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Arkship #3
Reines sous un soleil lointain
La lutte pour reprendre le contrôle du Daedalus et faire demi-tour vers le nouveau monde promis aux humains a commencé. Les yis, des aliens cachés à bord de l'arche stellaire pour y régner derrière l'avatar mensonger de la Capitaine Électrique, envahissent l'habitat humain à la recherche de Hazel, la Fille de la Capitaine, et sa petite bande de rebelles.
Après avoir repoussé un assaut sanglant des yis contre son village natal, Hazel conduit ses proches vers l'arrière de l'arche où ils espèrent trouver un refuge plus sûr. Là-bas, elle compte également sur l'aide des IA de la section de propulsion pour lui fournir l'antimatière dont elle a besoin afin de construire une arme capable d'éliminer les reines-cerveaux yis abritées dans la mer centrale.
Placer un tel engin est un risque de taille et Hazel est fortement tentée de céder aux promesses de paix des yis, qui garantissent un partage équitable du nouveau monde. Mais comment peut-on se fier aux reines-cerveaux, qui depuis cinq cents ans se sont livrées à des crimes monstrueux, tout en se montrant maîtresses suprêmes de la supercherie ?
« L'imagination la plus puissante de la science-fiction. » Ken Follett
« Hamilton relance la SF britannique à une vitesse interstellaire. » The Times
« J'attends la suite avec impatience. » SFF World
Après avoir repoussé un assaut sanglant des yis contre son village natal, Hazel conduit ses proches vers l'arrière de l'arche où ils espèrent trouver un refuge plus sûr. Là-bas, elle compte également sur l'aide des IA de la section de propulsion pour lui fournir l'antimatière dont elle a besoin afin de construire une arme capable d'éliminer les reines-cerveaux yis abritées dans la mer centrale.
Placer un tel engin est un risque de taille et Hazel est fortement tentée de céder aux promesses de paix des yis, qui garantissent un partage équitable du nouveau monde. Mais comment peut-on se fier aux reines-cerveaux, qui depuis cinq cents ans se sont livrées à des crimes monstrueux, tout en se montrant maîtresses suprêmes de la supercherie ?
« L'imagination la plus puissante de la science-fiction. » Ken Follett
« Hamilton relance la SF britannique à une vitesse interstellaire. » The Times
« J'attends la suite avec impatience. » SFF World
351 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 20, 2025
8 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
About the author
Peter F. Hamilton
196 books10.3k 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 31 reviews
January 17, 2023
I guess I can say that I like this one a little better than the other two because this trilogy is basically one long book and it takes that long for a story like this to grow on me.
The psychology of the aliens in this book are not unlike that of the Prime, another Peter F. Hamilton creation.
Hamilton, in my opinion, tried a little too hard to give this story a youthful vibe, but I suppose I can say I enjoyed it overall.
The psychology of the aliens in this book are not unlike that of the Prime, another Peter F. Hamilton creation.
Hamilton, in my opinion, tried a little too hard to give this story a youthful vibe, but I suppose I can say I enjoyed it overall.
August 5, 2023
This was a disappointing ending to a disappointing series. It pains me to say that, because Peter F Hamilton is one of my favorite sci-fi authors. YA is definitely not his forte. The relationships and the dialogue were just so immature that it just felt silly at times. Young adult literature should still have characters with depth. Hamilton just misses the mark with this series.
December 28, 2022
Sadly bland compared to much of Hamilton's other work. Disappointing
April 26, 2023
Not very impressed, but I had to read it because it was Peter F Hamilton :)
December 25, 2025
Les deux premiers tomes de la trilogie L’Arche Spatiale m’avaient beaucoup plu, même si le deuxième tome m’avait paru un peu moins poignant. Il me tardait donc de découvrir la conclusion de cette aventure et de pouvoir cocher la case « saga terminée ». Le principal sentiment qui ressort de cette lecture, c’est la simplicité et l’efficacité. Peter F. Hamilton ne s’embarrasse pas de fioritures : il va droit au but, tout en conservant une plume claire et une construction narrative très accessible. Bien que ce roman soit classé en adulte, il convient parfaitement à un public young adult ou à des lecteurs novices en science-fiction et en space opera.
