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A Night Without Stars A Novel of the Commonwealth Commonwealth Chronicle of the Fallers Peter F Hamilton Books

Download As PDF : A Night Without Stars A Novel of the Commonwealth Commonwealth Chronicle of the Fallers Peter F Hamilton Books

A Night Without Stars A Novel of the Commonwealth Commonwealth Chronicle of the Fallers Peter F Hamilton Books

Hamilton possibly deserves five stars for his detailed world building and sheer number of characters alone, but fortunately his novels go beyond such elements to deliver just about the most outlandish space opera going in sci fi today. (And with the sad passing of Iain M. Banks, Hamilton is arguably numero uno on that score as well.)

Still, I gave it only four stars and that's because the somewhat retro universe described in "Night Without Stars" is structurally limited in ways that strained my credulity. In particular, I just can't see a human society with any technology base - and this is essentially fixed at about the 1950's level for most of the novel - holding static for any duration and certainly not spanning thousands of years.

That same technology base also dramatically undermines ones of Hamilton's strengths - high tech gizmos, gadgets and enhancements. While Soyuz-replica rockets are lovingly described, that's been and gone stuff, the details of which I can look up on Wikipedia. I want to read about the impossible stuff that he makes not just possible, but plausible. And apart from a few Advancer carry-over characters from the previous novel, there is precious little of that.

The plot is typically Hamilton intricate, but again, he excels at presenting the goings on across scores of planets and here we're reduced to one, and actually a single continent and really, a couple of cities. Don't get me wrong, his plotting is superb, but as with the technology aspect, it's like strapping a V8 to a skateboard. Sure, it goes fast, but what a waste of an engine.

This can't be your first Hamilton novel - it's a sequel for a start! - and so you'll know what I mean when I wish for more of the Commonwealth or Confederation universes. This is OK...hell, better than OK, Hamilton is a great author...but it seems a bit hemmed in for his talents and so the epics that are normally spread across a very broad front are concentrated into a focused beam of overly gritty detail that sometimes goes way too deep for the purpose of the story.


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A Night Without Stars A Novel of the Commonwealth Commonwealth Chronicle of the Fallers Peter F Hamilton Books Reviews

My reading tastes are eclectic and probably encompass only 1 or 2 space operas a year. Hamilton's been my favorite in this genre for a while. Over time he's mastered the structural elements of good story, combining it with his incredible imagination (a necessity for the sprawling Sci-Fi genre known as space operas). Although a sequel, A Night Without Stars can be read as a standalone novel, no simple trick given the number of characters and the complexity of the story overall.

One of the things I really liked about this book is that it moves--by that I mean it is quick-paced. The pacing varied but the needle always stayed well past the halfway point. (mild spoiler follows). Nowhere is this better illustrated in Florian versus Chaing. Florian, an introverted and somewhat anti-social "park ranger", has been entrusted with something very precious and is racing toward sanctuary. Chaing, a high-ranking member of the People's Security Regiment (think secret police), believes Florian is a dangerous subversive and wants to stop him at any cost. Chapter by chapter, the perspective switches between the two. Both are highly intelligent, one doing everything he can to evade capture and the other doing everything he can to stop him. It's a nail-biter of a chase and Hamilton does a phenomenal job of ratcheting the tension with each change of perspective.

