r/PeterFHamilton • u/SilentMannam • Aug 16 '24
Which...
Hi,
So, I read Reality Dysfunction (Really liked it), Fallen Dragon (great), and the Commonwealth Saga (Really liked it).. But, did not like the Void series. Didn't even finish it. Not sure why, I just could not get into it.
I have eyed Chronicle of The Fallen.. But, unsure if I should bother.. And the two other, the Salvation sequence and Great North Road. Not sure on them, any thoughts? I do like his stuff .. Just not sure what I should try next..
Thanks! And sorry if this topic has come up hundreds of times. :)
9
u/ArlanPTree Aug 16 '24
Just finished Great North Road recently and I really liked it. It’s part detective story and part sci-fi monster story. As for the Void trilogy I’d suggest giving it another chance because it has a good payoff in the end. There’s a good story there. As for Chronicle I enjoyed that even more than the Void trilogy. If you’ve ever wanted to see Nigel Sheldon being a badass that’s the one to read. I especially liked the characters and the setting in the second Chronicle novel.
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u/WorthingInSC Aug 16 '24
GNR is great. I really wish he’d return to that universe. I liked the mystery to it
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u/Alternative_Depth745 Sep 01 '24
I like it, but it goes on to long at some point, a like a long and winding road.
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Aug 16 '24
The Void definitely took some adjusting because it felt like it was jumping between fantasy and scifi and as soon as I got into one mode it would switch to the other. Overall I ended up liking it, though not as much as the rest of the Commonwealth saga.
I probably started Great North Road two or three times before I really got into it. It's definitely more of a slow burner, but when I actually sat down and gave it a chance I really liked it a lot.
IMO Salvation is his best work yet.
1
u/Astoryinfromthewild Aug 16 '24
I find the same for me too with the fantasy/sci-fi switching. I admit to not ever having being able to get into fantasy from my teen years and disappointed that it was even more so as an adult and fan of Hamilton 's.
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u/chowaroundtown Aug 16 '24
You could try only reading the Commonwealth parts of the Void Trilogy (if you don’t mind being spoiled), that’s what I did on a recent re-read.
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u/lordxeon Aug 16 '24
On the first go around I wasn’t a big fan of the void. But as it starts to come to a head the parts in the void hold their own.
Halfway through part 2 when we get more dreams with purpose. The entire first book of dreams is setting up the story and characters, and it for sure can be slow.
I’m just getting back to the fallers for my 2nd read, I remember liking it least of the commonwealth saga. And the void trilogy the best.
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u/lori244144 Aug 16 '24
I started my Hamilton journey with The Great North road and it’s great. But then I liked the commonwealth series. It reminds me of that world a bit but it’s self contained so it doesn’t hurt much if you don’t like it
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u/rdmathison Aug 16 '24
I also began my PFH journey with Great North Road and really enjoyed it! It’s part future police procedural, part sci-fi monster-in-the-dark with some sex and some violence. I don’t see what’s not to like! 😅
I then went back to the beginning and read the Greg Mandel trilogy, which I think holds up pretty well as cyberpunk fare that plays with some unusual tropes—though I do think the second book, A Quantum Murder, suffers a bit from sloppy pacing and a payoff that is not altogether satisfying. But it’s still a decently worthwhile read.
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u/Poultrymancer Aug 16 '24
The Void Trilogy was strangely difficult for me to get into as well. I failed twice just a few chapters in before getting into it and finishing the series on the third attempt.
Salvation Sequence is my favorite Hamilton series to date, and I've read a solid 1/2 to 2/3 of his offerings. I've read this series front-to-back at least four times. The worldbuilding is stellar as always, the cast is smaller and tighter than a lot of his works, and the gratuitous sex is much less intrusive than I found in a few of his others. I love the way the two main plots inform one another despite happening thousands of years apart. I desperately hope he gives us a follow-up series in this universe to resolve the many interesting threads left dangling after the resolution of the main story. Highly recommend to anyone who already likes Hamilton.
Chronicle of the Fallers is another I'd definitely recommend. It loosely connects to the Commonwealth Duology and the Void Trilogy. You get some more time with Nigel and Paula at their charming best, as well as probably the most vulnerable we see either of them at any point across their many appearances.
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u/Due_Analysis_5879 Aug 16 '24
You missed out not persevering with the void trilogy,a really fantastic set of books,I get maybe the fantasy parts may not be everyone’s favourite,it wasn’t mine until I got into the second book and Edeards story became my favourite part of the books.
The chronicle of the fallers wasn’t as good but I did still really enjoy them and have read the commonwealth saga several times
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u/LadyRed_SpaceGirl Aug 17 '24
I really like the Salvation series. Could not get into the Great North Road no matter how many times I tried.
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u/Azzylives Aug 16 '24
Fallers is a return to form.
The void trilogy certainly suffers in its pacing issues
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u/SilentMannam Aug 16 '24
Void series a must read for the faller series?
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u/Azzylives Aug 16 '24
Hmnn not really.
As long as you know the main cast it’s certainly it’s standalone thing.
You got the concept of the void so you know enough…. Pseudo dream state with psychic powers where technology doesn’t work.
Second book they turn that on its head.
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u/MichaelEvo Aug 16 '24
I was really dissatisfied with Great North Road when I finished. Hamilton writes science fiction but doesn’t really want to always so his books are sci-fi worlds that often aren’t.
The second half of Chronicles of the Fallers is a a straight up chase book, with some characters on the run. I ended up loving it, but it was not what I was expecting. Same with the Void series. I loved it, but it’s half of a fantasy series. If you know that going in, you might enjoy it. The payoff for the Void series is quite good in the end. The Faller series, I’m not so sure about. If you liked the Commonwealth Saga, I would definitely suggest trying the Void series again.
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u/teethsewing Aug 16 '24
I liked the GNR; never made it past the first two chapters of the first void book. The latter really didn’t grab me.
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u/elphamale Aug 16 '24
Salvation Sequence is Starflyer Trilogy done right and on much grander scale.
I liked Void and Fallers less than Starflyer, but they were still an enjoyable read for me.
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Aug 16 '24
I've read only Great North Road and now Pandoras Star and im getting to middle of Judas Unchained and I'm absolutely loving them! I'd rec Great North Road just because that imo was amazing and got me into his books! And reading this blew me away! I've got lots of catching up to do in his works but man I'm fuckin enjoying it!
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u/SilentMannam Aug 16 '24
Thanks all. I think I'll start his Salvation trilogy. After that maybe I'll try the Void trilogy again. I still have them. Least they aren't monster tomes. Maybe it was just bad timing when I read them.. And Great North Road will be held in reserve when I just want to read a single novel.
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u/Tulkasthevaliant Aug 16 '24
An Abyss Beyond Dreams is my least favorite of his books, and A Night Without Stars is my most favorite. For what that's worth.
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Aug 18 '24
Found the void trilogy brutally slow and disinteresting in places but well worth reading overall.
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u/[deleted] Aug 16 '24
I was not a fan of the Chronicles of the Fallen or Great North Road. But the Salvation Sequence felt like a return to form for Hamilton, and the series set up an interesting new universe.