The Dreaming Void: Void Trilogy, Book 1

The dust jacket proclaims, "The year is 3589, fifteen hundred years after Commonwealth forces barely staved off human extinction in a war against the alien Prime". The arithmetic is flawed ("Judas Unchained" was circa 2380, so about 1200 years have elapsed), but Hamilton's story-telling, character development, and world-building are virtually flawless.After a prologue introducing Inigo and the mysterious Void, which is being studied by the ancient Raiel race, Commonwealth humans, and a number of alien races at Centurion Station near the galactic center, the story alternates between the main time sequence following various Commonwealth characters, and chapters detailing Inigo's past "dreams" of apparently medieval humans. As the story unfolds, it is soon revealed that Inigo's "dreams", which have been recorded and shared with millions of other humans through the gaiafield (a kind of telepathic network enhancement that many have chosen for themselves), are believed to originate from the Void and to chronicle actual life inside the Void. Millions of humans believe life inside the Void to be idyllic -- a religion, the Living Dream, grows around this belief, culminating in a plan for a mass Pilgrimage into the Void.In conflict with the Living Dreamers are the Raiel, at least one faction of the human-created non-physical intelligence ANA, and an alien race called the Ocisen Empire. The Raiel have been struggling against the Void for a million years, having seen the Void expand and devour countless inhabited worlds, and they expect that a Pilgrimage could trigger another deadly expansion. The Living Dream Pilgrimage, if not stopped, may cause the destruction of the galaxy. But the Living Dream religion persists, and ANA:Governance, controller of the immensely powerful Navy (a military force which has grown in power since defeating the Prime in "Judas Unchained"), seems inclined to protect the Living Dreamers from outside influence or attack.A number of characters are introduced, both in Inigo's dream chapters, and in the Commonwealth chapters. Aaron is searching for Inigo (who has disappeared sometime after having his famous dreams), but he does not know why or who sent him, and he seems strangely accepting of the mission script he is following as it is gradually revealed to him. Edeard is an orphan boy from Inigo's dream who is trying to find his place in a world that is both hostile to him and able to be shaped by his telepathic powers. In the Commonwealth where technology can be employed to keep one's body fit and perfect, Troblum is a physicist who is extremely fat, a collector of memorabilia from the Starflyer war, and gifted at creating advanced technology and weapons for whoever is willing to feed his obsessions. Araminta is a young, ambitious first-life woman who is trying to start a property-development business herself after a divorce, but her adventures are just beginning.Justine, Paula, and Oscar from the Commonwealth Saga also have storylines, and there are appearances by several other characters from the Commonwealth Saga. Commonwealth Saga characters notably absent from "The Dreaming Void" are the alien Silfen, any escaped alien Prime, the SI (sentient intelligence), the Bose motile, and Nigel and Ozzie (although Ozzie has apparently become a common swear word).There is a timeline at the end of the book that provides a number of helpful historical references to fill in some of the events between the end of the Commonwealth Saga and the events in "The Dreaming Void". For example, "2833--Completion of ANA first stage on Earth; Grand Family members begin memory download into ANA rather than to SI....3001--Ozzie produces uniform neural entanglement effect known as the gaiafield." There are no significant spoilers in the timeline, and since Hamilton does not fill in all the details in the narrative, it may be helpful to read the timeline before beginning the novel.While there are at least 9 viewpoints running simultaneously in "The Dreaming Void", I did not find myself bored by any of them. In contrast, I frequently skipped over various uninteresting viewpoints in Hamilton's Nightsdawn trilogy. Hamilton has done an excellent job of choosing the viewpoint characters in "The Dreaming Void", balancing the action between them, and keeping all of them relevant and interesting. I appreciate that Hamilton has not spent many words summarizing events from the Commonwealth Saga, since that would merely bore readers who are familiar with those events, and probably not help those who have never read those books. Also, since this is not strictly a sequel (1200 years have passed and the most important characters are new), I suspect that it can stand on its own for someone who has not read the previous books. However, as expected in the first book of a trilogy, "The Dreaming Void" does leave quite a few plot lines hanging at the end. If I had not already read the Commonwealth Saga books, I am sure I would feel compelled to read them while waiting for the next Void Trilogy book to be released.

