Critics have compared the engrossing space operas of Peter F. Hamilton to the classic sagas of such SF giants as Isaac Asimov and Frank Herbert. Bu...
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Aug 07, 2011
Ben
rated it: 
We begin at the beginning, because the beginning is awesome and foreshadows the epic quality of Pandora's Star, as well as the sense of humour, levity, and gravity that Peter F. Hamilton uses to create an incredibly compelling and vast narrative.
Wilson Kime is the pilot of the first manned Mars lander. The mission crew steps onto the surface and raises the United States flag, only to be interrupted by a stranger in a home-made space suit. That suit is attached to a pressure hose provid More...
Wilson Kime is the pilot of the first manned Mars lander. The mission crew steps onto the surface and raises the United States flag, only to be interrupted by a stranger in a home-made space suit. That suit is attached to a pressure hose provid More...
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Aug 24, 2010
Radu
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Don't be fooled by the separation of the "Commonwealth Saga" into two books (this one and "Judas Unchained"). It's just a big-big book, so know that if you're starting this one you'll have a total of about 2000 pages to read. :)
More "mature" and with a more refined style than the "Night's Dawn" trilogy, the "Commonwealth Saga" is still a mix of a good number of different story lines that flow towards a (very distant) convergence point More...
More "mature" and with a more refined style than the "Night's Dawn" trilogy, the "Commonwealth Saga" is still a mix of a good number of different story lines that flow towards a (very distant) convergence point More...
Sep 11, 2008
Ryan
rated it:
I have very mixed feelings about this book, and of the experience of having read it. As a result, I'm not sure I can say that I truly 'enjoyed' it; it's well-crafted, overall, but at the same time not without its frustrations.
First, the good stuff: there's a hugely epic plot here, ultimately concerned with ensuring the continued survival of the human race; bold, three-dimensional characters who are intriguing, and draw you into their story; plot twists that you truly never see comin More...
First, the good stuff: there's a hugely epic plot here, ultimately concerned with ensuring the continued survival of the human race; bold, three-dimensional characters who are intriguing, and draw you into their story; plot twists that you truly never see comin More...
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Jul 10, 2007
John
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This book is some awesome sci-fi. The author busts opens two major limitations of modern science, mortality and faster than light travel, and coolness ensues.
If that's not enough for you, there is political intrigue, conspiracies and hyper-aggressive aliens to battle.
Please to enjoy.
I give Pandora's Star five terra-formable planets out of five.
If that's not enough for you, there is political intrigue, conspiracies and hyper-aggressive aliens to battle.
Please to enjoy.
I give Pandora's Star five terra-formable planets out of five.
Feb 15, 2009
Michael
rated it: 
At the end of the day, I liked Pandora's Star enough to finish it and continue with the second half of the story (Judas Unchained). However, this book took a loooong time to get going, and there were quite a few times when I was about ready to give up on it. There were also so many subplots that didn't seem to start connecting until near the end of the book, and were then finally realized in the sequel. I found it very easy to put down and forget about for a while, but I also found myself still
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Feb 11, 2008
wunderbier
rated it:
Peter F. Hamilton is, well, Peter F. Hamilton. As with the Night's Dawn Triology, Pandora's Star is (part of) a sprawling space opera with dozens of characters. Everything is kept well tied together and it's fascinating how the character's paths interweave throughout the story. Reasonable philosophical questions are asked, not unlike most sci-fi, though I don't find any of them particularly ground-breaking as of yet. That doesn't make it a uninteresting aspect, though. Despite the length, I
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Dec 17, 2009
David
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In AD 2329, humanity has colonised over four hundred planets, all of them interlinked by wormholes. With Earth at its centre, the Intersolar Commonwealth now occupies a sphere of space approximately four hundred light years across.
When an astronomer on the outermost world of Gralmond, observes a star 2000 light years distant - and then a neighbouring one - vanish, it is time for the Commonwealth to discover what happened to them. For what if their disappearance indicates some kind o More...
When an astronomer on the outermost world of Gralmond, observes a star 2000 light years distant - and then a neighbouring one - vanish, it is time for the Commonwealth to discover what happened to them. For what if their disappearance indicates some kind o More...
