The Reality Dysfunction 2: Expansion

Night's Dawn #1, Part 2 of 2

by Peter F. Hamilton

In the far future, on a primitive world called Lalonde, two groups of humans clash in an epic confrontation. The Edenists are genetically engineered space-dwellers with a telepathic affinity to their homes and ships. The Adamists reject advanced technology, but are willing to pioneer new worlds. Under the watchful eye of mysterious aliens, humanity must confront its most bitter enemy--itself.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy, Hard Science Fiction, Space

576 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Peter 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.

Reviews

[Guillermo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for The Reality Dysfunction part 1 and 2 (The American edition I read divides this monster of a book into two books, which equal book 1 of The Night's Dawn trilogy)


So after reading the two books that comprise the Commonwealth Sagan and the Void trilogy, I can safetly say that The Reality Dysfunction (book 1) is my favorite Peter F Hamilton book to date. Now I've always had a problem with the way this guy writes, with his landscape porn, gratuitious sex, long descriptions of everything, and his strange ability to make what should be exciting action sequences overly long and somewhat boring. So here I decide to go back to some of his earlier works where his craft should logically be much less refined and developed, and his faults magnified by virtue of being a younger, less experienced writer. For sure I had a date with dissappointment... or so I thought.

What I got instead was a compelling introduction into a good ole sprawling space opera. How I have missed ye. Hamlton's familiar style of bouncing around the narrative through the eyes of an enormous amount of characters are here, but this time around, I didn't have a problem keeping track of who is who and doing what.. or doing who. Man this guy loves his sex scenes. It was a bit of a distraction I have to admit, and not really necessary to the story. In his defense, you could say that well, the way sex is becoming less and less tabboo and in a couple hundred years, it probabably will be the modern equivalent of asking a coworker out for coffee. That's good and all, but sex isn't really an important theme in this book, so why the hell is so much of it in here? And not just sex, mind you, but rape.

Which brings me to an important point. This book is not for everyone. There is some seriously disturbing, twisted, graphic shit in this book. There is a mixture of horror and sci fi similar to what Dan Simmons did with Hyperion, with a comperable and palpable texture of dread that just drips off the pages and into your mouth. Hamilton takes his time to create a meticulously detailed galaxy containing hundreds of inhabited planets and living habitats (yes I mean they are actually alive), only to watch him destroy it. It's the destruction porn of creating a giant lego city only to turn around and level it with golfballs, but on a galactic scale... and it's only just starting. I am reminded of that awesome chapter title in Stephen King's Under the Dome called: "This is NOT as Bad as it Gets".

There are also some supernatural elements found here which might be a turnoff to some that are looking for hard science, but there is an explanation for it that I hope will be elaborated on in the sequels. Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised with the first entry of The Night's Dawn trilogy.

[Michael Behrmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die zweite Hälfte von „The Reality Dysfunction“ hält das Niveau der ersten problemlos. Kurz zusammengefasst könnte man sagen: weniger Handlung, mehr Action. Aber wenn Hamilton etwas kann, dann Action! Wenn man bedenkt dass die nächsten beiden Teile noch etwas umfangreicher sind als der erste, und Angesichts der Tatsache das die meisten der wesentlichen Fragen inzwischen beantwortet sind und es „nur“ noch um die Lösung des Problems geht, bin ich etwas skeptisch ob die Spannung durchgängig gehalten werden kann. Aber das werde ich ja sehr bald herausfinden.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could I have missed this guy’s stuff for so long? It is simply some of the best science fiction I have ever read! I was even living and working in Europe when this came out and I never heard of him. Actually, not until I joined Goodreads. This is sure to join my all-time favorites list. I recommend you plan to read the entire trilogy in close proximity. There are so many characters and points of view, I had to reread the first half before I could start this one. And that took some time. Over 1000 pages and I’m only a third of the way to the end!

What makes this so appealing? The science feels real and attainable in many places. The idea of parking asteroids in orbit and sending down finished metals as gliding bodies, then using the hollowed out rocks as bases for manufacturing…we could do this in 20 years if we had leaders rather than demagogues in positions of power. The combat modified mercenaries also seem close to reality. Not only ideas in the book appeal, the characters will grab you. The last 50 pages of this second half of TRD are riveting. You will even find yourself rooting for a TV reporter, for crying out loud. And I still think the subway scene in the first half of this initial book of the trilogy is the sexiest episode in all of Sci-Fi.

