The Night's Dawn Trilogy

Rating:
Summary: 4 stars for sheer quantity
Review: 9 megabytes worth of book. Over 4,000 pages in the paperback edition. Hundreds of characters, planets, subplots, enough to keep you entertained for a whole summer. Who can complain if things are disjointed here and there, not all characters are believable, and the plot is based on a ludicrous New-Age-style assumption?

I read this book three times. OK, two of those I was in hospital, so I needed something that would last and would not give me a headache. But the world it depicts is so *abundant* that it populates your brain by sheer numbers.

In the end, I recommend this book for its value - it's like a discount gallon-sized wine bottle, it may not be the best, but you get a heck of a lot for your dollar.

Rating:
Summary: A Tolkien for sci-fi fans...
Review: Have you ever decided to seriously examine the implications of whether or not a soul exists and what happens to the soul after it leaves the body? This is the scientific journey that takes you to that place where one such dimension of this idea is explored on a cosmic scale. Not only is this "trilogy" a great read but it keeps you going with all of the lines of expansive thought explored and intertwinned.
This book took up 19,000 pages on my IPaq - It kept me going through a 10 day vacation and made me an anti-social animal for at least 10 other days.
If you enjoy exploring the implications of a simple thought - the soul - this is the book to read.

Rating:
Summary: The Principles of Reality
Review: Have you ever decided to seriously examine the implications of whether or not a soul exists and what happens to the soul after it leaves the body? This is the scientific journey that takes you to that place where one such dimension of this idea is explored on a cosmic scale. Not only is this "trilogy" a great read but it keeps you going with all of the lines of expansive thought explored and intertwinned.
This book took up 19,000 pages on my IPaq - It kept me going through a 10 day vacation and made me an anti-social animal for at least 10 other days.
If you enjoy exploring the implications of a simple thought - the soul - this is the book to read.

Rating:
Summary: Night's Dawn- Foundation, Dune, and the Hobbit all in one
Review: I picked up this book in a hotel where someone had left it and I was bored. After reading it, I promptly hunted down and purchased the rest of the series. It has all of the excellent plot of Isaac Asimov, but also expands upon the universe it is in, like Tolkien. Peter F. Hamilton gave me what I craved- a new and original idea, like possession and the affinity gene, with a universe to go with it, like the Confederation, that included Earth, unlike Dune, but still with a plot. And it gave it all to me. It gives an idea of a new culture-but keeps the old one alive. It takes archaic ideas-but puts them in a futuristic setting without it being cheesy. The Night's Dawn trilogy delivers on many levels.

Rating:
Summary: A classic from birth!
Review: I read about 45 Sci-fi books every year. From the modern works of Giants like Anne McCaffery, to the timeless classics of yesterdays greats such as E.E. 'Doc' Smith. Throughout my life many books have caused a physical as well as emotional reaction. Yet, Peter F. Hamilton's 'Nights Dawn' trilogy, overwelmed my reactions like no other. This is the J.R.R. Tolken of the modern age. A sci-fi set universe of titanic proportions to which all writers should seek to meet. A timeless epic the moment it hit the shelves. The 'Lord of the Rings' for Sci-fi.

Rating:
Summary: Vyrythoren
Review: I read about 45 Sci-fi books every year. From the modern works of Giants like Anne McCaffery, to the timeless classics of yesterdays greats, such as E.E. 'Doc' Smith. Throughout my life many books have caused a physical as well as emotional reaction. Yet, Peter F. Hamilton's 'Nights Dawn' trilogy, overwelmed my senses like no other. This is the J.R.R. Tolken of the modern age. A sci-fi set universe of titanic proportions. A timeless epic the moment it hit the shelves. The 'Lord of the Rings' for the Sci-fi fan.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best stories I have ever read but....
Review: I read the paperback edition of this series, and absolutely loved it. The first book I found a little slow and tedius at times, but was generally enjoyable. And it set up a lot of the story for the next two books, which just got better and better. The detail in the books and the sheer depth of the story (planets, cultures, technology, etc) was awesome. I would give the series 7 stars if I could. This is by far the best series of books I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty damn good
Review: I read the paperback edition of this series, and absolutely loved it. The first book I found a little slow and tedius at times, but was generally enjoyable. And it set up a lot of the story for the next two books, which just got better and better. The detail in the books and the sheer depth of the story (planets, cultures, technology, etc) was awesome. I would give the series 7 stars if I could. This is by far the best series of books I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: A Tolkien for sci-fi fans...
Review: This is probably my favorite book series of all time. Hamilton weaves a complex and engaging storyline that actually manages to bring an entire world to life. And unlike other sci-fi series, this vision of the future actually seems believable. The culture he describes could have easily developed from our present one, and the technology (aside from the FTL) is remarkably realistic. This is definately the sci-fi version of Tolkien, without the madeup languages and unnessary appendixes. I rank this series up with Heinlein's "Future History" as one of the greatest sci-fi epics of all time. (This review is based on the paperback novels).

Rating:
Summary: One of the best stories I have ever read but....
Review: Wow! This series is perhaps some of the best science fiction I have ever read. These books stay with you for weeks after finishing them. The characters are wonderfully drawn and the action keeps you holding on and wanting more. It is truly a book that explores new ideas. My only complaint about Night's Dawn is the undercurrents of homophobia. While there are no explicitly "gay" characters in the book (a situation all too common in sci-fi - this is supposed to be the future right?), any character that displays homosexual behavior always plays the part of a villain. Even the good guys use gay references as insults. Let's just say, if the word "black" (or any other derivation) was used the same way as it is in this book, Hamilton would be hard pressed to find a publisher. Still, the story and writing are magnificent.