The Void Trilogy

Void #1-3

by Peter F. Hamilton

Taking place twelve hundred years after the events of Hamilton’s Commonwealth novels. This box set includes The Dreaming Void, The Temporal Void, and The Evolutionary Void.

The year is 3589. At the very heart of the galaxy is the Void, a self-contained microuniverse that cannot be stopped as it expands in all directions, consuming everything in its path. Even the oldest and most technologically advanced of the galaxy’s sentient races, the Raiel, do not know its origin or its purpose. Then Inigo, an astrophysicist, begins having vivid dreams. Inside the Void, Inigo sees paradise. Thanks to the gaiafield, a neural entanglement wired into most humans, those dreams are shared by hundreds of millions—and a religion, the Living Dream, is born, with Inigo as its prophet. But then he vanishes.
 
A new wave of dreams broadcast by an unknown Second Dreamer serves as the impetus for a massive Pilgrimage into the Void, which could trigger an accelerated devourment phase that will swallow up thousands of worlds. Thus begins a desperate race to find Inigo and avert catastrophe.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Space Opera, Audiobook, Fantasy

2292 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Peter F. Hamilton is a British science fiction author. He is best known for writing space opera. As of the publication of his tenth novel in 2004, his works had sold over two million copies worldwide, making him Britain's biggest-selling science fiction author.

Reviews

[Lyle Wiedeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another marvelous, sprawling, far-future, high-tech space opera. It really helps if you've already read Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained because many of the same characters are still around, as well as much of the history.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Void Trilogy

Great stuff, super high octane imagination with a lovely cast of characters. The Kindle edition works just fine and counts as three books if you're doing a Goodreads challenge.

[Amir · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable read from one of the masters of modern sci-fi. Wonderful world crafting with a great mystery vibe.

[Fredric Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating Trilogy of the Commonwealth Saga which is an absolute "Must Read" -- always capitalized -- for anyone who enjoys hard science fiction and does not read fantasy fiction despite the fact that *some* fantasy-like aspects of the novels -- specifically the Silfen -- are an integrated part of the Trilogy.

The Silfen species is entwined in the novels who act as observers of the human species -- and all other species -- which share the Galaxy with them, utilizing science that is so far advanced that their technology does not resemble technology, making the people of the Commonwealth believe that the Silfen have eschewed science, technology, wealth and possessions to become, as Gore, one of the main characters calls them, "dippie hippies" which is absolutely wrong.

This becomes important to underscore because of Isaac Osborne -- nick named "Ozzy" -- one of the main characters of the novels. Obviously the most endearing character, his laid-back, Southern California, relaxed attitude to everything as well as his word use and expressed ideals are absolutely "dippie hippie" which, ironically as the author intended, is an accurate description of Ozzy.

This is ironic because the Silfen use technology so advanced it's not recognized as technology, and Ozzy together with Nigel Sheldon, developed science and technology which created the worm holes which permitted humanity to evolve in to a galaxy-spanning Commonwealth.

Whether the author intended to or not, the core thread and core tone through the novels is science and technology, the good and the bad, and how it could and can and does drive society and how society can evolve.

Inside the Void technology is suppressed by the physics involved in the singularity. The "power of the mind" is amplified by the Void to replace mechanized technology. The Oligarchy and the oppression which that allowed was a stark bifurcation from the post-scarcity social realities of the Commonwealth worlds -- which poverty still existed because of wealth inequality yet nobody actually starved, unlike people living in the Void without mechanized technology.

Again, there is much irony by the author in that hundreds of millions of Commonwealth people -- the Living Dreamer cultists -- considered life in the Void without technology to be a paradise despite any rational, legitimate, well-thought-out *reason* for believing that life inside the Void was some kind of paradise.

So the Trilogy ends up being about technology and science, coupled to also being about the *lack* of technology and science.

One must read all of Peter F Hamilton's novels, in the correct sequence:

Peter F. Hamilton’s books in order
The Salvation Sequence
Salvation
Salvation Lost
The Saints of Salvation

Commonwealth: Chronicle of the Fallers
The Commonwealth Saga
The discovery of an immense alien power at the edge of the universe upheaves
humanity’s fragile peace, and forces them to fight for their survival as never
before.

