18 months or so until its release. The setting up for Edeard's story done in Dreaming paid off very well in Temporal, but it feels that we're still awaiting that payoff for the Commonwealth and all the dangers now facing it.

There are a couple of bits that I wasn't entirely convinced about, but without giving away spoilers it's very difficult to put them into words. Nevertheless, these are small concerns that didn't affect my overall enjoyment. The format also follows the same principle of Dreaming - we get a chapter in the Commonwealth followed by another of Inigo's dreams of the Void. It works again this time around, although the size of the Void chapters can be huge, one coming to over a hundred pages.

The Temporal Void delivers a lot of what space opera is good for, just not in huge amounts. Who will enjoy it will depend very heavily on what they thought of Edeard's story in Dreaming - if it's something they loved (like me) then Temporal will make them very happy indeed. But if it was the plot they least enjoyed then Temporal may not live up to their expectations. Either way, the stage has been set for an action packed and very promising conclusion. Another highly recommended novel.

In The Dreaming Void, we were introduced to the Commonwealth nearly a millennium and a half after the events of Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained. A wide, diverse Commonwealth has exploded into numerous factions and polities, including the strange adherents of Living Dream, seeking a way into the physics-defying realm in the center of the galaxy. Book one was set up, introducing us to the characters, and allowing the reader to slowly start to piece things together. Old friends from the original duology,like Paula Myo, took their places along with Araminta, Mr. Bovey, Corrie-Lyn and many other new characters.

In the second book, Hamilton really sets them in motion. With the revelation of the identity of the mysterious Second Dreamer, much of the book is an extended cat and mouse chase sequence as Araminta seeks to escape the various forces that want to control her, destroy her, or worse.

In the meantime, we get to see much more of Edeard's life within the Void. Even more important--a key event in Edeard's life reveals once and for all just *why* it is so crucial, so important for the Living Dream adherents to get within the Void and live a life there. You didn't really think that the millions of Living Dream followers just wanted to live a medieval life, bereft of technology and gaining a few psionic powers, did you? In the Temporal Void, Hamilton reveals it--and it is a doozy. (For spoiler reasons, I am not revealing it).

But that last point shows the strength of Hamilton's writing when it comes to series. This middle volume sets us up for the finale, but does so without marking time. Again, Hamilton shows his increasing sense of balance in his writing. The Void Trilogy, while epic-sized at nearly 700 pages, is still tighter and more focused than previous novels Hamilton has wrote. He does seem to have gained increased control over his writing, much as Edeard refines his psionic abilities. Practice and skill allow the words to flow, and the plot and characters come to life in this middle volume of the trilogy.

I also have a personal, idiosyncratic theory that Hamilton wrote this trilogy to dip into the waters of fantasy. Edeard's adventures in Makkathran certainly feel like a fantasy story, and in this second volume, we switch from "callow boy makes his way to the big city" to a "political power, intrigue and police procedural with psionics in the big city". Its not all roses and champagne, Edeard's path is not easy or even clear. The consequences of power seems to be an emergent theme in this second book, both in Edeard's story and the universe at large.

Strong science fiction, amazing technology, a realm at the center of the galaxy which feels like psionic-fueled fantasy? Hamilton has managed a tricky balancing act for a second volume, and has come through with flying colors. I look forward to the third and final of the Void books, and so should you.

Like the first book in this series, The Dreaming Void, Temporal Void is really two stories folded into one, and with that, two very different writing styles. In one, you are following a complex roll out of a story in the Frank Herbert "Dune" style with many characters, plots within plots, multiple factions, weapons of unimaginable power (and means), all leading to the 3rd sequel. The other story follows Inigo's Dreams which follows one character from adolescence to adulthood. In fact, I find the dream sequence much more enjoyable to read since you don't find yourself shifting gears from paragraph to paragraph. I'm getting these books on loan through the Louisville Free Library. They give 14 days to complete, and frankly, it's a stretch to do it. These are long books. If you loan instead of buying plan on spending a lot of quality time immersed in them.

What a good scifi/space opera .Taking over where the Dreaming Void left off this book builds a lot of the story line that is resolved in the last book "The Evolutionary Void". Although much of the heavy lifting and plot exposition is done in the first book you can really relax and enjoy the previously created landscape of new worlds and ideas. Like his other books this too is arguably a bit long winded at times but it is enjoyable as Hamilton has an way with detail in worlds that are perfectly put together. As mentioned in a review for Dreaming Void unlike some writers Hamilton's story is so well engineered that the reader is never left wondering how they reached a particular plot point. In the end a great book that tells two separate stories, one following the main characters and the other world developed in the first book. In this book and the third, I think the secondary story is over emphasized but I still really enjoyed the different writing and storytelling styles that Hamilton utilizes.