This is truly the creepiest enemy of all time. A warning: it takes time to get into the book but is well worth the initial slog--he never uses a sentence where a paragragh also can fit. Now for some TNA:
The Neutronium Alchemist

[Paul Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his first book, The Reality Dysfunction Part 1: Emergence, Peter F. Hamilton unleashed something huge, and in Part 2: Expansion, which I am reviewing today, carried his creation even further.

The scope of this work is kinda hard to explain. It’s on an equal footing with Dune or Foundation when it comes to fully realized universe. We get some very interesting projections of the future in fully changed, and barely human, combat mercenaries. Living ships and habitats and an ancient civilization, which was wiped out centuries ago (mysteriously but has a bearing on the now), are only the splendid backdrop for the unfolding drama.

And what an epic drama so far. It could be labeled a vast space opera, but I will stick with epic drama.

In this, the second of six books (in the US and Canada - but only 3 huge books in the UK), what hit the fan at the end of part one is now causing widespread mayhem throughout the known universe. Despite Lalonde’s best militia efforts to stem the tide, they are hopelessly overrun by the menace we see forming in book 1.

So, mercenaries are sent for to come and get the situation under control. Yah, right. You can tell without me even saying where that is heading - straight to hell. The menace is not to be trifled with and you will find out in this book exactly what it is - but I’m not saying. All I will tell is the conflict is strange, but engrossing and lots of firepower is exchanged on both sides. Epic battles and epic heros. It doesn’t get much better than this.

There are many colorful characters in this episode, and some shocking and larger-than-life sacrifices and not one explosive climax at the end - but four!

This book has it all if you like huge (I know find another word, but this one fits so well) sweeping science fiction epics. Recommended for sure and I will definitely read the next, and the next and the next and the conclusion. Peter Hamilton has sucked me into his universe and it’s a place I’m more than happy to visit on occasion.

It does clock in at almost 600 pages, so it’s not a one day read (unless you are one of those freaks that can read 600 pages in a day - Oye!) But I don’t think this is a kind of book you want to just burn through anyhow. There is so much going on, it should be savored.

But you may get totally sucked in and burn through it as fast as you can - that’s okay and after this there are still another couple thousand pages left in the story. I didn’t even mention the various alien races, what the "real" menace is or what their capabilities are. I try, during my reviews, not to give much of the plot away because, for me at least, it’s the getting there and the details and discoveries which make the journey fun.

And if nothing else, this is an entertaining tale spun well.

So, go out and find your copy of all six books (in the US and Canada) or all three books (in the UK) and get set for a grand science fiction adventure. I don’t know how this ride ends, but the journey so far has been great.

[Scott Holstad · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hated the first book in this series so much, I just read the first three chapters before throwing it aside, laughing my ass off at such rubbish. I thought it was a piece of shit and I still do. However, I had bought both books at the same time, because both had awesome reviews, so I decided to give this one a try. And this one is better. But not good enough to save it from the trash heap.

In this book, you have a planet where there seems to be a revolution. Who’s behind it? No one knows, but the government in place is determined to stop it. So far, it’s in rural areas, so highly armed and armored troops are sent out to kill and capture some of these rebels, some of whom are rumored to have special powers. And, boy, do they. They’re virtually impossible to kill, can withstand nearly anything shot at them, use supernatural weapons against the troops, slaughter them wholesale, and to cap it off, tah dah, THEY’RE SPACE ZOMBIES! I’m not kidding. It turns into a military sci fi horror novel. I like some horror. Edward Lee is probably my favorite horror novelist. However, I don’t like the two genres mixed. And this creepy, we can talk to you and get you to join us in death and everything will be so fucking great plotting just irritated the hell out of me. So, I read about half the book this time before stopping. Now, don’t get me wrong; Hamilton can be a decent writer at times. In fact, I just finished a rare stand-alone book of his that I thought was quite good, but this series blows. And from what I understand, there are actually more books in a giant overall super-series. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. I hope I am. Two stars for originality, but not recommended.