Pandora's Star
Judas Unchained

The Void trilogy
The Dreaming Void
The Temporal Void
The Evolutionary Void
The Abyss Beyond Dreams
Night Without Stars

Night’s Dawn trilogy
The Reality Dysfunction
The Neutronium Alchemist
The Naked God

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trilogy for me was spectacular, and my introduction to P.F.Hamilton.

From the first few pages the quality of writing was solid throughout and I was quickly and completely drawn into the lives and worlds of the characters. I am not a science fiction fan, but the effective blend of fantasy and science faction (sic) in this trilogy was pure brilliance.

Very highly recommend this trilogy to fantasy fans who don't mind dabbling in some science too.

[Omar Iquira · Rating 4 out of 5]

LE DOY 4 ESTRELLAS PORQUE ENTRE LOS 3 LIBROS FORMAN UNA MONTAÑA RUSA DE EMOCIONES. Y PORQUE ES UNA BONITA MEZCLA DE FANTASIA Y CIENCIA FICCIÓN

Está es la segunda parte de la saga de "La Federación" (la primera parte está conformada por los libros "La estrella de Pandora" y "Judas Desencadenado") y en muchos sentidos es bastante diferente a su antecesora.
La saga cuenta con tres libros ("El Vacío de los Sueños", "El Vacío Temporal" y "El Vacío de la Evolución"). En primer lugar diré que los libros están un poco más pegados a la temática cyberpunk que sus antecesores, es recién en el tercer libro que se empieza a sentir el género de ciencia ficción plenamente. Pero esto no quiere decir que la calidad de la trama decaiga en ninguna medida, aunque si tengo que admitir que se siente "diferente" a sus predecesoras.
En la primera parte nos encontrábamos con una historia de ciencia ficción que incluía tintes de thriller de suspenso y acción. Ahora, tenemos una historia de drama futurista bipartida, que por un lado nos muestra como es que la sociedad humana ha cambiado en los mil años que han pasado desde el último libro. Y por otro lado tenemos la historia de una facción humana separada de la Federación, que vive dentro de una zona del espacio denominada "El Vacío". Un lugar único ubicado en el centro de la galaxia dónde las leyes de la física y la causalidad no aplican como en el resto de la galaxia.
Está forma de narrar dos historias puede parecer confusa al inicio, pero poco a poco uno va entendiendo como es que ambas historias se conectan y como es que los sucesos del Vacío afectan al resto de la Federación. A tal punto que al final decidirán su destino y el de toda la humanidad.
Algo que recalcar es el gran avance en cuanto al desarrollo de personajes en esta saga. Se siente muchísimo el crecimiento del autor en este aspecto, y no solo hablo de los protagonistas, sino también de los personajes secundarios. Hay momentos en que estos realmente se roban la historia a tal punto que te mueres por querer saber más de ellos y lo que hacen. Este es el caso por ejemplo con el personaje de Salrrana, la mejor amiga de uno de los protagonistas, con quien en cierto punto la necesidad de saber lo que le sucede es casi apremiante para el lector (y Hamilton te tortura dándote solo granos de arena aquí y allá). Están además los "villanos" de la historia. Los cuales son de la clase que de verdad te producen odio y rabia a varios niveles. Todo esto, conjugado con los puntos clave de la historia, crean una avalancha de sucesos que son capaces de afectar profundamente al lector. A tal punto que no te dejan dormir bien o no puedes sacártelos de la cabeza (o tal vez eso solo me pase a mi no lo sé).
El punto es que el drama de los personajes es súper intenso, en especial durante la parte del Vacío. Y es en aquí que nos encontramos con lo que podríamos categorizar coma la parte de "fantasía" dentro de la historia. Lo cual da la impresión de tener una historia dentro de la historia, o un cuento de fantasía dentro de una novela de ciencia ficción para ser más exactos. Admito que es algo difícil acostumbrarse a esta combinación de géneros e historias (en especial si el llamado Sci-Fantasy no es de tu agrado personal) pero la verdad es que la trama se desenvuelve muy bien. Y el lector se encuentra saltando ansiosamente entre ambas partes de la historia. Puede que algunos prefieran la historia del Vacío más que la correspondiente a la Federación, o viceversa. Pero conforme avanzan los libros poco a poco irán comprendiendo el profundo impacto que una historia tiene en la otra. Y como se complementan de las maneras más inesperadas.
Desde el punto de vista del escritor solo puedo especular, pero imagino que escribir esta trilogía de novelas debió de resultar mucho más difícil para Hamilton que las dos primeras entregas. Ya que el estilo de narración es mucho más complejo y la trama mucho más complicada. Una mención especial se merece también el como es usado el recurso del Deux es Machina en la historia una y otra vez. Usualmente este recurso narrativo es reservado para los momentos finales o claves de la trama. Pero en esta saga el Deus ex Machina es usado en repetidas ocasiones. Esto debido a que el escenario de lo que se denomina cómo "El Vacío", tiene una mecánica única, que se amolda perfectamente al uso de este recurso. Esto es difícil de explicar sin dar spoilers claves de la historia, así que no quiero expandirme más de la cuenta en esto. Pero si diré que hay momentos en se hace algo sobrecargado o excesivo quizás (al final depende de los gustos), pero también agrega emoción a la historia. Desembocando todo en un Súper Deux ex Machina al final, por decirlo de alguna manera.
Para finalizar quiero mencionar que en en la "Trilogía del Vacío" Hamilton ha llevado la evolución de la sociedad humana mucho más allá que en la primera parte. En los dos primeros libros tenemos a una humanidad casi inmortal que se había mejorado a si misma integrándose biológicamente con las TICs (tecnologías de información y comunicación). Ahora hemos ido más allá, introduciendo implantes biónicos de nanotecnología que mejoran y regulan el funcionamiento de nuestro organismo a distintos niveles. Además de estar empezando a llegar a un punto en el que los humanos son capaces de trascender sus cuerpos físicos con ayuda de la tecnología.
En general la Trilogía del Vacío es muy buena y la recomiendo mucho. Pero si van a empezarla les aconsejó que lean la primera parte primero, ya que entenderán mucho mejor tanto a la trama como a los personajes y sus motivaciones en general. He escuchado que muchos dicen que no es necesario leer las primeras dos novelas antes de empezar la trilogía del Vacío, pero yo no lo recomiendo. Principalmente porque hay personajes clave que no comprenderían a cabalidad si no han leído los libros anteriores. Y también porque Hamilton revela gota a gota a lo largo de los tres libros lo que sucedió con muchos de los personajes de la primeras dos novelas, pero lo hace de una manera muy sutil. Y uno no se daría cuenta de estos momentos si no ha leído los libros pasados.
Me voy a tomar un descanso de este autor por un tiempo (después de todo he leído cinco libros suyos de más de mil páginas cada uno). Pero de seguro volveré en el futuro.
Ya que hay otras historias de Peter F. Hamilton que quiero leer sin falta.