***Spoiler Free Review***

I feel the Temporal Void does a decent job of continuing the story, advancing the plot, and setting the stage for the eventual climax. When I'm reading reviews of books I've yet to read my main question is, "Is this book worth reading?"

I would answer yes. It is on par with the first book and we get to meet more characters from Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained. As I said in my review of the Dreaming Void, it definitely helps if you've read those books since this book and the Evolutionary Void both reference those previous characters and plots.

Overall, this book is worth getting and the story is definitely worth reading. Basically, if you enjoyed the first book, second book won't disappoint.

The Commonwealth series and the Void Trilogy are such a treat! The very best in space opera that I have read in a long time. I suggest reading in that order and get the bundle set! The multi-verse that Peter Hamilton has created is vast, complex and always interesting. The science is futuristic and highly imaginative. The characters are many and varied and complicated and intertwined like a tapestry. The story line is full of intrigue and surprises and twists & turns. All I can say is WOW!

The Void continues its non-stop expansion in all directions from the galactic core leaving the entire galaxy in peril. In fact psychic usage by Edeard the Waterwalker from within the Void against evil forces has had a consequence of geometrically accelerating the pace of expansion. Now, the multi billions of worshipers of the Living Dream cult plan to enter the Void.

However, the alien Raiel are using warships to keep sentient beings out of the Void and those already inside to remain there. At the same time the Ocisen Empire and its newest ally the Primes have sent a space armada to destroy the earth and its insane inhabitants before the Living Dream can enter the Void. Meanwhile the ANA cyberspace human minds running the Earth are in the midst of a civil war. The cyborg Aaron has detained the First Dreamer Inigo, but has failed to capture the Second Dreamer Araminta while rumors of a Third Dreamer abound.

With a zillion things going on, readers will be better off reading the superb DREAMING VOID recently as Peter F. Hamilton provides an excellent but multifaceted science fiction thriller filled with several major subplots that the author interweaves into a cohesive story line. The cast is fully developed in and out of the Void and whether they are human or alien while some characters go back quite a way in the Hamilton galaxy. Fans of epic science fiction thrillers will want to read the 700 plus page middle tome of the Void trilogy.

Harriet Klausner

In the preceding novel, Dreaming Void, the reader was reintroduced to the Commonwealth universe 1,500 years after the conclusion on the Commonwealth Saga. The Void Trilogy started off loosely connected with that universe, only using some of the characters (namely NOT Ozzie and Nigel), some common lingo and a common history. While the parallel stories of 1) Edeard in the Void and the 2) the Commonwealth were of decent caliber, the lack of connections made the beginning of the Void Trilogy a disappointment as I was really enthusiastic about continuing the Commonwealth universe.

Now, in Temporal Void, the Commonwealth we know of 1,500 years ago in its history begins to rear its magnificent head. I can't be specific without crushing the surprises in store, but let's just say some names are peripherally dropped, which caused me to gasp with excitement and horror. The Commonwealth storyline definitely had some jumper cables attached to my heart. Even though it takes up only a third of the 746 pages novel, it's a train that's hard to stop. On the flipside is the Void storyline with Edeard, which takes up the remaining two-thirds. This story, too, is grossly involving as we follow Edeard through the ranks of the city police, on the trail of the criminals who inhabit the city and the evolution of his skills. The parallelism is fantastic as one story drives a diesel powered juggernaut and the other is a savage thorny blossoming flower.

Where, as reading the Dreaming Void, I was skeptical of the evolution of the Void Trilogy, after reading the Temporal Void I can now sense the very exciting new direction which Hamilton has endowed his latest saga. Thinking of the conspiracies lodged in my brain about how the Trilogy will continue is a simple but perverse pleasure as I try to read the mind of Hamilton. For this reader, it's T-minus five months until I can sink my teeth into the Evolutional Void. Trust me; I'm chompin' at the bit.

Enjoyable set of books with old favorite characters and themes from the previous series. This is book 2 of 3. By the last page of the last book (the next book) all important loose ends tied up, and connected if not fully explained. Justice served for almost everyone, bad guys getting what they deserve (except one who seems to get off a little light) and good guys getting positive justice also, indeed more justice for them than you might be expecting. Long books with great characters, science, fantasy, magic-realism and fiction. I would recommend the two books that precede this story and introduce the main characters. Not essential, but those books are also excellent, Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained. I'd call this enjoyable science fiction, rather than depressing, or hard, or fantasy. An interesting and exciting story set in the far far future.

