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Confederation Universe
The Confederation Handbook
The Night's Dawn Trilogy is one of the most triumphant works of science fiction to appear in decades. Swiftly gathering a worldwide readership, this masterwork of cosmic imagination and storytelling brought to life an entire galaxy of diverse planets and astonishing civilizations. At the core is the Confederation, an assembly of human and alien colony worlds whose cultures, conflicts, and turmoil are described over a Timeline of nearly 600 years. "The Confederation Handbook" is Peter F. Hamilton's companion guide to the diverse elements in the massive universe he created. Including a full list of characters and their roles and, of course, details of the Timeline itself, this is a must-read for Hamilton's fans.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2000
37 people are currently reading
650 people want to read
About the author
Peter F. Hamilton
205 books10.2k followersPeter F. Hamilton is a British science fiction author. He is best known for writing space opera. As of the publication of his tenth novel in 2004, his works had sold over two million copies worldwide, making him Britain's biggest-selling science fiction author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
December 13, 2015
This is an encyclopedia related to Night's Dawn.
Lots and lots of data about the solar systems, technologies, xenoc species, timeline events, etc.
To be read after the trilogy.
Lots and lots of data about the solar systems, technologies, xenoc species, timeline events, etc.
To be read after the trilogy.
July 8, 2023
You simply must have this book while reading The Reality Dysfunction. I wish it was a bit more descriptive though on characters but I’ll take what I can get.
April 12, 2018
the confederation handbook is a great guide for night's dawn trilogy by peter f. hamilton.
it contains a lot of technical detail about space stations, starships, weapons, in-depth descriptions of many different star systems (such as number of moons each planet has, how far away it is from parent star and much more). differences between adamists and edenists are discussed in depth here, as well as details about alien races that are encountered in the trilogy. at the end of the book, there's list of all characters. it should be avoided at first, because it contains minor spoilers.
i really enjoyed this. it makes already great world building in the trilogy much more detailed and immersive. i would definitely recommend this if you're reading through the night's dawn and really enjoying the ride, and would like to know even more technical details about things i mentioned above, and which are not discussed in great depth in the actual trilogy.
it's not necessarily something you would want to read from cover to cover in one go, in my opinion it better serves as a guide that you pick up every now and then, while you're reading the books.
i give it a 3.5/5 simply because it does not stand on it's own, and it wouldn't be fair to give it same rating as the novels in the actual trilogy. also, secondary characters (and there are literally hundreds of them in the trilogy) are not all listed, and those that are, should have been described just a bit more than their occupation.
it contains a lot of technical detail about space stations, starships, weapons, in-depth descriptions of many different star systems (such as number of moons each planet has, how far away it is from parent star and much more). differences between adamists and edenists are discussed in depth here, as well as details about alien races that are encountered in the trilogy. at the end of the book, there's list of all characters. it should be avoided at first, because it contains minor spoilers.
i really enjoyed this. it makes already great world building in the trilogy much more detailed and immersive. i would definitely recommend this if you're reading through the night's dawn and really enjoying the ride, and would like to know even more technical details about things i mentioned above, and which are not discussed in great depth in the actual trilogy.
it's not necessarily something you would want to read from cover to cover in one go, in my opinion it better serves as a guide that you pick up every now and then, while you're reading the books.
i give it a 3.5/5 simply because it does not stand on it's own, and it wouldn't be fair to give it same rating as the novels in the actual trilogy. also, secondary characters (and there are literally hundreds of them in the trilogy) are not all listed, and those that are, should have been described just a bit more than their occupation.
February 3, 2023
“The Confederation Handbook” is written by Peter F. Hamilton and was published in 2000. This book is a vital guide to the “Night’s Dawn Trilogy”.
The Night’s Dawn Trilogy is a masterpiece a Peter F. Hamilton as he constructed a complete universe, as background to tell his amazing story. In order to keep track of all the details, different species, star ships and weapons, members of the confederation, sentient Xenoc species, the principal characters and a timeline, I advise you to read this book and to buy it ;-).
