Peter F Hamilton's The Reality Dysfunction
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beautyspin
- Posts: 10
- Joined: 08 Dec 2014, 10:19
- Bookshelf Size: 3
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-beautyspin.html
Peter F Hamilton's The Reality Dysfunction
I have had Peter F Hamilton's novels with me for a long time but never read them for some reason or the other. I had started with reality dysfunction a couple of weeks ago and I have completed the entire Nights dawn trilogy and I am now into the second book of commonwealth series (Judas Unchained - Yeah it shows up as the third book in some cases but it is the second book if you consider Misspent Youth as the prequel).
Now to the actual review -
This is set in the 27th century. Humankind is basically of two types (you can say they have becomes two different species or sub species). Adamists and Edenists.
Adamists are the normal humans (if they can be called that). They use geneering (Gene Engineering - genetic modification) to succeed in their particular environments, professions etc. They live on planets within about 800 star systems in the Galaxy. Adamists use Fusion based drives for regular space travel and ZTT (Zero Temporal Travel) for FTL travel. They have strengthened internal membranes to withstand hi gees.
Edenists are people who use bitek (Bio Technology - Organic) in their culture. They do not live on planets but on habitats which are organically grown bitek. They have a monopoly on He3 which is mined from the gas giants which is where all the habitats exist. He3 and Antimatter are the only fuels available (used by Adamists) and Antimatter is banned. The Edenists, on the other hand, have void hawks which are fully sentient, organic FTL capable vessels which are used for flight by Edenists. An FTL jump by void hawk is called a swallow. They do this by patterning gravity near their walls. They all have affinity with which they communicate with the habitat and the voidhawk. Pilots have a special bond with void hawks. Affinity is caused by genetic modification.
The Novel Reality Dysfunction itself is divided into two books The Reality Dysfunction - Emergence and The Reality Dysfunction - Expansion. I will consider both to be as one book for the purpose of this review.
The story in brief -
Two planets Omuta and Garissa fight over an asteroid cluster Dorados and Omuta bombs Garissa using illegal antimatter planet buster bombs killing the entire Garissa population. A breakaway faction of Garissa try to take revenge on Omuta by using the Alchemist (Designed by scientist Alkad Mzu) which is a star killer. They are attacked by black hawks (which are a modified version of void hawks) just before they can do this and are severely damaged. They keep drifting in the space. The Omutans are placed under 30 year’s embargo. Alkad Mzu is captured and kept confined to Tranquility (which is the habitat of Joshua Calvert).
Joshua Calvert is a space scavenger who scavenges the Ruin Ring which is the detritus formed when Laymil’s (an alien race) habitats are destroyed when the entire race commits suicide.
Syrinx is a pilot who is bonded with a void hawk called Oneone.
Lalonde is a planet which is used by some voluntary colonists to make it their new home. They use the prisoners who are sentenced on other worlds as labour for this. One such guy is Quinn Dexter who rebels against the local lawman and tries to kill him. At the same time, an alien entity called Ly-Cilph, gets in touch with the dying man. Ly-cilph exists to gather knowledge and it sees the soul leaving the dying man and follows it but gets trapped in between the dimensions keeping the way open between the dimensions. The souls of dead men/women try to comeback through this opening and possess the living with the permission of the person who has to agree to be possessed which is obtained by torture. The possessed have access to some form of energy that is in the other dimension so they become very powerful. They are able to produce white fire from their fingers which is used as a death ray. They are able to effect matter near them so that they can change stuff to whatever they want to but the range is limited and they need to be near the matter to keep the illusion going. They keep spreading in an exponential fashion. Most of them want to move their entire planets to a different dimension so that the souls in the other dimensions would not keep tormenting them to be let into this world.
Quinn is taken to Norfolk (another planet) by Joshua by mistake. Joshua has an affair with Louise Cavanagh who falls madly in love with him (Norfolk is a very conservative planet like earth in 1920s). There are two more Alien races - Tyrathca and Kiint.
My opinion on the novel –
I am going to go out on a limb and say that Peter Hamilton is the best space opera and hard science fiction writer that I have come across. I would really like somebody to suggest a better writer, if there is anybody. I would be more than glad to read them up.
Peter says that he has taken the current technology and tried to extrapolate it to 27th century and see what is feasible and then used them. Most of the technology seems rooted in physics (biology) - of course FTL or ZTT or Swallows may never happen and barring that, for a hard science fiction buff, his novels are like sumptuous feast.
The plot is tight. There is a good amount of time spent on characterization. I felt the characters stay true. There are no loose ends. No plot holes. I felt the plot would have made a good story even if there was no Sci Fi background. It is really a good whodunit. The descriptions are detailed. Every plant, every star, Every Habitat and every space born vehicle is described in detail. The fights are clearly explained and you feel as if you were there. All armaments are explained. No let downs. All in all a perfect marriage of the technology and storytelling.
The one thing that I find a little (a tiny) bit of an aberration is that he dwells on minor characters too a lot. There are entire bunches of pages which can be totally skipped and there will be no change in the understanding of the story. But some guys like long winded descriptions so those pages may appeal to them but I found them a bit too much.
So hopefully you liked my review and let me know if you need any more information about this series, please let me know.