After having been somewhat disappointed with the first volume in the Void trilogy, I'm pleased to say that the author is very much back to form with volume 2, "The Temporal Void". I do have some criticisms though, the major one being that the episodes about Edeard's rise to power in Makrathan are far too long and could have been considerably shortened. Having said that, they do seem to be better written and more focused than before but Edeard's story occupies about 70% of this book and that just seems too much. By comparison, the length of the Commonwealth part seems just about right in the context of the story so maybe this volume should have been shorter. Another general criticism applying to all the Commonwealth books is that surely it wouldn't be too hard to provide a cast of characters or something similar at the beginning. Given that these books only come out every 18 months it's sometimes hard to remember who everyone is.

The Dreaming Void finished with Araminta discovering that she is the second dreamer, Aaron having found Inigo and Edeard being hailed as the water walker. In this book, among other things, Paula Myo (always one of my favourite Commonwealth characters) follows a line of enquiry that leads to the accelerator faction in the Commonwealth, Justine seeks to get inside the void, Araminta is on the run from the Living Dream people and the Commonwealth navy send exploratory probes against the ships of the Ocisen empire who are planning to destroy the Living Dream ships before they can enter the void. The Commonwealth parts of the book absolutely sizzle with action and seem far better than in the Dreaming Void but as stated previously, the majority of this book deals with Edeard's continuing story and, although I found this part much less compelling than the Commonwealth episodes, you have to pay attention because there are some clues delivered about the void. Edeard's adventures did get quite repetitive at times, however, and I sometimes found myself skipping forward to see how many pages there were until the next Commonwealth interlude started.

Overall though I was quite happy and I think this is a comfortable four star effort. I hope, however, that there is more of the Commonwealth and less of the void in the final volume. This series seems to be an attempt to mix hard science fiction and fantasy and that doesn't work well in my opinion (I'm not a big fantasy fan though). Of course there will no doubt be a revelation in the final book that makes it all fit together better.

Those who have read others of Hamilton's books will not be disappointed: this is almost up to par (though with an ending that makes one worry for the continuation of the story: Hamilton has left himself an opening for a satisfactory resolution of the story, but the opening is small).
It goes without saying that the book should be read with its presently published companion (The Dreaming Void (The Void Trilogy)); let me here recommend that you forego buying any of the books until all three have been published: you'll want to read them all together if you like the first.

SOUL MAN

Peter Hamilton is arguably the current King of Space Operas. His Reality Dysfunction series delivered a product worthy of E.E. "Doc" Smith in scope, and an homage to Charles Dickens in spread. He has now embarked on another weighty trilogy in the Void series, currently two-thirds published.

Notable in these two hefty series is Hamilton's preoccupation with the notion of "souls" - their existence, survival, purpose and presumed effect on the living. It is also the greatest weakness of these otherwise outstanding sci-fi milestones. Having invented exciting and self-consistent scientific milieus, introduced revolutionary concepts such as "bitek" and "affinity," the narrative of Reality Dysfunction suffered from the anti-scientific central premise of souls gone wild and released upon the Universe by the cosmic coincidence of a trapped, but otherwise all-powerful alien, the Ly-Cilph. Predictably, the entire narrative stumbled on this central problem and the final resolution by means of another awkward and unconvincing deus ex machina of a "sleeping space god" left the reader flat.

It was therefore a pleasure and relief to experience Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained where science was untainted by quasi-religious fantasy, and where Hamilton's gift for inventing brilliant scientific milieus shines once more. Hearing that the "Void" series was to be a sequel excited the hope of a similarly science-grounded tour de force.

Alas, the "souls" just couldn't be kept down and came back with a vengeance in Dreaming Void, and even more so in Temporal Void. Sadly, as in motion pictures, sequels seem to fall flat in literature too. Not only do those pesky souls raise their ugly heads, Hamilton is seduced by the ease of populating his sequel with the same characters he created in Pandora and Judas, kept preserved by immortality - physical and digital - for millennia. It is nice to meet old friends, but it gets tiring after a while as they hop in and out of bodies. The new characters - such as they are - are the one-dimensional actors in the odd and uncomfortable medieval play-within-the-play of Makkathran within the Void. It is difficult not to see these "dream sequences" as space fillers, dragged out interminably, spiced with puerile teenage romps and jejune romances. Disturbing in the first volume, they have grown into endless tedium in the second. One fears that the inevitable deus ex machina will have to be trotted out - wait! Do I hear a Skylord? - to resolve the soul problem. More disappointment awaits in the hard-science aspects of the sequel. No new concepts are introduced, but the escalating conflicts between godlike factions demand escalations of their technology, with ever more powerful and stealthy vehicles and impossibly boosted characters who in their persons alone are capable of destroying entire planets. E.E. "Doc" Smith would be proud: his ever-higher "order of rays" in the course of volume after volume demanding the trumping of one side by another was the template for this technique.