This reference guide gives you more insight in Hamilton’s universe, political and sociological background information of several human (and non-human) cultures, different planets, settlements, latest technical developments and so on. The book itself is also worth reading just to get familiarized with The Confederation.
I’ve first read The Night’s Dawn Trilogy (started in 2004) and bought this book in 2008. I advice you to use this book as a reference guide while reading the The Night’s Dawn Trilogy.
Enjoy reading this book!
The Night’s Dawn Trilogy is a masterpiece a Peter F. Hamilton as he constructed a complete universe, as background to tell his amazing story. In order to keep track of all the details, different species, star ships and weapons, members of the confederation, sentient Xenoc species, the principal characters and a timeline, I advise you to read this book and to buy it ;-).
This reference guide gives you more insight in Hamilton’s universe, political and sociological background information of several human (and non-human) cultures, different planets, settlements, latest technical developments and so on. The book itself is also worth reading just to get familiarized with The Confederation.
I’ve first read The Night’s Dawn Trilogy (started in 2004) and bought this book in 2008. I advice you to use this book as a reference guide while reading the The Night’s Dawn Trilogy.
Enjoy reading this book!
October 12, 2014
An excellent piece of world-building, this acts as a wonderful companion to the Night's Dawn Trilogy (The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, The Naked God) and the short story collection set in the same universe (A Second Chance at Eden). Chock full of well-imagined and extremely creative concepts, technologies, and locales. If you're into the nuts and bolts of science fiction world building, I highly recommend giving this a read. As long as you avoid the last section on major characters in the trilogy, it can even serve as a great primer to familiarize yourself with the universe before reading the trilogy.
February 26, 2020
Science Fiction world building supreme! So much details creating the universe of this space opera setting. Not just physical locations either but unique sociological and cultural planning as well. Only negative was all the physics data about the dozens of solar systems and their planets and satellites.
January 10, 2021
Fascinating background to the saga that shows the amount of planning required to produce such an epic.
July 29, 2024
"The Confederation Handbook" delves deeply into the universe of the Night's Dawn trilogy, showcasing the author's extensive world-building. However, its intended audience remains unclear.
As a companion and reference while reading the trilogy, this book falls short. The most challenging aspect of the trilogy was keeping track of all the characters, and this handbook fails to assist in that regard. It lacks an index, and most characters receive only brief, two-word descriptions—if they are mentioned at all. On the few occasions I used it to recall a place's history in the third volume, it was somewhat helpful, but that's about it.
If you plan to read it cover to cover after finishing the trilogy, you might find some enjoyment, but much of the book is written like an almanac, filled with numbers, tables, and trivial details that aren't very engaging to read.
Despite its shortcomings, fans of the trilogy, like myself, might still appreciate it for the additional details on certain subjects and the sense of completeness it offers. Three stars out of five.
As a companion and reference while reading the trilogy, this book falls short. The most challenging aspect of the trilogy was keeping track of all the characters, and this handbook fails to assist in that regard. It lacks an index, and most characters receive only brief, two-word descriptions—if they are mentioned at all. On the few occasions I used it to recall a place's history in the third volume, it was somewhat helpful, but that's about it.
If you plan to read it cover to cover after finishing the trilogy, you might find some enjoyment, but much of the book is written like an almanac, filled with numbers, tables, and trivial details that aren't very engaging to read.
Despite its shortcomings, fans of the trilogy, like myself, might still appreciate it for the additional details on certain subjects and the sense of completeness it offers. Three stars out of five.
February 24, 2018
Fun reference book on the Confederation universe. Nothing too fancy but it's thorough. My favorite part is a reference to an alien species never actually mentioned in the books, that's still too primitive to be contacted. Mr. Hamilton told me once in an online Q&A that it was part of a subplot that he had to cut for length. Nice book.
April 29, 2019
Good information
For those reading this trilogy this book explains some aspects but most depth is on the different planets and habitats, etc. Very little in the way of spoilers so it can be referred back to as needed. It doesn't explain everything but gives one the sense of the magnitude of the author's setting.
