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Judas Unchained (Commonwealth Saga #2)

4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 · rating details · 8,905 ratings · 373 reviews

Peter F. Hamilton’s superbly imagined, cunningly plotted interstellar adventures are conceived on a staggeringly epic scale and filled with fully realized human and alien characters as complex as they are engaging. No mere world builder, Hamilton creates entire universes–and he does so with irresistible flair and intelligence. His previous novel, the acclaimed Pandora’s St...more Peter F. Hamilton’s superbly imagined, cunningly plotted interstellar adventures are conceived on a staggeringly epic scale and filled with fully realized human and alien characters as complex as they are engaging. No mere world builder, Hamilton creates entire universes–and he does so with irresistible flair and intelligence. His previous novel, the acclaimed Pandora’s Star, introduced the Intersolar Commonwealth, a star-spanning civilization of the twenty-fourth century. Robust, peaceful, and confident, the Commonwealth dispatched a ship to investigate the mystery of a disappearing star, only to inadvertently unleash a predatory alien species that turned on its liberators, striking hard, fast, and utterly without mercy.

The Prime are the Commonwealth’s worst nightmare. Coexistence is impossible with the technologically advanced aliens, who are genetically hardwired to exterminate all other forms of life. Twenty-three planets have already fallen to the invaders, with casualties in the hundreds of millions. And no one knows when or where the genocidal Prime will strike next.

Nor are the Prime the only threat. For more than a hundred years, a shadowy cult, the Guardians of Selfhood, has warned that an alien with mind-control abilities impossible to detect or resist–the Starflyer–has secretly infiltrated the Commonwealth. Branded as terrorists, the Guardians and their leader, Bradley Johansson, have been hunted by relentless investigator Paula Myo. But now evidence suggests that the Guardians were right all along, and that the Starflyer has placed agents in vital posts throughout the Commonwealth–agents who are now sabotaging the war effort. Is the Starflyer an ally of the Prime, or has it orchestrated a fight to the death between the two species for its own advantage?

Caught between two deadly enemies, one a brutal invader striking from without, the other a remorseless cancer killing from within, the fractious Commonwealth must unite as never before.

This will be humanity’s finest hour–or its last gasp.

From the Hardcover edition.(less)

Hardcover, 827 pages

Published February 28th 2006 by Del Rey (first published 2005)

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Nov 03, 2011 Apatt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you have read Pandora's Star previously starting on Judas Unchained should feel like coming home, as there would be no need to familiarize yourself with the settings or characters. On the other hand, if you attempt to read this book without having read Pandora's Star first it would be like wandering into somebody else's home by mistake, wondering who changed your furniture, realizing your mistake and make a quick exit before the cops arrive.

Judas Unchained continues the epic story started in...more If you have read Pandora's Star previously starting on Judas Unchained should feel like coming home, as there would be no need to familiarize yourself with the settings or characters. On the other hand, if you attempt to read this book without having read Pandora's Star first it would be like wandering into somebody else's home by mistake, wondering who changed your furniture, realizing your mistake and make a quick exit before the cops arrive.

Judas Unchained continues the epic story started in Pandora's Star without pausing for breath (because breathing is overrated), I suppose there are people who read "Pandora's" and decided not to bother with the next volume, I further suppose that such people are in the minority. Peter F. must be a very confident author to have the gall to write series that consist of such massive books and expect people to read them. Fat books series are prevalent in modern fantasy epics but rarely found in science fiction. Fortunately for sf readers Hamilton is more than capable to carry it off.

This book is basically about alien invasion and how humanity fend them off whereas the previous volume is more concerned with "WTF is going on?" Like most epic fiction the story features a large cast of characters and several protagonists, the plot is moved forward by switching the narrative between them. Hamilton does this very well for the most part, however the disadvantage of this format is that some characters are more compelling than others and when the reader's perspective is switched to one of the less interesting character it can drag down the pace a little. Still, this is not a major problem because such characters are in the minority and their chapters do not linger on for long. Hamilton's masterful action scenes also compensate for the few instances of drag. My favorite chapter is a deliciously gung-ho scene where a cybernetically enhanced human character faces off an alien modified character. A Marvel/DC style superheroic kickassery ensues with "disrupter pulses" and personal force fields being employed to maximum effect. I do love edifying books but the "F*ck Yeah!" moments are hugely entertaining and make me grin like an idiot ("like" being the operative word). There are also thoughtful passages about existence, humanity, responsibility, redemption etc., with a book this size it is a prerequisite that there is a wide range of elements and moods, nobody likes one single long note that goes on forever, the author does not disappoint here. The whole thing eventually wraps up beautifully and I went to bed in an excellent mood.

A whale of a book, a whale of a time!(less)

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Mar 25, 2011 Ben Babcock rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read, artificial-intelligence, science-fiction, space-opera, owned

After I finished Pandora's Star , I ordered this sequel online and began it soon after it arrived at my doorstep. This is significant, because while I do not adhere religiously to the general order of my to-read list, I try to follow it in good faith. I couldn't wait over a year to read Judas Unchained, so despite my general moratorium on buying books, I made an exception. And I'm glad I did. Judas Unchained is off the frelling chain!

