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Great North Road

4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 · rating details · 1,412 ratings · 307 reviews

New York Times bestselling author Peter F. Hamilton’s riveting new thriller combines the nail-biting suspense of a serial-killer investigation with clear-eyed scientific and social extrapolation to create a future that seems not merely plausible but inevitable.

A century from now, thanks to a technology allowing instantaneous travel across light-years, humanity has solved...more New York Times bestselling author Peter F. Hamilton’s riveting new thriller combines the nail-biting suspense of a serial-killer investigation with clear-eyed scientific and social extrapolation to create a future that seems not merely plausible but inevitable.

A century from now, thanks to a technology allowing instantaneous travel across light-years, humanity has solved its energy shortages, cleaned up the environment, and created far-flung colony worlds. The keys to this empire belong to the powerful North family—composed of successive generations of clones. Yet these clones are not identical. For one thing, genetic errors have crept in with each generation. For another, the original three clone “brothers” have gone their separate ways, and the branches of the family are now friendly rivals more than allies.

Or maybe not so friendly. At least that’s what the murder of a North clone in the English city of Newcastle suggests to Detective Sidney Hurst. Sid is a solid investigator who’d like nothing better than to hand off this hot potato of a case. The way he figures it, whether he solves the crime or not, he’ll make enough enemies to ruin his career.

Yet Sid’s case is about to take an unexpected turn: because the circumstances of the murder bear an uncanny resemblance to a killing that took place years ago on the planet St. Libra, where a North clone and his entire household were slaughtered in cold blood. The convicted slayer, Angela Tramelo, has always claimed her innocence. And now it seems she may have been right. Because only the St. Libra killer could have committed the Newcastle crime.

Problem is, Angela also claims that the murderer was an alien monster.

Now Sid must navigate through a Byzantine minefield of competing interests within the police department and the world’s political and economic elite . . . all the while hunting down a brutal killer poised to strike again. And on St. Libra, Angela, newly released from prison, joins a mission to hunt down the elusive alien, only to learn that the line between hunter and hunted is a thin one.

Praise for Peter F. Hamilton’s The Evolutionary Void

“Satisfying and powerful . . . Space Opera doesn’t get much more epic.”—SFFWorld

“Spiced with plenty of action and intrigue.”—San Jose Mercury News(less)

Hardcover, 976 pages

Published January 1st 2013 by Del Rey (first published September 1st 2012)

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May 08, 2013 Ric rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Peter F. Hamilton writes large. He writes 1000 page behemoths of narrative. And he writes with ideas that are space and time spanning, far beyond the usual windows of ordinary lives. And his words are imbued with the power of ideas and concepts far above today's water cooler subjects. Yet, despite the immense dimensions of his imagination, he keeps it all within reach, grounded on human sensibilities, maintaining a keen sense of the grand human drama.

So in this decidedly large book, Hamilton mi

...more

So in this decidedly large book, Hamilton mixes together inscrutable alien swarms, cloned megalomaniacs, monsters with bladed fingers, interworld portals, smart personal networks, sentient worlds, manufactured oil, medically-enabled longevity, with recognizable and easily accessible characters --- a persistent police investigator, a deeply religious military spook, a seemingly helpless woman wrongly imprisoned, three clones who pursue three separate ambitions of wealth, long-life and freedom --- and vast and sundry characters that a reader from the 21st century can easily relate to. He weaves a tale that could simultaneously be categorized as crime/mystery, political intrigue, spy/military, green environmental/survivalist, alien/first encounter, family drama/love story, action/SF ... all interlaced together in Hamilton's insistent style that impels and brooks no doubt that you, the reader, will hold your disbelief.

From my perspective, the most powerful aspect of this sprawling, decidedly Anglo-centric book, that which holds it together and fills it with passionate motivation and narrative impetus, is the story of Angela. Compared to her the rest of the characters seem quite mundane. Or, conversely, without her, this big, booming behemoth of a book may have failed to engage.

Hamilton has clearly improved with practice; from the Mandel detective stories, to the Nights Dawn series, onto the Void trilogy and now the amazing feat of Great North Road. One thing I can say is read Hamilton now and savor his work while he is at his inventive and imaginative best, for a hundred years hence who knows how we would appreciate his writing in the light of different mores.

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Mar 22, 2013 Tamahome rated it 3 of 5 stars

Screw Americans.

12/30/12 -

Come on B&N, I know you have the book in the back. Just give it to me.

And I know you have it too Audible. I can see it on your site when I'm not signed in.

pg 26/948 (32h) - All the high quality tech, thought out world, and characters are there, plus it's a bit more timely. I hope I can finish it. There's quite a map, Time Line, and character list in the front of the book.

