| The Dreaming Void (Unabridged) |  | Author: Peter F. Hamilton
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Category: Book
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 an indigestible sci-fi burger August 20, 2008
Ok, there's this guy who dreams a zany fantasy sequence, and convinces a lot of people to throw themselves in the central black hole of the galaxy where lies the world of the dreams ( that doesn't seem so appealing, after all). How ludicrous is this for a premise? Plus characters absolutely devoid of any appeal, a flat storytelling accumulating disparate threads and the usual display of terms like "biononics". The Night Dawn Trilogy was great, this is pure sci-fi burger. Throw it in a black hole with all the void dreamers. Finally, how in the Multverse can a guy finding himself with total amnesia about who he is and what he is to do, finds himself perfectly at ease with the situation?
An Excellent Read - Another Epic Space Opera August 6, 2008
I've been reading SF since Tom Swift Jr days so I think I have some experience with the genre. Hamilton's use of interplay, history (his own other works), sex, greed and other life spices are all added to the stew of imaginative new technology to produce a bouillabaisse that can't be beat but must be eaten slowly and savored bit by bit.
 Humans Within the Void? August 6, 2008
27 out of 27 found this review helpful
The Dreaming Void (2007) is the first SF novel in the Void trilogy. It is set about 1500 years after the Commonwealth duology in a galaxy filled with many sapient species. At least one alien species -- the Raiel -- has been active in galactic affairs for more than a million years and others preceded them.
Humanity has separated into three different cultures: Higher, Advancer and Original. They have developed genetic and implanted technologies that allow them to emulate psionic talents. And the ANA -- Advanced Neural Activity -- facility provides a perceptual reality environment for those who wish to become postphysical.
The center of the galaxy is occupied by the Void. What was thought to be a black hole in the twentieth century is actually a giant artifact with an event horizon. Humanity has joined a Void study effort at the invitation of the Raiel.
Inigo came to Centurion Station to study the Void. He attended the handover party to celebrate the departure of one set of researchers and the arrival of their replacements. After the party, he had the first dream of the Void. It wasn't his. Afterward, Inigo instituted the Living Dream organization that has grown into a political power within the Greater Commonwealth.
In this novel, the Cleric Council of the Living Dream has not been very innovative under the past few Cleric Conservators. Then Ethan is selected by the Conclave as the next Conservator. He immediately declares that Living Dream will take the Pilgrimage into the Void as soon as possible.
Aaron is in Golden Park when Ethan announces the Pilgrimage. He is on Ellezelin to find Inigo. He does not remember why he has to perform this mission -- if fact, he doesn't remember much of anything -- but every now and then he suddenly remembers just what he needs to know. Aaron has been equipped with some heavy duty biononic weapons to facilitate the task.
Corrie-Lyn had been very close to Inigo. He had appointed her to the Cleric Council, but Ethan bumped her from that position shortly after being selected as Conservator. Aaron locates Corrie-Lyn in a bar and walks out with her when she leaves. Then he defends her against a Living Dream assassination them.
Marius is an agent of the Accelerator faction of ANA. He offers to provide ultradrive engines for the Pilgrimage ships. Ethan agrees, but still orders the design crew to furnish standard hyperdrive engines for the ships just in case.
The Delivery Man is an agent of the Conservative faction of ANA. He delivers an ultradrive to Ellezelin shortly after Marius confers with Ethan. The Delivery Man carefully avoids Marius at the spaceport and soon returns to his family.
Araminta is a divorcee living in Colwyn City on Viotia. She had married Laril despite her families disapproval of the much older man. Since the divorce, she has been working as a waitress at Niks. Then her cousin -- and attorney -- Cressida tells her that Laril has left the planet, leaving her 83,000 pounds as a divorce settlement.
Troblum is a physicist and a Starflyer collector. He works for the Commonwealth Navy as a consultant and has just delivered an evaluation of the Dyson Pair. He also works secretly for the Accelerator faction as a spacedrive designer and has another project related to the Dyson Pair.
In this story, various human elements and alien societies are very opposed to the Pilgrimage. The alien Ocisen Empire threatens to put a stop to the whole idea and sends a fleet toward Ellezelin. Even the Raiel are concerned.
