SF Space opera about a mysterious riot. Spoiler.

[Julien]

Hello everyone,
I've been searching for a long time this science fiction series name, but I'm unable to find it.
I have neither the name of books as I read them borrowed from a library neither the author.
Basically the plot was that something was spreading in more and more worlds, with no one really knowing the problem, and the problem being that after life existed in the sense of people's soul being immortal but unable to do anything after death. So when a distortion makes some of these souls able to take the control of a living person, they do it.
It basically spreads into multiple words like a plague, and the newly revived people starts to organize as groups.
If you have any idea I would be glad. Not sure but maybe part of Folio SF if I'm not wrong

[beichst]

This sounds like the Night's Dawn trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton. The first book is the 1996 The Reality Dysfunction.

In it the passed on souls are able to come back to possess the living members of the 27th century Confederation inhabitants.

"The result is utter mayhem. Several of the strange entities seize control of Dexter and his followers, in effect 'possessing' them. Able to call upon powers from the other realm, such as the ability to control and alter matter and hurl powerful white fireballs around, they then seize control of Aberdale and Laton's compound, forcing the inhabitants to accept possession or death."


They then organize into the Deadnight cult which continues t spread from planet to planet.

"....swiftly organises the possessed and they rapidly start taking over the planet. Several more possessed reach the independent bitek habitat Valisk in the Srinagar system and begin possessing several inhabitants as a prelude to taking over the entire habitat. "

If it helps in remembering in one plot thread one of the returnee possessors is Al Capone.

[Kris]

Google Books preview of The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton - Brad's suggestion:

https://books.google.com/books?id=zcN...

Wikipedia's plot summary - with Spoilers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rea...