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Search - Pandora's Star
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Book Description:
Critics have compared the engrossing space operas of Peter F. Hamilton to the classic sagas of such sf giants as Isaac Asimov and Frank Herbert. But Hamilton’s bestselling fiction—powered by a fearless imagination and world-class storytelling skills—has also earned him comparison to Tolstoy and Dickens. Hugely ambitious, wildly entertaining, philosophically stimulating: the novels of Peter F. Hamilton will change the way you think about science fiction. Now, with Pandora’s Star, he begins a new multivolume adventure, one that promises to be his most mind-blowing yet.
The year is 2380. The Intersolar Commonwealth, a sphere of stars some four hundred light-years in diameter, contains more than six hundred worlds, interconnected by a web of transport “tunnels” known as wormholes. At the farthest edge of the Commonwealth, astronomer Dudley Bose observes the impossible: Over one thousand light-years away, a star . . . vanishes. It does not go supernova. It does not collapse into a black hole. It simply disappears. Since the location is too distant to reach by wormhole, a faster-than-light starship, the Second Chance, is dispatched to learn what has occurred and whether it represents a threat. In command is Wilson Kime, a five-time rejuvenated ex-NASA pilot whose glory days are centuries behind him.
Opposed to the mission are the Guardians of Selfhood, a cult that believes the human race is being manipulated by an alien entity they call the Starflyer. Bradley Johansson, leader of the Guardians, warns of sabotage, fearing the Starflyer means to use the starship’s mission for its own ends,.
Pursued by a Commonwealth special agent convinced the Guardians are crazy but dangerous, Johansson flees. But the danger is not averted. Aboard the Second Chance, Kime wonders if his crew has been infiltrated. Soon enough, he will have other worries. A thousand light-years away, something truly incredible is waiting: a deadly discovery whose unleashing will threaten to destroy the Commonwealth . . . and humanity itself.
Could it be that Johansson was right?
From the Hardcover edition.
The year is 2380. The Intersolar Commonwealth, a sphere of stars some four hundred light-years in diameter, contains more than six hundred worlds, interconnected by a web of transport “tunnels” known as wormholes. At the farthest edge of the Commonwealth, astronomer Dudley Bose observes the impossible: Over one thousand light-years away, a star . . . vanishes. It does not go supernova. It does not collapse into a black hole. It simply disappears. Since the location is too distant to reach by wormhole, a faster-than-light starship, the Second Chance, is dispatched to learn what has occurred and whether it represents a threat. In command is Wilson Kime, a five-time rejuvenated ex-NASA pilot whose glory days are centuries behind him.
Opposed to the mission are the Guardians of Selfhood, a cult that believes the human race is being manipulated by an alien entity they call the Starflyer. Bradley Johansson, leader of the Guardians, warns of sabotage, fearing the Starflyer means to use the starship’s mission for its own ends,.
Pursued by a Commonwealth special agent convinced the Guardians are crazy but dangerous, Johansson flees. But the danger is not averted. Aboard the Second Chance, Kime wonders if his crew has been infiltrated. Soon enough, he will have other worries. A thousand light-years away, something truly incredible is waiting: a deadly discovery whose unleashing will threaten to destroy the Commonwealth . . . and humanity itself.
Could it be that Johansson was right?
From the Hardcover edition.
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Genres:
- Science Fiction & Fantasy >> Authors, A-Z >> ( H ) >> Hamilton, Peter F.
- Science Fiction & Fantasy >> Science Fiction >> Adventure
- Science Fiction & Fantasy >> Science Fiction >> General
Other Versions of this Book: Hardcover
Rate These Member Reviews
Alf M. from PASADENA, CA wrote on 7/4/2008...I loved this book! I have read a lot of reviews from people who can't get through this book, but it's definitely worth slogging through some of the wordier sections to get to the meat of the story. This is an excellent story of first encounter with an alien species, set against a background of intrigue and human politics. The range of characters and scientific possibilities in this book is astounding, and the alien "menace" in the story is a very fascinating concept.
I'm reading Judas Unchained right now, the next book after this story. I can't wait to find out who incited these two species to fight one another, and why...
Joe F. from GRACEVILLE, FL wrote on 4/29/2007...Take 4 separate books, rip the last half of the pages from each and discard them, then assemble the first halves into a single book, using ten pages at a time from each, and there you have the perfect Peter F. Hamilton book. A series of unrelated, partial stories, in a convoluted mix is not my idea of good storytelling.
I can't read Peter Hamilton's book's everyday, but I really enjoy them once every few years. He has a literary style that is unique, telling grand stories with dozens of characters. The characters serve the plot and are our eyes, so that the reader gets to know the whole tale. This can be frustrating, I'm sure, for those who want to get to know and spend time with a character. Often, characters in one chapter are not revisited for dozens of chapters. Meanwhile, the story is opening like a flower.
What Peter Hamilton is great at, is painting a whole world and its crisis for you. Somewhere along the way, you start feeling right at home in his universe.
I read 290 pages before I gave up. It just couldn't hold my interest.