[Max Rohde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do quite enjoy the genre of Science Fiction literature labelled Space Opera, such as the the all famous Star Wars or the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. The Void Trilogy by Peter Hamilton falls very much within this fold, a story that spans a galaxy, civilisations and ages. I actually think that the term 'opera' here, notwithstanding the grandeur of this art form, falls short of capturing the scope of what the authors seek out to achieve here. It is more like an epic or a legend, or in fact often a multiple of these.

What I enjoyed most in the Void Trilogy, and what sets it apart from other similar works, is that it is in effect two individual, distinct stories and worlds wrapped into one epic work. One of these stories resembles traditional fantasy much more than Science Fiction (including a young male protagonist who leaves their hometown village to find adventure in the world, medieval technology and magic), while the other is very much more Science Fiction with galactic empires and space ships. There is first a tenuous link between these, which predictably is later brought to a convergence.

The questions lying at the heart of both these stories are profound; life after death, what is the ultimate goal of existence, can nearly unlimited power and immortality bring us lasting happiness and satisfaction, and what is good government.

Central here is the character of Edeard, who learns that he has very strong magical powers. Powers so strong in fact that he can become the ultimate ruler of a people (without them being aware of being ruled) and become immortal. He struggles with how to apply these powers so that the people he influences are happy and protected, but repeatedly fails to do so and causes great suffering. Moreover, he finds that in the interests of bringing about his vision of a happy and good society, he needs to commit many immoral acts and crimes, including murder.

Often to do what's right you first have to do what's wrong.

I find these problems Edeard is facing quite fascinating, and I think we are very blessed that in some countries these days, many (certainly not all) people can lead safe and fulfilled lives in a society close to the one Edeard ultimately brings about. However, of course likewise these protected lives nowadays are also based on crimes, exploitation and murder (for some account of this, I would recommend Empire of Cotton).

