Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: War and Peace x 2 Review: Wow, what happened to Peter Hamilton? The first book in the series was great, the second was o.K., but this book is a bloody mess! I don't even know what I've read half the time, I was so confused. The author's switching of p.o.v. every other page made me completely space sick. I lost track of much of the action because of this hyper active story line. He should have stuck with 3 or 4 main characters, instead of a cast of thousands. "War and Peace" this is not. Plus, I can think of alot more scarrier villians than Al Capone. "ForgetAboutIt."
Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: A step down from earlier volumes Review: I was so eager for this book that at one point I considered ordering from the Amazon's UK site. Once I had the book, it took me a while to finish reading it. With the exception of a few exciting episodes, the plot moved nowhere for most of the book. Many characters introduced in earlier books had virtually no roles in the last book. That may be a good thing because many remaining characters did a lot, but contributed nothing in moving the plot forward. The Mortonridge incident turned into a quagmire literally and figuratively. The aliens, arguably the most fascinating aspect of the earlier books, again enlivened the story every time they appeared. Unfortunately, they only showed up for about 60 pages out of the hefty 900+ pages. Hamilton is really good when it comes to describing futuristic and space battles (the battle for Tanjuntic-RI is a primary example,) but for some reasons, he decided to waste so much of this book on whiny possessors.
Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: 5 stars for the first two book, don't bother with this one Review: The first two (4) books were quite good, and Hamilton is quite a good writer. But why develop such an interesting universe and bring a less-than -believable character like Al Capone into the plot? And why dwell on him so much - if there must be some type of historical figure, why not someone who has been known to actually lead nations or empires rather than a gangster? Al's character was absurdly ludicrous - almost as if it were being set up for a really bad sci-fi movie. And the ending was just weird - would have rather left the whole plot hanging with no solution than the way it wrapped up. Credit goes to Hamilton for creating an excellent space opera though - in the class of the uplift, dune, and hyperion series.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Excellent close to an excellent series Review: I eagerly awaited each of the books in this series, and was so excited to read the conclusion, I purchased the hardback version - something I rarely do. Although the conclusion almost felt like a let down, this was mostly due to the fact that I wanted the series to continue. I have never read a science fiction book that captured a reader's interest in the characters so well (except perhaps for Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - though that was very different). Most amazing is the background of the universe - without going into a lot of detail, Hamilton managed to flesh out a very deep universe, that you could not only still relate to, but seems to be quite possible. If the future looks like Hamilton paints it, I wish I could visit, and I enjoyed the time Hamilton gave us.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Great read Review: After finishing this last book, I want to have more and more. Sure, the ending could have been better, but If you look at the whole series it has been a great read.
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: dissapointed Review: i was deeply dissapointed with this final installment. that probably puts me in the minority. i was so anxious to read The Naked God, i couldn't wait until it was released here in the States and ordered it directly from amazon.com.uk. maybe i'm being naive. after the first two books, how could hamilton top himself? but, i felt hamilton made some peculiar choices that adversely effected the overall series continuity. and these choices prevented me from enjoying this book fully. for example, why did hamilton dwell on so many minor characters from the first books? what happened to major characters like ione and syrinx? they were relegated to bit parts, as were others. and, what of bitek and affinity and edenism? the first books deeply explored these concepts in ways that brought real wonder to my mind. and hamilton did little to advance our understanding of them in this final installment. the possessed lost their ability to terrorize, not to mention their ability to withstand whatever the confederation could throw at them. unstoppable earlier, they seemed easily stopped here. and of all the billions of billions of lost souls, didn't anyone else find it a mighty coincidence that recently deceased souls took possession and ran into people they knew? almost like, "oh it's you again." you'd think some of those souls yearning-to-be-free for centuries might cut to the head of the line. finally, the whole capone thing just got tired. introducing capone was a cute gimmick, but centering the better part of the final book around him was a bit much. like others, the ending was just a little too neat for my taste. more like fantasy than science fiction. and, geez, the thing needed a good proofreading. still, hamilton is as good a sci fi writer as there is today, and i'm looking forward to whatever he does in the future.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Peter Hamilton's "The Reality Dysfunction" Review: Great series! Captivating and exciting to read. A ton of characters from ancient times to modern times. One of the best series I have read to date.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Great series, great finalé! Review: I was a little worried about how things were going to be wrapped-up but I need not worry. The whole series was a great science-fiction read and this book never became dull while reading. Yeah, there are some typos but get over it! Read and move on, don't dwell on silly things! Again, really good book and series.
Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: The Naked God - A Proofreader's Nightmare Review: I am a big fan of Peter F. Hamilton. After reading the first two novels in this series, even though it was really four novels, the publisher's ploy of releasing the book in hardcover worked on me. I snapped up a copy of the book as soon as it became available. I should have waited. While I enjoyed the story, and thought the writing was as crisp as ever, I was disheartened by the amazing number of proofing errors I found. Nearly every page had at least one, and many had more. While I would otherwise give this book a wholehearted recommendation, I would hesitate to suggest to any but the most impatient reader that he spend his hard-earned money until a new, and hopefully corrected, edition becomes available.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: What a ride... Review: What else can I say? The author has taken us on a ride of beyond epic proportions and I am reeling from the experience. It is 6:00 AM of which I spent all of the previous day and night finishing the book. Unlike some I was satisfied by the ending. I think that he tied up the multi-faceted plot with extreme finesse. And the fact that I was left wanting more shows that the characters and ideas presented within will stay with me for a long time. Seriously, considering all the ground that was covered (good and evil religion, ethics, death, wonderment, evolution, pure science, collective conscience, aliens, and love) the ending was fitting. You couldn't spend better time than reading this series. I am left with a void that I'm not sure any current author can fill!
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