The Abyss Beyond Dreams: A Novel of the Commonwealth (Commonwealth: Chronicle of the Fallers Book 1) Kindle Edition

There are all too few sci-fi authors tackling galaxy-spanning space opera these days, and even fewer doing it well. Hamilton has always written on a huge canvas peopled by many characters, future tech that's pretty much magic to us pre-Post Human humans, aliens to fight and aliens to befriend, and always a core mystery to (re)solve.In this case, we are treated to the continuing story of the Void, that strange universe-within-a-universe that our current generation of astrophysicists think is a super-massive black hole but which is in reality an enigmatic space-time that allows real magic to happen. For those of us outside the Void, it represents the ultimate threat - an impervious, impenetrable, indestructible non-space that periodically expands, swallowing up yet more of our 'real' universe at it grows.Somehow humans have managed to get inside the Void, and their activity is causing the Void to grow. With the possibility of a runaway expansion blatting us all out of existence, something must be done. And it falls to jaded founder of the Commonwealth, Nigel Sheldon, to roll his sleeves up and muck in. Of course, that's easier said than done, but when you have the help of alien friends with a million years of technology at their disposal, then the impossible is something that takes just a little longer than usual and before Nigel can finish breakfast the impenetrable event horizon of the Void is voided and he's away on a boy's own adventure. In this installment, I felt there is a stronger theme of social change than in his other novels with what seems to be an up-to-date retelling of the Marxist stuggle with the underclass in conflict with their hedonistic rulers, with all the chaos such disruption entails.If you have read - and liked - Hamilton's novels you know what to expect and are sure to like this one.If you haven't read him before, then I'd recommend that you go back to the start of the series because "The Abyss Beyond Dreams" is not a standalone novel. Sure, Hamilton does a good job of backfilling the story, but many events are on a linear time line and you will miss the references that made a series that much more fun to read. You will find that Hamilton has a style and it is generally based on a dense plot with many, many points of view told across hundreds and hundreds of pages, multiple landscapes/planets that are always fully fleshed, and tons of high tech toys with an undercurrent of violence and mayhem. The emotional tone is generally cheery, and while there are shades of gray in the characters and their motivations - and unintended consequences abound - good ultimately prevails (where good equates pretty much to our capitalistic, individualistic way of life).So, another great read from Peter F. and my only distress is that because they are so long and involved, his next novel is going to take forever to arrive!

First of all, this is a very good addition to the Commonwealth Universe novels. It's fascinating and quirky. Granted, there is the usual Hamilton profanity, but not as bad as one reviewer stated it, and sex, but not overtly explicit. One thing I really appreciate about Hamilton's sex scenes is that most of the characters like it, and want to share intimate lovemaking. Too many SF authors think sex is merely an animal impulse to be engaged in just to scratch an itch, without any real affection or intimacy, and usually dysfunctional. Hamilton's scenes read more like Heinlein's later works.Yes, it is Hamiltonian in length. Yes, you will have to be patient. Yes, it's worth the ride.Can't wait for the sequel.One grief I have with it is not the author's fault, but the marketing. This is being touted as a stand-alone novel that doesn't require familiarization with the other Commonwealth works. I totally disagree. Too much is obliquely referred to, and it is far too dense for someone who hasn't read others in the series. Some will pick it up, and be confused and not wish to read further. It's a shame that poor marketing may earn Mr. Hamilton some unappreciative remarks.

I don't write reviews of many books although I may read 20 to 30 science-fiction novels each year. This book was a wonderful combination of alternative universe and character studies. The best part about it was the extent to which the author was able to instill true caring in the reader. The background universe is complex creative and somewhat bizarre. In many novels it would be the feature. Here it is only the background. I had never read one of the authors books before. About a third of the way through the book I found I genuinely cared about the characters and worried about them. As I neared the end of the book I didn't want to finish it until I had enough time to get all the way through to the end. The characters are what made the book so interesting. I will be reading many more of his books

A good book by Hamilton after a long time.

It's a big call but this may well be the best book I've ever read. To be honest, I put it off for ages because the books are so long and I've been bitten by Mr Hamilton's multi-volume offerings before - I loved The Reality Dysfunction but hated the rest of the Night's Dawn Trilogy (I finished reading them almost out of spite). And there was such a long gap between the first two Commonwealth novels that I'd pretty much forgotten everything from the first book by the time the second one dropped. I didn't mind the Void trilogy but it felt too much like Fantasy for me to really enjoy and took around half a year to slog through. So this time I waited until both volumes had been published, and then I waited some more...Man, was that ever a dumb move! Everything about this book is first-rate, from an author who is clearly at the top of his game. The story has everything you might want from a Peter F. Hamilton novel and then some. The characters are well drawn and utterly believable, the story is gripping from start to finish and the way he brings back strands from the early part of the book into a later part blew my mind on three or four occasions. It is simply brilliant!You don't really need to have read the Void Trilogy or the first two Commonwealth books to enjoy this but it if you are familiar with the Commonwealth universe you are sure to get more out of it. So don't be put off, if you're reading this, just buy it and start reading!!!

I'm a big fan of the Void Trilogy. This is the final book in the series. I didn't find it quite as compelling as the first 2, but it's still a good story. John Lee is, at least to me, an excellent narrator, with a really good voice. It isn't annoying, nor does it put me to sleep.

It's a Peter Hamilton book. If you've read any of his other stuff (and before reading this you should read the Dreaming Void) you'll know what you're getting into. Big book, where the number of spaceships and explosions outweighs the literary quality. Fun reading, ideal beach material. And none the worse for that.

Pas besoin d avoir lu la Commonwealth SagaPour ceux qui ont besoin de recherches :Misspent YouthPandoras StarJudas UnchainedVoid TrilogyImpatient pour la 2eme partie de ce duologie !!