Rating: 
Summary: It's an ending
Review: This isn't so much a review as a reflection. After all, if you've read up to this point in the series, you're going to buy the book. Overall, I liked it. Hamilton is an inventive author with a talent for keeping a huge cast of characters moving around without causing too much confusion for the reader (which really is a talent -- compare Jablokov's _Deepdrive_). The story certainly had its high points and he even managed to pull off a few surprises here and again (which is a feat for the last book in a trilogy when most authors have played the majority of cards from their hands). Any yet, the ending. I realized, from the title, that I should expect something of a deus ex machina -- but I never expected something so, purile. Really, it was utterly disappointing. That doesn't negate all the good qualities of the stories that lead up to it but, geez, I expected something better than that. C'est la vie. Like I said, if you read this far, I can't imagine that anything with disuade you from reading this novel. Hell, I'd still recommend it just because it does contain a lot of good points and, overall, it's enjoyable to read. Just be prepared for an ending that will leave you scratching your head. Maybe if you lower your expectations enough, it'll even seem half-way descent once you get to it -- but I wouldn't bet on that. Final note to the publisher: I realize that this is a big book and that you wanted to get it out ASAP, but the proof-reading really left something to be desired. By the last third of the novel I was coming across obvious errors at a pace of once every fifteen to twenty-five pages, including a few that a dirt-stupid spellchecker should have identified.
Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous ending to a fabulous series!
Review: THERE ARE *NO* SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW Well, geez, what is there to say at this point? You've either read the four previous novels in the series, liked 'em and are going to try The Naked God, OR you've hung it up at this point. The Naked God is written in precisely the same style as the four earlier novels in the series. As a result, if you loved the series so far, The Naked God will not disappoint. Oh, I suppose lots of people won't like how all the loose ends are tied up (we all ARE individuals after all with individual tastes), but I found it to be quite satisfactory. One thing I expected was the dreaded "time distortion" effect you find in so many novels out there--where there's an even level of detail and pacing throughout the book, and as the end approaches... WHAM! everything's tied up all nice and neat in a page or two--it's like the author, after spending two years writing realizes his deadline is a week away. Refreshingly, this does not occur in Hamilton's The Naked God. I would guess that the actual "ending" (that is the tying up of loose ends and the explanations that go with it) comprise approximately 100 pages or so. A nice level of detail which I believe necessary given the intricacy of the plot lines and the level of mystery throughout. Bottom line: Too bad it has to end!
Rating: 
Summary: A bizarre mishmash of good and bad
Review: Don't get me wrong - I love the background of this trilogy, he is a superb world-builder, for other fantastic examples of his work take a look at his Greg Mandel books, especially "The Nano Flower", a truly awesome piece of work. The Naked God, and the books that came before it are so hit and miss. There are superb underlying concepts...but the actual plotline? Well it verges on the puerile. While I find the confederation characters well designed and believable, the whole premise of say, Al Capone setting up a multi-planetary organization run by possessed souls is frankly, unbelievably stupid. It's such a shame, this rich background could be successfully applied to so many better plot backdrops. The one that it is associated with, more appropriately belongs in a schoolkids comprehension essay rather than in a serious work of SF. Do I recommend this book? Well it still has its high points - but take it from me, you WILL be disappointed by the ending. It kind of makes all the interwoven threads of the story, however skillfully crafted, an absolute waste of time.
Rating: 
Summary: The end of the rollercoaster
Review: This is a splendid book. Well, it had to be. Anyone who ploughed through the first two volumes of this trilogy are by now so keen on Hamilton's writings that the third volume could not fail to please. If you are reading this review and have not yet embarked on volume one then I urge you to do so. This is excellent work and beats other writers of space opera - Donaldson springs to mind - hands down. Tops the Culture in my opinion too. The only real downside is that inevitably in the last volume the loose ends are tied up, happy and sad endings are accomplished and there is a general feeling that the best and most exciting reading has gone before. This is the end of the rollercoaster and the highest pinnacle has already been climbed. But then again, what else can a writer do?
