Rating: 
Summary: Uneven
Review: This book is a strange case. Its the first one in years where I skip entire chapters and still continue reading.The world the author describes is often very cool, and even kind of believable. But his plots tend to take too long with nothing much happening in many parts of the story. Characters are another thing: some are very fascinating, like the satanist guy in the first volume. But then he gets taken over by these evil spirits, and you simply stop caring about him. He's become a boring plot puppet. I'll agree with another critic here on amazon: these would have needed some serious editing, even if that reduced the series by 20-40%. As it is, I hope the parts that fascinate me stay numerous enough to keep me going, for I hate to leave a series unfinished.
Rating:
Summary: Epic scale space opera fails to impress
Review: "The Reality Dysfunction: Emergence", together with "Expansion", was originally a single novel. Its paperback edition has been split into two volumes however. Presumably this it to make its constituent parts more digestible, because if anything this book most definitely "emerges" and "expands".
Basically this is pure space opera, with an added dollop of horror thrown in. As regards the plot, without going into too much detail, it's the 26th century and humanity is spread across the Galaxy. Peaceful co-existence becomes threatened by a mysterious, possibly alien force which first appears on a primitive jungle colony planet named Lalonde.
The most amazing thing about this book is just the sheer volume of it. At times it appears endless, as you wade through plotline after repetitive plotline. For example, a good portion of the action takes place on the aforementioned colony world Lalonde, hence countless pages are spent describing apparently identical yet different jungle battles between various teams of soldiers/mercenaries/colonists and "the possessed". As you hack through lush descriptions of jungle and gore, you are also introduced to a number of paper thin and utterly uninteresting characters elsewhere around the Galaxy, many of whom it seems serve only as an excuse to feature several raunchy sex scenes, each progressively more juvenile than the last.
Some of the future technology described in the book is genuinely interesting though. The Cosmoniks are particularly good, humans whose bodies are mostly mechanical. The whole Adamist/Edenist split is also intriguing. However, positive aspects like these along with any other philosophical or religious questions the book might raise are buried under the sheer weight of drudge.
Of course, if you want non-stop action and violence than The Reality Dysfunction is a world beater. The loving descriptions of future weapons technology and its effects would make Tom Clancy blush. If an editor though had chopped out half of this book, not only would the plot barely miss a beat but this review would be a lot more positive. As it stands then, the book unfortunately for me is not worth the effort.
Rating: 
Summary: It lept out at me
Review: I was scanning through the science fiction area in the search for a good read. As my eyes went from title to title I found a certain one leapt out at me. Reality Dysfunction.
What the heck is that? So I found myself reading the back and I was enticed. In the far future man has found himself have an usual streak of luck. Both good and bad.
Well actually extremely good, there no way that could happen to anyone luck or I wouldn't wish this upon anyone kinda luck. You find that this is hinted at all throughout the book. In fact no really figures out what is going in this first book of many. But have no fear, the vast ground work have been set for what is sure to be a good series. When you began to read you will find that the author has put a great deal of thought into his worlds and technology. He also uses a very wide variety of characters to tell his story. Which at times I found myself asking what does this guy have to do with the story. As I read on I got my answer, even the most least developed character plays role. Just read and findout. All the characters are well introduced and well developed. The story unfolds slowly, after all the author has to show you his world. So hang in there, it gets good, really good. After I got past the first few chapters I found myself reading well into the night. When I did finally go to bed it was 2:00 in the morning.
Rating: 
Summary: Mind blowing saga, not perfect but close
Review: If you're a fan of Space Opera and Sword and Sorcery like me, you probably love fast-paced action-filled stories set in other worlds... I never have heard of Peter Hamilton, but I had the feeling I was about to experience the literary equivalent of Star Wars.
I haven't finished the entire trilogy ... but I have a broad idea of how the series is. So, does it deliver what it promises? The short answer is yes. It could have been a classic, among the best sci fi ever, but Hamilton's deliberate (and unfortunate) choices makes it a mind-blowing but ultimately flawed galactic saga.
THE GOOD
There's a lot to love in this series of books. Peter Hamilton is an astounding world builder. His descriptions of planets, political systems, technology (nano and bio), Edenism, living space habitats and spaceships, feels absolutely realistic, new and wonderful, and the study of the possibilities are endless and a joy to experience. What Asimov did for robotics, Hamilton does for genetical engineering, including an entire culture based on its advantages. On action scenes, space battles and interstellar travel technologies, Hamilton outdoes everyone I've read, except Poul Anderson. The science is very up-to-date, but unobtrusive, and the extrapolations are so fascinating that they merge with the story flawlessly. It never feels ponderous or stagnant like Poul Anderson genial but sluggish "Harvest of Stars" series.
