Search - Judas Unchained

Judas Unchained
Author: Peter F. Hamilton
Book Information
Publisher: Del Rey
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Rating:
ISBN-13: 9780345461674 - ISBN-10: 0345461673
Publication Date: 3/27/2007
Pages: 1,056

Book Description:
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.
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Alf M. from PASADENA, CA wrote on 7/26/2008...


Almost as good as the first book, Pandora's Star, this book wraps up the story of the human Commonwealth's war with an extremely powerful alien threat. Peter F. Hamilton has an amazing imagination, and weaves a complex tapestry of intrigue, punctuated with brilliantly tense and powerful battles. His vision of how technology may change human society is both fascinating and compelling.

Lisa R. (lisareinke) from HOUSTON, TX wrote on 4/6/2007...


Peter F. Hamilton's sequel to Pandora's Star.

Human civilization is threatened by one alien civilization and is being manipulated by another. Slowly, the characters start putting together the pieces and building an alliance to combat the threats. What do you do when you face annihilation? Start planning genocide?

This book reads well, but I enjoyed Pandora's Star more. If you can imagine, in a 1000 page novel, events start moving too fast, making it hard to celebrate or mourn with the victories and setbacks. Sometimes that's how life works, but it didn't quite seem right. The readers and the characters deserved a bit better treatment from the author. Maybe Peter should just plan on telling his stories in 3000 pages. I guess that what felt clunky was having all the characters that we have journeyed with banding together for the common cause. Sounds great, but the author's style didn't really suit the situation. Still, the universe and the story remain strong and will stay with me for a long time.