As with my review for Pandora's Star, I'll try to keep this on...more

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Apr 27, 2008 Terence rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf-fantasy

I have a love/hate relationship with Peter Hamilton's books. He's very adept at introducing interesting technology and making a faster-than-light society plausible but, as with a lot of these hard-science, libertarian SF authors, he badly needs an editor. I was skipping over multiple pages of irrelevance in both this book and its prequel, Pandora's Star. He also has far too many "main characters" who (despite 800+ pages) never seem to come alive. They all speak with essentially the same voice. A...more I have a love/hate relationship with Peter Hamilton's books. He's very adept at introducing interesting technology and making a faster-than-light society plausible but, as with a lot of these hard-science, libertarian SF authors, he badly needs an editor. I was skipping over multiple pages of irrelevance in both this book and its prequel, Pandora's Star. He also has far too many "main characters" who (despite 800+ pages) never seem to come alive. They all speak with essentially the same voice. And when he tries to individualize someone they come off as badly stereotyped '60s era hippies -- come on, does anyone seriously say "dude" in the real world much less the imagined future of the 24th century?

And why is Hamilton so obsessed with sex with young (or rejuvenated) women?

Hamilton's treatment of virtual immortality is hit and miss at best. On the one hand, the innate conservatism of an immortal civilization is well developed, represented and believable. On the other hand, the dynamics of the relationship between "old timers" and "first lifers" is unsatisfactory. In four centuries, for example, NO ONE has even attempted to unseat Nigel Sheldon from his position as head of the Sheldon dynasty? Perhaps the Commonwealth's continual expansion is the safety valve but even here, the government (controlled by the eternal heads of these dynasties) controls it. Another point that is brought up briefly is why would anyone want to live forever if their life didn't change -- I mean the characters of a novel (almost by definition) are dynamic, go-get-'em types but most people just plod through their lives and then die. Why would anyone want to do that for lifetime after lifetime?

The aliens are OK. The problem with them (and this is true of nearly every SF story) is that they tend to be one dimensional -- they're all of a singular type and all too often they really do just act like human beings with weird make up. (This is a problem in fantasy stories, too.) On the plus side, I do tip my hat to Hamilton for not allowing the humans to save themselves with an alien "deus ex machina." Ozzie's adventures in "Wonderland" (i.e., the silfen paths) do bring him to the adult silfen and he does find out the origins of the Dyson barriers but the knowledge doesn't really help anyone defeat the Primes.

Overall, if you started with Pandora's Star, you probably should finish the journey with Judas Unchained. If you haven't started down this "silfen path," I recommend Alistair Reynolds, Tony Daniel or Iain Banks. They write similarly grand space opera but are better at it than Hamilton has proven himself to be to date. (less)

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Jun 23, 2010 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, easton-press, signed-first-or-limited-edition, 6-star-books, all-time-favorites, 2000-2005, science-fiction, mind-blowing, cyber-punk-prep-and-post, epic

6.0 stars. On my list of "All Time Favorite" Novels. As has been mentioned before, this book is really the second half of a much larger book began in Pandora's Star. When counting the first book, this story comes in at almost 2000 pages. As daunting as that may seem, I was amazed by how easy it was to stay focused on the story. All of the different plot lines were so interesting and well done that I was never waiting for the pace to quicken. No doubt, Hamilton spends considerable time on details...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Shari rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

Dreaming heavens, finished at last! Fascinating read. Hamilton's science is the kind I like to read and immerse myself in: realistic with a good sprinkling of sci-fi magic here and there to keep the reader wondering. In this book there are lots of these without becoming overwhelming. The story starts where it's left off in Pandora's Star, and one surprising thing I noticed was that it pretty much moved forward with only brief reminders of what had happened in the first book (which I liked becaus...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Frostling rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is the sequel to "Pandora Star", a book I read in 2007. I was not too keen on following up with JU because it's another 1234 pages to go through and on top of it, online reviews weren't exactly brilliant. However in September I came across a copy priced at £2 and couldn't resist giving it a go.

To start with, what is the story about?
The Commonwealth (Humans and all their space colonies) is on the brink of extinction after a violent attack from the Primes (Think Borg without the human shape)....more This is the sequel to "Pandora Star", a book I read in 2007. I was not too keen on following up with JU because it's another 1234 pages to go through and on top of it, online reviews weren't exactly brilliant. However in September I came across a copy priced at £2 and couldn't resist giving it a go.

To start with, what is the story about?
The Commonwealth (Humans and all their space colonies) is on the brink of extinction after a violent attack from the Primes (Think Borg without the human shape). Thanks to their technology, humans manage to fight back, but they discover they have a deadlier enemy with The Starflyer. So the war continues, with unsuspected allies, spies, criminals becoming heroes and, in the background, several super intelligent alien species, seemingly too evolved to make a move and stop the bloodshed.