Rating:
Summary: not as good as I'd hoped
Review: Obviously this is a must read for anyone who is following the series. That said, it's probably the least engaging of the lot. It lacks the flair and inventiveness of the previous volumes preferring instead, to plod along in a very workmanlike fashion to an unsatisfying conclusion. I even confess to being mystified as to how the sleeping god was transmogrified into the naked god (unless of course, s(he) was sleeping naked <grin>). Overall I found that too many of the (very interesting) conflicts that Mr Hamilton spent quite a bit of time setting up in the previous volumes were disposed of a bit too casually for my taste. I'm left wondering whether he had a change of heart mid-stream and re-focussed the work or just wanted to get it over with and get on with writing something different. I'm not going to dwell on the deux ex machina cop out finale however focus on some aspects of this work that left me sorely vexed. I found there was a little too much attention paid to inter-possessed conflicts, almost as if I were being asked to sympathise with some of them. There's the obvious crop of loonies who deserve the same pity you give a rabid animal before shooting it, however it seemed that for some we are presented with the case that, knowing good and evil, they still chose to commit an act of mind and body rape but for some reason are to be treated kindly because of the angst they feel. I confess I had my own reality dysfunction over this.
Rating:
Summary: not too bad at all
Review: It's a lucky day when you find an author who has actually created an epic story in a well-realized, fascinating universe. Peter F. Hamilton has and the Naked God (and its predecessors) should not be missed. Hamilton is eclipsed only by William Gibson and the classic masters. Scientific detail, a speedy plot and a well-orchestrated cast of characters make TNG a compelling read. Unfortunately, the book seems to have been put together in great haste. The multitude of spelling errors and the anti-climatic ending attest to this. The last fifth of the novel seem like a hurried tying up of unfinished plots. That Joshua Calvert is suddenly in love with Louise although it never has been mentioned in previous books, the unanswered question of what happened to the humans in the Melange, to Andy and to many other characters attests to that sprint to the finish line. Often, an epic character is "wrapped up" in a ten-line paragraph. But, then again, it is the path that counts and TNG managed to keep me reading until the early morning hours and that is more than can be said for 95 percent of books I've read.
Rating:
Summary: "the Naked God"
Review: Peter F. Hamilton's "The Naked God" Is a wonderfully complex tapestry of plots and characters. This is the best of the 6 books. It deals well with both intricate philosophy and Hard Sci-Fi. The only drawback to this book are the HUNDREDS (I'm not kidding) of Typos that are present. It makes it difficult to read at times, drawing the reader back into reality. Mr. Hamilton Please get a new editor!
Rating:
Summary: extraordinarily simple
Review: this immensley large trilogiy is the ultimate compendium of futuristic outlook i have ever read. not only has he been able to capture our imaginatioins with his flawlessly(leave out the spelling mistakes) written work, he has alo been able to challenge our intellectual outlook of what lays in the future, and more importantly, after death. he has been able to replace religion and spirituality with pure science and logic, i found his trilogy beyond belief and his explanations of life after death could make him the new pope. his plot was extremly simple and yet so extravagantly written that only words can accuratley describe his universe. his ending though, was not as satisfying as i would have expected, but in his simplistic plot he created a simplistic solution.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth the convenient ending...and all the typos
Review: Hamilton's ending to TNG may be unworthy of his own writing, but it's high art compared to most other SF writers. This is an author who succeeds at things most writers don't even attempt--and that scores major points in my book. If his next book is this good and has 50 blank pages instead of an ending, I'll still pay its hardcover price. While I didn't consider this in my rating, I have to add that this book has more typos than anything I've ever read. If this book were any other product, you'd call it "broken" and return it. Missing words, double words, and misspellings abound (and no I'm not talking about British spellings). In places you don't so much read this novel as decypher it. I'd blame sloppy proofreading if I thought it was proofread at all (or even spell checked by a computer). It's embarrassing to have such a fine novel defaced like this. And it's a ripoff to the readers to deliver a book in this condition.
Rating:
Summary: We are not the Kiint
Review: Like most of the other reviewers, I was a little disappointed with the ending. And I would have liked more about Syrinx, Tranquility, and the Lord of Ruin. But none of this takes away from the quality and readibility of the series as a whole. In particular, the possession of Lalonde and Calvert's escape therefrom was especially well written and riveting. As for humanity's ultimate solution to the possessed problem [dont read the rest of this sentence if you haven't read the book] -- what else, but throw the dammned beyond the beyond, whether they are ready or not. Nah, we are not the Kiint. Here, Hamilton got it right.
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