Judas Unchained
Ratings28
Average rating4.3
15
Ratings28
Average rating4.3
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.
Series
2 primary books3 released booksCommonwealth Saga is a 6-book series with 5 primary works first released in 2002 with contributions by Peter F. Hamilton, Marta García Martínez, and Petr Kotrle.
Series
7 primary books8 released booksCommonwealth Universe is a 8-book series with 7 primary works first released in 1983 with contributions by Peter F. Hamilton and Marta García Martínez.
Reviews with the most likes.
An excellent conclusion to the Commonwealth story! Man what ride!
Executive Summary: An enjoyable conclusion to the Commonwealth Duology. I plan to check out the Void trilogy at some point in the future.Audio book: John Lee once again does a great job. He doesn't do voices, but he's got a great reading voice that I could listen to for hours and seems well suited to Space Opera. I'm excited to see he reads the Void series for Tantor as well as a few other books I plan to check out.Full ReviewThis is a long one, but overall I enjoyed it. I think this works best in audio because Mr. Hamilton can sometimes go overboard on the details and I found it easy to miss a little here and there and still not seem to miss any plot points. If I were reading it, I might start skimming or something.This book picks up right where [b:Pandora's Star 45252 Pandora's Star (Commonwealth Saga, #1) Peter F. Hamilton https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347952635s/45252.jpg 987015] leaves off, so you'll want to read that first before jumping into this one.We're introduced to a few new POV characters in this one, to go along with some old favorites (of mine anyways) like Ozzy and Paula Myo.I think Mr. Hamilton does a good job in not only tying up all the loose ends but merging the various story lines together into a cohesive finale.There were some parts of [b:Pandora's Star 45252 Pandora's Star (Commonwealth Saga, #1) Peter F. Hamilton https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347952635s/45252.jpg 987015] that felt superfluous (I'm looking at you Hang Gliding scene!) or just more background and depth that felt necessary (like the whole murder/disappearing bodies subplot) that suddenly clicked in with this book.The real enjoyment for me wasn't necessarily the space battles, the politics or the aliens, but just the Commonwealth itself and the people we meet. Don't get me wrong all that stuff was cool (not to mention I had a hankering for some Starcraft after the scenes with the soldiers in badass armor suits going to toe to toe with aliens that remind me a lot of the Zerg).The Commonwealth feels very much like our world today, only with a lot more fun toys to play with and near-immortality to allow one to experience them. That is if you're lucky enough to be part of the right family/born on the right planet.I think Mark really became one of my favorite characters because he uses his intelligence and hard work to get ahead, albeit thanks to taking advantage of some timely opportunities.I'm excited to check out other stories the Commonwealth, even if they are with a whole other cast of characters. I happened to snag [b:The Dreaming Void 866136 The Dreaming Void (Void, #1) Peter F. Hamilton https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388208500s/866136.jpg 851537] as part of an end of year BOGO sale too. I'm hoping some of the characters from this are still alive and kicking and make a cameo or two at least.
Long. Very long. And should have been read immediately after [b:Pandora Star 45252 Pandora's Star (Commonwealth Saga, #1) Peter F. Hamilton http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170278188s/45252.jpg 987015] as it is essentially the second half of that book rather than a sequel. Having said all that the action, plot twists and pacing of the book more than made up for the fairly two dimensional characters. Would I recommend it to anyone? Sure, if you have the time and the energy to dive into a complex, sweeping SF novel that is engaging and has a fantastic world to live in for a considerable amount of time.
