As seems likely to happen (if it hasn't already), Hamilton's world is completely dominated by mega-corporations that are accountable to no government. Like for-profit corporations everywhere, the actions of Hamilton's constructs are dominated by a need to succeed and provide ROI. This leads to predictably callous, sociopathic behavior.

Hamilton's characters are vivid. Some are more sympathetic than others, but they are mostly real enough and distinct enough to be appealing. I had a little trouble with the character interactions because some of them seemed a little artificial to me, but this is the first hard science fiction book I've read in a while, so maybe I've gotten overly critical in that department.

Fallen Dragon takes place far enough in the future that FTL is a reality, albeit a painfully expensive one. There are colonies and some of the biggest and most powerful corporations send out squads of "strategic security" forces to claim "assets" as part of the corporation's return on invested capital. Colonists have no say in the matter and objections are brutally suppressed.

This is the first Peter F. Hamilton book I've read. If his other books build on these themes without becoming rehashes of the same themes, they will be very good. This potential, coupled with the slight woodenness of some of the characters, is why I gave the book three stars.