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36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tremendous stuff, 31 May 2006
Despite reading a lot of it, I'm not actually a massive fan of Sci-fi, especially Space Opera. Although as a genre it's produced some greats (for example, Clarke, Brunner, Dick and Bear), the vast majority is easy-reading brain candy which helps me relax after a long day at work without making me think.
I've read a fair amount of Peter F Hamilton with this in mind - I wasn't overly smitten with the 'Night's Dawn' Trilogy, and Fallen Dragon was also very ho-hum. The first book in this series, 'Pandora's Star' was interesting enough to make me look forward to the sequel, but I still wasn't singing it's praises.
Judas Unchained starts unexceptionally enough with the usual SciFi and Fantasy staple of two dense pages naming the major characters and then the plot gets cracking.
About four hundred pages in I realised something. Despite dozens, if not hundreds of named characters and at least a half-dozen seperate plot threads which cross and weave at no point had I got confused as to who was who, what was going on or where the story was. As a feat of storytelling and authorial skill this is remarkable.
I've never doubted Hamilton's imagination, but in the past his writing has left much to be desired. With Judas Unchained he seems to have overcome his former limitations and this book is, undeniably, the work of a tremendous writer at absolutely the top of his game. Yes, there are criticisms. Other reviewers have pointed out that his characterisation of women is poor and that is his big weakness as a writer. Beyond that, though, Judas Unchained is a remarkable work of the imagination and of writing and whatever your views of SF, this is a book I'd heartily recommend.
Five Stars.
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44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Complex and compelling, 17 Oct 2005
After one misfire (Mispent Youth) and a so-so effort (Fallen Dragon) Peter F. Hamilton returned to form with Pandora's Star, the first volume in the Commonwealth Saga. Now, with Judas Unchained, he concludes a story that, in terms of scope if not length, surpasses his previous work; the Night's Dawn Trilogy.As with its predecessor in the series it is another tour de force of intricate plotting, epic themes (genocide, time travel, human evolution), personal relationships, interwoven story strands, high politics and pounding action. Picking up where Pandora's Star left things, it follows the same characters, human and alien, minor and major, as they find themselves caught up in a battle for human survival against alien forces seen and unseen. Trying to summarise the plot here would be pointless. There are simply too many storylines running in parallel throughout this book to come up with a succinct description. All readers need to know is that Hamilton handles each strand, without exception, extremely well. Be it the intrigues of high politics or the down and dirty survival of troops on the ground he gives each one as much care and attention. He also pulls off the almost impossible feat of bringing them all together so that there are no dead ends and even the most minor character has some key role to play in events. All this is combined with Hamilton's highly evocative descriptions of mankind's future. This is an epic tale set in a fully realised and wholly believable universe. By combining the utterly fantastic (laser weapons and wormholes) with the mundane (trains and Volvo trucks) he gives the reader points of reference grounds the story even during its wilder flights of fancy. Of course, as with any second volume it is imperative that you read Pandora's Star first. In fact, even if you have already read it I would recommend refreshing your memory of events before you tackle Judas Unchained. With so many characters and events it can be difficult to remember who's who in the universe the author has created. It is in testimony to him that most are fleshed out enough to be individually memorable, but when minor characters from volume one reappear to play major parts in the story's conclusion it helps to be able to remember who they were. So, as a conclusion to the saga Judas Unchained is brilliant. Don't read it without tackling its predecessor first, and even then you will need to pay careful attention if you're to keep up with the labarynthine plot and numerous story arcs, but by doing so you will be amply rewarded. The climaxes are breathless, the final conclusion uplifting and it leaves you wanting to spend more time in the company of the characters Hamilton has created.
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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A worthy conclusion, 9 Oct 2005
The first volume in the Commonwealth Saga, Pandora's Star, ended on a humdinger of a cliffhanger. The Commonwealth has been invaded by the alien Primes. 23 planets have been conquered, 30 million humans have died. The Commonwealth responds by building a huge fleet of warships and equipping them with new super-weapons, only to find the Primes responding with devastating weapons of their own. As both sides continue to up the ante, it becomes clear that the war can only end in the genocide of one species or the other. Meanwhile, key Commonwealth personnel have accepted the existence of the hostile alien Starflyer, which has orchestrated events for its own reasons. However, the number of Starflyer agents at large in the Commonwealth is far higher than was suspected and soon betrayals start piling up, culminating in a lengthy, exhausting chase sequence as the Starflyer is finally forced into the open and tries to flee to its crashed starship on Far Away. Elsewhere, Ozzie Isaacs' quest to find an alien intelligence which might be able to shed some light on the situation reaches a conclusion with some very unpalatable answers being revealed.
Judas Unchained is a fitting conclusion to the story begun in Pandora's Star. It carries on Hamilton's enviable talent for juggling multiple character viewpoints and complex storylines with flair and verve. Complaints are minor: the lengthy chase sequence with vehicles and running battles is perhaps a little too reminiscent of Hamilon's earlier work (particularly The Neutronium Alchemist) and the conclusion, although arguably more successful than the deus ex machina ending of The Night's Dawn Trilogy, leaves whole string of loose ends. These are minor threads only, but the vague sense of loose ends being deliberately left for Hamilton's next project, The Void Trilogy (which will be set in the same universe 1,000 years later), is slightly irritating.
But these are minor niggles. Judas Unchained cements Hamilton's place as the most readable and enjoyable SF writer working in the field today.
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