Here's the first page of the Time Line:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_di5T_CY...

pg 70/948 - I'm...more

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May 28, 2012 Liviu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012_release_read, genre-sf, read_2012, review_fbc, t1_recommended_2012

1087 pages !! - UK arc edition

Only a few points for now with a more detailed review later:

I finished Great North Road by Peter Hamilton and on the whole I am a little mixed; addictive but very self-indulgent, a new universe and a somewhat fresh take on the author's usual themes (long life, the rich, sense of wonder, detailed world building, alien aliens...) but also a lot of repetitions...

This is truly a book that should have been slimmed down considerably and could have easily done with much le...more 1087 pages !! - UK arc edition

Only a few points for now with a more detailed review later:

I finished Great North Road by Peter Hamilton and on the whole I am a little mixed; addictive but very self-indulgent, a new universe and a somewhat fresh take on the author's usual themes (long life, the rich, sense of wonder, detailed world building, alien aliens...) but also a lot of repetitions...

This is truly a book that should have been slimmed down considerably and could have easily done with much less from the Newcastle police investigation which takes probably about half the novel and gets very boring after a while. Also lots of mannerisms that are funny once or twice but get tired quite fast, with "pet" the worst offender by a lot.

If you are a fan of the author, you will most likely enjoy this though I bet you will shake your head at the self indulgence (editor, editor, editor!!!), otherwise go and read Reality Dysfunction, Pandora's Star, the Dreaming Void, the Mandel books and even Fallen Dragon which had some great stuff despite its structural weakness

Edit: I went fast again through the book and on the second read it definitely improved in so far I knew to avoid the large chunk dealing with the Newcastle police investigation and just focus on Angela's saga which is actually excellent; so I am changing to a recommended book as about half the book - though it mostly starts after about 300 pages or so - is indeed the vintage PF Hamilton I had expected, while the rest which should have been compressed to about a fifth is skip-able without missing that much.

Read Angela's story and browse through the Newcastle investigation and you will have a much better experience reading the book and will appreciate it more; a superb PFH is hidden in this self-indulgent way bloated novel and this is the way to discover it

One more edit after a second reread of the part of the novel outside the police procedural (so about 600/1100 pages which clarified why I felt so let down to start with and why my opinion has improved dramatically since:

If you get stalled into the book, start at page 232 (and look up the chapter with Angela early in prison etc) and then skip everything that takes place in Newcastle (no loss as anyway what happens there is updated for the heroes of the space opera part in a few lines every now and then) except towards the end and you will have one of the most gripping reads of PFH - I reread once more those parts yesterday and I was even more impressed and if the book would have consisted only of those probably 600 pages or so, it would have been awesome and one of the best PFH; the police procedural though that takes the other 500 or so pages is just booo-ring to the nth power except for the last couple of chapters or so...

The problem is that of the the first 232 pages, most are the police stuff and i easily see people being turned off and putting the book down when they read the nth detail about how to track a taxi and the like (less)

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May 20, 2013 Clay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf-fantasy

Peter F. Hamilton’s grand Void series spanned tens of thousands of pages and many books suitable for light weightlifting – and though “Great North Road” (Del Rey, $30, 951 pages) can also contribute to overall fitness levels, it is a self-contained work.

Hamilton’s overarching concerns are several – environmentalism and the dangers of corporate decision-making, to name just two – but the frame of the book is a murder investigation in Newcastle in 2143. Despite the future date, police work is stil...more

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May 01, 2013 Meredith rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am a complete fan of all Peter F. Hamilton's books os if you have read one and didn't like it, don't read my review!

As usual the premise and setup is stella. He weaves layers of plot and intrigue with unique SF settings. I almost hate to write anything about his work and just want to say you have to read it. I don't want to spoil the first tastes you get as the story unfolds. However I will resist that impulse - this is a detective story. Here's the blurb from the back of the packet ;)

"In Newc...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Doug M. rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is not an action-packed book. It's a slow burn with lots of twists. Hamilton masterfully gets you to make incorrect assumptions early on and then slowly reveals why your assumptions were wrong (yes, some of those red herrings that were planted early were clearly red herrings, but that did nothing to dampen my desire to learn "the truth"). Pages were turned.