I consider Peter F. Hamilton to be my favourite space opera writer, but I found JU rather tedious. Here is why:

* The novel starts with a long series of dialogues, investigation type, and the first real action scene doesn't happen before page 184. It is followed by regular fights (Mexican standoff, battles between the Primes and Humans, hectic chase after the elusive Starflyer). But for all its technicolor explosions, it still felt dull. Probably because the world in JU is exactly like the one described in Pandora's Star. There is nothing new and exciting. It was like eating a favourite rich meal everyday of the week, for 2 months - the time it took me to read this massive novel.

* Another reason for the overall slow pace of JU is that after reading Pandora's Star, readers know that the Starflyer is dangerous (it's even stated on the back cover of JU). Yet by page 465 the Commonwealth is still uncertain of the menace it represents. This incredible doubt is repeated later on when the allies try to unmask the Starflyer spies who have infiltrated their ranks. It is a frustrating search, because there is no way that readers can guess who they are. The take over by the Starflyer is so complete that these spies aren't even aware of their transformation.

* I can't say that I appreciated the various sex scenes either. They give the impression that the book was solely aimed at teenage males who count "Weird Science" as one of their favourite movies.

* I enjoyed reading Ozzie's extensive trek away from the Commonwealth, but even in Pandora's Star it was obvious that he was destined to save the day and it is exactly what happens. So, no spice as far as this subplot is concerned.

* Pandora's Star was also superior because it had a strong character throughout the book: Investigator Paula Myo. She returns in JU, but only as a guest star. In addition, here the plot feels fractured because there is no real central character. Instead, we have soft-porn star Mellanie Rescorai who makes it through 95% of the book, (before being ditched like an old pair of unwanted socks). JU has several abrupt surprises like that, where events happen without any suspense.

My overall opinion is that "Judas Unchained" is more aimed at people who enjoy military SF than the sense of wonder associated with Space Opera titles.

What I have learned from this book:
Despite what writing fiction books like to say, adverbs are not always the public enemy number one. JU is packed with them (here are some of the more exotic ones I've found: xx said hoarsely, breathlessly, bitterly, sagely, brokenly, contentedly, adoringly, etc...). So in SF adverbs don't seem to be the main problem. What is likely to kill it is a lack of original content, something that at least JU isn't suffering from.(less)

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Jul 15, 2008 Joshua rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you made it through Pandora's Star, you will definitely need to keep going with Judas Unchained. If they had tacked Chapter 1 of Judas Unchained onto the end of Pandora's Star, you wouldn't tell the difference. And in Judas Unchained, you get all the benefits of Pandora's Star without the confusing three hundred pages of introduction.

Judas Unchained continues the story of the Commonwealth as they battle against aliens both in and outside of their civilization. It basically felt like this enti...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Peter added it · review of another edition

big book good read: second and final story in a pair of books from science fiction writer peter f hamilton. set in a future when humans have colonised many worlds via wormhole travel. terrorists fight against a mystical alien who is supposedly corrupting humanity. a dogged investigator pursues them. and an alien menace to all of mankind has been awakened. meantime one scientist is on a journey of discovery into alien worlds looking for answers.

The story began in his earlier novel pandora's star...more

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May 13, 2013 David Roberts rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am reviewing the novel Judas Unchained by Peter F Hamilton which is an excellent science fiction novel which I bought at a local secondhand bookstore. This book is part of the Commonwealth Duology and the sequel to Pandora's Star which is also reviewed on this site. It's classic space opera mixed with intelligent science fiction. The story also keeps your interest from start to finish. In this book Mellanie is the key character and a government agent. Continuing from the Prime an alien race be...more

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Apr 02, 2013 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, science-fiction

This is the concluding volume of the Commonwealth Saga. Human civilization has spread over a few hundred solar systems. Worm hole generators allow instantaneous transportation among these worlds. Space ships have been designed that can travel much faster than the speed of light.

One of the technologies that has been developed, is the ability to copy memories. By downloading memories to a memory cube, a person can be "relifed" if he dies in an accident (or is killed). Rebirth is equivalent to clon...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars

After such a wonderful first book, I thought Judas Unchained was a big disappointment. There were certainly some shining lights in the book, but they were often crippled by pushing the envelope of fiction to a crazy extreme.

Firstly The Primes as an enemy goes from threatening, to loony cartoonish levels of aggression, that it is hard to believe. Compared to the commonwealth The Prime's system is tiny, and even with dedicated industry that the production is ridiculous. It is like walling off New...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Kerry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2006, sf, 2009, 8

ORIGINAL READ: DNF (5 February 2006 - 5 February 2006)

With the TBR pile building again, I just couldn't face the size of this book, so I returned it to the library. I fully intend to read it, as I still want to finish the story, but I'll let it rest for a bit.

