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Night's Dawn #2, Part 1 of 2
Seelengesänge
The Neutronium Alchemist continues the saga of The Reality Dysfunction, as nano-augmented Adamists, genetically engineered Edenists, and ancient alien races confront a terror that transcends space and time.Palaces of the Dispossessed.War between the living and the dead consumes the Confederation as desperate souls in stolen bodies abduct entire worlds. While Adamists and Edenists ally, a 20th century crime lord masterminds a conquering army; a seductress lays siege to a sentient habitat as she lures children to their doom; and a satanist's path of horror heads inexorably toward Earth.But amid the devastation, some of the Possessed battle their own kind to save lives. For not all of the damned are evil...and heroes, too, are returning from the Beyond.
922 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
16 people are currently reading
686 people want to read
About the author
Peter F. Hamilton
209 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 39 reviews
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August 25, 20250 star (rounded to 1 for unfortunate technical reasons).
Peter Hamilton is to science-fiction what the Marquis de Sade is to erotism: thousands of pages, hundreds of cartoonish characters (reduced to toys playing the situations), repetitive situations ad nauseam (but always described with a luxury of pointless details).
It's really incredible how Mr Hamilton is able to slather thousands of pages with his insipid prose. He's never tired of describing pointless situations involving bland characters, with never a single interesting idea emerging of this ocean of pseudo literary diarrhea.
Peter Hamilton is to science-fiction what the Marquis de Sade is to erotism: thousands of pages, hundreds of cartoonish characters (reduced to toys playing the situations), repetitive situations ad nauseam (but always described with a luxury of pointless details).
It's really incredible how Mr Hamilton is able to slather thousands of pages with his insipid prose. He's never tired of describing pointless situations involving bland characters, with never a single interesting idea emerging of this ocean of pseudo literary diarrhea.
January 5, 2020
Die erste Hälfte von „The Neutronium Alchemist'“ ist bisher leider das schwächste Buch des Armageddon-Zyklus. Das liegt vor allem an zwei Dingen: zum einen sind einige Handlungsstränge – die ganze Al-Capone-Geschichte und Teile von Norfolk insbesondere – ungefähr so glaubwürdig wie eine durchschnittliche Telenovela, zum anderen lässt die psychologische Tiefe recht vieler Charaktere insbesondere in diesen beiden Episoden doch arg zu wünschen übrig.
Andere Sachen funktionieren aber deutlicher besser und auch die Gesamt-Handlung scheint sich sehr interessant weiter zu entwickeln. Insgesamt eine kleine Enttäuschend, gerade im Vergleich zum ersten Teil, aber immer noch sehr unterhaltsam.
Andere Sachen funktionieren aber deutlicher besser und auch die Gesamt-Handlung scheint sich sehr interessant weiter zu entwickeln. Insgesamt eine kleine Enttäuschend, gerade im Vergleich zum ersten Teil, aber immer noch sehr unterhaltsam.
June 30, 2017
This is book 3 in an epic 6-book series that started with "The Reality Dysfunction" and spans the galaxy. You really have to start with the first book. By now, we've learned that the mysterious invasion that began on a small colony world is, in fact, sprits of the dead returning from some rift in "the beyond" to possess people. They possess strange powers, but it isn't a mystical kind of thing. You just feel that there is going to be a scientific explanation of some sort. And after the initial shock, the governments are beginning to develop ways to fight the invasion so the conflict of the subtitle isn't as one-sided as it has been.
A few historical figures appear, such as Al Capone providing the organizational skills needed to pull together the possessed in one planetary system. And not all of the dead are evil - a fact which I'm sure will make things even more interesting in the remaining books.
Maybe it's my tired old brain, but it got a little confusing trying to remember which characters are on which planet, but the author gives you clues early in each chapter to help some.
A few historical figures appear, such as Al Capone providing the organizational skills needed to pull together the possessed in one planetary system. And not all of the dead are evil - a fact which I'm sure will make things even more interesting in the remaining books.
Maybe it's my tired old brain, but it got a little confusing trying to remember which characters are on which planet, but the author gives you clues early in each chapter to help some.
