“Illanthe performed a random sweep over sections of the assembly arena, noting the various forms and shapes manifested across the shell wall. Over half retained a human appearance, whereas the rest had selected a multitude of geometries and colors from minimal spheres of light, to swarms of neuron echoes, to the simple yet sinister black pyramids of the radical Isolator Faction. … Of Gore Burnelli there was no sign, which perturbed her more than it should have. She still didn’t understand how he’d become the Third Dreamer; his mentality must have some private link out of ANA to the gaiafield that she didn’t comprehend. Not that it was going to matter now.”

Book Review:

Review by Ann Wilkes  (DEC 4, 2010)

In the final volume of Peter F. Hamilton’s Void trilogy, we once again find Edeard trying to make things right in Makkathran, his city on Querencia, a planet in the Void.

Outside of the Void, continuation of the entire galaxy hangs in the balance as an ark of humans travels to the Void in hopes of joining Edeard in what they believe will be an idyllic existence. The followers of Living Dream learned of Edeard and Makathran from the first Dreamer, Inigo, in The Dreaming Void, as Inigo shared his dreams of Edeard simultaneously across many worlds throughout the galaxy by means of his gaiamotes.

In The Evolutionary Void, we find out why Inigo refused to share the last dream and dropped out of sight, letting everyone think him dead. The Void is guarded by Raiel war ships and an impenetrable barrier. A Skylord, a gigantic flying being from the Void, invited the Second Dreamer Araminta to enter the Void in the last book, The Temporal Void. Her refusal set off an expansion of the Void, a warning of the greater expansion that will result if the barrier is breached.

Meanwhile, Ilanthe wants to use the Void to reset the galaxy to her specifications. She possesses technology that could seal off anyone who could stop her and hatches a plan to get to the Heart of the Void before Living Dream.

Every character is rich with imperfections, foibles and rare courage. Araminta’s resourcefulness, ingenuity and Silfen abilities keep her alive and out of the hands of Living Dream until she finds a way to turn the tables on them.

Aaron’s mind was so violated with devastating memories of torture that he has been imprinted with a second personality in order to carry out a mission which is only revealed to him by stages. His biononics and enrichments make him a deadly weapon. He doesn’t know who he once was or who is controlling him. He sets out kidnapping those he has been directed to collect. There is no reasoning with him or diverting him from his course.

Oscar Monroe, not long out of prison from the Starflyer War, and aided by the Knights Guardian, is looking for the Second Dreamer to keep her safe and free to make her own choice. But Araminta doesn’t know if she can trust him.

There is so much going on in this book it can’t possibly be contained in a review. And it can’t really be read without reading the first two books in the series. Hamilton doesn’t begin to catch readers up, instead plunging them right back into his story, which spans a galaxy with a cast of a hundred or so name-worthy characters. The Evolutionary Void is full of man — or woman — hunts, races against time, flights from enemies, fights with enemies, alliances formed or broken, mysteries, mind powers, aliens and cool tech.

Hamilton’s imagination and the scope of his Commonwealth Universe is the best I’ve read so far, and that includes Asimov’s Foundation series and Brin’s Uplift War. I’m just sorry the story is over. I hope he writes more stories in this incredible universe. I feel like I just lost a best friend now that it’s over. The Void trilogy could not possibly be told in fewer pages (each volume is more than 640 pages). They are well worth the investment.

AMAZON READER RATING:	from 41 readers
PUBLISHER:	Del Rey (August 24, 2010)
REVIEWER:	Ann Wilkes
AVAILABLE AS A KINDLE BOOK?	YES! Start Reading Now!
AUTHOR WEBSITE:	Peter F. Hamilton
EXTRAS:	Excerpt
MORE ON MOSTLYFICTION:	Read our review of: The Temporal Void

Bibliography:

Greg Mandel books:

• Mindstar Rising (1993)
• A Quantum Murder
• The Nano Flower

Night’s Dawn Trilogy

• The Reality Dysfunction (1996)
• The Neutronium Alchemist (1998)
• The Naked God (2000)

The Commonwealth Trilogy

• Misspent Youth (2002)
• Pandora’s Star (2004)
• Judas Unchained (2005)

The Void Trilogy (also in the Commonwealth)

• The Dreaming Void (2007; March 2008 US)
• The Temporal Void (2008; March 2009 US)
• The Evolutionary Void (August 2010)

Other Novels:

• The Web: Lightstorm (1998; 2005)
• Fallen Dragon (2002; December 2009 in US)