Finally, the story had, for me, a very satisfying ending. I don't like loose ends and Hamilton ties them nicely. All that being said, Night Without Stars is my favorite space opera to date. Well done!
With this book concludes Hamilton's epic Commonwealth saga, being a roughy 5300 pages thick series of mind-blowing space opera.
If you are new to this universe, please don't start here, begin with Pandora's Star which kicks off the saga in thrilling fashion.
The order to read the core books for maximum enjoyment is 1. Pandora's Star, 2. Judas Unchained, 3. The Dreaming Void, 4. The Temporal Void, 5. The Evolutionary Void, 6. The Abyss Without Dreams, 7. The Night without Stars. Furthermore there are a few short stories and the relatively close future Misspent Youth which could be considered a prequel.
This final book is a direct sequel to The Abyss Without Dreams, a duology that begins in the mysterious Void, an area of distorted space time that might devour the universe; however this book takes place in our universe, and we follow a civilisation of approximately 1950s-1960s technology level (sorry to be vague as about the why, but it is more fun to discover it all for yourself). This civilisation is under threat of a body snatchers-like alien invasion; and it seems like only a select few people with access to Commonwealth-level technology might stop the invasion. I prefer to leave it at this for the plot.
What Hamilton does well in this series, and also in this concluding book is bring us a sense of awe against immense cosmic powers, he additionally blows our mind with a well imagined and coherent visions of immortality and rejuvenation, body augmentation with sensors, datalinking, bioengineering, consciousness transferring, etc. All this is so well depicted that it is believable, and I wouldn't be surprised if his ideas of human augmentation will eventually become true. Regarding the cosmic part, he does first contact well (who could forget the ultimate alien badass from Pandora's Star? And this book has a few encounters as well). Believable? Perhaps, if wormhole technology will one day become a reality!
I also like that this epic series including this book is continuously thrilling and entertaining - sometimes in a popcorn movie enjoyment way, including quite a few sexual situations - which in the early books fit well with the idea of a perpetually young and post-scarcity society where you can imagine hedonism becoming a popular way of life. While there is mortal danger, and contrary to a lot of SF, Hamilton's universe is not dark and sinister, it is rather full of wonder and stimulating, mind-blowing ideas. This book has big ideas as well, yet the society is here a rather joyless 1950s communist-style construct which causes an atmosphere of repression and paranoia. With this setting, it must be the only book of the series without the term "enzyme-bonded concrete"!
The characters chapters typically alternate character, which keeps things interesting and varied, though don't expect subtle character depictions, after all this is a genre of big ideas first and foremost. Yet some characters are unforgettable!
All in all a satisfying conclusion with lots of suspense. I also call it sufficient in the headline - because despite the particular planet where it all happens, little is really new, it is largely the Commonwealth as we know and love. This is why I give it a solid 4 stars rather than 5 - I am looking forward to Hamilton's next trilogy in a newly imagined future though. Even while it does not feel new, it was immensely satisfying, and if there were any justice it would be merited to FINALLY get Hamilton a Hugo or Nebula award Night Without Stars could stand in for the whole Commonwealth saga.
Finally, these books would be excellent candidates for an HBO style high budget TV series adaptation, at 1 book per season. A very detailed universe and lots of thrills.
Hamilton possibly deserves five stars for his detailed world building and sheer number of characters alone, but fortunately his novels go beyond such elements to deliver just about the most outlandish space opera going in sci fi today. (And with the sad passing of Iain M. Banks, Hamilton is arguably numero uno on that score as well.)

Still, I gave it only four stars and that's because the somewhat retro universe described in "Night Without Stars" is structurally limited in ways that strained my credulity. In particular, I just can't see a human society with any technology base - and this is essentially fixed at about the 1950's level for most of the novel - holding static for any duration and certainly not spanning thousands of years.

That same technology base also dramatically undermines ones of Hamilton's strengths - high tech gizmos, gadgets and enhancements. While Soyuz-replica rockets are lovingly described, that's been and gone stuff, the details of which I can look up on Wikipedia. I want to read about the impossible stuff that he makes not just possible, but plausible. And apart from a few Advancer carry-over characters from the previous novel, there is precious little of that.

The plot is typically Hamilton intricate, but again, he excels at presenting the goings on across scores of planets and here we're reduced to one, and actually a single continent and really, a couple of cities. Don't get me wrong, his plotting is superb, but as with the technology aspect, it's like strapping a V8 to a skateboard. Sure, it goes fast, but what a waste of an engine.

This can't be your first Hamilton novel - it's a sequel for a start! - and so you'll know what I mean when I wish for more of the Commonwealth or Confederation universes. This is OK...hell, better than OK, Hamilton is a great author...but it seems a bit hemmed in for his talents and so the epics that are normally spread across a very broad front are concentrated into a focused beam of overly gritty detail that sometimes goes way too deep for the purpose of the story.