Pandora's Star

As a huge fan of hard science fiction, I had always heard this book was somewhat the impetus for the modern genre. Now that I have finally read this juggernaut, I can say that it lives up to the hype.If you are new to hard science fiction novels, I wouldn't recommend this as an entry point. While the author does a really good job at framing and explaining conceptual theories, he also doesn't spoonfeed the reader; it helps to have a baseline. So if you're dipping your toes for the first time, it may be a bit overwhelming.For those with a more experienced palate, this book has a lot to offer. It's not as fast-paced as the terrific Revelation Space series by Alistair Reynolds, or as wonderfully strange as Iain Banks' Culture, but it's damn good and carves its own unique niches. The book focuses on a distant alien threat, and whether to use military and technological means to exploit it. It also has several intertwining storylines that all culminate together at some point or another. In addition to this, the author has developed an entire fictional political system that serves as an interesting backdrop on how society should tackle the different problems it faces throughout the book.While the story is part alien invasion, part noir detective, part cyberpunk, and part wilderness survival (amongst others), there are many themes prevalent: immortality, climate politics, technology dependence, the disparity between social classes, and mass media manipulation to name a few.Like Alistair Reynolds, Peter Hamilton throws a lot of theoretical physics at the reader that bolsters the storyline's authenticity. Also like Reynolds, Hamilton eases you into it and does a good job of explaining high-concept science, without making you feel like an idiot. The story can move slowly, but when it's at its best, it is exciting, suspenseful, and riveting. 5 out of 5 stars, can't wait to start the sequel.

Peter F. Hamilton weaves a tale that makes the reader feels as if you are floating along on a stream in a small boat, just enjoying the scenery around you. The phrasing of details is a bit inconsistent at times, from extremely imaginative and visual to dauntingly tedious, but it's clear that Hamilton was working on the pacing of the novel throughout, and inconsistencies in the grammar and perspective may have been due to the sheer size of the novel and, presumably, the long time it took the author to write it.No doubt about it, there are numerous grammatical errors through the volume, some minor infractions, and some outright egregious flaws that should not have gone to print. During the first third, they are so numerous as to be distracting--wrecking suspension of disbelief on many a page. But the latter half seems to have been edited properly and is less distracting.As for the story itself, it is comprised of a half dozen individual plots, that seem to co-exist but which do not inter-weave, and are instead independent stories revolving around the central theme of the Starflying and the Prime invasion.There were many times when I wish the story would just get GOING, where I became irritated with the narrative and began skipping whole pages to find something of value. There's a lot of fluff and filler in these 988 pages, at least 25% I would estimate, which is a good 200 pages or so of nonsense in the midst of the story, as if Hamilton was shooting for a certain page count. Honestly, the book should have been divided up so he could finish it properly and move on to the next, making this and Judas Unchained into a longer series. The premise was good enough to warrant 4-6 books. But one would expect solid writing, no fluff, no filler, no long, drawn-out, windy, ridiculous narratives that do nothing for the story.That being said, the remarkable thing about this story is how the scenes jump off the page right into your mind and continue to flow once you get into a good pace when reading. Aside from several places where I could not tolerate it and had to skip many pages, the story is fantastic sci-fi that I completely enjoyed, and look forward to the sequel.Incidentally, I came back to this after first reading The Dreaming Void, that being my first Hamilton novel. I'm looking forward to finishing the sequel in order to resume the Void trilogy.1. Pandora's Star2. Judas Unchained3. Dreaming Void4. Temporal Void5. Evolutionary Void

One of the best sci-fi books ever. So many great characters and cool technologies. Nice interwoven stories and good character development. Can’t wait to ready the next one

Huge cast and epically complex storylines, one of the best sci-fi I've read in a while. Great mix of world/galaxy building and who-dunnit. Lots of twists and interesting perspectives. Looking forward to reading more of Hamilton's books.

Hamilton isn’t sparse with words, but he crafts a fantastic tale. The various storylines weave together into a brilliant story that will have you coming back for the next chapter. Enjoyed this thoroughly!

De boeken worden zonder beschermend materiaal bezorgd, dit zorgt ervoor dat ze beschadigd aankomen.

Irgendwie gut. Das Buch ist lang und ich habe öfters das lesen unterbrochen. Irgendwie hat es aber doch viele interesante Ideen und ich habe die Reise immer wieder aufgenommen. Am Ende war ich zufrieden, in dieses Universum eingetaucht zu sein, und habe bereits den Folgeband gekauft.

A very rich universeMany interesting characters in crossing storiesA breathtaking book that leaves you waiting for the next opus

A fantastic novel by Peter F. Hamilton. The first book of the commonwealth series.

Never having read any of Peter Hamilton’s books before I was not sure what to expect. This book blew me away with the vast complex universe of the Commonwealth, the twists and turns of the storyline and the nail biting tension of the climax. This is classic sci-fit at its best.