[Copied across from Library Thing; 17 October 2012]

REREAD #1: 8/10 (30 April 2008 - 30 April 2009)

In the end, it turned out to be a couple of years between reading book 1 and book 2 of this duology. As I've said before on this blog, the ver...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Rashad rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you read Pandora's Star then this is a must read. Judas Unchained is a direct sequel that wraps up the story nicely. It is a superior book than its predecessor in that the pacing isn't bogged down with so many lengthy explanations of new topics and technology. Other than that difference, the writing style stays the same.

Just like Pandora's Star, Judas Unchained consists of a revolving set of characters pushing the overall story forward. Looking back, it seems that there are a few pros and con...more

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May 06, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy

Sorry for the duplication on the review, but I decided to put the same review on both books in the series rather than writing a separate review.

I picked this book up on the recommendation of a friend, and I must say that I really enjoyed it. I can't recommend it without a disclaimer, unfortunately, because there is a certain amount of rather crude sexuality (not explicit, but crude) and a very broken view of marriage and love. That being said, it's a small part of a very large two book series --...more Sorry for the duplication on the review, but I decided to put the same review on both books in the series rather than writing a separate review.

I picked this book up on the recommendation of a friend, and I must say that I really enjoyed it. I can't recommend it without a disclaimer, unfortunately, because there is a certain amount of rather crude sexuality (not explicit, but crude) and a very broken view of marriage and love. That being said, it's a small part of a very large two book series -- and mostly takes place in two or three of the character's story lines. It's unfortunate, but I was able to look past it in reading it.

As for the books, I really enjoyed them. It's sci-fi, and it really does feel like sci-fi not fantasy (some reviews of the books refer to it as "space opera," which I think is misleading), but it's sci-fi on a scale and scope which I've never read before. Most sci-fi is short-form literature, but this is two large books forming one unbroken story. And the result is that the story is much more absorbing, has much more depth, has better characters, and feels much more real. This is also my one criticism of the books, however: because the scope is so large, because there are so many characters, and because of the way in which he introduces the characters the beginning of the series is difficult to follow at times. Plot threads start without any warning or explanation, only becoming clear much later in the novel, and the overall direction of the novel isn't clear until about halfway through the first book. And since the first book is over a thousand pages long that's a very long time. Too long for some people, I suspect, who would stop reading before the plot really starts progressing. And even later on in the story there are times where a character, place, or event will be mentioned or reintroduced and it takes a real effort to remember who or what it was and when and why you last heard about them.

It's unfortunate if anyone stopped reading because of the slow start, however, because once the books get going they really get going. There's a lot happening in the last 1,500 pages, and the climax of the book starts somewhere around 500-600 pages before the end. It really rips through to the end, with a great deal of suspense. With such a long climax the actual end of the book is a little anti-climactic, but I'm very happy to exchange that for 600 pages of action.

Overall I really enjoyed the books, and would recommend them to anyone who like sci-fi (with the caveat mentioned earlier). I'll probably wait a little bit before reading any other books set in the same universe, but I'm sure I'll return to Peter Hamilton in future.(less)

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Oct 16, 2011 Bill added it

This is the second in a pair of books by Peter Hamilton, the first being Pandora's Star. I enjoyed this book, and I'd describe it as a satisfying, workmanlike conclusion to these books... yeah, I know, damning with faint praise. That is what this review will be all about. I am sure that some folks will dig these books a lot, but for me it was just a little lacking in the end.

There is a convoluted and interesting plot, a sense of uncertainty all the way to the end, a wide ranging cast of charact...more

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May 31, 2011 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Space Opera fans. Tom Clancy fans looking for Space Opera.

Shelves: sciencefiction

Judas Unchained is the follow-up to Pandora's Star. There's really no reason for you to read it unless you've already read the first novel, as it is a direct continuation of the action. Judas Unchained and Pandora's Star are really both two halves of one book. Weighing in a 2000+ pages, it's a long one....a loooooooong one. But even long reads are worth a gander if they're good. If you don't want to read the entire review, then my recommendation is that you should read it if you're a space opera...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Andreas rated it 5 of 5 stars

These two books are simply two volumes of the same novel, dubbed the Commonwealth Saga. In the tradition of the other (even more) massive Hamilton opus, Night’s Dawn, it is a somewhat daunting cornucopia characters and interweaving subplots. This author can get away with it, since even his explanatory filler is eminently enjoyable. A very rich societal backdrop forms the stage for a drama with some very unexpected twists and turns. The most insignificant details come back to haunt the characters...more These two books are simply two volumes of the same novel, dubbed the Commonwealth Saga. In the tradition of the other (even more) massive Hamilton opus, Night’s Dawn, it is a somewhat daunting cornucopia characters and interweaving subplots. This author can get away with it, since even his explanatory filler is eminently enjoyable. A very rich societal backdrop forms the stage for a drama with some very unexpected twists and turns. The most insignificant details come back to haunt the characters in what is obviously a very finely and meticulously crafted story. The end of Pandora’s Star is a massive cliffhanger and the story picks right back up in Judas Unchained, so I would recommend reading the two volumes back to back.