Another interesting central theme is the idea of life after death and immortality. Essentially in the universe created for the Void Trilogy, something very close to our traditional idea of heaven exist. A place where souls travel after death and can henceforth linger in eternity. However, it is brought up how desirable such an eternal existence may really be and what a reasonable price is to achieve it.

Overall I find this trilogy very worth the many hours it takes to read, always entertaining and thought provoking.

[Gregory Kellogg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a copy of a review I originally wrote on Amazon.com, with minor edits.

I finished reading The Void Trilogy over a year ago, but hesitated till now to write a review. Over that year I've gobbled many books of various genre by a variety of authors and a curious trend has developed. I end up comparing all the books to Void, and all the authors to Peter F. Hamilton. It has slowly dawned on me that Void is quite probably my favorite series ever, with the possible exception the inestimable Dune series by Frank Herbert, whose held the position for the last 30 years or so.

This trilogy follows the Commonwealth books Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained. Excellent science fiction novels that really build the universe. I recommend reading them before Void, but it won't diminish your enjoyment if you start with The Dreaming Void.

I won't bother to give a synopsis of the books, but I will tell you what I found most endearing about this trilogy. Hamilton deftly manages to merge two - possibly three genres of novels into one fantastic magnum opus. There are great, complex characters and amazing worlds that are beautifully realized. He builds upon the hard science fiction / space opera groundwork laid out in the Commonwealth series, weaves in a solid detective subtext ala the Greg Mandel series, (but much better in my opinion.) Finally, he managed to create a completely new and totally entertaining fantasy story line that is fresh and compelling - but eventually syncs up with the other stories seamlessly. At first, the fantasy element kind of threw me - a primitive pre-industrial world complete with magical powers, with a young hero on a quest for his destiny. It was like reading two separate novels concurrently and it was hard to see how they fit together, but patience is rewarded with a truly epic tale.

So, a great science fiction story with plenty of gadgets, spaceships, battles, and exploration - check. Great mystery writing with perhaps the most compelling detective written since Sam Spade - check, check. An amazing fantasy novel that rivals almost anything else on the market without being trite or even a little bit derivative of Tolkien - check, check, check. The trifecta of great fiction writing. I can't recommend this trilogy highly enough.

[Henry Gee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started to read this years ago but it didn't seem to make much sense, and I was put off by fantasy elements that didn't seem to sit well with the SFnal framing. Now I know the reason -- the Void Trilogy follows on pretty much directly from the Commonwealth Saga and is best read straight after. The action takes place some hundreds of years after the Commonwealth Saga. It's been found that the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy isn't really a black hole, but an entirely separate universe whose laws are rather different. Time flows faster, for one thing. And Commonwealth technology doesn't really work. Instead there is ... psychic power. Telepathy, telekinesis and so on. Two thousand years earlier (in Void time) a ship from the Commonwealth managed to get in  to the Void -- whose barrier seemingly prevents most incursions -- and lands on a planet called Querencia, where the crew and their descendants revert to a kind of medieval-grade society (with telepathy). In the greater universe, dreams of the life of Edeard, a powerful psychic from Querencia, leak out and are received by a human called Inigo, who founds a religion called Living Dream whose aim is to migrate into the Void and achieve fulfilment -- at the risk of making the Void expand to consume the Galaxy. The rest of humanity aims to stop this happening. But matters are made more complicated by the fact that since Commonwealth times, humanity has split into a series of factions that either embrace or reject technology. The most techno-enthusiastic are the Accelerators who want to enter the Void as a way of jacking them up to 'post-physical' status, again risking Void expansion.  And there's lots more (each one of the three volumes is enormous). Needless to say I enjoyed it hugely. The larger-than-normal amount of woo was countered by characterisation of a depth not often seen in SF. Many of the key characters carry over from the Commonwealth Saga, so we really do get invested in their fates. But there's more.. . the story carries on with the two-doorstop epic, The Chronicle of the Fallers.

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is with the hope that I am starting novels, or a series, such as this, that I read. At 2,000+ pages for the trilogy, it is something to get into and run with for a considerable length of reading time. And it is hard to put down!

It is best, but not necessary, to first read Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained as many characters are included in both, and this story is later.

PFH is, to me, without peer for world-building. The scale of the worlds he creates is mind boggling and immersive. So many threads. So many interesting ideas. Most writers today would make each thread a book of 150 pages (are those really classed as novels now?!) Not this author; get in, strap in, you're in for a long, mind-blowing ride!

