Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic space opera
Review: This was an outstandingly pleasant surprise. Some of the story lines will shock the faint of heart, but I cannot recommend this book more highly.
Rating: 
Summary: A Dysfunctional Book
Review: I was stunned at how bad this book was given the rave reviews from reputable sources that appeared on the cover and inside the jacket. A few of the problems are listed below:- It's *way* too long. This book does have a few nice ideas, and most of them are in the first 200 pages. That leaves 1000 pages of dross. - Technobabble is fine; bad technobabble is not. 'Parrallell Processing Brain' left me rolling on the floor. Many plot elements are derived from bad or misinformed science. - Poorly thought out worlds; frontier planets where the owners know they will only be profitable when space-based industry develops, but who choose to start a (primitive) agricultural colony. Given the apparent ease of space transport, this is just ridiculous (but necessary for the plot). - Poorly thought out details; setting up a town in untouched jungle, but still being able to ride a horse down 'animal tracks'. Has the writer ever been to a jungle? If the animal tracks are big enough for horses, we see no signs of what made them. - Using a cast of thousands of 2D characters as a substitute for letting the reader get under the skin of any character. The only time I felt bad was when a dog was killed (I like dogs). - Incompetant people in places of power (the 'Star Trek Admiral' syndrome). This is a real turn-off. You know that when person-X does something you think is really stupid, then the plot will turn on this fact. It's just depressing. There are a lot more bad points, and they are not only the fault of the author. His publisher has a lot to answer for. This could have been a good book but the publisher erred by (a) not providing a decent concept and line editor and (b) falling into the apparent trend to publish anything if it's over 1000 pages. On the positive side, if Readers Digest ever produce a version, it will certainly be better than the original.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: Simply put, this trilogy is well done and worth the money. Hamilton is able to pull off a multi-threaded epic in a way that is captivating even in the parts rich with detail (usually a bore for most people). The ultimate dilemma he sets up in this story is thought provoking to say the least. You will easily find yourself transported to this imaginary realm Hamilton has created. This is the FIRST 5 star rating I have given to anyone. It is a must read for Sci-Fi mavens. Regards and good reading. All the best
Rating:
Summary: Tremendous Depth and Originality
Review: Very few Science Fiction novels can manage (well) the scope and intricacy required to effectively build characters that literally jump out of the book....This is one of those few. Every reader has personal favorites in terms of story lines and writing style...As for myself... I will proudly rate this series above Asimov's "Foundation Series", Vinge's "Fire Upon the Deep" or Herbert's "Dune",(Blasphemy I know). I found it difficult to put the book down, even at work:). The intricate character building, assorted plots and the insightful, but original, variations of technology used, create a believable world that swallows the reader and drags them willingly into the future. Far too often SciFi "epics" expose the reader to the same technology and themes...NOT this series. If you want to read horror...SciFi at its grandest...political intrigue...Future economics...All out, Ultra High-Tech Warfare...and ABOVE ALL "Original Thought"...Then read "The Reality Dysfunction" and ALL of the others in this series. It will be difficult to find another Science Fiction epic capable of building such a grand cast of characters and intensly high energy plot. If you love SciFi at its best and want to immerse yourself into the funnest, most enjoyable page burn'n novel ever...Read this!
Rating: 
Summary: Excruciating. I mean it.
Review: I was in the mood for a grand space opera epic when I picked up this one. Consequently, as a trade-off, I was willing to accept some 2D characters, neato-keen pseudoscience and Star Trekkish mumbo jumbo, and I was not disappointed. There are people who will enjoy this, and I even grant that there is a certain charm to it on some level (hence two stars, rather than one). What I was not prepared for, and eventually overwhelmed me, was the excruciating detail in which Hamilton apparently feels compelled to describe every last particle of his story. If there was a method to this madness, I would not complain, but the last straw was when he took a paragraph to describe the action at the molecular level of a laser beam cutting through a spaceship hull. (No, I'm not joking!) Talk about senseless! No wonder his story is ballooning to 3600+ pages... I simply could not bear to finish this book, and I recommend you avoid it.
Rating: 
Summary: Dysfunctional Reality - expand your horizon
Review: Great book, wierd stuff and wide horizons. Brings another dimension to the genre and worth reading. Good one Peter
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Beginning to an Exciting Story!
Review: I was first drawn to this book by the description found on AMAZON.COM. I must say I was not disappointed. The intricate pacing and character development were all top notch and held my interest during the entire reading experience. The only thing I didn't like was the amount of sex detailed in the book. The cultural attitudes in this area could just as well have been communicated with less detail. However, even with that, the story still rocks.
Rating:
Summary: A BIG story. A GREAT story.
Review: I bought this book thinking it was merely a two parter, rather than a trilogy in five parts. Had I known the truth, I would have probably stayed away, and that would have been a great loss. The Neutronium Alchemist is a masterpiece - rich in detail, swimming in characters that, amazingly, are easily remembered, distinct, and very human, and grand in scope. The story unfolds slowly, establishing a remarkably conceived universe that is clear, consistent, and laden with rich detail. Though this is clearly a 'space opera,' the term seems far too trite for such a great effort. A must-read for fans of the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Sombre, macabre, but exciting high-tech space opera
Review: This book is the start of a long trilogy. It is serious, violent, and epic space opera. The scope is reminiscent of Iain M. Banks, but Banks is a lot more concise in his descriptions. The prose style of Hamilton may sometimes prove a bit overwhelming, but all in all there is still a very good story underneath all the verbosity. Most reviewers have commented on the erotic overtones in the book, indeed some readers may find themselves offended by the perversiveness of some scenes. For those who are willing to invest some time in a really epic story, one which oozes realism at all levels, this book is well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: We have met the enemy and they have been us.
Review: What to do when all hell breaks loose -- literally? Hamilton stages a space-opera on an epic scale, but he deserves credit for an even larger vision, and technology is only part of it. Don't underrate Hamilton's descriptive passages; they give life to a story at great risk of one-dimensionality. Finally, he handles very well the problem of simultaneity with a large, far-flung cast of characters. In fact, the characterization is downright lush for science fiction; Hamilton lovingly crafts even his minor figures. But the "Reality Dysfunction" is not for the queasy: these characters are regularly sliced, diced and blown to smithereens in gory detail. It's hard to nitpick. Hamilton's characters and interstellar civilization may be multi-racial, but the culture is British. The idea of a colony founded by homogeneous "ethnic Californians" is simply a hoot. Perhaps it's one of Hamilton's rare attempts at humour. The language does not get in the way, although he regularly uses "than" and "as" as prepositions as well as conjunctions. The novel opens with a case of interstellar genocide and switches to a character who fancies himself the Devil's disciple with ambitions for higher office, as it were. The real menace is unleashed by intergalactic tourists who inadvertently open a leak between "reality" and the "beyond," a kind of celestial bus station where dead souls mill about aimlessly. The dead return in droves, hell-bent on "possessing" the living and absconding with entire planets. Supernatural "energistic" powers give the revenants a tactical edge. Wait... are they from limbo or the Third Reich? Creditably, Hamilton struggles to depict them as not uniformly evil. However, he paints himself into a theological corner early on. It will be fascinating to see how he gets himself out of that one.
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