For those reading this trilogy this book explains some aspects but most depth is on the different planets and habitats, etc. Very little in the way of spoilers so it can be referred back to as needed. It doesn't explain everything but gives one the sense of the magnitude of the author's setting.
January 2, 2018
Best used as a reference work for those reading the Night's Dawn Trilogy and are new to Peter F Hamilton and may not fully understand the fundamental ideas drawn on in his earlier work. Not something to read from cover to cover, although I just have and enjoyed it!!
March 15, 2018
A very nice non-fiction primer of the Confederation (site of the Night Dawn's trilogy) which succeeds in giving an enjoyable look into the universe in what feels almost 'tour guide' style, without spoiling any element of Night's Dawn.
September 16, 2018
Having read the Joshua Calvert stories such a long time ago, I had been expecting much more stuff like from Paula Mayo's time, Ozzie, the really advanced tech of the later books. But maybe that's not the "Confederation" world, or this book is also too old...
October 21, 2019
An interesting idea but unless the universe is going to be expanded into a large, galaxy-encompassing series or some such thing, I don't see much of a point to it. Everything you need to know you learn by reading the true series books. And this isn't particularly written or printed or edited.
January 29, 2020
Recent Reads: The Confederation Handbook. Peter Hamilton's background reader to his Night's Dawn trilogy fills in gaps and explores his world-building for a hefty set of space operas. Not to be read alone, and pretty much for the completists amongst us.
November 2, 2022
It's perhaps some kind of reflection on the mighty triple decker tomes that seem to be the norm in sci fi that a handbook is needed to find one's way through it. The time line is already way out - mining on the moon in 2020!
August 7, 2017
Only for fans.
June 23, 2019
An incredibly useful, but not essential guide to the universe of the Night's Dawn Trilogy.
December 29, 2019
Very useful book if you've read any of the Night's Dawn Trilogy books.
May 2, 2020
author's notes for Hamilton's Confederation universe, only of interest to die-hard fans
June 22, 2020
This is my first book in English. Is so interesting but after the middle of the book starting be a bit more technical than I like.
October 24, 2020
Bad.
This is a waste of time! No story here, only a description of some imaginary world and it's environs. I do not recommend this book.
This is a waste of time! No story here, only a description of some imaginary world and it's environs. I do not recommend this book.
November 25, 2021
Amazing imagination. Not so much cover to cover read as more a reference while reading the nights dawn trilogy.
February 27, 2022
Brought back memories of how immersive and thrilling the original books were... I think I'm going to have to read them again!
July 4, 2024
Great wiki supplement to the Night's Dawn trilogy!
March 27, 2011
The trilogy itself consists of:
* The Reality Dysfunction
* The Neutronium Alchemist
* The Naked God
There are also two ancillary volumes:
* A Second Chance at Eden – short story collection
* The Confederation Handbook – reference volume
In the USA, each volume of the trilogy was published in two parts, as evidenced by the thumbnails.
The Night’s Dawn trilogy is a huge story spanning over 4000 pages, in truth one massive multi-volume novel. It tells of a great evil that befalls the otherwise mostly peaceful but very interesting and multifaceted Federation. Everything changes as mankind faces its true self. As the external threat starts to seriously damage the foundations of civilization, the large differences between various human and alien factions make for an interesting backdrop to the struggle. Actually it is very difficult to describe Night’s Dawn in a few short sentences. The scope is quite breathtaking, there are many characters and the writing is impeccable. The only nagging complaint is the far too rapid conclusion. Hamilton seems to have been in a hurry to tie things up. Some might feel the ending is a bit of a cop-out. But in my opinion whatever you think of the ending, the journey is certainly worth it.
“The Confederation Handbook” reference can be practical to have lying around since there is a lot to keep track of.