All good stories must have a conflict. Instead of going for the tired freedom-fighters-vs-tyrant, Hamilton manages to create a mind-blowing menace that threatens Humankind in every possible respect: scientific, political, military, emotional, philosophical... a threat to end all threats, the ultimate challenge. What it is I can't say, because it will ruin the splendid shock one gets when fully understanding what the Reality Dysfunction actually means.
Hamilton writing style is wordy and descriptive (a necessity, I think, for the kind of story he tells), but never as excessive as, say, Poul Anderson. As far as Sci Fi literary style gets, Hamilton is better than a lot of more renounced authors.
THE BAD
I really think this could have been the best heroic science fiction saga ever. It has everything: first rate world-building, plot, action, rhythm, and a transcendent overtone. Sadly, Hamilton fails in characterization. I don't think it's for a lack of talent, I really believe Hamilton knew what he was doing. Some secondary characters here are very memorable, like the Edenist renegade Laton, or the idealistic Syrinx and assorted others. But when it comes to protagonists, he makes a deliberate (and unfortunate IMHO) choice. Instead of building real human beings, Hamilton uses tired archetypes, and exaggerates their archetypical qualities ad nauseam. Joshua Calvert, the space-faring hero, is a cocky narcissist that never inspires the least bit of sympathy. Imagine Axl Rose in the shoes of Han Solo and you get the idea. He spends the first 800 pages of the book having sex in every available position with every living girl in the galaxy. After a while, these scenes read like a softcore porn novel set in outer space, and an annoying one, at that. The main villain, Quinn Dexter, is a brutal sadist, pedophile, Satanist, and every other horrible personality trait one can conceive. First he is scary, and then it is just too excessive and it becomes unintentionally funny. Not really a person, but a cackling cartoon villain. I invite you to compare Hamilton's caricatures to the wonderful, living-breathing characters George R.R. Martin creates in "A Song Of Ice & Fire" saga.
Still, as I said, "The Reality Dysfunction" and the sequel "The Neutronium Alchemist," have a lot to offer and it's worth reading with dedication. I endured its flaws with patience and enjoyed enormously the rest. While flawed, it's never bad, and when it's good, it's the best in its genre. I definitely will read the rest of the series, and everything Peter F. Hamilton has published.
Rating:
Summary: The Light Bringer Demands you make a sizable time investment
Review: I will agree with the detractors that the ending may not be the most satisfying thing ever written, but so what, the journey was amazing. This is a looooooooooong book, but it's not difficult by any means. There are a lot of plot lines, but they do come together -- maybe Harry Turtledove could pick up a few tips from Pete. If you're confused early on, and that's entirely possible, get the Confederation Handbook, it's boring and borderline pointless if you already understand what's going on, but it's also a perfect glossary for the new accolyte. Take it at face value and if you start Emergence and don't like it, grab the second one and give it a shot. These books should NOT have been broken up...
Rating: 
Summary: It's Not Worth It
Review: The first volume of a 3,875 page saga (Warner-Aspect mass market paperback edition) published as a trilogy in England, and in 6 volumes in the US, The Reality Dysfunction (2 Vols.)and the subsequent 2 volume Neutronium Alchemist are quite entertaining. So why 1 star?
The final 2 volumes (The Naked God)raise tedium to the level of pain. The editing,(if indeed there was any) is so poor, that the moment any one of the countless sub-plot threatens to become interesting, it is immediately abandoned. If you insist on inflicting this tome on yourself, feel free to skip the first of the last two volumes. You'll miss nothing of any significance. The final volume plods to a thoroughly infuriating, abrupt, deus ex machina conclusion. (Apparently the publisher considers this a good writing technique because this phrase is actually used on the back cover of the final volume!)
The 4 volumes that comprise The Reality Function and The Neutronium Alchemist are fun, if light, reading. If you can read 2,300+ pages, then walk away without knowing how it all comes out, by all means read them. If, like me, you can't, don't start. It's not worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Great Series, Slow Start
Review: I have some good news and some bad news. First, the good news. Peter F. Hamiltons Night's Dawn series is excellent space opera. Epic space battles, mysterious alien artifacts, self-aware starships and dozens upon dozens of characters that all intertwine in a rich tapestry of action and adventure. This is the best stuff I've read since Dan Simmons' The Fall of Hyperion. Now, the bad news. The story starts very slowly. And once started, it stops prematurely. This is not a standalone book. If your not going to read the whole series, don't bother. This is one story, broken into six books for convenience.