This science fiction novel follows up on the author's Commonwealth Saga, set 1,200 years after the conclusion of the final book in that series, Judas Unchained. While it is not strictly necessary to have read the prior two books, since immortality essentially exists in this future, the books contain many common characters and story threads despite the passage of many centuries.Having read the Commonwealth Saga as well as the author's tour de force Night's Dawn series, I can safely say that Peter Hamilton is one of the most original, imaginative science fiction writers I have ever read. Let's face it, when you are writing about events 2,000 years into the future, you'd BETTER be imaginative or you run the risk of looking silly.In this Hamilton epic, the Commonwealth has expanded and evolved, circumnavigating the galaxy, discovering many new sentient species AND a phenomenon referred to as The Void, a micro-universe, protected by an event horizon. One human has managed to pass into The Void and return, setting off a religious awakening called The Living Dream. The adherents of this religion wish to undertake a mass pilgrimage into the Void, potentially setting off a chain of events which could lead to destruction of the known universe. Mayhem predictably ensues as different human and alien factions position themselves in an attempt at self preservation.My only complaint concerning Hamilton's work is that it is just too long. It is not the mere fact of the extreme page count (the Night's Dawn series weighs in at 3,000 pages) that bothers me, as I read many very enjoyable door stops. The problem with the length of Hamilton's books is that their mere length actually waters down the strength of his work, his originality. At times I am stunned by many of his technological concepts and societal constructs. However, after being introduced to and becoming familiar with them, after a time they become second nature. The sad fact is, the underlying stories in Hamilton's work are simply not strong enough to keep the reader's interest at the high level attained early in the book.The typical Hamilton experience proceeds as follows: A period of acclimation, during which the reader is exposed to numerous story threads and concepts. Given the length and complexity of the work, this can consume as much as a couple hundred pages before a comfort level is achieved. Then you have several hundred pages of outstanding reading experience as you are entertained and amazed by the world of wonders that Hamilton has presented. Unfortunately, as this second stage comes to a gradual conclusion, you notice that there are many hundreds of pages remaining. The last third of the book is never as enjoyable as the first two thirds. Shorten the work and you intensify the experience, like boiling down a weak, watery broth to a hearty, thick stew.As this is the first of three 700 page books in the series, it is too early to tell if it will prove to be similar to my first two Hamilton experiences, but so far so good. After a couple hundred pages of introduction into various story threads, the last 2/3 of this, the first book, was outstanding. The fact that it actually follows up on the earlier Commonwealth Saga made the early stages more comfortable and easier to get into. Here's hoping that the story doesn't get old midway through the next book.

I love love love Peter F. Hamilton's work. All of his books are space opera of the grandest, most wonderful style. I wasn't sure what to make of the backstory to this; that the centre of the galaxy isn't a supermassive black hole, but a huge void, a black sphere that sucks in or destroys everything that touches it. Somehow I felt that the scale of a structure that size kinda ran away with the author. IT's easy to imagine a sphere, all that nice curvature heading off in every direction, but to imagine a sphere that's 200 light years across is just.... well.. mind boggling, you just can't do it... There's nothing which is remotely the same scale...So it's with a massive dose of suspension of disbelief that I read through the first book, and as usual Mr. H pulls it off with beautiful style and imagery. All myu favourite players are back from his other books, and it's a gorgeous symphony of stories set in and out of the void itself.This is going to be an irresistable series!