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Nov 14, 2008
Jeromy
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Great hard sci-fi, one of the better ones I've read in a long time. I love all the imagination that went into this book. Some of the best world-building I've seen.
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Jan 13, 2009
Andy
rated it:
Hamilton does it again. By 'it', I mean: weaves an excellent story, fully realizing an amazing sci-fi universe told from the perspective of about thirty different characters. By 'it', I also mean: writes 1 gigantic book, then breaks into parts that have no business being called 'books' of there own.
Pandora's Star took a long time to get going. I pushed through the slowness in the beginning because I knew, having read him before, that it would all mean something. Thirty desperate stor More...
Pandora's Star took a long time to get going. I pushed through the slowness in the beginning because I knew, having read him before, that it would all mean something. Thirty desperate stor More...
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Jul 27, 2011
Bearcatmark
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Pandora's Star is an incredibly ambitious book. There are a ton of characters and there is a ton of story to tell. Hamilton creates a uniquely developed universe and does a great job of setting up what is ultimately a very interesting plot. The mystery surrounded the barrier is unique and fascinating. The alien races he develops are completely original and in the case of the Primes one of the cooler, well thought out alien races I have ever read. My biggest complaint about this book are the
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May 03, 2011
Daniel
rated it: 
Being a huge fan of the 'Night's Dawn' trilogy, I was naturally very happy to get my hands on this book. If you liked 'Night's Dawn', there's a chance you will find something to your liking in here - but don't expect anything approaching the quality of 'The Neutronium Alchemist'.
In this series (completed by 'Judas Unchained' next year), Hamilton seems to set out to do something similar to what he did in 'Night's Dawn': present a riveting, complex world and then take a sledgehammer to it. The uni More...
In this series (completed by 'Judas Unchained' next year), Hamilton seems to set out to do something similar to what he did in 'Night's Dawn': present a riveting, complex world and then take a sledgehammer to it. The uni More...
Mar 27, 2011
Andreas
rated it:
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
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Dec 30, 2010
Mark
rated it:
I liked Pandora's Star, and I think that any fan of epic science fiction would like it too. If you're not a fan of sprawling Science Fiction, you should probably give it a pass.
The Plot
It's kind of a fool's errand to try to encapsulate the plot. If I'm to give it justice, I'd have to write pages and pages. If I'm too austere, it sounds simplified and either dull or stupid. It's a complex plot that is revealed deliberately over the MANY pages of the book.
Humani More...
The Plot
It's kind of a fool's errand to try to encapsulate the plot. If I'm to give it justice, I'd have to write pages and pages. If I'm too austere, it sounds simplified and either dull or stupid. It's a complex plot that is revealed deliberately over the MANY pages of the book.
Humani More...
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Sep 13, 2010
Yarrow
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What a mediocre attempt. I somehow managed to slog through all 989 pages of this, and it never completely lost its narrative thread, in spite of an astonishing redundancy in unnecessary description. It is also significantly hampered by a lack of imagination; my suspension of disbelief cannot withstand the idea of the year 2380 basically looking *just like* the year 2010, only with extra planets, and a small handful of cool new tech. By the end of this tome, Hamilton has *almost* managed to pu
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Jul 10, 2010
Lauren
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The first book set in the Commonwealth universe takes a while to really take off - while the various storylines are certainly engrossing for the first half, the central plot remains a mystery until several hundred pages in. In a book less deftly written, this would be a serious flaw, but Hamilton keeps control of the pace in an impressive way. There are only a few sections which feel slow (Ozzie and Orion's time of the Silfen ice world, for example). When the disparate storylines do finally come
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Jun 27, 2010
David
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Mar 06, 2010
Russ
rated it:
Decently written book, of the sci-fi reality. As far as sci-fi goes, its fairly "hard" sci, in that the technologies and actions are still within the realm of where mankind could plausibly be in a few hundred years time. This book manages to avoid the purple prose and juvenile, one dimensional characters that so often plagues sci-fi. The cook is a little verbose- together with the sequel, Judas Unchained, you're committing yourself to a good 2000pages of reading. The breadth of the sto
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Feb 07, 2010
Chris
rated it:
This was a fantastic, fantastic book. After this and Fallen Dragon, Peter F. Hamilton is now my favorite author, beating out Frank Herbert. I think both authors are intelligent and insightful, but Hamilton gets the nod for me now because he deals with more contemporary issues like the chance at immortality, spirituality in a technological world, and what impact technology has on society.