August 24, 2011
So it is the 27th century and dead people are possessing the bodies of people through cruel and brutal mental and physical torture. At this point a few of them are coming to prominence such as a non-dead Satanic cult leader that is so disturbingly inhuman that he repressed the soul possessing him and mastered its dark powers, Al Capone is no in charge of a planet and an army of possessed flunkies, A lucky star ship captain is trying to stop a woman who has the most dangerous weapon humanity has ever thought up, and the human confederation is finally awake to the problem of the possessed. I know I know, it sounds like too much for any one series to be about and not be absurd but I'm telling you this is excellent Science Fiction. Its smart, thoughtful, intriguing, and action packed all while still having a lot of heart. Pick this up if you haven't already, the first book in the trilogy "The Reality Dysfunction" is one of the 100 must read Science Fiction novels.
January 2, 2025
I guess Hamilton never heard P.T. Barnum's adage, "always leave them wanting more." There is an interesting and compelling story at the heart of The Neutronium Alchemist, but the impact is severely diluted by plethora of minor characters and story threads. The story threads that deal directly with Ione, Joshua, Syrinx and Mzu seem to be the heart of the matter, but their story is fragmented by other events. The events on Norfolk, New California and Ombey may be relevant to the larger story, but there is far too much time spent on these events. The fact that A.C. has taken over New California is potentially interesting, but I find this plot thread to be silly and unconvincing. Sometimes, the less said the better. I'm still giving this 4 stars because of the awesome setting. As novels, the first 1.5 books in this series are bloated and difficult to digest.
August 9, 2008
Bon, je l'ai aussi déja lu en 2003, mais je n'en retrouve plus la trace. Tant pis ...
Dans ce tome, on découvre hélas la principale faiblesse de ce roman trop long. Pour meubler ces trois mille pages, ou peut-être hélas à cause de ces histoires qui ont fait toutes ces pages, on assiste à des scènes pas forcément utiles, mais souvent bien décrites. En particulier Al Capone, qui dans ce tome prend le pouvoir et me prend bien la tête; C'est vrai, quoi, c'est pas un mauvais bougre, mais je ne crois pas qu'ila vait sa place dans ce roman. Ou plutôt d'une manière plus discrète...
Dans ce tome, on découvre hélas la principale faiblesse de ce roman trop long. Pour meubler ces trois mille pages, ou peut-être hélas à cause de ces histoires qui ont fait toutes ces pages, on assiste à des scènes pas forcément utiles, mais souvent bien décrites. En particulier Al Capone, qui dans ce tome prend le pouvoir et me prend bien la tête; C'est vrai, quoi, c'est pas un mauvais bougre, mais je ne crois pas qu'ila vait sa place dans ce roman. Ou plutôt d'une manière plus discrète...
November 22, 2021
There's everything to like about this series. This book follows a large cast of characters as they attempt to deal with the very complicated and perilous threat that's spreading across the universe. Souls are escaping from the beyond to possess the living, and they bring energistic powers that makes them hard to stop.
For action, intrigue, technology, space battles, and memorable characters, check this sh*t out.
For action, intrigue, technology, space battles, and memorable characters, check this sh*t out.
April 26, 2008
This book put PH on my short list of authors to never bother with again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2025
For a Hamilton tome, this was a quite fun entry. Now that the reader understands the nature of the possession, it was fun as he explored the role of some of those who’d come back from the e dead - especially the role of Al Capone. Many storylines to follow here and Hamilton does an admirable job of keeping up with all of them. And we finally get to see how Alkad Mzu ties into all of this. Looking forward to Part 2 of Book 2….
February 5, 2018
I have double feelings: on one side I think the theme is very interesting, and parts of the book are excellent (not as good as other Hamilton stories) but feel that the execution of it lagged a lot. I would not suggest reading it fully. I read it fully, searching for a continuity. but could not find it.
February 25, 2021
Hard not to be impressed with the scope and how we see the crises from many different perspectives. Often times narratives are forced to tell the story from the people in power or the common folk, but not both.
September 6, 2021
3.5 overall. Holy crap Batman!?! You really have to pay attention while reading this one. I love sci-fi and this book started off really good, but then it got utterly confusing with all of the characters, worlds and plot lines. I also didn’t love it enough to read book 2.
August 6, 2017
I couldn't really get into this book, unfortunately. I will have to try this book again at another time.