Great North Road is a near-future (near for Hamilton, anyway) police-procedural, alien bogey-man, arctic expedition, world-spanning mys...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Brian Palmer rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is Hamilton's attempt at combining space opera, a techno-thriller, and a procedural mystery. Some parts of it worked out really well -- I thought the police work was a fascinating look at policing in the future, along with a society that has adapted to high taxes by an acknowledged and somewhat standardized combination of on- and off-book transactions. The space opera of it, on the other hand, was a combination of the very routine elements of his other work and some outre elements that seem...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Aleksandra Royzen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'd like to start by stating that I'm a huge fan of Peter F. Hamilton. His Pandora's Star and Night Dawn Trilogy is hands down my favorite space operas. Hence, I'm a bit biased when it comes to this book. I knew I'm going to like it even before I started reading it. However, even I was surprised how different this book is from anything else I read by Hamilton. Great North Road reads like a true mystery novel even though it takes place over a hundred years into the future. It's really nothing mor...more I'd like to start by stating that I'm a huge fan of Peter F. Hamilton. His Pandora's Star and Night Dawn Trilogy is hands down my favorite space operas. Hence, I'm a bit biased when it comes to this book. I knew I'm going to like it even before I started reading it. However, even I was surprised how different this book is from anything else I read by Hamilton. Great North Road reads like a true mystery novel even though it takes place over a hundred years into the future. It's really nothing more than a detective story with the sci-fi twist to it. And I loved every word of it.

The world where the plot takes place is somewhat similar to Commonwealth world from the Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained books. Humans colonize and populate the new planets through some sort of wormhole gates. Also the science is on the brink of discovering rejuvenation processes, that currently only are available to super rich. We also learn that a New Florida world colonized by humans was attacked and destroyed by mysterious, unexplainable, and truly horrific alien life form called Zanth. Hamilton doesn't go into the great details of science behind any of it. We know nothing about how gates were invented or how exactly bioli (futuristic fuel) works. However, since this is not a true sci-fi novel these kinds of things shouldn't really matter in great scheme of things.

This book, as all the regular mystery novels, starts with the murder. However since this is a sci-fi novel the person who is murdered is not just anybody. In fact it's a clone and a member of notorious North family. As investigation begins few problems are encountered. First, it is unclear who the victim is, since all Norths look the same. Second, it looks like the father or uncle of the victim Bertram North was murdered in similar fashion 20 years ago. And it seems like an innocent person was in jail for past 2 decades for the crime she didn't commit. The third problem is the strangest one. As it looks like the person who committed the crime could be yet unknown alien from the planet St. Libra.

Plot of the book is divided between two story lines. First is the murder investigation on Earth. Second is the military expedition to St. Libra, searching for the alien. Hamilton starts up really slow. I mean so slow that the real action starts only after 43% of the book, I know precisely, because I read it on the Kindle. However, once the action starts it's a whirlwind of excitement. In the beginning some things are really confusing and unclear. And it might seem like Hamilton doesn't spend any kind of time on character development. However, he does an incredible job with giving us the information piece by piece through the book, opening up the characters slowly, keeping us on the edge of our seats. And as we get to know the character and as action picks up Hamilton takes us on the incredible journey full of excitement and wonder. And that is why I love his writing so much.

All in all this is an incredible sci-fi/mystery/thriller novel that I 100% recommend!(less)

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Jan 25, 2013 Dan Campana rated it 3 of 5 stars

A decent story muddled with far too much technobabble. The story drives itself along well but it seems like once one of the subplots gets intense or interesting it will take a long vacation while the book switches to a subplot. This leads to a constant ramp up then slow release of tension and it gets kind of frustrating. Most of the characters stay very flat and undynamic until they suddenly snap into a new role without much reason to do so. The "twists" if you can call them that are also way to...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Andreas rated it 5 of 5 stars

In the early 22nd Century, a body is found in the river Tyne in the northern English city of Newcastle. The murdered man is a North, one of hundreds of clone brothers in the immensely powerful and rich North family. But which one? Detective Sid Hurst is assigned to lead what soon becomes a massive investigation. Earth and its colonies are linked through instantaneous travel gateways, with undesirables and jobless shunted out to the colonies. Massive corporate interests loom over society. Taxatio...more In the early 22nd Century, a body is found in the river Tyne in the northern English city of Newcastle. The murdered man is a North, one of hundreds of clone brothers in the immensely powerful and rich North family. But which one? Detective Sid Hurst is assigned to lead what soon becomes a massive investigation. Earth and its colonies are linked through instantaneous travel gateways, with undesirables and jobless shunted out to the colonies. Massive corporate interests loom over society. Taxation is so high that everyone has “secondary” accounts, a deep grey economy of bribes and favors shadowing what is reported to the government. As Sid investigates, the mystery of the dead North deepens, leading finally to a geophysical expedition looking for clues in the far-flung jungles of the world St. Libra, where mysteriously there is no animal life at all, only plant life.

