Pandora's Star

Where is the editor?

Apparently Hamilton either doesn't have an editor or he so powerful that his editor is hamstrung. This story runs on for 860 pages. It could have been told in about 350. Hamilton meanders down cul-de-sac after cul-de-sac that do not advance the story at all. I would love to find out what happens but I can not bring myself to read the conclusion(Judas Unchained) which runs over 1000 pages.

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Great book. Sadly, a bit too long.

This is a great book. Mr. Hamilton knits quite an spell binding plot. The future he imagines is plausible and fascinating. However, the book is awfully long.
This 900+ pages book could be well fit in 400 pages. Hamilton dwells into long description of characters and planets even if they are secondary or auxiliary to the main plot. The result is, sometimes, a dull and hard to read book. Too many characters make the plot hard to follow and demand a lot even from a skilled reader. The worst part is the end that is only a link to his next book that is also a 900+ pages one. Maybe the author was paid by word he wrote and, therefore, decided to use every single word available in the English language.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Love it!

I'm a huge fan of Peter F. Hamilton because of this book. Although it can be confusing jumping between characters in the beginning of the book, the plot development make for a rich and satisfying read when everything comes together. Can't say enough good things about the world that Hamilton creates in this novel.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I feel the Author Owes me for my time!

Although the plot of this book was totally awesome, the overkill prose and the sadistically anti-clamactic ending proved my time was wasted reading this book. I believe that all fiction should contain prose, of course, but to go into descriptions to the nth degree that this author did was over burdening to the reader and that amount of detail (i.e. the color of the hair folicle [sarcasm intended] was totally unecessary and detracted from the story line. Luckily, I was "reading" this as an audio book and was able to fast forward. Otherwise, I would never have made it through the 25 chapters.

All I can say to the author, without spoiling the ending for anyone willing to endulge in this epic prose, is that he owes me $30. The ending was an insult.

If you are "reading" this as an audio book, be prepared to be put to sleep... literally. The narrator has a voice that just lulls you to sleep. Don't listen while driving long distances. The only thing about the narrator I didn't like, was his voice fluctuations went from loud to soft to loud. It was difficult to hear in a public place (via Ipod).

Such a shame this great story line was wasted in such a sad way.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A MUST-READ!!!

This book is like a mix of CSI, Star Trek, and Avatar (James Cameron's movie) all in one book. What more could you ask for? Pandora's Star is a must-read for all sci-fi fans!! The first 300 pages just kind of set everything up (don't worry, it's not at all boring), and then from there everything just kind of falls together in this epic space-travel, crime-solving, planet-exploring journey. I have yet to read Judas Unchained but I'm sure it will be just as good as, if not better than, Pandora's Star. GET THIS BOOK!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Complex

One of my favorites!

A great modern novel

A true work of art.

Good before bed book

Bought this after finishing Nemesis as it seemed in the same line of stories. Was enjoyable but does take a bit of time to finish.

Another fine universe by Hamilton

No text was provided for this review.

Absolutely Delightful

Written with intricate plots covering 30+ characters that all come together to play their role, "Pandora's Star" is an epic story. What happens when humanity discovers rebirth technology that allows us to live forever? Combine that with the creation of black holes that allows instant travel between planets, and seed it with the appearance of a mysterious alien race.

This is science fiction at its best: it asks how the human condition changes with just a few simple additions. Will humans evolve to better people, or collapse with war?

The intricacies and plot lines are reminiscent of "The Snow Queen" and "The Summer Queen" by Joan D. Vinge (who themselves are winner of the Hugo Award and a runner up to the Hugo Award).

Space Opera Is For Everybody

Hamilton is at his best with epic, galaxy-spanning space opera, and Pandora's Star is a great example of this. Hamilton excels at introducing us to believable, interesting characters - even characters he is going to kill off in a page or two, putting faces to the inevitable damage wrought by the situations he dreams up.

Though the story in Pandora's Star (and its sequel, Judas Unchained) is not quite as engaging as Hamilton's "Night's Dawn" trilogy, this is more than made up for in accessibility. Pandora's Star excels in this area; certainly not hard science fiction, it is easily picked up by those who might not be interested in the atomic weight of unobtanium and just want to get right to the story. When people ask what kind of books I read, I often simply let them borrow this book.

Read this if you're looking for a fun romp through a futuristic "Independence Day" on a massive scale.

Pandora's Star will not work on my nook

This book freezes up my nook. It will get to screen that say Opening your book, and that's as far as it will go.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Awesome Read

I was looking for a new book to read and this kept showing up on books recommended for me. I finally bought it and loved it. The first bit was all exposition but it was done in a great way. The way Hamilton ties in all the characters and his awesome view of humanities future will have most sci-fi geeks longing for the breakthroughs in the book.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Read this only if you have vacation coming

This takes some setup, but stick with it. As the stories of individual lives begin to wind together you will find it hard to put down. A really cool world and the beginning of a really great story. Wait until you get to the next book!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

This book looks daunting, and it truly is both in physical size and imaginative scope. At the beginning it takes some stubbornest to start and get all the characters lined up, it all goes to making the ending that much better. If you're any kind of science fiction fan or just want a book that keeps delivering page after page, then this will be one of your favorite books.

A great SF novel!

It is really hard for me to find a book that can hold my attention all the way through. However, with this book I was hardly able to put it down! The story was amazing with awesome plot twists and a great character cast that kept this story from ever getting dull. I was actually happy when I found out that the story continued into a second book, which was equally as amazing, if not better.

Longest book I've read

I did not know this was part one of two books...and I'm thrilled. I was almost sad as a reached the last 100 pages, thinking this awesome journey was ending. As I approached the final 50 I couldn't stop reading. Ouch!! I really have lost hours of sleep.

Unputdownable

Thoroughly enjoyed this - enough plot lines to keep me busy, well paced, not too much technobabble. Can't wait for part two.

Amazing! Could not put it down!

The story was awesome and with the many plots going on the final tie in was amazing. If you like Tom Clancy, you'll like the way this reads! Excellent sci-fi.Cannot wait for the sequel!

Watch this new author!

Peter Hamilton has created an entirely new universe for all of us. The universe is so advanced that it takes a little bit to get your head around all the characters and their various situations. But once that is done, the reading is pure joy. The end is a cliff hanger but the next book, Joshua Unleased, is due out this year so you won't have all that long to wait. Peter Hamilton will be known as the best of the best - move over Mr. Clark, Mr. Pohl, Mr Asimov - there is a new guy in town and he is about to knock you on your heels.