Oh well. Hamilton is a brilliant writer and we can only hope that he will again turn his talents to the kind of writing we can enjoy in Dragonfall, Pandora and Judas and in those sections of his other works where the souls are kept at bay. Otherwise he is in danger of producing not a tour de force, but as in the Void series, a tour de farce.

The Temporal Void (2009) is the second SF novel in the Void Trilogy, following The Dreaming Void. In the previous volume, the Accelerator Faction manipulated the Commonwealth to gain their own postphysical dream. Then a Second Dreamer arose and released new dreams of the Void into the gaiafield.

The Second Dreamer was not aware of her identity. Yet the Living Dream organization sought to use her to gain access to the Void. The Ocisen Empire sent a fleet toward the Commonwealth to prevent the Living Dream migration into the Void.

In this novel, Edeard is a constable in the city of Makkathran within the Void. He is known as Waterwalker for his telekinetic ability to support himself on a calm body of water. He is planning on removing the gangs from Makkathran.

Inigo is the Void Dreamer. He is also the founder of Living Dream. He had disappeared seventy years ago.

Ethan is the Cleric Conservator of the Living Dream organization. He has recently gained his post, primarily by declaring that Living Dream will soon migrate to the Void. He sends paramilitary troops to Viota to capture the Second Dreamer.

Aaron is a special operative for an unknown ANA faction. He is charged with finding Inigo and bringing him back. Aaron is only aware of his next options when he completes the previous stage of his task.

Corrie-Lyn was Inigo's lover. Since his disappearance, she served on the Living Dream Cleric Council. Aaron persuaded her to go looking for Inigo.

Paula Myo is an agent for ANA:Governance. Centuries ago she had been an investigator within the Serious Crimes Directorate. The Starflyer War had only made her life more hectic.

Oscar Monroe is the Martyr. He had given his life to defeat the Starflyer. Centuries later he had been relifed. Now he is assisting Paula by finding the Second Dreamer.

Justine is the daughter of Gore Burnelli and mother of Kazimir, the Supreme Commander of the Commonwealth Navy. She is living near the Wall and observing the Void.

Marius is an agent of the Accelerator faction of ANA. He has provided Living Dream with Ultra drives and other services to promote their migration into the Void. He is probably going to ask a favor from them at some point.

The Delivery Man is an agent of the Conservative faction of ANA. Lately he has been doing some extra tasks, mostly checking on the actions of Marius.

Troblum is a physicist and a Starflyer collector. He has also worked secretly for the Accelerator faction. He has decided to vanish from the galaxy, but first he has to move his collection.

Araminta is a divorcee living in Colwyn City on Viotia. She has been refurbishing apartments and selling them to various buyers. She is involved with a multiple person, one mind and about fifty bodies. She is also the Second Dreamer. Araminta's last dream denied the Living Dream migration into the Void.

In this story, Justine is fleeing from Centurion Station as the Void expands. All the species on the planet are doing the same. She gains the Silverbird -- an Ultra drive starship -- just before the station starts to crumble.

As the Silverbird hovers above the planet, Justine decides to enter the Void itself to negotiate some sort of agreement with the Nucleus. She asks her father to announce her intentions and to beg assistance from the Second Dreamer. Gore broadcasts a call on Viota to request aid for his daughter.

Araminta returns to her apartment and hides from the Ellezelin paramilitary troops searching for her. Oscar and a few Knights Guardian team is also onplanet searching for her. The populace of Colwyn City are beginning to fight back against the invading troops.

Araminta observes Gore's plea and works out a way to dream to a Skylord to request their help without alerting Living Dream. She explains the presence of Justine and asks for her admittance into the Void. The Void extrudes a portal and takes Justine within itself.

Troblum visits Stubsy Florac on Sholapur. He calls Paula to tell her where to meet him. Then Cat lets him know that has taken control of the situation.

Paula is already present on Sholapur and arrives at the mansion soon after receiving Troblum's call. She is just is time to force Cat to flee and to allow Troblum to escape. All she is left with is the dead and dying.