Great North Road is a singleton book, but still retains Hamilton’s customary “big brick” format at over twelve hundred pages. The characters are many and the plot complex. The backdrop is detailed, with a rich backstory spanning decades. Strange societies and interesting people abound. Unlike most of Hamilton’s works, however, this one is very firmly grounded thematically in the contemporary world. Earth in the early 22nd Century seems stuck in a rut. There are technological advancements over today, certainly, but not as many as one would think. And definitely nothing that has changed the paradigm. The economy is still very much dependent on oil, albeit an artificial variant produced by genengineered algae. Government bureaucracy is powerful, massive, overwhelming and nonsensical. The ultra-rich are disconnected from normal society. The “failed capitalism” theme is powerful, a bit like that seen in the news today. Is this really the best way forward for society, or are humans meant for something more? And yet, forces are conspiring to break out from this path. Hope, as always, is a strong theme for Hamilton. And unlike in his big series, he manages to tie it all up neatly in the end.

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1601 (less)

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Jan 23, 2013 Marcus Faulkner rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Less would be so much more in the case of the Great North Road. The problem seems to be that either Peter Hamilton or the publisher or both seem to equate brand Hamilton with hefty volumes. His books physically dominate the sci-fi shelves in book shops and when one considers that usually they come in trilogies Hamilton stories are simply huge. This has advantages allowing for intricate story telling, complex plotlines and intricate worlds to be brought to life. As a standalone novel the Great No...more Less would be so much more in the case of the Great North Road. The problem seems to be that either Peter Hamilton or the publisher or both seem to equate brand Hamilton with hefty volumes. His books physically dominate the sci-fi shelves in book shops and when one considers that usually they come in trilogies Hamilton stories are simply huge. This has advantages allowing for intricate story telling, complex plotlines and intricate worlds to be brought to life. As a standalone novel the Great North Road need not replicate the standard Hamilton methodology and structure, yet unfortunately it does not only by being a hefty volume, but also drawing upon many ideas of his previous works.
The story starts of really well with a plotline revolving around a murder set in Newcastle some one and a half centuries in the future. Throughout the book Hamilton goes to great lengths to portray the setting as being in the near future and one with which readers can relate to as being plausible. Aircraft and vehicles in general are a generation or two ahead of those in service or conceived today. The human-machine interfaces are plausible and one of the central themes revolves around humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels. Religious fundamentalism is another core issue that drives part of the plot line. In sum this is a world the reader can believe in.
The sci-fi element initially is peripheral to the story, which makes its approach classic sci-fi in a sense and the central protagonist Detective Sidney Hurst is very reminiscent of Isaac Asimov’s creation Elijah Baley in the Robot series. Essentially there are two main plot lines throughout the story, the first revolving around the police case to solve the murder in Newcastle, the second dealing with the hunt for an alien-monster on the planet St Libra. This second revolves largely around the second main character Angela Tramelo who might or might not have witnessed a similar murder 20 years earlier and was incarcerated as a result. Angela harbours a few dark secrets herself and her part of the novel is also told by means of numerous out of sequence flashbacks, which adds an interesting and exciting dimension to the story. Although Sid and Angela’s stories hardly interest one final aspect is also reminiscent of the way in which Asimov has two characters relate at the end of the Robot Series.
To describe the story’s progress as plodding is putting in kindly. After one hundred, two hundred, three hundred pages still not much is happening. Both plotlines are marred by the sheer volume of unnecessary detail, which is just not material to the story or helps to bring the world alive. On the one hand Hamilton goes to great lengths to describe the largely irrelevant technology employed throughout and yet on the other he neglects explain key parts of the story such as the mysterious Xanth attacks plaguing humanity’s outposts. Frustratingly the key bit of technology; the planetary gateways are simply ignored. Letting readers infer the importance of certain elements as a means of plot development is fine, but here the failure to explain what is important while excessing in what is becomes inexcusable.
About halfway through the novel is where this story should have come to its natural conclusion. From page 500 onwards (Kindle edition having 1100) reading starts to become tedious. All the interesting story elements begin to give way to rather clichéd story elements seen aplenty in other books. Considering the detail put into the murder mystery its conclusion is fairly bland. Angela’s deepest dark secret is rather tame and the conclusion of the overall mystery is parachuted into the plotlines with little reference to the initial story. The final 200 pages feel very much like a completely different story bolted on, and not in a good way. In many ways there are just too many different ideas at work in the Great North Road to really deliver a memorable conclusion. Having laid the foundations for an impressive mansion its seems like Hamilton selected to merely construct a simple two-up two-down instead. The story is a reasonably satisfying read, but a novel a third of the length would have made reading the Great North Road far more pleasurable.
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Jan 09, 2013 Christoff Youngman rated it 3 of 5 stars