With the invention of wormhole technology by straight arrow Nigel Sheldon and eccentric Ozzie Isaacs, traditional space exploration (vacuum, spaceships, all that kind of thing) is all but abandoned. Rail lines running between worlds through wormholes are the only means of interstellar transport, and humanity is rapidly expanding to many planets.

Hamilton seems to have been inspired by Morgan’s Altered Carbon when it comes to rejuvenation technology, although there are differences. Practical immortality is available to all but the very poor. Most people pay money into a sort of pension fund which pays for rejuvenation. The more well to do rejuvenate more often, staying forever young. This has brought about a maturing of humanity, where planning is much more long-term. Careers span decades and centuries. The rich can take entire “sabbatical lives”.

These two massive upheavals, longevity and cheap transportation over interstellar distances, have led to an unprecedented period of growth for human society. A commonwealth unites the worlds. The Commonwealth is nominally a democracy, but the reins of power are firmly in the hands of dynasties rich enough to own entire planets. A utopia of sorts, but not really a democracy despite outward appearances.

A mysterious stellar event far outside the human sphere of influences forces the construction of a starship. It is the first one ever built. Former astronaut (immortality remember?) Wilson Kime captains the mission, which leads to the escape of the greatest threat humanity has ever faced from its ancient prison. And it soon becomes clear that the escape was not entirely an accident. There are mysterious forces at work inside the Commonwealth.

The story is peppered with wondrous things such as the Silfen, an enigmatic race of aliens, and their even more enigmatic forest paths, which lead seamlessly from world to world. Even the enemy is fascinating and an example of a true non-human intellect. There are bizarre, enigmatic and just generally cool characters such as the super investigator Paula Myo, slut turned reporter Mellanie Rescorai, the orphan Orion, cult leaders, resistance warriors, criminals and politicians. A tangled web held together elegantly by Hamilton.

The story moves from utopia through gathering storm through all-out chaos and war to a spectacular conclusion, and is finally neatly put to bed in the epilogue. The true genius of Hamilton is that his universe is not populated by 20th Century humans living long lives and using wormholes. Society and its inhabitants are quite different, reflecting the changes in society and culture brought about by technological advances. Motivations, reactions and behaviors are believably described for these “future humans” (and aliens), just as a 17th Century human would behave differently from us.

It should be clear by now that this novel is among the very best I have ever read. Sure, one could criticize the perhaps unnecessarily long road chase in the second volume, or the seeming abandonment of a few supporting characters at the end. But the truth is that it is very very difficult to write something this long, with so many character relationships, and not run into the occasional pacing problem.

So stop reading this and order the books. You will not be disappointed. And if you want more, Hamilton returns to the Commonwealth Universe and many of the characters in the Void Trilogy, set over a thousand years later.

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=165 (less)

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Nov 20, 2010 Naithin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: epic, scifi, space-opera

This review covers both this book and it's prequel, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45....

I read this last year, so can't really offer a hugely indepth review.

I can however say that it was the first scifi I had picked up in a fairly long while; picked it up on nothing more than a whim during a time where I'd exhausted my list of 'Things I Want to Read'.

It's long, it's weighty, and the reality is that Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained should be considered as one ginormous book rather than a...more

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Jun 27, 2010 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I finished reading Peter Hamilton's Judas Unchained last night, and it was good. This is the sequel/conclusion to Pandora's Star, and it opens pretty much right where Pandora left off.

There were a few surprises: Mellanie becomes a much stronger character, and we finally get an explanation for where the hell Ozzie has gotten himself off to. There is one glaring issue with the book, however: the climactic battle involves whether to use a weapon which will completely wipe out the MorningLightMounta...more I finished reading Peter Hamilton's Judas Unchained last night, and it was good. This is the sequel/conclusion to Pandora's Star, and it opens pretty much right where Pandora left off.

There were a few surprises: Mellanie becomes a much stronger character, and we finally get an explanation for where the hell Ozzie has gotten himself off to. There is one glaring issue with the book, however: the climactic battle involves whether to use a weapon which will completely wipe out the MorningLightMountain star system - destroying the star itself, and putting a final end to the threat that the Prime had been to all of human civilization, and the option of re-enclosing the system in the Dyson sphere is portrayed as a more-humane, more moral, non-genocidal [sic: properly xenocidal] option.

This is, of course, idiotic frippery.

