Pandora's Star

Another new read for me was this book by Peter F. Hamilton. Perhaps surprisingly, I've not read anything by Hamilton before but, based on this, I will certainly be reading him again. The story is gripping and original (interstellar travel by diesel train!), and the characters are varied and interesting. The story is a first-contact variant – humanity has colonised the stars using wormholes through which the above-mentioned trains run. As a result, when the first true space ship is built to investigate some very odd astronomical events, tensions run high. The alien race that is eventually discovered is unexpected and hostile, and Bad Things start to happen. Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

The book is heavy on the action, with characterisation somewhat lacking, but he drags you along at a rip-roaring pace despite the 1100+ pages that this book takes. Indeed, and this is the only negative I'd mention, the story doesn't end there. This is definitely the first half of the story, in which the wasps' nest gets well and truly broken open. To get the end of the story I'll need to read the next book, Judas Unchained. And I'll be doing that soon!

Paperback: 1152 Pages
Publisher: Tor (04 March 2005)
ISBN: 0330493310
My Rating: Rating: 5-0 Buy from Amazon