L’histoire est simple, mais loin d’être ennuyeuse. Les événements s’enchaînent sans véritable temps mort, ne laissant presque aucun répit aux personnages comme au lecteur. Les péripéties sont crédibles, divertissantes, et donnent constamment envie d’en savoir plus. J’ai particulièrement apprécié la manière dont l’auteur conclut sa trilogie : une fin tout en douceur, à l’opposé de certains twists parfois brutaux du récit, dont tout le monde ne sort pas indemne. Le rythme insufflé par Peter F. Hamilton est, selon moi, l’une des grandes forces de cette saga.
Du côté des personnages, j’ai trouvé Hazel moins agaçante que dans le tome précédent, même si — je l’avoue — elle m’a encore fait lever les yeux au ciel à quelques reprises. C’est une adolescente projetée dans une situation qui la dépasse, avec un rôle qui semble d’abord ne pas lui correspondre. Heureusement, son évolution en fin de tome la rend plus posée, plus réfléchie, et donc plus attachante. En revanche, j’ai trouvé que l’ensemble des personnages manquait parfois de profondeur : j’ai eu l’impression que leurs réflexions et leur psychologie auraient pu être davantage creusées.
J’ai en revanche beaucoup aimé la présence des aliens, incroyablement faciles à visualiser. Ils m’ont donné des frissons : je les imaginais bien plus terrifiants que ce que l’auteur suggère réellement, mais cela a fait fonctionner mon imagination à plein régime — et je l’en remercie !
En somme, L’Arche Spatiale est une trilogie sympathique, rythmée et très accessible, que je recommande volontiers aux lecteurs débutant en science-fiction.
L’histoire est simple, mais loin d’être ennuyeuse. Les événements s’enchaînent sans véritable temps mort, ne laissant presque aucun répit aux personnages comme au lecteur. Les péripéties sont crédibles, divertissantes, et donnent constamment envie d’en savoir plus. J’ai particulièrement apprécié la manière dont l’auteur conclut sa trilogie : une fin tout en douceur, à l’opposé de certains twists parfois brutaux du récit, dont tout le monde ne sort pas indemne. Le rythme insufflé par Peter F. Hamilton est, selon moi, l’une des grandes forces de cette saga.
Du côté des personnages, j’ai trouvé Hazel moins agaçante que dans le tome précédent, même si — je l’avoue — elle m’a encore fait lever les yeux au ciel à quelques reprises. C’est une adolescente projetée dans une situation qui la dépasse, avec un rôle qui semble d’abord ne pas lui correspondre. Heureusement, son évolution en fin de tome la rend plus posée, plus réfléchie, et donc plus attachante. En revanche, j’ai trouvé que l’ensemble des personnages manquait parfois de profondeur : j’ai eu l’impression que leurs réflexions et leur psychologie auraient pu être davantage creusées.
J’ai en revanche beaucoup aimé la présence des aliens, incroyablement faciles à visualiser. Ils m’ont donné des frissons : je les imaginais bien plus terrifiants que ce que l’auteur suggère réellement, mais cela a fait fonctionner mon imagination à plein régime — et je l’en remercie !
En somme, L’Arche Spatiale est une trilogie sympathique, rythmée et très accessible, que je recommande volontiers aux lecteurs débutant en science-fiction.
August 11, 2023
This is the first and I think very successful young adult series by the amazing Peter F. Hamilton. The series follows the story of Hazel, a young woman who lives on a generational arkship called the Daedalus. The Daedalus has been traveling through space for 500 years, searching for a new home for humanity. Overall I really liked the story and it continued to keep me engaged and looking forward to what would happen next.
The first book in the series, A Hole in the Sky, introduces the reader to Hazel and her world. Hazel is a bright and resourceful young woman who is determined to make a difference in the world or space ship. There is something wrong with the situation of the ship as it seems the inhabitants are more prisoners living like Mennonites in a huge spaceship.
The second book in the series, The Captain's Daughter, picks up the story shortly after the events of the first book. Hazel has been chosen as the next captain of the Daedalus because she is the last genetic descendant of the original Captain of the spaceship. She must learn the secrets of the past as well as the current threat of the strange Aliens that have taken over the ship.
In Queens of an Alien Sun, the final book in the series, Hazel and the Daedalus crew face their greatest challenge yet. They encounter an alien race that is in full control of the spaceship. The aliens are powerful and threaten the existence of all the humans left on the Daedalus.
The Arkship Trilogy is a fast-paced, action-packed science fiction series with a strong female protagonist. Hamilton's world-building is top-notch, and he creates a believable and immersive universe for his characters to inhabit. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and you will find yourself rooting for them to succeed. The plot is complex and twisty, and there are plenty of surprises along the way.