Hamilton writes some very big books - often in trilogies. So if you buy this book you will have to wade through another 1600 pages in the rest of the trilogy. Having done so I don't think the trip was worth it. Nothing very much happens in book three, and then it ends.Typically, there are many sub plots and minor characters dealt with in some detail. Later, when you have completely forgotten about them, they come back to highten the suspense or tie up loose ends. In this trilogy, I didn't find the characters so engaging that I ever got interested in their story sufficiently to remember them when they reappeared. I was often confused by the reapearences.This trilogy is set in the same "Commonwealth" universe as Pandora's Star where humans are essentially cyborgs often with Borg-like powers. Trouble is, he's been and done all that before and I didn't see the need for another 2500 pages of HUD (Head Up Display) characters solving problems by playing their own internal computer games. Further, this book might have been enjoyable without previously reading the other trilogy but it wasn't. There were far to many references to people and events that were detailed or presumed to have happened in the other books. These became distracting. 1200 years had passed and the plot didn't need the history lesson nor the characters carried forward. I would have been beter to set it in an new universe, after all the author isn't above using 800 pages to set the stage for the next two books.This is the best of the three and if you were looking to choose I'd start and finish with Pandora's Star and that trilogy.I read this on a Kindle and the transcription/porting is fine, no spelling mistakes that recall.In conclusion, the best of a lifeless trilogy.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the commonwealth saga, I went into this with high expectations and the hope that this follow up would be at least half as good. I needn't have worried, as this sets a new standard!The story set some 1300 years further on is encapsulating and weaves an enthralling tale that delivers science fiction and fantasy in equal measure whilst still delivering a grounded verisimilitude in its rich culture, environments and characters. Extrapolated so much further along the timeline of this universe, we see the human race striving to attain an enlightened apex and the existential questions that the 'void' introduces. That along with some stylish action and romance, the purchase of the second book became a formality. There were no more pages to turn and I needed to read more.Fantastic story telling!

This book is the first volume in Peter Hamilton's Void trilogy, continued by The Temporal Void, and The Evolutionary Void. Be warned, however, that these three novels are more like the volumes of one single work. The Dreaming Void has no ending to speak of. It finishes in mid action, or at least on a cliff-hanger, so that if you begin this, you are committing to the 2,000+ pages of the trilogy.That said, the pace is quite fast and the reading far from dense, so that this goes by quickly. The Dreaming Void has a large cast of characters, letting the reader switch from one side of the action to another. And it sets alongside two main plots: one taking place in an advanced technological future located in the thirty-sixth century, and the other in the atemporal void, on a pseudo-medieval fantasy world. What I like about the void series, though, is that it offers a positive vision of the future. In a sense, it is a return to the heroic era of science fiction, and it stands far from the gloomy dystopias that have become fashionable today. Humans live very long, for centuries and even millennia. Their biological functions are enhanced. They interface, mostly in a civilised manner, with equally advanced aliens. They eventually download into a virtual life. And though they have mastered space travel, they remain centred on Earth, which has survived. One character is even based in London. So Hamilton's portrait of the future is rich and imaginative, yet still beset by the conflicts, political, religious, and psychological, to drive a thick and lively plot. Though the second instalment in the series flags a little, the Void trilogy is well worth reading.

Much to my wife's frustration, I have always enjoyed a thick dollop of space opera. And really, really loved the Night's Dawn trilogy that Hamilton wrote a few years back. Great story coupled with fun ideas. But it did go on a bit.Then he got even more prolix with the Judas Unchained and Pandora's Star (forgive me if I got the titles wrong). And this new one, this Dreaming Void, is also too long. I think part of his problem is that he always puts in one storyline too many. Probably needs a more robust editor. Anyway, the new book.The plots are too complex to explain simply, but don't pay too much attention to the blurb on the back. The very very brief version is: mysterious Void sat in the middle of the galaxy, this chap Inigo (regrettebly at no point does he say, "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. Prepare to die") has dreams of life inside the Void - in which we follow the travails of Edeard, a young man making his way in a mediaevalesque society. Inigo then vanishes, and followers of his religion decide to mount a pilgramage to the void. Which lots of other people think will be a really bad idea because it could be the end of life, the universe and everything.The main problem with it is that it's too long, again. If he carries on at this length, the final trilogy will be two and a half thousand pages. There's too much going on, some rather dodgy sex scenes, and the whole thing just isn't as enjoyable or as readable now as Alistair Reynolds.That said, it rattles along, is fun and if you liked Night's Dawn and like people charging round the universe trying to prevent everything going horribly wrong, then this might be for you.One final plea: can he please, please stop using the word "lambent". Yes, it's a clever word, but you are the only author I have ever read who uses it, and it would work far better if you dropped it in once every other book rather than three times in the first hundred pages. I thank you.