Oh, yeah, and he's a good storyteller.
The only beef I had with this book was its len More...
Oh, yeah, and he's a good storyteller.
The only beef I had with this book was its len More...
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Jun 08, 2009
Jim
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This book is almost 1,000 pages long and is only Part 1 of a 2 part series. If you throw out 2/3 of it, you have one whopping good story.
This is "book bloat" at its worst. There is so much non-essential garbage in this book that I could not wait to finish. It is filled with non-essential details of people you wind up not caring about and who, in effect, are not all that germane to the story or even worth caring about.
A reviewer listed on the cover warns us th More...
This is "book bloat" at its worst. There is so much non-essential garbage in this book that I could not wait to finish. It is filled with non-essential details of people you wind up not caring about and who, in effect, are not all that germane to the story or even worth caring about.
A reviewer listed on the cover warns us th More...
May 27, 2009
Billy
rated it:
Have you ever read a book so life-changing that you don't know what to say about it? Well, this is that kind of book.
I got this book from the library a few days before by sixteenth birthday. Little did I know that it would blow my mind within the first 100 pages. And then, when I scooped all of the brain matter off the walls of my room and meticulously reconstructed my cranium, it blew my mind again. And again. And again.
There was a scene where the aliens capture a member More...
I got this book from the library a few days before by sixteenth birthday. Little did I know that it would blow my mind within the first 100 pages. And then, when I scooped all of the brain matter off the walls of my room and meticulously reconstructed my cranium, it blew my mind again. And again. And again.
There was a scene where the aliens capture a member More...
Jan 08, 2012
Steve
rated it:
This is epic space opera at it's, well, most epic really! Has a lot of elements of hard SF too. If you liked Peter F Hamilton's previous books (Night's Dawn Trilogy in particular) you should love this.[return][return]Two warnings however - firstly it's very long and if you are not a fast reader or don't have much time, it could take you a long time to get through. Secondly, it has an equally long sequel.[return][return]Overall I enjoyed this book, though thought it could have been shortened some
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Mar 05, 2007
Steve
rated it:
Huge, enthralling sci-fi masterpiece. 1000 pages ending in a cliffhanger -- traditional sci-fi set in 2380, with fantastic technology and aliens (both inscrutable and malevolent). A large cast of character, including one we haven't even met yet... A can't-put-it-down page-turner with a fascinating mystery. All to be resolved in the sequel, Judas Unchained (not out yet... arrrgh). And Peter F. Hamilton usually uses the titles to tell us something about the content...
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Nov 09, 2011
Ryan
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***1/2
Enjoyable but not-quite-first-rate space opera, Pandora's Star is as much about the politics and foibles of an imagined future human society as it is about exploring the galaxy and alien mysteries. To his credit, Hamilton does a fine job of managing the many threads of his sprawling plot and his large cast of characters, gradually steering them across a dozen worlds to a heart-racing confrontation in the book's final quarter. I also found his conception of a hostile alien species More...
Enjoyable but not-quite-first-rate space opera, Pandora's Star is as much about the politics and foibles of an imagined future human society as it is about exploring the galaxy and alien mysteries. To his credit, Hamilton does a fine job of managing the many threads of his sprawling plot and his large cast of characters, gradually steering them across a dozen worlds to a heart-racing confrontation in the book's final quarter. I also found his conception of a hostile alien species More...
Jul 30, 2011
If you're after light reading, look elsewhere. Pandora Star is the beginning of a two part huge sprawling Space Opera with multiple plot lines and vast amount of characters.
Pandora Star begins a very deep and interesting story set in Humanity's far future. This book is mostly set up, but toward the end really takes off.