If you are a fan of science fiction, then you will definitely enjoy the Arkship Trilogy. It is a must-read for fans of authors like Iain M. Banks, Alastair Reynolds, and James S.A. Corey.
Here are some other authors who have written similar books to the Arkship Trilogy:
Enders Game by Orson Scott
Kim Stanley Robinson: Aurora
James S.A. Corey: Leviathan Wakes
Neal Asher: The Departure
Adrian Tchaikovsky: Children of Time
The first book in the series, A Hole in the Sky, introduces the reader to Hazel and her world. Hazel is a bright and resourceful young woman who is determined to make a difference in the world or space ship. There is something wrong with the situation of the ship as it seems the inhabitants are more prisoners living like Mennonites in a huge spaceship.
The second book in the series, The Captain's Daughter, picks up the story shortly after the events of the first book. Hazel has been chosen as the next captain of the Daedalus because she is the last genetic descendant of the original Captain of the spaceship. She must learn the secrets of the past as well as the current threat of the strange Aliens that have taken over the ship.
In Queens of an Alien Sun, the final book in the series, Hazel and the Daedalus crew face their greatest challenge yet. They encounter an alien race that is in full control of the spaceship. The aliens are powerful and threaten the existence of all the humans left on the Daedalus.
The Arkship Trilogy is a fast-paced, action-packed science fiction series with a strong female protagonist. Hamilton's world-building is top-notch, and he creates a believable and immersive universe for his characters to inhabit. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and you will find yourself rooting for them to succeed. The plot is complex and twisty, and there are plenty of surprises along the way.
If you are a fan of science fiction, then you will definitely enjoy the Arkship Trilogy. It is a must-read for fans of authors like Iain M. Banks, Alastair Reynolds, and James S.A. Corey.
Here are some other authors who have written similar books to the Arkship Trilogy:
Enders Game by Orson Scott
Kim Stanley Robinson: Aurora
James S.A. Corey: Leviathan Wakes
Neal Asher: The Departure
Adrian Tchaikovsky: Children of Time
April 23, 2023
Seamlessly connected to the prior installment. The Yi-human conflict persists, with the obvious outcome. All ends that ends well (naturally). The main brightspot is the last few chapters where there is an exquisite amount of detail about how the Arkship reaches the new world (and no - it's not a spoiler).
My three issues with the book are as follows. First, the number of eye-rolling moments is higher than ever. The silly love triangle, and moments it come to the fore, are just ridiculous. There is also something faintly sexist about it also, but what do I know. Second, the first half of the book is uncharacteristically (even for this series) devoid of any of the sci aspect of sci-fi, and it's just dry action sequences, that have a very repetitive nature to them. Lastly, I found myself struggling with the lack of moral ambiguity, and having the world be black-and-white to the extreme. Has Ender’s Game taught us naught with regard to alien cultures?!
In all, this is a necessary conclusion to an otherwise irrelevant series. It helped me complete my Hamilton effort (reading through all his works), but otherwise - this is really not a Hamilton book. It feels even less Hamilton than the shockingly pedestrian Light Chaser. The series as a whole is fine for teens, and only those who don't really know sci-fi.
I just wanted to read another good Hamilton...
My three issues with the book are as follows. First, the number of eye-rolling moments is higher than ever. The silly love triangle, and moments it come to the fore, are just ridiculous. There is also something faintly sexist about it also, but what do I know. Second, the first half of the book is uncharacteristically (even for this series) devoid of any of the sci aspect of sci-fi, and it's just dry action sequences, that have a very repetitive nature to them. Lastly, I found myself struggling with the lack of moral ambiguity, and having the world be black-and-white to the extreme. Has Ender’s Game taught us naught with regard to alien cultures?!
In all, this is a necessary conclusion to an otherwise irrelevant series. It helped me complete my Hamilton effort (reading through all his works), but otherwise - this is really not a Hamilton book. It feels even less Hamilton than the shockingly pedestrian Light Chaser. The series as a whole is fine for teens, and only those who don't really know sci-fi.
I just wanted to read another good Hamilton...
