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scottjp's review against another edition
3.0
This novel concludes the story begun in [b:Pandora's Star|45252|Pandora's Star|Peter F. Hamilton|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1440699949s/45252.jpg|987015]. A human exploration mission has inadvertently unleashed a race of aliens whose only goal is the extermination of all other life, which it perceives as a threat to its own existence. After losing 23 colonized worlds to its onslaught, the decision is made to bring out the big guns, or bombs, and obliterate the aliens' home system.
It introduces a moral dilemma into the story which I didn't really feel the weight of properly. Genocide is obviously a bad thing, under normal conditions, but when you are dealing with an enemy that is of singular mind, which cannot be reasoned with, and which will utterly annihilate you and never give up, well...it's a bit like dealing with a virus, isn't it? And it's not about any other life that may exist within that solar system--there isn't any; the aliens, the Primes as they are called, have already destroyed it all.
My other problem with the book is that it's simply too long. I'm not sure that any story needs to be 2000 pages (paperback, small print) long. About halfway through the second book I started to become very anxious to see its end. If you've got the stamina it's worth the read, though. There's a lot of interesting stuff in here. And Hamilton has created a fascinating character in Paula Myo, the investigator who cannot lie and who never gives up on a case, because that's how she has been genetically engineered from before her birth. I'm glad to know she appears in later Commonwealth novels. (I checked.) 3.5 stars.
It introduces a moral dilemma into the story which I didn't really feel the weight of properly. Genocide is obviously a bad thing, under normal conditions, but when you are dealing with an enemy that is of singular mind, which cannot be reasoned with, and which will utterly annihilate you and never give up, well...it's a bit like dealing with a virus, isn't it? And it's not about any other life that may exist within that solar system--there isn't any; the aliens, the Primes as they are called, have already destroyed it all.
My other problem with the book is that it's simply too long. I'm not sure that any story needs to be 2000 pages (paperback, small print) long. About halfway through the second book I started to become very anxious to see its end. If you've got the stamina it's worth the read, though. There's a lot of interesting stuff in here. And Hamilton has created a fascinating character in Paula Myo, the investigator who cannot lie and who never gives up on a case, because that's how she has been genetically engineered from before her birth. I'm glad to know she appears in later Commonwealth novels. (I checked.) 3.5 stars.
dejahentendu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
3.75
A delightfully complex tapestry of a book. I enjoyed the world, the problems, the problem solving, the interweaving of the storylines. I got tired of the rich, old, sex-obsessed white men running the Commonwealth, but I guess that's a proven character type. And, yes, there were other types involved in the running but it was definitely a patriarchy. It just gets tiresome. Overall, a mixed bag but mostly good.
robertwhelan's review against another edition
2.0
Far too long. There are some good story segments in this book but there's a lot of boring detail that feels like padding.
rickwren's review against another edition
4.0
This was an epic story spanning decades (and briefly, centuries). It had reasonably interesting characters, if a bit shallow on the development and realism fronts. It had an engaging plot with some foreshadowing and little symbolism. It had fascinating science concepts although it glossed over the practicality and explanation. But all in all it was a good story . . . only it was 2000 pages long, spanning 2 volumes. It really didn't need to be that long. There was a lot that could've been cut and the story would've been stronger for it.
That nit aside, it held my interest and I got through it.
That nit aside, it held my interest and I got through it.
cannizzo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lucky859's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
yevolem's review against another edition
4.0
Judas Unchained is the second book of a single story, though considering their combined length, which approaches 750k words, this duology could've been several more books. That would read worse because few of the plotlines are able to stand alone. Each viewpoint character narrative relies on the others for support to become greater than they would be on their own, forming a gestalt narrative. If you didn't like that in the first book, then reading this would be an even more of a slog.
When I was more than halfway through, the plot reached a turning point and I wondered how there was so much more left. The answer was that there were many other perspectives to fill out before continuing. The bulk of its duration comes from the many viewpoint characters doing their own thing. One character hides inside a refrigerator for a few hundred pages before it returns to him. That isn't say I didn't enjoy it, I did, sometimes greatly, but surely there were better ways to present the story.
The greatest problem by far is how unoptimized it is. There's so much that could be removed, notably almost anything to do with Ozzy, or greatly reduced, especially its final few chapters. If it were entirely optimized, then I'd say without qualification that this was among the best space opera that I've ever read and that it ranks highly among all space opera.
Aside from its setting which I enjoyed to an absurd degree, the book's greatest strength is the relationships between its characters. Each of the ensemble cast has their own motivations, beliefs, and goals which conflict with that of other characters. Often I see this as written as problems caused by misunderstandings, so it's nice to see that it's because of conflicting values or a lack of trust.
If the web of their relations were visualized, it would be very tangled and regularly shifting. Characters that entirely oppose each other are often linked through intermediary characters who may be on good terms with both. The character behave in consistent and believable ways based on relevant circumstances, so it rarely felt contrived, except when a specific twist was overly used.
One of my personal complaints is that too many of the same and similar first names are used and not only for the characters. This is annoying when they're only referred by their first name, even if it's only for minor characters hundreds of pages apart. One example is Francis Rawlins and Francis Rowden.
There continued to be lots of sex, which was longer in duration with increased description, though the vast majority was from a single viewpoint character. She had sex with several men throughout the book multiple times and really enjoyed it.
Despite their inordinate length I'll be reading more from Hamilton, including the rest of those set in this universe. May I continue to not let my enjoyment be ruined by its flaws.
When I was more than halfway through, the plot reached a turning point and I wondered how there was so much more left. The answer was that there were many other perspectives to fill out before continuing. The bulk of its duration comes from the many viewpoint characters doing their own thing. One character hides inside a refrigerator for a few hundred pages before it returns to him. That isn't say I didn't enjoy it, I did, sometimes greatly, but surely there were better ways to present the story.
The greatest problem by far is how unoptimized it is. There's so much that could be removed, notably almost anything to do with Ozzy, or greatly reduced, especially its final few chapters. If it were entirely optimized, then I'd say without qualification that this was among the best space opera that I've ever read and that it ranks highly among all space opera.
Aside from its setting which I enjoyed to an absurd degree, the book's greatest strength is the relationships between its characters. Each of the ensemble cast has their own motivations, beliefs, and goals which conflict with that of other characters. Often I see this as written as problems caused by misunderstandings, so it's nice to see that it's because of conflicting values or a lack of trust.
If the web of their relations were visualized, it would be very tangled and regularly shifting. Characters that entirely oppose each other are often linked through intermediary characters who may be on good terms with both. The character behave in consistent and believable ways based on relevant circumstances, so it rarely felt contrived, except when a specific twist was overly used.
One of my personal complaints is that too many of the same and similar first names are used and not only for the characters. This is annoying when they're only referred by their first name, even if it's only for minor characters hundreds of pages apart. One example is Francis Rawlins and Francis Rowden.
There continued to be lots of sex, which was longer in duration with increased description, though the vast majority was from a single viewpoint character. She had sex with several men throughout the book multiple times and really enjoyed it.
Despite their inordinate length I'll be reading more from Hamilton, including the rest of those set in this universe. May I continue to not let my enjoyment be ruined by its flaws.