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The Reality Dysfunction Part 2: Expansion

The Reality Dysfunction Part 2: Expansion

List Price: $6.99
Your Price: $6.29
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent! But too many characters...
Review: Arguably the only fresh idea in SF in the decade. Everything in the plot and in the science is imaginative and new. I only got lost because almost in every chapter there is a new character and we are not able to follow them through later. After the first volume I had the impression that I was reading the phone directory. After the second volume I felt frustrated because I did not know what happened with some characters that I admired. May be I should sit down and wait for volumes 3 and 4 and..

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I love this book!
Review: Having never read any of Peter Hamilton's other novels, and being rather new to the SF genre, it came as an amazing surprise to discover a story that enmeshed me so totally I could not put it down. I read the first part in two days, rushed to find the second part (which I had not realized existed), devoured that in a day and night, and almost wept when I realized I would have to wait to learn the fate of so many characters I came to care so much about. I have become a major fan of the author, such a wonderous story. I am definitely going to read his other works

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: I lept into this book with hope and I wasn't disappointed. It never laboured in all it's 1221pages, I couldn't put it down. Brutal, Frank, Complex, Realistic, Exciting, Imaginative, BRILLIANT. Characters to mourn the loss of, victories that have you saying "YES" aloud, horror, sadness, love and joy!!! And if Peter Hamilton is reading this: You've just gained an avid fan

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Well thought out; human experiance and the future of man.
Review: Mr Hamilton presents an interesting drama where there are two human mindsets/lifestyles set in the future. Suddenly all of Man finds out that there is more to life and death than was ever thought. Yet old visions and religions have hinted at it for thousands of years. And a new religion, a synthesis of all, is introduced

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: promising ideas, too long and little payoff
Review: I liked part 1 more than part 2. It's too long, though. I'd say this book could be one third the size and be 10x more enjoyable. There are just too many very, very long descriptions of situations, people, places and items which are just plain boring. I found myself skipping over these long interludes.

Also, I was disappointed in the end. Not because it didn't wrap everything up in a tidy little bundle, but because the thread he chose to resolve was the least interesting, in my opinion. There were lots of other threads that were completely unexplored. Perhaps the rest of them will be tied up or discussed more in future novels? I won't be reading them.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent Series, But Not For Everyone
Review: There are six books in Peter F. Hamilton's "Night's Dawn" series:

- "The Reality Dysfunction - Part 1: Emergence,"
- "The Reality Dysfunction - Part 2: Expansion,"
- "The Neutronium Alchemist - Part 1: Consolidation,"
- "The Neutronium Alchemist - Part 2: Conflict,"
- "The Naked God - Part 1: Flight," and
- "The Naked God - Part 2: Faith."

Be warned: you CANNOT read these books individually. They are, essentially, chapters in one whopping great book. If you like the first book, then you'll have to read the other five books in order. There's no tie-up of any sort between any of the books. The publisher just broke the story up because it totals over 3,000 pages. If you pick up a book before you've read all the previous books (in order), put it down. It won't mean anything to you. Since these books are entirely dependent on each other, I'm writing this review on the series as a whole, not on the individual books.

This is one of the greatest science fiction sagas written. It ranks up there with David Brin's "Uplift Saga." It is literally a story of good vs evil and shows some of the potential (and pitfalls) of the human race. Over the years, I've read the whole series five times, and I still love it. I really only have two gripes with the book. First, and this is unavoidable in what Hamilton is doing, the evil in the series is definitely, graphically evil. This is not a book where the villain twists his mustache and laughs "nyah hah hah" as he forecloses on the orphanage or ties the heroine to the railroad tracks. The writing is fairly graphic in a lot of places. After five readings, this gets a bit wearing. My second gripe is one which somewhat limits the audience of the series (even more so than the evilness presented, and it's why I've given the series four stars instead of five): there's too much sex and the writing about it is too graphic. This is a problem with all of Hamilton's books, but it seems more prevalent in this series. Because of this, I wouldn't recommend the book for your children to read. But, as long as you're aware of that, I highly recommend the series and give it 4 stars out of five.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: not bad but not great either
Review: i think the story was interesting ... its just that the ending was a huge letdown. Its building up to something huge, and nothing huge or interesting happens at all. At first i thought this was a 3 part series. Then i realized it was just a very lame ending. Seemed like maybe he got bored with writing it and just wanted to end it. Either that or there will be another set of books that continues this.

There were MANY areas of the story left un-explored. I'm hoping his other books fill them in, otherwise this 2 book series was a let down.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A walk through a universe beyond imagination
Review: This was even better than the first. The plot is more solid, more connected, and you begin to get a feeling for what the story is truely about.
The scope of this book was astonishing. You literaly span the galaxy, visiting places and meeting people so far beyond your wildest dreams..... It's incredible.
The characters begin to take a more concrete shape, forming more solid personalities and becoming more real. As this book unfolds, the mysteries left by the first start to make more sense, becoming a part of the story that fits tightly and perfectly.
The writting is just wonderful. It pulls you in, making you feel like you just have to know what happens next. You tell yourself that after you find out you'll stop, and then another unbelievable surprise hits you and you know it's hopeless. I finished this book in even less time then it took me to finish the first. I just couldn't put it down.
This book is an amazing epic all on it's own!
And just think! There are still more left to read!
The only thing I'm sorry about is that I didn't discover this series sooner!
One of the thing I like best is how unpredictable the story is. You never know what's next, or how it will happen. I just can't wait to find out!
A truely incredible story, and well worth reading. More than once!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Superb
Review: Just a quick review : Read this superb series, Its a must for any space opera fan.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Riverworld meets Space Opera
Review: Have you ever read a story and experienced a moment where you stopped seeing the words and started seeing the world through the eyes of the characters? That is what happened to me while reading "The Reality Dysfunction: Expansion." There is a wonderful space battle in this book that is worth the price of admission. And happily there are other reasons to recommend this book - lively characters, gripping battles, and loads of action make for major amounts of space opera fun.

Unfortunately, this is not a perfect book. The story can get longwinded at times. I often found myself wondering if the author was being paid by the word. But would the story be better if it was briefer? I'm not convinced. And I'm concerned that some of the better moments would be lost. And this book is sorely in need of an editor. Characters disappear for major stretches of the story, then reappear without a by your leave. It makes it difficult to follow the story at times. Weeks pass for some while hours pass for others. Very annoying.

But there are some wonderful moments and some fine concepts at work here. What would society be like if everyone could honestly share thoughts and emotions telepathically? Just how would your life be changed if you had proof of an afterlife? I think these are ideas worth exploring and expounding upon.

This is not heavy literature. It's modern, pulp science fiction. Written to be enjoyed.


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