According to the Raiel, they had previously sent a fleet into the Void to reconnoiter in force. None of that fleet had returned, but the Void had generated disruptions and expanded to incorporate more of the galaxy into itself. Many fear that the Pilgrimage will lead to an even greater set of disruptions resulting in the entire galaxy sliding into the Void.
Meanwhile, the Living Dream organization is still monitoring dreams about life within the Void, featuring Edeard and his friends and the Skylords. Lately they have noticed a Second Dreamer stirring up the gaiafield. Living Dream believes that this new Dreamer is located on Viotia.
This tale is an epic science fiction story. The sheer size of the action and cast rivals classical space operas. Yet the approach is hard SF. There are reasonable explanations for the technology, but naturally much of it is very speculative. What else would you expect for such advanced technology?
Longevity is a major element in this story. The natural lifespan is lengthened and several forms of rejuvenation are available. ANA allows minds to continue without their bodies. People can be suspended in stasis, reincarnated from ANA, and even brought back from death itself.
The very nature of the culture changes because of these various methods of life extension. Some social viewpoints become perpetual factors, especially within ANA. Yet some individuals rise above their original mindset and genes through sheer perseverance.
Anyone who has not read the Commonwealth duology probably will be greatly confused by this storyline. Some of the characters and plot elements featured prominently in the previous series. Yet many aspects have arisen over the past fifteen centuries. Since the backstory -- newer advances as well as ancient history -- only appears bit by bit throughout the book, the reader will be inundated with data.
This work is shorter than the volumes in the previous two series, but it is still over 600 pages. Moreover, the stories are interleaved and the Void dreams are presented among the Commonwealth segments. The novel is interesting, but frequent rest breaks may be necessary to digest the contents. Enjoy!
Highly recommended for Hamilton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of the mid-future, human enhancements, and a large cast.
-Arthur W. Jordin
Good, but read the other Commonwealth books first. August 4, 2008
If you like Peter Hamilton, you will like The Dreaming Void. However, if you haven't read the two earlier books in the same universe, Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained, I recommend that you read those first. Those books are as good as The Dreaming Void, cheaper, and will be a good foundation for any reader tackling this latest book.
Hamilton's biggest gift is SF universe building. He takes nanotech, bioengineering, space flight, and any number of other features and develops future societies that are fascinating and wonderful. His challenge is how to leverage this talent into actual books. After a series of action mysteries, Hamilton hit on what seems to be his best form - civilization-wide disaster epics, where dozens of interlocking characters are affected by or respond to some disaster, allowing Hamilton to reveal his universes through their eyes.
In the two earlier Commonwealth books, two dozen or so characters responded to a threat to human society brought about by hostile aliens. Now, twelve hundred years later, human society has evolved into different strains. At the periphery of the human worlds are slightly engineered, but still recognizable humans. The central worlds are home to the "highers", highly engineered post-humans who have evolved beyond market economics, modern government, etc. At the very core is the ANA, a quantum computer where highers tired of physical life upload their memories and personality.
This time around, humanity is threatened by the Void, a gigantic black-hole-like object at the center of the galaxy that periodically expands, consuming entire star systems. Some characters are seduced by a series of dreams that indicate that human life can survive and thrive within the Void, while others seek to prevent a pilgramage to the Void, fearful that a mass migration will trigger a final expansion and destroy the galaxy. Several characters from the original series reappear, or affect events from offstage.
All in all, it's typical Hamilton - good, intruiging, and a little scattered. If you liked Pandora's Star and the Judas Contract, you will like this one.
The one new idea is Hamilton's narration of the dreams, which is a nice effect. From time to time, Hamilton describes the dreams to us, which are a fantasy story about Edeard, a psychic living in the medieval world within the Void. In doing so, Hamilton draws the primary characters themselves into one of the most common fantasies of fantasy and sf readers -- the desire to join the characters in the fiction they themselves are experiencing. It's a nice effect and a good idea.
Enjoyable Read July 6, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I wasn't sure what to make of Peter F. Hamilton's return to the Commonwealth. I was glad that I did read the book. The Commonwealth is fully realized that you can forget that it is fictional - it seems to have a life of it's own. I did not enjoy the Waterwalker part of the story at first. As the book progresses, it becomes even more interesting than the Commonwealth part.
A very enjoyable read.
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