“Then Edeard’s farsight caught someone running down the slipway on the other side of the warehouse. He jumped off the side of the canal, holding the surface of the water firm as he landed. It held his weight with only a slight dent under each foot as he ran around to the slipway. People on the other side of the wide canal stopped and stared. Fingers were pointed. Cheers echoed across the icy water. Children called their friends to watch. It was the Waterwalker, they cried; he was doing it again. ”

Book Review:

Reviewed by Ann Wilkes (JUN 19, 2009)

Rich world-building is hard enough, but in The Temporal Void, Peter F. Hamilton has created not one, but two universes that intersect each other. The lives of the people in the Void are dreamt about by people in the Commonwealth Universe through the gaiafield. The journey of Edeard, an egg shaper from Ashwell to the crystal city of Makkathran and the headway he makes as an outsider to clean up the city’s gangs is the subject of the dreams in the first volume, The Dreaming Void.

Now, Edeard, having revealed some of the extent of his incredible telekinetic and telepathic power that goes beyond the average Makkathran citizen, makes still more inroads. He shakes up the city’s political system while learning some hard lessons along the way.

The story of Edeard and his friends as experienced through Inigo’s (the first dreamer’s) dreams is woven throughout each of the books These dreams are shared by all through the gaiafield and have re-shaped Commonwealth philosophy and religion. The dreams become more important still when the Void threatens to once again devour more of the outside universe. The Living Dream movement wants to enter the Void, which they see as an idyllic setting and a refuge from the cares of the universe and their lives’ ultimate goal. A second dreamer has added new dreams which are shared with the populace through gaiamotes that most Commonwealth citizens have within them to filter and share their emotions with others.

The second dreamer, Araminta, is unaware for some time that the dreams belong to her, that she is the one channeling them. When the Skylord contacts her in the dream, beckoning her to come to the Void where it will guide her to the heart, she tells it to take a hike. Ironically, she is not one of the Living Dream and is opposed to their plan to find a way into the Void. Living Dream’s plan to enter the Void is the worst of all the many dangers that the various factions and peoples, aliens and otherwise, face. It could wake the dormant inscrutable Void, which has, off and on, been swallowing nearby star systems. Araminta’s rebuttal sets off the devourment phase as though the Skylord is throwing a tantrum.

And now everyone is after Araminta or Inigo, who some believe to still be alive and in seclusion. One of the agents doesn’t remember who he is or know what he will do tomorrow. He is a bionicly modified human whose mission plays out in his brain as needed. Another ruthless agent, The Cat, who has been cloned from penal deep freeze, (with the original’s memories transferred in), has an altogether different agenda. One agent destroys an entire world looking for Inigo.

Yet another faction within ANA (Advanced Neural Activity system — into which people have uploaded their consciousness to continue living in virtual reality) has pulled Paula Myo out of retirement to find the second dreamer to protect her from being controlled by any one faction, giving her the choice to decide independently. Paula hires Oscar who looks to an ancient cult of neo-ninjas who idolize The Cat for their unique skills. Meanwhile another faction agent has gone rogue who has a device that can move an entire world in the cargo hold of his ship.

The Commonwealth universe is full of politics, infighting, and intrigue. The world-building, or should I say universe-building, in this novel was such that I missed those universes terribly after I finished the book, in spite of the satisfying ending. In spite of the scope of the universe and the large cast of characters, I never felt lost and was genuinely invested in all the main characters and could easily picture the villains and wished them their comeuppance. I appreciated the complex motivations, uncertainties and contradictions that all of Hamilton’s characters possessed.

I look forward to the next novel in this exciting, ambitious and entertaining trilogy.

AMAZON READER RATING:	from 51 readers
PUBLISHER:	Del Rey (March 24, 2009)
REVIEWER:	Ann Wilkes
AVAILABLE AS A KINDLE BOOK?	YES! Start Reading Now!
AUTHOR WEBSITE:	Peter F. Hamilton
EXTRAS:	Excerpt Ann Wilke’s interview with Peter F. Hamilton
MORE ON MOSTLYFICTION:	Read our review of: Evolutionary Void

Bibliography:

Greg Mandel books:

• Mindstar Rising (1993)
• A Quantum Murder
• The Nano Flower

Night’s Dawn Trilogy

• The Reality Dysfunction (1996)
• The Neutronium Alchemist (1998)
• The Naked God (2000)

The Commonwealth Trilogy

• Misspent Youth (2002)
• Pandora’s Star (2004)
• Judas Unchained (2005)

The Void Trilogy (also in the Commonwealth)

• The Dreaming Void (2007; March 2008 US)
• The Temporal Void (2008; March 2009 US)
• The Evolutionary Void (August 2010)

Other Novels:

• The Web: Lightstorm (1998; 2005)
• Fallen Dragon (2002; December 2009 in US)