Aaron, Inigo and Corrie-Lyn are in a ground crawler fleeing the imminent implosion of Hanko. The surface is breaking up, forming rifts in the ice. Eventually they come to a giant rift. Aaron gets out to examine the fissure and finds it to be a giant cliff. Then Inigo fires on the ledge and drops Aaron down the cliff.

Kazimir sends a River-class starship -- the Yenisey -- to deal with the Ocisen fleet. The ship crew pulls the Ocisen flagship from hyperspace. Then a spherical starship unveils and fires on the Yenisey.

Meanwhile, Edeard is fighting the gangs in Makkathran city. He soon discovers that some ruling families are involved with the gangs. Then he finds a girl that he wants to marry.

This tale features even more of Edeard's story within the Void. In the outside universe, the Living Dream finds themselves even more in debt to the Accelerator faction. ANA:Governance and the less disruptive factions are dismayed at the extent of the Accelerator conspiracy.

This story has the common traits of most meganovels. It has over 700 pages of narrative and a timeline. But it does not have a Dramatis Personae, a serious omission. The principal characters are listed above, but many more play their roles within this tale.

One begins to question the nature of the Void. The story interjects some unusual features inside of the huge singularity. Maybe it is a Firstlife postphysical reality.

Nonetheless, the plot is quite interesting. It twists and turns, with many unexpected events. The final volume of this trilogy is coming in 2010. Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Hamilton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of interstellar cultures, cultural diversity, and determined heroines.

-Arthur W. Jordin

This episode in the commonwealth series lacks some of the perfection that the previous three books contained. At the same time this book contains some of the most enjoyable and entertaining chapters in the series. It is still worth the read by all means but some sections will have you saying 'Yeah, yeah get on with it already'.

With the world becoming smaller it amazes me that there are not global release dates for more things. Since this book isn't due out in the US until Spring 09 I ordered from the UK site of the store.

If you like other books from Mr. Hamilton then you will love this book. The grand scope of most of his books is continued. The Waterwalker story is by far the most interesting part for me.

I read Temporal Void over a few days this Christmas, and have been looking forward to it since finishing Dreaming Void a year ago.

I wanted so much to give this 5 stars, in the end I rated it a 4 since the Commonwealth parts are well written and exciting, but it's barely a 4 and if I weren't such a fan of Hamilton's myriad of Commonwealth characters I'd have given it a 3.

My main issue is that the Void dreams of Edeards adventures are just far too long, as I recall at least two of them are about a hundred pages. I found myself reading the first dozen pages of each dream and counting the pages to the end of the chapter, seriously considering skipping them, I had to force myself the read these, a tragedy for a Hamilton fan. The dreams seem pedestrian compared to events outside the void, and are very slow at building the Waterwalker character in a rather predictable coming of age type of way.

Several things could have been incorporated in to the Commonwealth arcs of the story but seem to have been sacrificed for the dream arc to make this book about the same size as Dreaming Void. For example the greater population of the Commonwealth seem to be strangely unconcerned about an impending alien invasion to stop the Pilgrimage, and I would loved to have read more about how the Commonwealth has evolved since the Prime war.

I really like Hamilton's work, and hope Evolutionary Void is more satisfying then this. Of course, I'll still buy the book whatever.

Another excellent installment of the Commonwealth universe saga. There are really two universes in this book and different physics apply in each. The universe inside the "Void" leans towards fantasy, whereas the outside Commonwealth universe leans towards hard science fiction.

I do not like fantasy, however I did enjoyed the parts of the book that play inside the Void more. The reader knows that ultimately there will be an explanation for the way time and space behave inside the Void, and the fast paced story and well developed characters make it a joy to suspend disbelieve - for another 700 pages.

First, don't read this book before reading the Dreaming Void - you'll be lost.

I've read a lot of good books the past year, however, the story telling in this book was exceptional. The Dreaming Void was a great story too but this was even better. The Evolutionary void has a tough act to follow after this one.

As I said in the title, one perceived weakness keeps me from giving this AND The Dreaming Void before it a "5." I KNOW that he is a British author and would probably sound inauthentic if he tried to write using an 'American' idiom or without any noticeable accent or voice at all but it seems odd to me that a fictional world set about 1500 years in the future is dominated by people who use english slang. It is nitpicky but whenever someone uses the term 'arse' it sounds similar to when someone is playing a beautiful piano piece and purposefully hits a wrong note-loudly. It seems contrived. I am just curious if anyone else has noticed this in his novels before. Both books were good; I liked both the real world and the dream world in each. Well worth the read despite my niggling complaint.