[Macha · Rating 3 out of 5]

lame, and lazy too. also he still can't write. well, it is pulp, garish and empty. and i admit, i've been reading a lot of the new hard-science space opera stuff, Asher and Reynolds and MacLeod, which really puts this kind of throwback potboiler to shame. two more to hand, so i'll read them, but i probably won't bother to pick up the two last entries in this series.

[Matthew Doggett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamilton is a master of his craft. This book has everything, and this series is fantastic. World building. Character development. Crazy technology. Action. Drama. Intrigue. Possessions.

What more could you ask for from a space opera?

Fantastic read.

[Darren Pontin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite difficult to begin with. Introducing new characters in the middle of an epic is always a challenge. However, that part wasn't what made it difficult.
I found it difficult to grasp what was happening as more and more people became possessed - and the manifestations of that possession were quite confusing.
Once I'd got my head around that, it became a much more engaging read - and a very enjoyable one.
Hamilton's unerring knack of explaining difficult technical (albeit sci-fi) concepts made this a real page-turner.
With the successful conclusion to a Lalonde mission at the end, but with so much more unresolved, it won't be long until I dive into the next installment!

[Tom Britz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this a 5 star rating because the story and writing deserve it, but this comes along with a large caveat. A story as large as this necessarily has many characters and different settings, but this is also the most distracting aspect of this novel. As you follow along with one set of characters there is another set of characters waiting in the wings and as each chapter is 50 some pages long and there are so many characters it is quite a while before you continue along with each set of characters. Many times I found myself reading along waiting to be reminded who each character is.
A book of 500 pages you go into knowing that you'll be there a while, but it should not have taken 2+ weeks. About midway I was seriously debating whether to continue. But like I said the story, though long and convoluted is a great story, with an over large canvas.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE sci fi. In fact, I love almost every kind of writing there is - except horror. That and gory crime novels are the two genres I basically won't read. Imagine my horror when this exceptional sci fi turned out to be bone rattling horror at the same time. And now I'm hooked. I have to stay with it. Damn!

[Damon Caraway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamilton is a great universe builder. This undertaking is so massive, i understand why he put a character list in the next book. Engrossing!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get why people were complaining about the ending, but the sadness and disappointment really had nothing to do with the overall story itself. It's just a really sad sort of realization which they state at the very end, and makes you sad for one of the characters, really.

Other than that, the only frustrating part is realizing that I need to read through this series faster than I have, in order for my memory to more easily keep up with what is happening with all the many, many characters, spanning across different solar systems. You wait too long between books ( not knowing better, I read The Neutronium Alchemist first and now will need to read it again, next), or between chapters and you may find yourself wanting to scan backwards, to give your memory a "Previously on _____...." type of refresher.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pulling the ripcord on this one. Once it became my clear what the Reality Dysfunction actually was, my interest evaporated. Not really my kind of sci-fi, and not worth having to slog through all the creepy sex/torture stuff. 3 stars for the world building though, and for giving me the itch to attempt Pandora's Star again.

[John Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story picks up pretty nicely, though the pacing remains uneven and the multiplicity of characters meant that the 500+ pages included only one brief check-in with one of the main protagonists from the first part.

[Vahid · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second part of the first book, this is the payoff after all that set up. A lot of space war action and other high sci-fi drama, if you're into that sort of thing. All well done.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great climax for this second of the first two books in the series! Still four more to go?

[Radomil Dojiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Přesně ten typ SF, který mám rád :-)

[Frank D Duringer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty boring

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a little harder to get into than I remember Part 1 being. It did finish strong though, so I do plan to continue on to book "2".

I get really tired of the hero-worship of Joshua Calvert.

[Bryn Buff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was gas, picked up the pace on page 1 and literally didn’t slow down for a second

[Hawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

not much resolution but one hell of a ride, guess I need to get the next book.

[Rik De · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big story continues. Can't stop.