December 15, 2022
I really enjoyed this trilogy, I thought it was excellent. Yes, the narrator grates. If they wanted an English speaker they should have hired one, instead of a yank who speaks in faux Queen's English and just gets things wrong - sen-sor, nativiteeeey, antai-matter to name a few persistent annoyances. The voices for the characters are very poor, all the bloke sound the same. Truly dreadful. However, I review this as a Hamilton book, not taking into account the narrator, who you do get used to eventually. Books 1 and 2 were excellent, but I felt like this one was a mop-up. All the legwork was done and dusted already. The fight with the Yi was anticlimactic, even when the obvious happened near the end. I thought books 1 and 2 was four or five stars, this was definitely a three. Absolutely 100% worth reading, and I'd buy them as paperback when they come out. But the ending was a bit bland for my tastes and I just expected something a little deeper. Thanks for the journey, though. I enjoyed it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2023
Read my review of the first book if you want a long more detailed review of the series.
I wont spoil anything here just in case someone reads this and hasn't read any of the series. I very much enjoyed this series. It is a young adult sci-fi story. Not typical for Hamilton. The second book was my favorite of the 3. I think the last book(Queens Of An Alien Sun) was fun and concluded the series well however it was predictable. Especially if you are a fan of Hamilton. I easily predicted exactly what was going to happen. That did hamper the enjoyment some for the climax of the series. That said, I still enjoyed it very much and have thought about it often after reading. There are definitely some hand waving plot holes in there that aren't explained but since this is YA I forgive that. The premise of the series was very fun and enjoyable.
I wont spoil anything here just in case someone reads this and hasn't read any of the series. I very much enjoyed this series. It is a young adult sci-fi story. Not typical for Hamilton. The second book was my favorite of the 3. I think the last book(Queens Of An Alien Sun) was fun and concluded the series well however it was predictable. Especially if you are a fan of Hamilton. I easily predicted exactly what was going to happen. That did hamper the enjoyment some for the climax of the series. That said, I still enjoyed it very much and have thought about it often after reading. There are definitely some hand waving plot holes in there that aren't explained but since this is YA I forgive that. The premise of the series was very fun and enjoyable.
August 11, 2024
It kept my attention enough to finish the trilogy, but these books are not even close to being in the same class as Mr. Hamilton's Neutronium Alchemist series. It's pretty much by the numbers as Hazel and her team of teenagers finish their long running battle with the nasty untrustworthy brain queens who just keep coming back no matter how hard they are beaten down. Of course, our heroes make it successfully to their new world after many trials and tribulations. I wanted it to end with some revelations and some completely unexpected twists. It didn't. More of the same to the end. Sigh. Or maybe there could have been some ambiguity that would make it more complex than a pure good vs. evil story. Even Frodo had his moments of temptation; even Golem had moments of goodness. But our sainted Hazel is good through and through, and the brain queens never have a moment of redemption.
June 8, 2024
Mr. Hamilton is one of my favorite authors. That said, this is not my favorite series.
I like many YA, but this trilogy is annoyingly YA. I say annoyingly because Mr. Hamilton seems to be catering to the young. In this series, only the young have any common sense and are willing to accept change. Anyone over the age of 20, villagers, and all the mayors are idiots and deniers.
Mr. Hamilton did a great job recapping where I left this story in 2022. I listened to the audio version narrated by Elizabeth Klett, I found her voice irritating. The sound of her voice, minus the accent, reminded me of Greta Thunbergand. The first time she said, "Sweet Captain", my stomach turned and I almost put down the book. Overall, 3 stars.
I like many YA, but this trilogy is annoyingly YA. I say annoyingly because Mr. Hamilton seems to be catering to the young. In this series, only the young have any common sense and are willing to accept change. Anyone over the age of 20, villagers, and all the mayors are idiots and deniers.
Mr. Hamilton did a great job recapping where I left this story in 2022. I listened to the audio version narrated by Elizabeth Klett, I found her voice irritating. The sound of her voice, minus the accent, reminded me of Greta Thunbergand. The first time she said, "Sweet Captain", my stomach turned and I almost put down the book. Overall, 3 stars.
June 26, 2023
This trilogy is aimed at a 2020s YA crowd but its rooted in 80s-90s Sci-Fi, with feminism that consists of making the bad-ass hero a girl and implacable malevolent aliens that play a zero sum game.
The constant action and incredible world kept me engaged despite the plot holes and some serious YA schmaltz
I needed a light read and I got it.
The constant action and incredible world kept me engaged despite the plot holes and some serious YA schmaltz
I needed a light read and I got it.
December 17, 2023
Entertaining YA story of a girl on a generation ship, heading for a new world. The ship had been taken over by aliens and the humans had no idea, until things began to go very very wrong.
