Book Review: Peter Hamilton's Night Dawn Trilogy

Tapas

1 April 2007, 17:56

Book 1: The Reality Dysfunction
Book 2: The Neutronium Alchemist
Book 3: The Naked God

Peter Hamilton established his status as one of the finest British SF writers of all time with the Night’s Dawn series. With nearly 4000 pages, this trilogy is a landmark in SF- the space opera kind. Writing a review for a series this huge is a nightmare worthy of Quinn Dexter, but here goes-

Once you’re past the first 60 or 70 pages, The Reality Dysfunction is an extremely good read. What we have waiting for us is epic SF, with interplanetary warfare, a transcendental race drawn into something that might have disastrous implications for humanity all over the galaxy, a treasure hunt in the orbiting ruins of a long-lost alien civilization. And more, much more!

Though the story contains literally hundreds of characters, the plot goes on hyperdrive when swashbuckling daredevil/ treasure hunter Joshua Calvert, while scavenging the remnants of the mysterious and long-dead Laymil civilization, stumbles upon a Laymil storage cell that can be restored. On examination, it reveals information that might help explain the Laymil’s sudden and catastrophic annihilation, an event that is mysteriously referred to as the Reality Dysfunction.

Joshua’s newfound wealth after discovering the Laymil relic ensures him an invite into the life of the rich and famous, and after numerous adventures including a bit of smuggling and lots of sex with the heiress who rules the bitek habitat Tranquillity, he bags a deal to export the exotic wood mayope throughout the galaxy. And mayope is only found on an insignificant backwater colony world called Lalonde. But all is not what it seems and there are problems, to put it mildly, on Lalonde.

What at first merely appears to be a common uprising among convict labor on the planet takes on a more sinister turn when reports start trickling in of colonists who are possessed, whom no weapon can kill. And their numbers are swelling rapidly, leaving burnt out colony towns in their wake. At first there is alarm that this could be the work of a renegade Edenist (a “Serpent”) whose crimes resulted in the deaths of thousands and whose name is still widely feared years after his apparent disappearance. But it is soon clear that there is much more to it, that the Confederacy is in fact facing an invasion the likes of which has never been dealt with before. Can this be the Laymil’s Reality Dysfunction, come again to sound the death knell for humanity?

In The Neutronium Alchemist, three subplots unfold simultaneously. The first subplot deals with the machinations of Al Capone, who returns from the dead — sans syphilis – to begin an organization of Possessed, bent, essentially, on galactic domination. The second of these subplots is the attempt by the Possessed to take over the habitat run by a sentient identity named Rubra. And the final subplot is the fate of the device known as the Alchemist – a weapon with the power to extinguish a sun. Dr. Alkad Mzu, whose entire planet was destroyed in a war, has vowed to use the Alchemist as vengeance. Mr. Hamilton succeeds here as well in putting together a taut conclusion to this storyline.

The Naked God is the concluding part of this trilogy in which the Adamists and the Edenists combine forces to find out solutions- conventional or unconventional- to the possession that threatens humanity’s existence.

In this series, Peter F. Hamilton has created a stage of interstellar commerce, politics, war, and faith; a loose alliance of numerous colonized worlds called the Confederacy. Humanity has split off into two branches, the Adamists, whose bodies are extensively nanoenhanced, and the Edenists, who have gone one step further- they developed an “affinity gene” which allows them to communicate telepathically not only among themselves, but also the organic and sentient spacecraft they pilot. The Edenists have also perfected a “bitek” technology that has resulted in the creation of the sentient orbital environments where they live — and into which, once they die, their affinity-bonded consciousnesses are absorbed; effectively creating a “habitat with a soul”. Hamilton’s Confederacy is an extraordinary panoply of contrasts, and there are many moments throughout the story where readers are invited simply to bask in and admire the majesty of the universe, recapturing that sense of wonder we all look for in a great SF book.

His characters are also very well done. From the easy manner of the irrepressible Captain Calvert to the frighteningly vivid Quinn Dexter, Hamilton’s created a large and formidable cast of characters. Chapters frequently switch between points of view, and although this may seem a bit complex, it allows for the series to maintain a frenetic pace. Hamilton manages the daunting task of keeping all characters equally interesting quite ably, making the temptation to skip to another character’s chapter almost nil.

One of the best features of the series is the smooth blend of science fiction and horror. It’s not often that a science fiction book can actually make you scared, but if any of them can pull it off, it’s the Night’s Dawn trilogy. Hamilton also includes some excellent technology, and the explanation and implementation of innovations such as affinity, neural nanonics, and even his take on spaceflight make for an exciting, if not interesting, read. It’s almost unheard of for a series so huge to not drag on at points, but between the engaging characters and fantastic storyline, Hamilton manages just that.

The Night’s Dawn trilogy is absolute vintage science fiction: grand, interstellar space adventure crammed with lots and lots of ideas and action! Peter F Hamilton succeeds in writing a mammoth masterpiece. If you’ve got to do it big, then do it like Hamilton! This one is definitely near the top of my all time SF list. 10 on 10! :~)

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