If you've read Hamilton before you'll know what to expect: huge sprawling worlds with dozens of characters, humans finding eternal life, aliens - Hamilton doesn't stray too far from his usual formula. This also means his usual weaknesses are in evidence too - the book could easily be cut down to half its size and the plot builds up and up and up until eventually it has nowhere to go and is resolved by a deus ex machina in the last twenty pages, although there's less creepy graphic sex scenes tha...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Allen Adams rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: published-reviews

http://www.themaineedge.com/buzz/a-fu...

“Great North Road” is broadly ambitious; its multiple storylines and constantly shifting perspective deign to create a detailed glimpse at a small slice of the future. And it’s generally quite successful – the people and places Hamilton has created offer a nuanced look at this world. His 2143 feels like a genuine and believable future.

“Great North Road” is almost two books – and not just in length. On the one hand, we have a straight sci-fi yarn, a quest o...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Lori L (She Treads Softly) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton begins as a murder mystery set in the future and soon becomes much more. It is 2143 and a member of the very wealthy and very cloned North family turns up dead in the river at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in northeast England. Police detective Sidney Hurst is on the case with a crew of help from the police as well as other very powerful people. It is apparent that the murder may be related to another murder in the North family from twenty years ago on the planet St....more Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton begins as a murder mystery set in the future and soon becomes much more. It is 2143 and a member of the very wealthy and very cloned North family turns up dead in the river at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in northeast England. Police detective Sidney Hurst is on the case with a crew of help from the police as well as other very powerful people. It is apparent that the murder may be related to another murder in the North family from twenty years ago on the planet St. Libra. The only witness/survivor/convicted murderer from that mass murder was Angela Tramelo, who has been in prison since then. Angela always claimed that she was innocent - and that an alien monster was responsible for the horrific crime. Now it seems that she may have been telling the truth and the real murderer is an alien monster that is still on the loose, but now in Newcastle. Angela is released in order to join a mission to hunt down the monster.

That synopsis doesn't quite do Great North Road justice, but this is one huge space opera combined with an intense murder mystery and alien-contact thriller. All the plots and sub-plots are neatly tied together in the end. The world building itself is exemplary, with plentiful details and descriptions. The main characters are very nicely developed both in personality and backgrounds. Once you get caught up in the story you might begin to forget exactly how long it is (especially if you are reading it on an e-reader. I began to wonder early on what was up when it seemed my Kindle was on 20% forever... then I looked up the actually length of the novel.

At nearly 1000 pages, there are places where Great North Road could have been edited; perhaps some of the details of the investigation could have been tightened up. It becomes apparent that, thankfully due to the length, that there were sections of the novel that I could read quickly in order to get back to some more exciting action. Since it is so long, you might have to throw out the 50 page rule if the opening murder investigation doesn't capture your attention. Try to read quickly along and get to when Angela is introduced. That's when the story really takes off. Not to say that I didn't enjoy the rest of it, but I can see where a reader might begin to wonder where the investigation is going. Don't worry - it goes places. If you enjoy murder mysteries and science fiction then you likely will not have a problem getting absorbed into the details of the narrative

Very Highly Recommended - but know that it will require a time investment

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Random House and Netgalley for review purposes.
http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/

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Dec 29, 2012 Burgoo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

The Great North Road begins as a police procedural, when the body of a rich clone is found in Newcastle. The investigation shows startling similarities to a murder committed years earlier off world, leading to an exploratory expedition to find and neutralize a deadly alien.

Most of the story is told in parallel, with the police investigation switching back and forth with the alien expedition. Hamilton uses his two primary POV characters to lead us through their respective storylines. Sid Hurst is...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Jeremy Sanders rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm not sure why I keep reading Hamilton's books. There's a nugget of excitement lurking in them, but in this case it's pretty hard to find.

The book could have easily been cut down to half its size without loss. Like many of his books, it's full of pointless detail. He seems to have an interest in buying property and property development, which we are treated to the details of. We also get endless descriptions of some crazy arcane police procedure. It is only near the end of the book where there...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Stephen Ormsby rated it 4 of 5 stars

I need to start this review with WOW, this is a big, bloody book. Peter F Hamilton is not known is writing short stories. Having a look at his writing and you will quickly realise he writes tomes. I have read his tomes and have thoroughly enjoyed them (except for the slight case of deus ex machina in one of them).