I love Hamilton so read everything of his. He's imaginative, creates complete characters and uses lots of science to come up with intriguing plots.
December 25, 2024
A good conclusion to the story. I did enjoy this one as I did all three of them even if they are more leightweigh then the usual books from Peter. Didn't help that they are audio only as I have trouble to get into audio books. As this is and YA story it does not have that deep but still a nice story and hopefully good enough to get some new readers into Peter books.
January 19, 2025
This is a series of overcoming problems and rising to the occasion. It is chuck full of optimism despite sorrow and loss of friends and loved ones.
The series is appropriate for tweens, YA and family readings.
I wouldn’t necessarily read them to 10 yo but 11-ish and older should be fine.
4 stars all around
The series is appropriate for tweens, YA and family readings.
I wouldn’t necessarily read them to 10 yo but 11-ish and older should be fine.
4 stars all around
April 16, 2023
Jane Austen with power armor. Overall, I enjoyed this series with the minor complaint that it was obviously one large book broken up into three parts. Not my favorite work by Hamilton, but still a fun experience. The series had some YA tropes that I could probably have done without, but there was enough scifi goodness to make me see past that. I also think if you picked enough at the edges of the plot things might stop making sense, but I was OK with just rolling along with it.
February 6, 2024
I only marked this down to 4 stars not because it was a bad read. It was good but maybe just not as good as the previous two books of the series. A good reading nonetheless and the good ending to the series.
December 28, 2022
Slightly better than the previous two.
January 2, 2023
Quite OK actually. Enjoyed the whole Arkship trilogy story. I did not enjoy the first person narrative, however. I do hope Peter will let it be with this "experiment".
June 1, 2023
This was a decent trilogy but definitely Peter F. Hamilton "lite".
July 12, 2023
Loved the whole story!!!
June 2, 2024
This was a fun fast paced trilogy. Shorter than his other books but still as much fun. Some parts were annoying especially the part about the captain's emotion I think it was a bit over the top.
June 29, 2024
Malgré une fin prévisible c est un très bon Hamilton.
October 13, 2024
Un bon dernier tome pour une fin très satisfaisante.
Want to read
January 20, 2025I need a book, not an audiobook. Let me know, when this becomes published.
April 10, 2025
The narrator on the audiobook is really not a great choice imho. Beyond that the story is good.
May 28, 2025
Thoroughly predictable but an entertaining enough story to keep you occupied. Not amazing but not terrible either.
Read
July 28, 2025mars 2024
November 25, 2025
A story that goes on 80 pages after it should have ended. A mawkish idiot of a female main character. A shoehorned romance triangle. This is a YA novel alright. I think you hit all the tropes, Mr. Hamilton. Well done, sir.
March 4, 2023
It's fairly evident by the lack of reaction to the final book in the Arkship Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton, QUEENS OF AN ALIEN SUN, that if it's not a "widescreen Space Opera" with all the trappings of that subgenre of science fiction (Well, to be fair, "widescreen Space Opera" is a subgenre of Space Opera, which itself is a subgenre of science fiction, so maybe it's a sub-subgenre?), not many people care enough to read it. The Arkship Trilogy is Hamilton's first (and maybe only) foray into the YA market, and the rest of his oeuvre is adult in nature, so it seems that his fans aren't into this thing he did. That's okay, of course, because not everything is for everyone. I'm still not sure that YA is something I'd normally pick up to read as a conscious
choice (after all, I still haven't read Alastair Reynolds' YA trilogy, and he is a favorite author of mine), but the Arkship Trilogy as a whole, and QUEENS OF AN ALIEN SUN in particular, is a fine piece of writing, the result of which is that I'll be more open to reading YA in the future.
Hazel and the gang have temporarily beaten back the Yi, the alien creatures that have taken over the arkship Daedalus. There are two tasks ahead of her and her companions: get the ship turned around and headed back toward the planet they were heading toward so they can finish the journey and begin a new life, and rid the ship of the remaining Yi. And definitely not in that order.
The good news for Hazel is that it's not a one woman show (I want to say one *girl* show, because she is a teenager, but at the same time she is the captain of the ship, so my brain is going for woman in this case). As she gathers up people throughout the arkship to lead them to safety away from the Yi, she picks up leaders of the small communities that believe in her and her quest. A task like what she is attempting is really too large for one person, be she a teenager or an adult. The bad news is that the Yi are persistent and relentless. Again, she has the help, and she needs all of it.