MorningLightMountain was directly responsible for the deaths of millions of humans, and the destruction of all earth-normative life on 71 planets (via induced solar flare to sterilize the systems). It had already (in the first book) been accidentally released from the Dyson sphere before, and it had successfully seeded other star systems with its spores. So, what precisely is to stop one of the other Prime Immotiles on the outside from re-opening the prison? Further, even if the attempt at containment is successful, how is this more moral? "Successful" containment means that the barrier outlasts the lifespan of the star, and so MorningLightMountain would have a few billion years to steadily run out of resources and starve to death in the eventual inevitable solar decay. That's like viewing life in prison without the possibility of parole as being more moral than execution, and that doesn't withstand much scrutiny.

Further: this isn't a case where there's any accidental punishment involved - MLM, as a singular entity, was responsible for the destruction of all of the other independent Immotiles on Prime, and was personally responsible for the unprovoked assault on the human commonwealth. Is there the possibility of redemption? No, not really - it's given a nod via the Bose motile, but that fails the sniff test: what possible redemption is possible for the murder of millions of people? For the annihilation of whole biospheres? Evil on that magnitude is not within the grasp of the human experience: would we say that a Stalin or a Hitler should be imprisoned rather than executed? Worse, what if the war is still going on, and there is a decent chance that imprisonment might not work?

Consider a related example: the Borg cube, after blowing the hell out of the Federation fleet, has almost made it to Earth, and it intends absolute annihilation of humanity. Should the Enterprise, after disabling the cube, destroy it, killing the organism?

Answer: duh. Of course they should. Orson Scott Card created the hierarchy of exclusion, and MorningLightMountain clearly falls under the category Djur. Communication is absolutely possible, but compromise is not - MLM stated its intention to annihilate all other entities from the galaxy, and was attempting to live up to its threat.

So how in the living hell can imprisonment be an answer here? I'll pull a line from James Cameron: "nuke it from orbit - it's the only way to be sure" (except in this case, that's highly insufficient). (less)

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Nov 26, 2012 Robert rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: space-opera, disappointing, doorstoppers, read-in-2012

After loving Pandora's Star, despite its problems (over-long, gets sidetracked in less important plot and less important characters, slows the action down too much at times) I was very much looking forward to Judas Unchained. With the way things had been left in Pandora's Star, I could only see Judas Unchained ramping up the pace as it sped towards a conclusion.

Unfortunately, Judas Unchained meanders around irritatingly, avoiding the most interesting plot threads and focusing on things which see...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Steve Rippington rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was concerned that this sequel would fizzle out in the same way that the 'Night's Dawn' books did, but I was pleasantly surprised. After a slightly off pace and drawn out first act, the second act segued nicely into an all out action-packed finale to what is probably the best modern space-opera I've read.

Hamilton sci-fi takes commitment, but he does have an excellent grasp on how to build characters that the reader cares about (although it sometimes feels like you need a pen and paper to keep...more

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May 21, 2013 Michal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Pandora's Star and this book should really be considered as a single story - neither is complete without the other. The first is a good introduction to the universe and what humans are up to, lets you get familiar with the characters, and sets up the stage for the Judas Unchained.

This book essentially ties up all of the stories of the characters which were followed in the first. Despite being with the characters for 2400 pages, I am rather disappointed to say that I couldn't really empathise wit...more Pandora's Star and this book should really be considered as a single story - neither is complete without the other. The first is a good introduction to the universe and what humans are up to, lets you get familiar with the characters, and sets up the stage for the Judas Unchained.

This book essentially ties up all of the stories of the characters which were followed in the first. Despite being with the characters for 2400 pages, I am rather disappointed to say that I couldn't really empathise with any of them. The story, which was, I think, a genuinely interesting one is somewhat marred by the lack of a true sense of character development. The large number of different interlinking storylines certainly made for an interesting ride, and Hamilton's attempt to tell a story from many different perspectives is commendable, but I found that even in parts of the book at which I should be feeling some sort of emotion, there was none. One thing that I did appreciate was the number of female characters which played important roles in the story, and their portrayal as independent entities, not just some attachment to the male characters was pleasantly surprising.

The universe in which the story is set is certainly an interesting one, and while I enjoyed it there are parts that I feel could have been dealt with better. The different planets of the Commonwealth provide a good platform for exploring what humans would do should they suddenly become able to colonise planets. The problems, however, again come in the shallowness of the world. Although upon first encounter planets are described in some detail, apart from a few cases the environment has little to do with the events which occur there. In a similar sense, the technology is left relatively unexplored, with only an ambient sense of some sort of high-tech developments. The development of ships is marginally more interesting as it plays a somewhat pivotal role in the story, but even that is lacking in detail. Perhaps in these cases detail is not actually a necessity however. It seems that progression of the story is prioritised over other aspects.

The story itself is long and winding, and one wonders whether the end result is worth the length. It is probably not a good idea to judge the books based solely on the ending, but after so much I feel like it could have been a little more satisfying.(less)

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Oct 16, 2012 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, science-fiction

Judas Unchained picks up immediately after Pandora's Star. In fact the two books really are just one long (and I do mean long) book. I haven't felt such a strong need to immediately read a sequel since A Song of Ice and Fire. The good news here is that these two books actually make a complete story unlike ASOIAF where we're all patiently (hah!) waiting on the next book.