October 25, 2017
More of the same, in both good ways and bad, with a couple dialogues about the deeper implications of the reality dysfunction being the highlights.
July 10, 2018
3rd of 6 books...think I might have this confused...but it is a classic piece of space opera, spanning 6 500+ page books--as issued in US mass market. Still reading!!
September 27, 2018
Přesně ten typ SF, který mám rád :-)
January 9, 2020
It has some good ideas but the whole premise is stupid. Things were going so well with #1 and theh this. But they are about to get a whole lot worse in book 3
August 5, 2024
Excellent series. I wish they were easier to find in the US
April 25, 2015
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...
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...
January 9, 2012
by Peter F. Hamilton, published in 1997.
Huge. Vast. Epic. Three words which certainly sum up this sweeping science fiction drama by Peter F. Hamilton.
At the end of “The Reality Dysfunction” we saw the known universe going pretty much straight to hell. In this, the third book in the six book series, we see even more disasters happen for those humans fighting against the “almost” unbeatable intruders.
And as if the worlds and asteroid communities don’t have enough to contend with, the Neutronium Alchemist has escaped her captivity. She has the knowledge and capability to destroy entire stars and she intends to use it - she is holding a vendetta against the world that attacked and destroyed hers over thirty years ago.
In a world of high tech, living ships and habitats, lost alien races and new alien races, Peter F. Hamilton spins a multilayered tale involving many different protagonists and antagonists and gets away with it most of the time.
It’s a very wordy series so don’t think you are going to polish it off in a few days once you start. But, I would say it is worth the read. My only minor quibble is the omniscient narrative sometimes has you switching perspectives in mid-paragraph. Not a novel to be read while you are half asleep.
It’s hard to not give too much away, but let’s just say the many threads of this enormous tale are starting to unravel and those protagonist and antagonist’s paths, we can see, are going to cross soon with who knows what beneficial or deleterious effects. Good suck-you-along reading and this novel has me wanting to read the next.
And it is only part one of two. Let me explain. In the US and Canada the trilogy was split into six books with each one having a part one and part two. In the UK they are whole as only three separate books (must be dang huge books around 1200 pages each)
So, reviewing this one is like reviewing any other book halfway through. Still, there is so much happening and so much you want to find out you will need to finish the series off.
I may give it a rest for a while though. Diving so deep into this series all at once is hard on my mind.
Don’t let that put you off though - it is worth the time to read.
The Complete Series in either 3 books or 6 books is:
1) The Reality Dysfunction (Part 1 and 2)
2) The Neutronium Alchemist (Part 1 and 2)
3) The Naked God (Part 1 and 2)
Huge. Vast. Epic. Three words which certainly sum up this sweeping science fiction drama by Peter F. Hamilton.
At the end of “The Reality Dysfunction” we saw the known universe going pretty much straight to hell. In this, the third book in the six book series, we see even more disasters happen for those humans fighting against the “almost” unbeatable intruders.
And as if the worlds and asteroid communities don’t have enough to contend with, the Neutronium Alchemist has escaped her captivity. She has the knowledge and capability to destroy entire stars and she intends to use it - she is holding a vendetta against the world that attacked and destroyed hers over thirty years ago.
In a world of high tech, living ships and habitats, lost alien races and new alien races, Peter F. Hamilton spins a multilayered tale involving many different protagonists and antagonists and gets away with it most of the time.
It’s a very wordy series so don’t think you are going to polish it off in a few days once you start. But, I would say it is worth the read. My only minor quibble is the omniscient narrative sometimes has you switching perspectives in mid-paragraph. Not a novel to be read while you are half asleep.
It’s hard to not give too much away, but let’s just say the many threads of this enormous tale are starting to unravel and those protagonist and antagonist’s paths, we can see, are going to cross soon with who knows what beneficial or deleterious effects. Good suck-you-along reading and this novel has me wanting to read the next.
And it is only part one of two. Let me explain. In the US and Canada the trilogy was split into six books with each one having a part one and part two. In the UK they are whole as only three separate books (must be dang huge books around 1200 pages each)
So, reviewing this one is like reviewing any other book halfway through. Still, there is so much happening and so much you want to find out you will need to finish the series off.