[reherrma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Review zu Peter F. Hamilton's Armageddon-Zyklus stellt den Rezensenten vor einige Probleme. Nicht nur der Umfang von ca. 5800 Seiten, sondern auch die über 200 handelnden Personen der Story sprengen jeden üblichen Rahmen innerhalb der SF. Der Versuch, jeden Band einzeln zu rezensieren, wird durch den Umstand einer durchgehende Story zunichte gemacht. Deshalb darf und kann nur die gesamte Geschichte betrachtet werden, unabhängig von den inhaltlichen und stilistischen Höhen und Tiefen der einzelnen Bände.
Konzeptionell benutzt Hamilton den Aufbau der klassischen Space Opera, fügt dieser neue Elemente aus dem Bereich der Biotechnik und Genetik hinzu und erweitert das Szenario auf ein komplettes Universum mit einer Vielzahl von Regierungs- und Herrschaftsformen. Folgerichtig ergibt sich ein Leseumfang, der alle bis dahin veröffentlichen Werke in diesem Genre weit hinter sich lässt und der zukünftig als Paradebeispiel für die neue britische Ausprägung der Space Opera dienen wird.

In etwa 600 Jahren hat sich die Menschheit auf hunderte von Planeten, die nach und nach in bewohnbare Welten terrageformt wurden, ausgeweitet. Dabei haben sich im Laufe der räumlichen Expansion zwei unterschiedliche Richtungen des Homo Sapiens entwickelt. Auf der einen Seite die Adamisten, die nach herkömmlichen Grundsätzen und technologischen Entwicklungen leben und anderseits die Edeniten, eine Form der Kollektivgesellschaft, die über biotechnische Eingriffe ihre Fähigkeiten gesteigert haben und eine andere philosophische Grundlage für ihr Dasein benutzen. Während die Adamisten Planet um Planet besiedeln, leben die Edeniten vorzugsweise in künstlich erzeugten BiTek-Habitaten, die, zwecks Energiehaushalt, in der Nähe von Gasriesen positioniert werden. Adamisten konstruieren und bauen ihre Raumschiffe in herkömmlicher Weise; die Raumschiffe der Edeniten werden im Weltraum "geboren", zeitgleich mit der Geburt ihres zukünftigen Kapitäns in einem Habitat. Jahrelang umkreisen die Schiffe, sogannte Hawks, wie die Habitate einen Gasriesen und wachsen. Dabei entsteht zwischen Raumschiff und dem zukünftigen Kapitän eine enge emotionale Bindung. Über ein Affinitätsband kommunizieren die Edeniten gedankenschnell nicht nur mit ihren Raumschiffen, sondern auch mit ihren Habitaten und untereinander. Beide Menschengruppen leben trotz unterschiedlicher Auffassung und Technologie friedlich miteinander.
Ausserirdische Lebensformen, die ebenfalls in dieser Galaxis weilen, haben sich mit der Menschheit arangiert, treiben Handel oder tauschen Informationen aus. Eine dieser Rassen sind die Kiint, eine sehr alte und in ihrem Wissen sehr fortschrittliche Lebensform, die mehr verheimlicht, als alle anderen ahnen...
Vor diesem Hintergrund setzt die Handlung auf dem Planeten Lalonde, am Rande des bewohnten Universums, der sich in der Entwicklungphase der Besiedelung durch die Menschen befindet, geschieht ein Vorgang, der sich in seiner Kausalität eigentlich nie ereignen dürfte. Der daraus resultierende Prozess wird die Menschheit zutiefst erschüttern ...
Mit Hilfe von ungewöhnlichen, aber sehr innovativen SF-Elementen beschreibt Hamilton mit dem "Armageddon-Zyklus" nicht nur ein Universum, sondern geht mit diesem Werk sehr viel weiter. Für die Frage nach dem Sinn unseres Daseins und dem Leben nach dem Tod, entwirft er eigene Denkmodelle... und die haben es in sich. Beindruckend gelingt es ihm, Ideen von rein philosophischer Natur mit einem Konstrukt aus physikalischen Naturgesetzen und technologischen Beschreibungen zu ummanteln und hinterlässt beim Leser den Eindruck, soeben der wissenschaftlich fundierten Erklärung von Religion und Glauben beigewohnt zu haben...

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's getting better. We're learning more about the nature of the threat to the universe in this massive story (six fairly large books). We're still not sure where a couple of side stories are going, but that's okay.

The central government has been alerted to the threat and have sent a fleet to investigate the colony planet where it all started. I don't think it's a spoiler to reveal that it doesn't go well. I mean, there are four more books left. If they nip the threat in the bud, who needs all those books, right. But just HOW it goes wrong is part of the mystery I'll keep from you.