Even so, this book felt overly long. I was prepared for it, but still it was a bit much. This is a detective novel wrapped in a science fiction wrapper and on the whole is good, but not...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Ross Hamilton rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a big read at just over 1,000 pages. We get to track two distinct story lines – that of Detective Sid Hurst and that of Angela Tramelo. Hurst's storyline is about investigating a crime, a murder that carries a great deal of political intrigue with it. Angela Tramelo was convicted of a brutal mass murder twenty years earlier but an apparent repeat of the distinctive MO, while Tramelo is still in a high security penitentiary, leads to her release and accompanying an expedition to the plane...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, scifi

I like my scifi optimistic not dystopic and Hamilton's work always fits the bill. This isn't one of his absolute bests in my opinion: the setting is too close to today for my taste, and the tech a little too similar to the Commonwealth Universe but without the flair of Ozzie and Nigel. Having said that it is still an excellent read and I enjoyed the detective story wrapping the more traditional sci-fi elements, but then I never object to having too many pages in a novel ( I wouldn't recommend th...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Skyla marked it as to-read

In Newcastle-upon-Tyne, AD 2142, Detective Sidney Hurst attends a brutal murder scene. The victim is one of the wealthy North family clones -- but none have been reported missing. And the crime's most disturbing aspect is how the victim was killed. Twenty years ago, a North clone billionaire and his household were horrifically murdered in exactly the same manner, on the tropical planet of St Libra. But if the murderer is still at large, was Angela Tramelo wrongly convicted? Tough and confident,...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Susan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: couldn-t-get-through

I started off pretty excited about this because I have a weakness for detective stories and sci-fi and this is some combination of both. Also it's one of those rare books NOT written in first person, which at this point makes me want to cheer. And then the scene unfolded in Newcastle, UK (a few of you will know why this caught my attention) and so I was really hoping that this was something good.

It's not bad.

The writing's decent, the characters are decent, even if no one's caught my attention. (...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After the short-in-comparison Manhattan in Reverse collection of stories, here we have a standalone that is one of his longer works.

Set in 2142, the story begins as a future police procedural with the murder of a clone in Newcastle-upon-Tyne from one of ‘The North’ one of the most influential Families in a city seen as a central transgalactic network Hub (the fifth biggest city in Britain).

As the investigation develops, it becomes clear that the body is one in a similar state to one discovered o...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Christopher H. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, british-authors-translators, fantasy-scifi, modern-literature, read-in-2013

In reading Peter F. Hamilton's Great North Road I certainly stepped out of my reading 'box', but then I've been doing that a lot over the past few years. This massive tome--nearly 1,000 pages--is a rock-solid and riveting example of the sub-genre of science fiction known as 'space opera', and I have to say that I enjoyed every moment reading this book. I had never read anything by Hamilton before, but I am quite sure that I'll be looking at some of his other fiction in the near future.

Simply put...more In reading Peter F. Hamilton's Great North Road I certainly stepped out of my reading 'box', but then I've been doing that a lot over the past few years. This massive tome--nearly 1,000 pages--is a rock-solid and riveting example of the sub-genre of science fiction known as 'space opera', and I have to say that I enjoyed every moment reading this book. I had never read anything by Hamilton before, but I am quite sure that I'll be looking at some of his other fiction in the near future.

Simply put, Great North Road is a tale that takes place approximately 150 years in the future, and is a wonderful combination of a police-procedural murder mystery and the story of a military expedition and exploration on the new and strange world of St. Libra, an Earth-like planet, orbiting the Sirius star system (about 8 light years from our own Solar System). St. Libra is a planet that is mostly covered with water, but with several large land masses that contain a dense and virtually impenetrable jungle. St. Libra also happens to be the location of a large "bioil" facility that manufactures petroleum products created from algae that is 'farmed' in large paddies. This oil is then transported through a "trans-spacial connection", or gateway, back to Earth where it is used by European countries in what is now known as "Grande Europe" (a nod to the current European Union, I'm guessing).