I may give it a rest for a while though. Diving so deep into this series all at once is hard on my mind.
Don’t let that put you off though - it is worth the time to read.
The Complete Series in either 3 books or 6 books is:
1) The Reality Dysfunction (Part 1 and 2)
2) The Neutronium Alchemist (Part 1 and 2)
3) The Naked God (Part 1 and 2)
May 5, 2020
This book continues the series without any pause. More of the same adventures.
January 19, 2014
At first, I did not like this book. It felt weird - not hard-core SF, not horror, it was hard to define.
It ended up going into action/adventure category. SF is only the background. Lots of ideas, maybe too many, but then the ideas are not the focus here. The plot is.
The writing is solid, nothing to complain about. The plot is twisted, lots of sub plots, only half-way the future convergence starts to congeal.
It ends kind of without an ending. This is part of a series, so now I am forced to read the follow ups; which is kind of not nice - even as a part of a series, I'd expect each book to have a conclusion.
I may read on, if I run into the sequel by chance. I don't think I'll got looking for it specifically.
It ended up going into action/adventure category. SF is only the background. Lots of ideas, maybe too many, but then the ideas are not the focus here. The plot is.
The writing is solid, nothing to complain about. The plot is twisted, lots of sub plots, only half-way the future convergence starts to congeal.
It ends kind of without an ending. This is part of a series, so now I am forced to read the follow ups; which is kind of not nice - even as a part of a series, I'd expect each book to have a conclusion.
I may read on, if I run into the sequel by chance. I don't think I'll got looking for it specifically.
April 24, 2008
Sci-fi space zombies have never been done as well as. Sheer amazingness. The entire philosophical concept of the after life and souls as handled in the The Night's Dawn trilogy is worth the entry ticket alone, nevermind the brilliance hard sci-fi and action and hot chicks and zombies and...
About that entry ticket, the first 200 pages or so of the first book are pretty boring. But the subsequent 3,000+ pages are pure happiness. Enjoy!
About that entry ticket, the first 200 pages or so of the first book are pretty boring. But the subsequent 3,000+ pages are pure happiness. Enjoy!
July 25, 2011
The Night's Dawn trilogy is a great combination of pulp sci-fi, thoughtful speculative fiction, and vampire porn. The series starts iffy, but like all of Hamilton's books, quickly builds up a huge cast of characters, complex plots within plots, and a galaxy-sweeping scale. Lurid enough to be fun and only make you feel slighly dirty. 3 books in hardcover or 6 in paperback, so check carefully to make sure you get through them in order.
February 5, 2008
The series continues, many more story lines are added. Which honestly, I think it is starting to hinder the flow of the story, Hamilton continues to pull it off though. Much more of the story is focused on the “Possessed” so the dimensions of the story are expanding at an exponential rate, vary exciting.
October 21, 2024
Peter Hamilton continues his giant sci-fi space saga that started with The Reality Dysfunction. I enjoyed this book as much as the first two books. The only problem was a year since I read those books and I had problems remembering who some of the characters were and what had happened to them. Hamilton is great at continueing to grow and adding to his universe of worlds.
November 5, 2015
Gewohnt schnell war ich wieder in der Story und hatte keinerlei Schwierigkeiten, mich an Namen und Personen aus den ersten beiden Bänden zu erinnern. Spannend geht es weiter.
Hier gehts zu meiner Rezension: http://sunsys-blog.blogspot.de/2015/1... - ich habe mich bemüht, nicht zu spoilern, was mitunter unheimlich schwer fällt ;)
Ich gebe 09/10 Punkte
Hier gehts zu meiner Rezension: http://sunsys-blog.blogspot.de/2015/1... - ich habe mich bemüht, nicht zu spoilern, was mitunter unheimlich schwer fällt ;)
Ich gebe 09/10 Punkte
November 24, 2008
Great read! I liked it even more than the Reality Dysfunction. Of course because it's been split into two books it's disappointing to get through 600 pages without a conclusion at the end. It simply stops.
October 27, 2009
Spectacular writing, and loved the existential dilemna, which is fully realised in this second installment of Hamilton's Night's Dawn Trilogy. Can't wait to read the rest and find out how the author resolved it. I'd recommend this series for all sci-fi fans.
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