One of our main heroes, Joshua Calvert is at the scene and part of the action with his ship, "Lady MacBeth." Ione, his lady love (well, one of many, but we know she's "the one"), aka The Lord of Ruin, has her own problems on Tranquility, the world she rules.

Part of the problem is that the threat is so unbelievable that it defies normal military strategy and has now been loosed upon the galaxy. Oh my! What's going to happen in the third book? I'm glad the series has been out for quite some time, so I don't have to wait too long to find out.

[Kiro Selanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second half of the first full book (the trilogy had been split into 6 books for publishing reasons). As such, it's a little hard to pick up if you haven't read the first part recently: characters are not reintroduced, and events are not rehashed.

The plot continues to advance quickly on all fronts. Most of the action is on and around the planet of Lalonde, as the rest of the Confederation realizes that something terrible has happened there.

[Samir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started off annoyed at the author for two reasons. 1) He seems to go out of his way to add more characters, more details, and more... everything, just to frustrate me. 2) His target audience is apparently the 15-year-old male who thinks that yes, of course the future consists of nothing but nubile young women who can't WAIT to have no-strings relations with everyone they meet.

So yes, I was annoyed... but once I got over that, I started to notice that this book actually introduces several cool new ideas about the way humanity could play out. I especially like the evolution of machines away from silicon and steel towards living tissue. Now that I think about it, there are a lot of good reasons this might actually happen. The author made me pause and think... I like that.

I've finished Part 1: Emergence and also Part 2: Expansion. Both are just over 550 pages. Part 2 seemed to pick up speed (maybe just because the introduction of new characters is finally slowing down). I'm less blown away by the futurist predictions now, but I am totally invested in the characters and the plot.

Good book.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my brief review of The Reality Dysfunction Part 1, I stated that the book was overly complex with far too many minor characters. Not surprising that this holds true for Part 2. I don't have a problem with the complicated story that spans multiple planets, habitats, ships, people, species and mysteries. I do think that there are too many story threads juggled at the same time. Was it necessary to spend so much time with Alkad Mzu in this book leaving events with Horst and Syrinx hanging for hundreds of pages? I'm not a fan of massive novels, so this could a matter of personal taste. Another element that is jarring is the nature of the invaders on Lalonde. I never read book covers or detailed book reviews, so I was not expecting a bizarre amalgam of Arthur C. Clarke and Clive Barker. Still an absorbing story, and I will certainly finish the series.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this. Perhaps this first book of the trilogy shouldn't have been split into two parts - this was a strong finish to the setup from part 1. It's clearly a trilogy as there are numerous storylines to workthrough still.

The Reza mercenary character was great as was Shawn Williams.

I will say I'm glad there aren't visuals for some of the things that have been described.

It is a lot of reading, and there are still several quite divergent storylines, but I do look forward to picking up book 2 in the future. I'm going to take a little break, so I'll be looking to read some short synopsis of "reality dysfunction" to help me remember the characters and where the story is.

[Sunsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wer riskiert nicht gern einen Blick in die Zukunft? Was für Fortschritte die Menschheit macht: lebende Raumschiffe, aufgerüstete Körper, die Möglichkeit, sein Gedächtnis zu speichern und in einen Klon zu laden... Aber natürlich gibt es auch die Schattenseiten des Fortschritts.

Viele Planeten sind inzwischen besiedelt worden, da scheint plötzlich ein Virus ausgebrochen zu sein. Menschen benehmen sich wie besessen, es geschehen grausige Dinge. Doch es ist nicht leicht, der Ursache auf den Grund zu gehen. Ist es für Lalonde bereits zu spät?

09/10 Punkte für das 25stündige Erlebnis, gelesen von Olivr Siebeck.

http://sunsys-blog.blogspot.de/2015/0...

[Reads with Scotch · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second volume in the series ended abruptly… But it ended well... Now I just need to wait to get the rest of the series, which is proving to be a bit of a problem… the 5th volume is out of print and out of stock at all warehouses… bummer, maybe Amazon will have it.
The enemy is well out in the open now (to the main characters) conflicts are escalating, hope is stretched thin. I’m sure the rest of the series will prove just as fantastic as the first two volumes. Hamilton is a master of blending the 5 senses and story together.