Whereas Pandora's Star is full of questions and mysteries and conspiracies, Judas Unchained is more about actually dealing with...more Judas Unchained picks up immediately after Pandora's Star. In fact the two books really are just one long (and I do mean long) book. I haven't felt such a strong need to immediately read a sequel since A Song of Ice and Fire. The good news here is that these two books actually make a complete story unlike ASOIAF where we're all patiently (hah!) waiting on the next book.

Whereas Pandora's Star is full of questions and mysteries and conspiracies, Judas Unchained is more about actually dealing with the problem. We know the aliens are out to destroy humanity and that the Starflyer is real. Hamilton does a great job with having various characters finally come to that realization.

One of the big questions in this book is the morality of genocide. It's nice to see humans actually hesitate and question this instead of just having a knee-jerk reaction. Of course, if they could really see into the mind of MorningLightMountain... Throughout both books, Hamilton does an incredible job with the alien species. (view spoiler)

Ozzie's story of traveling the Silfen paths didn't have quite the impact I was hoping for from the first book. Tochee though, while not a major character, was one of my favorites. I loved the scene where Ozzie and Orion give him a bath and Tochee speculates on how rich he could be if he introduced the concept of shampoo/conditioner to his world.

As the multiple story lines really start to converge about halfway through the book, the edge-of-your-seat, suspenseful action starts and never lets up. For over 400 pages, it's simply unrelenting. I was very impressed with Hamilton's writing in both books but the way he brought everything together and just kept the suspense level so high was outstanding. (view spoiler)

It's certainly a time commitment but I would highly recommend these two books together as a great read.
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Jul 21, 2012 Jack Wegason rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Epic. Absolutely epic. The conclusion to the Commonwealth Saga just leaves me wanting more even though the story, which neatly tied up at the end and came into a cohesive whole, came to a satisfying conclusion.

There are so many characters in the two novels, which explains the character list at the beginning of each book, yet over the course of the two books each character is fleshed out a little and may come back at some key point to advance the plot.

My two favourite characters were Ozzie Isaac...more Epic. Absolutely epic. The conclusion to the Commonwealth Saga just leaves me wanting more even though the story, which neatly tied up at the end and came into a cohesive whole, came to a satisfying conclusion.

There are so many characters in the two novels, which explains the character list at the beginning of each book, yet over the course of the two books each character is fleshed out a little and may come back at some key point to advance the plot.

My two favourite characters were Ozzie Isaacs and Paula Myo, at least before Ozzie's personality seemed to just get far too self-righteous. Those two being my favourites is probably explained by these two characters having two of the more interesting story arcs in the saga, and there are so many story arcs throughout the two books and yet the story remains focused and plot driven despite its near 2000 pages in length.

Ozzie's tone of self-righteous pomp comes up near the end after emerging from walking the Silfen paths, having found out from the Silfen about what had been going on, and then having been sequestered by Nigel Sheldon and being told what the Commonwealth planned on doing to MorningLightMountain and the Prime civilization, gets all uppity and aims to prevent it.

Now this could be attributed to the fact that he hasn't actually experienced what has been going on in the Commonwealth. He didn't witness the devastation of the Lost23 nor the obliteration of the Second47. I did think that the way he was able to commandeer a heavily guarded secret spaceship to be contrived and forced. (I will say that I'd worked out pretty early on that Ozzie assisted Bradley and the Guardians).

This nicely brings in the role of the SI in all of this, who assisted Ozzie in the above, and helped Mellanie throughout. Its desire to prevent a genocide, and not assist the humanity which I assume created it struck me as a little odd and unclear.

THE most interesting part of the whole story is how the reader's opinion of the Guardians of Self-hood completely changes as you progress through the story. This mirrors the way the Starflyer develops within the plot.

At first the Guardians are wacko-crazy terrorists, and the Starflyer is fake. As more legitimate characters start to question the evidence of the existence of such an entity, the Starflyer moulds into an entity who's motives are clear, against humanity, but who's origins and nature are unknown and undefined.

The way Hamilton handles this is done very well and I had not worked out, nor had I guessed, what entity the Starflyer would be and in the end it did make sense for why it was trying to mainpulate the Commonwealth as it was doing.

There was one area where a hole in the plot could exist, albeit this hole is in the first book but I didn't see it until the reveal in the second, and that is the fact that the Guardians who were trying to prevent the Second Chance launch could have, using the knowledge that Bradley Johansson has about the Starflyer, told the Commonwealth what would be found behind the barrier and what consequence this would have, gaining enormous credibility when it did happen.

The fact remains however that the lack of clues as to who was a Starflyer agent, the red herrings in place, and Hamilton's willingness to kill off just about any character, makes for a cracking yarn, albeit one that felt like it was reaching a climax with about 400 pages to go, from the trains' blockade busting run onwards.

