The Void Trilogy

  The Void Trilogy is really a sequel to Hamilton's earlier Commonwealth series and should be read only after reading those earlier books--starting with Pandora's Star.

 So it's 1500 years after the Starflyer War, and the Commonwealth is a very different entity from the rich mans paradise that existed in the previous novels.  Humanity has spread far into the galaxy, and in the process splintered into various factions, each with their own idea of how mankind should evolve.  Colony ships have passed beyond the known regions of space, but little to no contact has occurred between them and the remaining Commonwealth.

 One artifact that humanity has stumbled across is the Void, an expanding region of space which consumes all in its path. As it turns out the Void has existed for millions of years, with countless species encountering it, fearing it, and studying it so that they might stop its growth.  One species particular has devoted itself to the destruction of the Void, having launched a failed war against it millions of years past, and now guarding its borders so that none may enter.

Then a human named Indigo, while visiting the boundary of the Void, begins to dream of a world without technology, whose human inhabitants are able to shape the world around them with their thoughts. He shares his dream with Gaiafield, a sort of mental network for sharing feelings and experiences, and soon it is realized he is dreaming of a human population actually living within the Void.

 This sets off a series of events that eventually lead to a sizable portion of humanity deciding that they wish to enter the Void.  Most alien races are opposed, and the border guardians in particular have no intention of letting anyone enter, for it is believed that this would trigger a huge Void expansion-- eventually leading to the destruction of the entire galaxy if left unchecked.



  One thing of note about this series is that a significant chunk of it takes place within the Void, in what would traditionally be labeled a fantasy setting.  It tells the story of Indigo's dreams, for he dreams of a young man whose story is something of a heroes journey.  Probably something like 30-40% of the series is dedicated to this story.  It is very well done though, and does tie in nicely with the science fiction story taking place outside the Void.


 Overall I feel that this was a nice improvement over his first Commonwealth series(which was already excellent).  The pacing is much improved(particularly over Judas Unchained), and the characters are all interesting.  And yes, some old characters do make appearances, even the SI eventually shows up.

 9.2/10

The Commonwealth Saga

  This is a giant space opera by Peter Hamilton, although only two novels(Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained), each one packs near 1000 pages.

 The story builds, and builds, and keeps on building-- Hamilton describes a future humanity spread out among the stars via wormholes, with hundreds of inhabited worlds and immortality for any that can afford it.  Pretty depressing to still see such a capitalistic society.

 Yet for all the distance mankind has come from Earth, few aliens have been encountered, and none with any galaxy spanning civilization.

 Enter Dudley Bose, an astronomer watching the night sky, he records two distant stars as the suddenly go dark(On/Off star from Deepness in the Sky anyone?).  Scientists in the commonwealth decide that the only thing capable of causing such an event would be an advanced civilization-- leading to the decision to send a ship 1000 light years to investigate.


+Incredibly detailed galaxy, Hamilton creates many interesting worlds
+Plot that builds and builds, with strong control by Hamilton

-Juda's Unchained, the 2nd novel is weaker than Pandora's Star.  At times it devolves from space opera into much ado about police investigation.
-The ending is too drawn out



 9.0/10

Night Angel Trilogy

The "Night Angel Trilogy" is the debut series for Brent Weeks, it is a fairly traditional fantasy story bent toward action.

 The central character is Kylar, yet another young street beggar-- scraping by to pay his guild dues.  Kylar encounters Durzo, a famous assassin in his city, and eventually becomes his apprentice.  Soon enough Kylar goes forth to slay countless foes.


+It doesn't hold back, no PG rating here.  Kylar is an assassin and he doesn't magically avoid killing the innocent.
+Action is well done, and plenty of it

-Writing isn't of the highest caliber, if Weeks could improve his prose some he would be one hell of an author.
-The ending for the series didn't work for me, too much voodoo and magical nonsense.
-Some of the secondary characters would go through some pretty dull character arcs(Logan in book 1 and book 3).


8.8/10