Much of the police procedural elements of the novel are centered on the city of Newcastle in England, where there is a corresponding 'gateway' that allows instantaneous travel and transportation of people and equipment from Earth to St. Libra. Many countries around the world have also established gateways to other worlds and have either created quasi-Utopian settlements, or have engaged in economic- or ethnic-cleansing and have transported their undesirables to these new worlds (i.e., much like the English used to transport criminals, and others, to penal colonies in Australia in the late-18th and early-19th centuries). Additionally, there is the added tension throughout much of the novel of the risk of invasion and attack by a truly horrific alien life-form, the "Zanthswarm", which has attacked and destroyed several of the human settlements on other worlds with millions of human casualties. The Human Defense Alliance (HDA) exists to protect all humans (and the gateways) from alien threats, and kind of reminded me of our NATO alliance today, or even the U.S. Homeland Security Department.

Hamilton's world-building and his information-dumps are well handled through the use of a timeline that hops back and forth over a span of a century or more, and seen through multiple points-of-view of the various characters in the novel. There are also some really well thought out notions associated with human cloning, and gene modification (if you have the money) that slows and even reverses the effects of aging, some seriously cool and advanced medical procedures. I also really found fascinating Hamilton's vision of how artificial intelligence (AI) and information technology is used in this novel. People are essentially hard-wired into the 'world-wide-web' and can pull up and utilize their own personal 'net' to communicate and access and process all kinds of information and technology--pretty much all 'virtual reality'. Obviously, this technology allows the police to accomplish some pretty amazing things when it comes to trying to solve crimes, and the soldiers on St. Libra to coordinate and stay linked together as they search for a dangerous alien entity that may, or may not, be involved in the murder that occurred back on Earth.

While some readers may balk a bit at the slightly ponderous pace of the first third of the novel--mostly involving the murder mystery and the Newcastle police--I encourage readers to stay with it as the pace picks up dramatically as characters and plot-lines begin to converge, and then one finds oneself fully engaged as the book roars to its very satisfying conclusion. I have to say that I was mightily impressed at the overall tone and tenor of the novel and its subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle, moral messages that invite the reader to periodically stop and reflect upon a whole of host of issues, including things like population and emigration/immigration control, medical and bio-ethics, control and use of nuclear and biological weapons, and environmental stewardship and the harvesting and utilization of natural resources. Without being 'preachy' in the novel, I think Hamilton wants his reader to think about these issues and the moral and ethical responsibilities that humans--as an intelligent species--have, and that as we move forward in exploring our Solar System that we do so in a thoughtful, deliberate, and responsible fashion.

The Great North Road is an excellent novel on many levels, and I unhesitatingly recommend reading it. If you like scifi you'll probably love the book; and even if you don't, the plot and science elements in Great North Road are still close enough to our time frame such that it makes sense and isn't too abstract. For me, Great North Road is a solid four out of five stars. A good read indeed!(less)

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Apr 22, 2013 Henry rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a book that really shouldn't have worked - but did, magnificently. It starts as a detective story set in 22nd Century Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The description of futuristic technology, taken realistically for granted by the characters, somewhat jars against anachronistic details - will roads have the same numbering a century hence as they do now? And given that Lyons Corner Houses are now distant memories for all that they throve just 50 years ago, will there still be Costa Coffee and Little...more This is a book that really shouldn't have worked - but did, magnificently. It starts as a detective story set in 22nd Century Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The description of futuristic technology, taken realistically for granted by the characters, somewhat jars against anachronistic details - will roads have the same numbering a century hence as they do now? And given that Lyons Corner Houses are now distant memories for all that they throve just 50 years ago, will there still be Costa Coffee and Little Chef franchises in 2119? And will Geordies still address female colleagues as 'pet' without getting a kick in the goolies?

The sleuthing, however, becomes entangled in a shadowy corporate plot that encompasses several planets colonised by humans. There are very few spaceships in this Hamiltonian universe, because people literally walk from planet to planet through stationary 'gates' at the surface. A gate in Newcastle leads to the tropical planet of St Libra, where the incredibly wealthy North family of cloned siblings grows and harvests the 'bioil' that drives Earth's economy: and where, twenty years ago, a hot chick called Angela was convicted of murdering, very bloodily, Bartram North and most of his entourage. (I use the term 'hot chick' advisedly - most of Hamilton's heroines are sensationally sexy and ruthlessly capable, but have hearts of gold.)

Angela's testimony - that it was an alien monster wot dun it - was initially disbelieved, leading to a life sentence in Holloway, but her testimony is unearthed as it jibes with the Newcastle case, where another member of the North family has been murdered in the same way. Angela is exonerated and an expedition is mounted to St Libra to flush out any sentient and possibly dangerous aliens - incredible, because until then, St Libra only appears to have had plants, with no animal life at all. After that things get weird, so I shall say no more about the plot.