I look forward greatly to moving on to the Void series and returning to the Commonwealth where hopefully Hamilton will continue to use a science fiction setting and technology to tell a great story.(less)

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Feb 27, 2011 Robert Delikat rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Firstly the narration: Generally I like the performances of narrator John Lee. I have listened to a number of others of his books including White Tiger, Pillars Of the Earth, Count of Monte Cristo. But the narration in this series leaves much to be desired. This production, while not as bad as Pandora’s Star, is a hopelessly flawed engineering fiasco. One can never tell when there is a change in chapters unless it is stated in the literary context. When there is a change of scene or arc, the nar...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Laurie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fabulous! The conclusion of the story begun in Pandora's Star, this huge volume was well worth the extra effort. I still love the universe Hamilton has created and the humans and other folks who inhabit it are riviting. So much detail without being too obvious, really a very rare talent in writers today. I also give this guy kudos for imagination, he has some very interesting twists to technology that I also found facinating. I just wish I could go in for a rejuvenation myself in a few more year...more

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Oct 17, 2011 Dirk Grobbelaar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, books-i-own

Don’t approach this book as a sequel to Pandora's Star. It is merely a continuation of the story. The two books form a cohesive whole, and are really just parts one and two of the same story. There is no way, really, that the two books can be read separate from one another.

The war between the Commonwealth and the Prime was always going to reach critical mass in this novel, and this is more or less what happens. However, things didn’t pan out quite how I was expecting. In this novel there is a sl...more Don’t approach this book as a sequel to Pandora's Star. It is merely a continuation of the story. The two books form a cohesive whole, and are really just parts one and two of the same story. There is no way, really, that the two books can be read separate from one another.

The war between the Commonwealth and the Prime was always going to reach critical mass in this novel, and this is more or less what happens. However, things didn’t pan out quite how I was expecting. In this novel there is a slight shift in perspective, as key figures in the Commonwealth realise that the threat presented by the Prime is not the only threat to humanity. This was already hinted at quite strongly in Pandora’s Star, especially the closing chapters. There is a lot of political manoeuvring in these novels, with the different dynasties reminding me at least a little of the great houses of Frank Herbert’s Dune universe. The greatest difference being that they’re not openly warring against one another. Not openly. At any rate, the bulk of the novel is taken up by strategies devised to root out and address the new threat while the Prime action takes a bit of a back seat. It all connects nicely in the end, of course.

The story has a lot going for it. It’s reasonably fast paced and interesting. There are a lot of really well developed characters, including some really cool aliens. The cliff-hanger ending of Pandora’s Star is addressed fairly quickly. There are lots of cool gadgets and weapons of ridiculous magnitude. It really is Space Opera at its finest, in a world that’s easy to identify with despite having wormholes and FTL spaceflight (people still drive Land Cruisers and Fords, albeit futuristic versions). However, despite all this, I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as Pandora’s Star. Why? Well, two quick reasons. I was a bit irritated by how Hamilton had one of the characters sleep with (almost literally) every other character in the novel at some point or the other. And, frankly, the book is just a bit long, with one or two sections dragging a bit, despite the general good pacing. I’m fairly certain this won’t be a problem for everybody, though, since it is a great story. The high-octane climax makes up for most of the shortcomings anyway. So, four stars it is.

Oh, one more thing: the dramatis personae in the beginning of the book contains spoilers, don’t read it.
As a whole, the Commonwealth Saga is a great achievement. Now, if I can find time for the Night’s Dawn Trilogy….
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Nov 23, 2012 Joe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Peter Hamilton writes a strange sort of science fiction that is guided more by aesthetics than solid explanation. As I said elsewhere, it's like fantasy with the trappings of sci-fi in that the world-building is all sci-fi tropes, but his attitude seems to be to just run with something if it sounds like it would create an evocative setting, rather than providing a sensible explanation for why things work the way they do in his worlds... that said, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Can get EXTR...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Gail rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

I've been in a bit of a reading hole just recently. Maybe this will be the book that drags me out. Excellent action sequences. Aliens that simply have very little in common with humans or a human way of thinking. Some great characters, both male & female. There are plenty of twists and turns, you can figure them out if you've been paying close attention. There are a few things that simply left me scratching my head. Really? There are some slow bits where my mind started wandering off onto ot...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Fernando Álvarez del Vayo added it

Una de las mejores sagas que he leído. Se hace algo largo por las inmensas descripciones de todo, pero a la vez eso es lo que le da una profundidad impresionante tanto a la obra como sobre todo a los personajes.

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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)

The Neutronium Alchemist (Night's Dawn, #2)

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Quotes from Judas Unchained

“Are you sure it is trustworthy, Mellanie?"
"I'd be dead if it wasn't."
"yes. I suppose that does generate a respectable level of personsal confidence” — 3 people liked it

“But to have dreamed the dream is to have flown above the mountains so high in all but deed.” — 2 people liked it

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Judas Unchained (Commonwealth Saga #2)

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