The universe of Pandora Star is very well realized, I really enjoyed some of the concepts in the technology used in earth. The concepts of Rejuvination, relife, organic technolo More...
Pandora Star begins a very deep and interesting story set in Humanity's far future. This book is mostly set up, but toward the end really takes off.
The universe of Pandora Star is very well realized, I really enjoyed some of the concepts in the technology used in earth. The concepts of Rejuvination, relife, organic technolo More...
Feb 20, 2011
Quando il troppo stroppia.
Non temo i romanzi voluminosi, né il fatto di leggerli in inglese (cosa che in ultimamente preferisco).
L'inglese di Hamilton non è difficile, niente a che vedere con le complessità di McDonald, tuttavia a differenza dello scrittore irlandese, Hamilton pecca di efficacia.
Almeno una decina di pagine per descrivere il volo in aliante, con una dovizia quasi maniacale nei dettagli, solo per dirci che la signora in questione, dopo l'ennesima operazione di ringiovanimento, vuo More...
Non temo i romanzi voluminosi, né il fatto di leggerli in inglese (cosa che in ultimamente preferisco).
L'inglese di Hamilton non è difficile, niente a che vedere con le complessità di McDonald, tuttavia a differenza dello scrittore irlandese, Hamilton pecca di efficacia.
Almeno una decina di pagine per descrivere il volo in aliante, con una dovizia quasi maniacale nei dettagli, solo per dirci che la signora in questione, dopo l'ennesima operazione di ringiovanimento, vuo More...
Jan 03, 2011
Steve
rated it:
Hamilton continues to show both what he's good at as well as his flaws. He is a fantastic world-builder, with expansive and believable cosmi. Especially with my engineering background, I appreciate when he attempts to make his science as believable as possible. Sure it's not always completely possible, but it makes a valiant effort.
That being said, he continues to suffer a bit on the characterization side of things (there are a few characters that I feel tied to, but only one or per More...
That being said, he continues to suffer a bit on the characterization side of things (there are a few characters that I feel tied to, but only one or per More...
Feb 28, 2010
Mike
rated it:
1,000 pages, whew! The next book, "Judas Unchained," also 1,000 pages, takes up right where this one leaves off. Advise you to read them back to back to better keep up with the numerous plots. Hamilton is good with dialogue but this book would have been better off around 500-700 pages. He spends way too much time describing scenes/worlds/etc. for me. He's good at it and not too technical, but I just get bored reading descriptions and find myself saying c'mon already. Sometimes up to 4
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Jan 31, 2010
Waltor
rated it:
Well, so far so good. This is just an incredibly wide ranging story, many dense characters and intricate sub-plots. Very detailed. To respond to concerns I have heard about this author, yes the language is salty and there is a lot of sex but we are spared the details I would consider pornographic. I wouldn't recommend it to my high-school students but I don't think it should offend any adults that are comfortable with human nature. I chose the audio-book format of this story since I can listen w
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Sep 26, 2011
The word "Pandora" apparently is just all over the place in sci fi novels for some reason. Hmm.
Anyway, so: this book is a big old 1000 page book where you're still getting comfortable with the characters 200 pages in. I would imagine there is some kind of chart for the plot to this book and its sequel, because there are about a million characters, and hardly anyone gets left twisting in the breeze so far. Imagine reading George R. R. Martin, except with lots of narrative tens More...
Anyway, so: this book is a big old 1000 page book where you're still getting comfortable with the characters 200 pages in. I would imagine there is some kind of chart for the plot to this book and its sequel, because there are about a million characters, and hardly anyone gets left twisting in the breeze so far. Imagine reading George R. R. Martin, except with lots of narrative tens More...
Jul 28, 2011
Kevin
rated it:
I tried twice to read this book, and both times I just couldn't get into it. The reason for that is because it changed directions too many times in the first part of the book. I read 8% of the kindle edition and i felt like I was starting new books four times! The author would start a story line with one set of characters, I'd just start getting interested, then he's change directions entirely and start a different storyline with all new characters and i'd have to start trying to get interested
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