Although Hamilton can write short stories, and even short novels (his three Greg Mandel SF mysteries are worth reading) his books tend to the monolithic. The 'Night's Dawn' trilogy weighs in at well over 3,000 pages, replete with complex detail, so that by the end you've ceased to care about the doings and motivations of the vast cast of characters. Since then there's been a two-book epic ('Pandora's Star' and 'Judas Unchained'), and yet another trilogy (the 'Void' - I expired before the end of volume 1). So whereas the 1000-page 'Great North Road' seems enormous, it is a mere pamphlet after most of the others, and very much benefits from the one-volume treatment.

Hamilton certainly can write a page-turner. This is evidenced by the fact that I was up very late several nights running, turning pages, even though he tends to describe people, scenes, machines, and so on, in rather more detail than they sometimes need. Some details, however, irritated me. First, St Libra is a planet around a young star, Sirius. Although the paradox of St Libra's highly evolved yet young biosphere is indeed discussed in the book, nothing is said about how and why a young star - and a double-star system at that - has a well-developed planetary system. Second, much is made of St Libra being a terrestrial planet much larger than the Earth, but nothing is said about its gravity, which is exactly the same as that of the Earth. The end runs the risk of dissolving into somewhat wet and dodgy environmental schmalz, but the endless parade of wonders in true Sf style, together with the generous lashings of decapitation, evisceration, copulation and penetration, more than outweigh this, and don't detract from a very satisfying read.(less)

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Feb 19, 2013 Brendan Ellis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You only need to take a brief look at my profile's favourites section to see that Peter F. Hamilton is my most loved author. Something about his style and the type of books he writes seem to be a perfect match for me. Epic science fiction with rich worlds, believable yet fantastic technology and complex story lines with multiple characters all inter-weaved. Of course you often don't see quite how they're related until the end. It is compelling stuff that always gives you just enough information...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Ludo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

This is a real doorstopper of a book. Luckily I opted for the Kindle version. True to form, Mr Hamilton once again delivers a whopper. Does it deliver the goods? It sure does. Could it have benefitted from some additional editing? Probably.

The first part stretches on a bit. Starting out as a police procedural, it practically spells out the map of Newcastle. The book nearly lost me there. But other Hamiltonion hallmarks were not long in the waiting: the exotic locations, the gigantic list of cha...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Julian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

Another good read from Peter F Hamilton but it is not without its faults. It is an interesting story and I actually do enjoy the length of his books because he ends up having so much room to flesh out his characters to the point where you feel you have stood beside each character for their entire lives. However, this length can also work against him. Without any exaggeration, this book could literally be trimmed down to 1/3 its size and still make just as much sense. I read a lot so am less daun...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Bill rated it 3 of 5 stars

The quality of this book was nowhere near the quality of his previous series in my opinion. It was still an enjoyable story, with a pretty great science fiction setup. About 150 years in the future we've managed to get to a few other worlds and one of the families that got rich doing so is a family consisting of three generations of clones. Like twins they all look the same and have vaguely similar personalities but are still distinct people.

The book's central plot revolves around one of the clo...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Harald rated it 1 of 5 stars

There are so many flaws, shortcuts and WHYs in this book I could barely finish it.

Having read nearly every book Mr. Hamilton has written, I've slowly come to see a repetitive pattern in his writing.

The characters are bland and so alike it's hard to tell them apart.

Sex seems to be as common as drinking a glass of water, preferably taking a few sips from several different glasses.. I don't know any super-duper-super rich people, but according to Mr. Hamilton, they're all whores, not to mention exc...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Debbie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, scfi

940 something pages ....this book was ok - I read the entire book and was interested in the story but ultimately it was a letdown. In a way there were two stories - a police procedural - which was the best part and a hunt for an alien/murderer - maybe or maybe not part of the police investigation.

There was cloning, interstellar civilizations, environmentalism, communism vs market forces, alien invasion, ...I mean it had it all - which was part of the problem. Some characters like Sid were well d...more

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About Peter F. Hamilton

Peter F. Hamilton is a British science fiction author. He is best known for writing space opera. As of the publication of his tenth novel in 2004, his works had sold over two million copies worldwide, making him Britain's biggest-selling science fiction author.

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Books by Peter F. Hamilton

The Reality Dysfunction (Night's Dawn, #1)

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“HR?'
'Human Resources.'
'In Brussels that kind of department is referred to as the Office for Personkind Enablement. Resources sounds like something you dig out of the ground.” — 3 people liked it

“This is the age of total digitalisation; everything is online always.'
'Uh huh, and that's why our politicians are pure and clean, and the world works so well, is it? Because everybody knows everything and there's no hiding place.” — 3 people liked it

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