Now to the actual review -
This is set in the 27th century. Humankind is basically of two types (you can say they have becomes two different species or sub species). Adamists and Edenists.
Adamists are the normal humans (if they can be called that). They use geneering (Gene Engineering - genetic modification) to succeed in their particular environments, professions etc. They live on planets within about 800 star systems in the Galaxy. Adamists use Fusion based drives for regular space travel and ZTT (Zero Temporal Travel) for FTL travel. They have strengthened internal membranes to withstand hi gees.
Edenists are people who use bitek (Bio Technology - Organic) in their culture. They do not live on planets but on habitats which are organically grown bitek. They have a monopoly on He3 which is mined from the gas giants which is where all the habitats exist. He3 and Antimatter are the only fuels available (used by Adamists) and Antimatter is banned. The Edenists, on the other hand, have void hawks which are fully sentient, organic FTL capable vessels which are used for flight by Edenists. An FTL jump by void hawk is called a swallow. They do this by patterning gravity near their walls. They all have affinity with which they communicate with the habitat and the voidhawk. Pilots have a special bond with void hawks. Affinity is caused by genetic modification.
The Novel Reality Dysfunction itself is divided into two books The Reality Dysfunction - Emergence and The Reality Dysfunction - Expansion. I will consider both to be as one book for the purpose of this review.
The story in brief -
Two planets Omuta and Garissa fight over an asteroid cluster Dorados and Omuta bombs Garissa using illegal antimatter planet buster bombs killing the entire Garissa population. A breakaway faction of Garissa try to take revenge on Omuta by using the Alchemist (Designed by scientist Alkad Mzu) which is a star killer. They are attacked by black hawks (which are a modified version of void hawks) just before they can do this and are severely damaged. They keep drifting in the space. The Omutans are placed under 30 year’s embargo. Alkad Mzu is captured and kept confined to Tranquility (which is the habitat of Joshua Calvert).
Joshua Calvert is a space scavenger who scavenges the Ruin Ring which is the detritus formed when Laymil’s (an alien race) habitats are destroyed when the entire race commits suicide.
Syrinx is a pilot who is bonded with a void hawk called Oneone.
Lalonde is a planet which is used by some voluntary colonists to make it their new home. They use the prisoners who are sentenced on other worlds as labour for this. One such guy is Quinn Dexter who rebels against the local lawman and tries to kill him. At the same time, an alien entity called Ly-Cilph, gets in touch with the dying man. Ly-cilph exists to gather knowledge and it sees the soul leaving the dying man and follows it but gets trapped in between the dimensions keeping the way open between the dimensions. The souls of dead men/women try to comeback through this opening and possess the living with the permission of the person who has to agree to be possessed which is obtained by torture. The possessed have access to some form of energy that is in the other dimension so they become very powerful. They are able to produce white fire from their fingers which is used as a death ray. They are able to effect matter near them so that they can change stuff to whatever they want to but the range is limited and they need to be near the matter to keep the illusion going. They keep spreading in an exponential fashion. Most of them want to move their entire planets to a different dimension so that the souls in the other dimensions would not keep tormenting them to be let into this world.
Quinn is taken to Norfolk (another planet) by Joshua by mistake. Joshua has an affair with Louise Cavanagh who falls madly in love with him (Norfolk is a very conservative planet like earth in 1920s). There are two more Alien races - Tyrathca and Kiint.
My opinion on the novel –
I am going to go out on a limb and say that Peter Hamilton is the best space opera and hard science fiction writer that I have come across. I would really like somebody to suggest a better writer, if there is anybody. I would be more than glad to read them up.
Peter says that he has taken the current technology and tried to extrapolate it to 27th century and see what is feasible and then used them. Most of the technology seems rooted in physics (biology) - of course FTL or ZTT or Swallows may never happen and barring that, for a hard science fiction buff, his novels are like sumptuous feast.
The plot is tight. There is a good amount of time spent on characterization. I felt the characters stay true. There are no loose ends. No plot holes. I felt the plot would have made a good story even if there was no Sci Fi background. It is really a good whodunit. The descriptions are detailed. Every plant, every star, Every Habitat and every space born vehicle is described in detail. The fights are clearly explained and you feel as if you were there. All armaments are explained. No let downs. All in all a perfect marriage of the technology and storytelling.
The one thing that I find a little (a tiny) bit of an aberration is that he dwells on minor characters too a lot. There are entire bunches of pages which can be totally skipped and there will be no change in the understanding of the story. But some guys like long winded descriptions so those pages may appeal to them but I found them a bit too much.
So hopefully you liked my review and let me know if you need any more information about this series, please let me know.
-
aphrodite
- Posts: 16
- Joined: 14 Jan 2015, 21:46
- Bookshelf Size: 0
Wow. I never thought I would find another person who read The Reality Dysfunction. It was very long and winding, but after all, it made me really think. The plot was like a winding staircase that leads both up AND down. It's a space drama about a captain and a bunch of other captain/millionaire/cronie businessmen and women, formerly space cadets, who are all trying to privatize and settle on the newest frontier- Space. It is a book for a very educated reader and I don't recommend it to people who have important deadlines because you will be immersed in it for about a week at the smallest. But Wow, it was huge and complex but I had to admire the author because they must have a very talented brain and imagination. Also, I 'm so very happy that someone else read this!