The novel shows our young protagonists growing up, learning to make very tough decisions as well as learning to deal with the losses that come with making those decisions. Oh, she's still a teenager at heart, learning (there's that word again) to deal with personal relationships with both the adults that are helping her and the people who are her age who will be an important part of her life going forward, especially once they reach the new planet.
There's really nothing extraordinary about this novel. It tells a straightforward story that results in a typical ending which, in reality, the listener can hear coming from a mile away. And really, there's nothing wrong with that. I'm not familiar with what YA readers' (and by that I mean readers who are the target audience of the book, not adults who read YA) expectations are in terms of complexity and themes, but it *seems* right. If a listener wants complexity in their Hamilton, there are plenty of other novels of his to choose from.
The title of the book comes from the Yi brain queen proposing that the Yi and the humans co-exist on the planet together. Of course, Hazel was having none of that. I'm reminded of Ripley battling the alien queen in Aliens - not just in the climactic scene at the end, but all throughout the movie. Hazel and the brain queen were in conflict throughout the novel, down to the bitter end. I also wonder whether Hamilton was influenced by Heinlein's ORPHANS OF THE SKY, arguably the first generational starship story, in which the inhabitants of the Vanguard have regressed to the point of becoming farmers after a mutiny on the ship.
With regard to Elizabeth Klett, she once again did a fine job narrating the story. I think the choice of using a female narrator for a female led story was the right one; I find it difficult to imagine what the listening experience would have been like had John Lee, Hamilton's usual narrator, been reading this book.
All in all, QUEENS OF AN ALIEN SUN is a fine ending to a good trilogy. If you like YA and you like Peter F. Hamilton, I think you'll find the Arkship Trilogy satisfying.
choice (after all, I still haven't read Alastair Reynolds' YA trilogy, and he is a favorite author of mine), but the Arkship Trilogy as a whole, and QUEENS OF AN ALIEN SUN in particular, is a fine piece of writing, the result of which is that I'll be more open to reading YA in the future.
Hazel and the gang have temporarily beaten back the Yi, the alien creatures that have taken over the arkship Daedalus. There are two tasks ahead of her and her companions: get the ship turned around and headed back toward the planet they were heading toward so they can finish the journey and begin a new life, and rid the ship of the remaining Yi. And definitely not in that order.
The good news for Hazel is that it's not a one woman show (I want to say one *girl* show, because she is a teenager, but at the same time she is the captain of the ship, so my brain is going for woman in this case). As she gathers up people throughout the arkship to lead them to safety away from the Yi, she picks up leaders of the small communities that believe in her and her quest. A task like what she is attempting is really too large for one person, be she a teenager or an adult. The bad news is that the Yi are persistent and relentless. Again, she has the help, and she needs all of it.
The novel shows our young protagonists growing up, learning to make very tough decisions as well as learning to deal with the losses that come with making those decisions. Oh, she's still a teenager at heart, learning (there's that word again) to deal with personal relationships with both the adults that are helping her and the people who are her age who will be an important part of her life going forward, especially once they reach the new planet.
There's really nothing extraordinary about this novel. It tells a straightforward story that results in a typical ending which, in reality, the listener can hear coming from a mile away. And really, there's nothing wrong with that. I'm not familiar with what YA readers' (and by that I mean readers who are the target audience of the book, not adults who read YA) expectations are in terms of complexity and themes, but it *seems* right. If a listener wants complexity in their Hamilton, there are plenty of other novels of his to choose from.
The title of the book comes from the Yi brain queen proposing that the Yi and the humans co-exist on the planet together. Of course, Hazel was having none of that. I'm reminded of Ripley battling the alien queen in Aliens - not just in the climactic scene at the end, but all throughout the movie. Hazel and the brain queen were in conflict throughout the novel, down to the bitter end. I also wonder whether Hamilton was influenced by Heinlein's ORPHANS OF THE SKY, arguably the first generational starship story, in which the inhabitants of the Vanguard have regressed to the point of becoming farmers after a mutiny on the ship.
With regard to Elizabeth Klett, she once again did a fine job narrating the story. I think the choice of using a female narrator for a female led story was the right one; I find it difficult to imagine what the listening experience would have been like had John Lee, Hamilton's usual narrator, been reading this book.
All in all, QUEENS OF AN ALIEN SUN is a fine ending to a good trilogy. If you like YA and you like Peter F. Hamilton, I think you'll find the Arkship Trilogy satisfying.
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