The short story collection ”A Second Chance at Eden” is a fine companion to the trilogy. Although only a few of the stories are in the same universe, all of them are gems in their own right. Importantly, though, the title story gives some valuable background on how the Edenist Culture was founded.
These books have particularly gorgeous covers, thought US editions marred this a bit by darkening and altering the colors.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=204
* The Reality Dysfunction
* The Neutronium Alchemist
* The Naked God
There are also two ancillary volumes:
* A Second Chance at Eden – short story collection
* The Confederation Handbook – reference volume
In the USA, each volume of the trilogy was published in two parts, as evidenced by the thumbnails.
The Night’s Dawn trilogy is a huge story spanning over 4000 pages, in truth one massive multi-volume novel. It tells of a great evil that befalls the otherwise mostly peaceful but very interesting and multifaceted Federation. Everything changes as mankind faces its true self. As the external threat starts to seriously damage the foundations of civilization, the large differences between various human and alien factions make for an interesting backdrop to the struggle. Actually it is very difficult to describe Night’s Dawn in a few short sentences. The scope is quite breathtaking, there are many characters and the writing is impeccable. The only nagging complaint is the far too rapid conclusion. Hamilton seems to have been in a hurry to tie things up. Some might feel the ending is a bit of a cop-out. But in my opinion whatever you think of the ending, the journey is certainly worth it.
“The Confederation Handbook” reference can be practical to have lying around since there is a lot to keep track of.
The short story collection ”A Second Chance at Eden” is a fine companion to the trilogy. Although only a few of the stories are in the same universe, all of them are gems in their own right. Importantly, though, the title story gives some valuable background on how the Edenist Culture was founded.
These books have particularly gorgeous covers, thought US editions marred this a bit by darkening and altering the colors.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=204
August 18, 2014
This is the second book I'm reading to prepare myself for The Night's Dawn Trilogy, but I have an ulterior motive for reading this now.
A couple of days before I started reading this I enrolled at Camp NaNoWriMo, which is a kind of a challenge - similar to NaNoWriMo, where you write 50,000 words in a month (November) - but this is set in April. So, to prevent myself from getting distracted by reading instead of writing, I started reading this really boring tome.
This book is not a novel and it's not a story, it's a handbook (well duh). It's like one of those books that you get with a computer game that set the scene and describe the characters and rules and all of that, except that it's a couple of hundred pages long.
Dull, dull, dull - perfect!
Oh, I guess it's useful as a scene-setter for a massive trilogy that probably runs in at between three and four thousand words too.
A couple of days before I started reading this I enrolled at Camp NaNoWriMo, which is a kind of a challenge - similar to NaNoWriMo, where you write 50,000 words in a month (November) - but this is set in April. So, to prevent myself from getting distracted by reading instead of writing, I started reading this really boring tome.
This book is not a novel and it's not a story, it's a handbook (well duh). It's like one of those books that you get with a computer game that set the scene and describe the characters and rules and all of that, except that it's a couple of hundred pages long.
Dull, dull, dull - perfect!
Oh, I guess it's useful as a scene-setter for a massive trilogy that probably runs in at between three and four thousand words too.
November 24, 2015
An amazing guide to the Night's Dawn trilogy. This really highlights the background work Hamilton puts into his series. The greatest thing I got out of it was a new appreciation for the series and his greater works. As for the actual content, is very detailed workout going on & on & on, and, would make a fantastic companion to a re-read, or, for those reading for the first time, a valuable resource to turn to, should you need further understanding on certain aspects of the series. Something to note however, is that there is potential spoilers within, so I'd advise turning to the guide thoughtfully.
December 1, 2010
This appears to be Hamilton's working notes for the Night's Dawn trilogy neatened up and flogged to unsuspecting fans. It adds no new information and cannot be used easily as a reference. A genuine glossary of terms, characters, places etc would have been potentially useful; this is a waste of paper.
September 10, 2011
Essential supplement when reading the Night's Dawn triology, in my opinion one of the best SF books ever written. Does not carry spoilers and can be read before the trilogy or kept as a reference during reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews