Peter F. Hamilton's The Void Trilogy

[kcf]

So, I've got this copy of The Dreaming Void, but I haven't read the Commonwealth Saga. Is it a good place to start? Would I be missing to much? I notice that Robert enjoyed the book without having read the Commonwealth Saga.

[Werthead]

So, I've got this copy of The Dreaming Void, but I haven't read the Commonwealth Saga. Is it a good place to start? Would I be missing to much? I notice that Robert enjoyed the book without having read the Commonwealth Saga.

I'd say that it can (just) stand alone. There's a fair few references to the Commonwealth Saga and the significance of characters like Justine, Gore and Paula may elude readers new to the universe, but the story itself stands alone.

[Bastard of Godsgrace]

I agree it can be enjoyed as standalone, but you will be losing something, not knowing who People like Paula and Justine are and where they come from.

[williamjm]

So, I've got this copy of The Dreaming Void, but I haven't read the Commonwealth Saga. Is it a good place to start? Would I be missing to much? I notice that Robert enjoyed the book without having read the Commonwealth Saga.

I reckon you could probably follow the basic plot without reading the Commonwealth Saga, but it would definitely be better to read the CS first since there are so many references back to it and so many characters shared. It also completely spoils the entire plot of the CS if you're going to read that in the future. The Void Trilogy won't be concluded for a few years, so you've got plenty of time to read the CS before reading The Dreaming Void.

[Werthead]

PFH is writing the penultimate chapter of The Temporal Void. Apparently it's going down to the wire before he goes off on his signing tour of the USA.

However, it's looking pretty good that the book should sneak out just before the end of this year. Nice

[Lawrence]

Hmm.. time to jump on the Hamilton bandwagon it seems. If I get around to reading the Night Dawn trilogy and the Commonwealth Saga, I might be able to read this effort this year. I have two questions though:

- Is his "A Second Chance at Eden" any good once you finish the Night Dawn trilogy?

- Is "Misspent Youth" required for your understanding of the Commonwealth before you jump unto Pandora's Star?

Thanks a lot for answering.

[Werthead]

A Second Chance at Eden is not essential to understand The Night's Dawn Trilogy (it was published between the second and third volumes), although there aren't any spoilers for it and it may be useful to see some of the stuff that happened in the hundreds of years leading up to the NDT.

Whilst you should certainly read the Night's Dawn Trilogy as it's his best work, it is not set in the same universe as Commonwealth and Void. If you purely wanted to get the background in order to read The Temporal Void, you could get away with just reading the Commonwealth Saga duology (Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained) and The Dreaming Void.

[Maltaran]

Is the Dreaming Void out in paperback yet?

[caladanbrood]

May 2nd, the MMPB is due out

[williamjm]

- Is his "A Second Chance at Eden" any good once you finish the Night Dawn trilogy?

The stories in A Second Chance At Eden are reasonably good, although nothing special, although they do show that Hamilton can actually write a compact story. Aside from a few character (and spaceship) cameos from the Night's Dawn trilogy there's no that much connection between aSCaE and the ND books.

[Werthead]

One of the things that PFH excels at is the futuristic detective story, something he didn't really use in Night's Dawn, so it's interesting to see it in the same universe in the title story of A Second Chance at Eden. He also messes around a bit more with prose styles in the collection and uses different viewpoints. I wouldn't call it massively experimental or anything, but he does broaden his palette beyond what he normally uses.

Oh yeah, and Misspent Youth really has nothing to do with Commonwealth at all. It's set in the same universe but 300 years earlier. There is a grand total of one moment in Commonwealth that is given greater resonance by having read MY and it is totally irrelevant to the main plot.

[Lawrence]

Cheers guys for the answers, I think I will (for now) concentrate on getting the NDT and Commonwealth efforts (Pandora, Judas and the first of the Void). A Second Chance and Misspent Youth sound like a nice bonus, but not really mandatory reading.

[Maltaran]

The stories in A Second Chance At Eden are reasonably good, although nothing special, although they do show that Hamilton can actually write a compact story. Aside from a few character (and spaceship) cameos from the Night's Dawn trilogy there's no that much connection between aSCaE and the ND books.

Well, we do get to find out what happened to Marcus Calvert and the Lady Macbeth, but that's about it for plot relevance to the Night's Dawn books.

[Werthead]

Hamilton's US tour for the American publication of The Dreaming Void is about to kick off for those interested:

• April 10, Seattle, University bookstore
  
• April 11 Portland, Powell's Books (Cedar Hills Crossing)
  
• April 12 San Francisco, Writers with Drinks, at The Make-Out Room
  
• April 12 San Francisco, Boprderland Books, 866 Valencia St. @ 4pm
  
• April 13 Mountain View, CA, Books Inc
  
• April 14 San Diego, Mysterious Galaxy
  
• April 15 Salt Lake City, Barnes & Noble
  
• April 16 Detroit, Borders
  
• April 18 & 19 New York, Comic Con
  

He also confirmed on his website that he completed The Temporal Void a couple of weeks back. The last info on publishing is that if he'd finished by Easter, the book would definitely be out before the end of 2008. However, since he obviously overshot that by a few weeks, there seems to be a chance it'll slip into 2009. We should get a publishing date after he comes back from the USA.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Okay, I'm reading the Dreaming Void right now. Am I correct that the dreams we read in the book are the dreams Inigo's followers are using for their peak into the Void Microverse? If that's the case I don't understand why they would see the Void as heaven. There's some pretty bad stuff that happens to the people in the Void.

[Bastard of Godsgrace]

Okay, I'm reading the Dreaming Void right now. Am I correct that the dreams we read in the book are the dreams Inigo's followers are using for their peak into the Void Microverse? If that's the case I don't understand why they would see the Void as heaven. There's some pretty bad stuff that happens to the people in the Void.

Yes, that is what they are. Attraction does seem strange, but supposedly it will be better explained in the second volume (typical excuse in a series, I know).

[Werthead]

Okay, I'm reading the Dreaming Void right now. Am I correct that the dreams we read in the book are the dreams Inigo's followers are using for their peak into the Void Microverse? If that's the case I don't understand why they would see the Void as heaven. There's some pretty bad stuff that happens to the people in the Void.

Come back and read this spoiler after you've finished the book, as it hinges on the final climatic revelation (albeit one which is fricking obvious):

SPOILER: The Dreaming Void

In Inigo's dreams we see the Void as it was before the coming of the Waterwalker: violent, brutal, feudalistic. At the end of Book 1 Edeard becomes the Waterwalker. I gather that the over-arcing theme of Book 2 is seeing how Edeard kicks some serious ass and transforms the Void into the uber-paradise that everyone thinks it is. Fan speculation is that Edeard ends badly and the Void is plunged into chaos, and the reason why Inigo did a runner is because he didn't want to dash the hopes of billions of people about the Void.

[williamjm]

Okay, I'm reading the Dreaming Void right now. Am I correct that the dreams we read in the book are the dreams Inigo's followers are using for their peak into the Void Microverse? If that's the case I don't understand why they would see the Void as heaven. There's some pretty bad stuff that happens to the people in the Void.

We haven't seen all the dreams yet, so I'm assuming the later dreams gives us more information about why they think it is a paradise (I agree that although interesting the Void doesn't look much like a paradise at the moment).

I don't know if we'd heard an official release date for The Temporal Void before, but apparently it is going to be out on the 3rd of October 2008.

[Werthead]

We haven't seen all the dreams yet, so I'm assuming the later dreams gives us more information about why they think it is a paradise (I agree that although interesting the Void doesn't look much like a paradise at the moment).

I don't know if we'd heard an official release date for The Temporal Void before, but apparently it is going to be out on the 3rd of October 2008.

Interesting. Judas Unchained came out the same week as AFFC, so it would be cool (in a double-titanic hardcover purchase week kind of way) if Temporal Void came out at the same time as ADWD. Erm, except PFH got out another big book in the meantime ADWD probably won't have as many chapters about interior decoration, which balances things out.

Still, Temporal Void becomes my second-most-anticipated sequel of the year.

[williamjm]

ADWD probably won't have as many chapters about interior decoration, which balances things out.

That's hopefully true, unless Dany decides to redecorate her new palace.

I'm hoping Hamilton has left the property development plotline behind, although I know it's too much to hope for that he's left the bad sex scenes behind as well.