Rating:
Summary: Good world-building in excellent start to series
Review: Let me start by saying that I almost never read an entire series of books without stopping at some point to read at least one or two other unrelated books. The fact that I stuck with Mr. Hamilton's series all the way through is a testament to how well he kept me interested. I wasn't sure what to expect when I began this story, having been told by some that it was 'Dawn of the Dead' in outer space. Let's put that expectation to rest. It isn't. Instead, this series deals with an event (that doesn't occur until roughly page 385 of the first book, so be patient) that allows the dead to come back and possess the bodies of the living. The dead that return report an afterlife of eternal misery and suffering, and are returning to escape their fates. To enter a person's body, that person must be going through suffering and 'accept' the spirit voluntarily. Of course, once a spirit possesses a body, it's free to do whatever it pleases with that body, which often leads to some very interesting changes such as turning into mythological beasts or villains. In fact, several famous people return from the dead later in the series, one of which becomes the leader for the majority of the spirits possessing the living. Add to this the fact that these spirits possess superhuman powers to throw energy beams (called energistic power), and you've got quite a war shaping up. In this first volume, what you're treated to is a very thorough immersion into the universe of the future. Hundreds of planets and asteroids have been inhabited by man, and several extraterrestrial species have been found. The main action in the first book centers on Joshua, who becomes the pilot of a starship he inherited from his dad. His scenes are the most faithful to good space-opera that you're going to find, and in my opinion, Joshua is one of the more likeable characters that I've read about in some time. There is also the jungle planet currently in the early stages of development, where the Reality Dysfunction first appears. The primitive nature of this planet, and the creeping doom coming to all its inhabitants that can't escape quickly enough is truly creepy. Finally, the setting on the world-sized living space station known as Tranquility (much like the hollow worlds encountered in Arthur Clarke's 'Rama' series') rounds out the settings for this first book. All in all, while the story begins slowly, it does take great care to introduce you to the characters that will mean so much to the story over the next 6 books. My recommendation is to be patient and get to know the characters and their settings. It's a complex story with quite a bit going on, but in the end it's worth it. Wait until you get to page 385 and you'll know what I mean. One final word. Quinn Dexter is mean. Very, very mean. And in him, Mr. Hamilton has created a truly evil villain. Well done.
Rating:
Summary: How could this become such a success?
Review: This book is tripe. Science Fiction is one of my favorite genres, but this is some of the worst I've ever read. The characters are not very likeable, but the worst thing about this book is the plot - or rather: The lack of same. Hamilton has filled his book with hundreds upon hundreds of pages with trivial action, cruelty, attempts at horror, death and violence. There's nothing wrong with any of these things in a story if they serve a purpose, but here they seem to be the purpose and only content of a very long book. It's not surprising that books like this are written - in fact, they're written every day. What I can't understand is why this one became such a success.
Rating:
Summary: Multifaceted and fun!
Review: Originally published as a trilogy, Peter Hamilton's Night's Dawn sequence (published in the U.S. in six fat volumes) represents state-of-the-art space opera that makes up for in pace and sheer storytelling energy what it lacks in style. The first installment introduces us to the dualing doctrines of the neo-fundamentalist Adamists and telepathic Edenists (an ideological gulf suspiciously similar to that of the Shapers and Mechanists of Bruce Sterling's excellent "Schismatrix"). Hamilton's galaxy-spanning conflict is well-realized and fascinating, even if his characters occasionally succumb to the one-dimensional predictability of their pulp-fiction predecessors. "Emergence" is a promising far-future romp that successfully breathes new life into the much-chewed turf of galactic conflict and promises a lot of fun; I'll read later installments with interest. Hamilton continues his bold galactic tale in "Expansion." The second half of "The Reality Dysfunction" is without doubt the best, and an absorbing reward for readers who decide to tag along after the introductory material covered in "Emergence." Brimming with capably written action sequences and harrowing excursions into uncharted interstellar depths, "Expansion" manages to boost the Night's Dawn sequence into literary escape velocity. Hamilton's main goal in writing this series is to tell a story, and he succeeds brilliantly, maintaining a sense of suspense while juggling a vast cast of characters and alien environments. A sort of cyberpunk fusion between Stephen King's "The Stand" and Isaac Asimov's "Foundation," "The Reality Dysfunction" is one of the most enjoyable and refreshingly unpretentious sagas to grace science fiction bookshelves in a long time. "Consolidation," the first part of the second installment in Hamilton's sprawling Night's Dawn sequence, sees the characters and situations of the first two-part novel thrust deeper and farther into intricate and deftly balanced storylines. As the series matures and gathers momentum, Hamilton is able to develop and humanize his protaganists; more than before, the characters seem real enough to actually root for. Fortunately for readers who have made it this far, Hamilton manages to counter his incendiary action sequences with existential paradox and fiendish genre-crossing sensibility. The result is a completely arresting widescreen fiction experience that raises profound questions while maintaining a consistently high level of suspense. Hamilton's series is staggering in its kinetic, playful vision, and "Consolidation" leaves us thirsting for more.
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