[Ru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great trilogy. Overall, I thought perhaps Hamilton's best. For me didn't hit the dizzy heights of his the Night's Dawn trilogy, but didn't hit the crashing WTF? low of that series' final act either. While the complexity and sheer number of different threads threaten to overwhelm the storytelling at times, it pretty much holds together and the ambition alone is more than most writers would contemplate. Immersive stuff. I was sad when it ended.

[Hykue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great premise, a great world, and a great story. The characters were not completely compelling to me, not through any fault in the author's writing, but because I like to see inside the characters' heads more than I could in this book. There was a bit of fun kookiness to the book too, which is something refreshing for me lately. Well worth reading, but not perfect, not incredibly memorable, and I won't reread.

[Tony Castley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great set of books extending the story of the commonwealth and some of its well know residents.

Just a small warning, this book refers a lot to the "The Commonwealth Saga" books and I do highly recommend you read them first, or you may be struggling with the characters, technology, and language.

[Beth Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first of the trilogy is excellent, but it falls off and becomes repetitive. I started to lose interest after a while and just wanted to finish. He's a great, great writer, but sometimes there's too much of a good thing.

This took me a long time because I listened to the audiobook. When I do that, I tend to only listen when I am exercising so it spans a long time.

[Olov · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am only giving this trilogy 3,4 stars (even though it’s in my favorite novels section), because on one hand I LOVED the story in the Void about Eddard, on the other hand half of the trilogy (or more?) takes place outside the Void. The first novel about Eddard is great. The second too, the third novel has very few things about the Void in it.

[Alicia Postigo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Void Trilogy starts a bit slow but it gathers forces as it goes. We follow different characters within the Commonwealth universe and this time, the parallel universe inside The Void. We race through time and space to save humanity . . . from itself.

[Bradley Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. An accomplishment in itself just reading it. What a complex universe PF Hamilton has created. Wouldnt recommend reading without having read his Commonwealth Saga. Too many details would get lost.

[Rbjumbob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, he is one of the best in today's world.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic !

[Andreas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Science Fiction

[Julian Jelfs · Rating 2 out of 5]

pish

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great but not as great as the Commonwealth Saga. Definitely recommend if you like C.S. but not as tight of a story. Good payoff and very enjoyable though.

[Michelle Tindall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would recommend, gripping read, and highly entertaining just not brilliant.

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its basically just 2 unrelated books jammed together, with a fairly unsatisfactory ending. Both of the storylines had potential, but trying to fit them together ruined them both.

[Gary Lee Veale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good story, I enjoyed it

Well written wanted to continue reading. It was consistent with his other series staying in the same universe. A lot of fun to read.

[Kate Straka · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a young teenager I read this series and enjoyed the new ideas it came with.

[ADAM AUTERA · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can you say about Hamilton? He likes to do things BIG. This trilogy is no exception. As is his modus operandi, Hamilton takes a very long time to reveal the central conflict. There are tons of characters, all very well fleshed out. The societies that he creates are both mesmerizing, and detailed. My only complaint would be that everything is too perfect. People live for crazy long times, never get sick, travel interstellar distances in days, are all stunningly beautiful,etc. But that's why we love sci-fi. I love long books and Hamilton never disappoints. The very complex plot keeps you going, once you get far enough into it to be committed. I'll admit, sometimes I start a Hamilton book and eventually put it down, quitting in the middle. I always pick it back up eventually and am glad that I did. This one, I put down because the alternate world, inside the Void,...it just bored me. A friend told me to try again. I did, and forced past that part. I am glad that I did because it got way more interesting to me. I recommend this book to anyone who loves space opera, galaxy spanning, aliens, hi-tech mumbo jumbo, and all of that fun stuff. A satisfying read.

[Jack Vasen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly complex plot. There is actually a story within the main story. It is told as a dream which is shared with the entire galaxy. The dream becomes a religious movement. The outer story centers around the Dreamer's movement's plans to pilgrimage to the Void in the center of the galaxy where physical laws are different. Meanwhile several political factions scheme over the pilgrimage because it appears to most observers that entering the Void will destroy the galaxy. Factions and alien races struggle to stop the pilgrimage while the proponents resist.
The Dream story is, to me, the more enjoyable part through book 1 and most of book 2. The political scheming is sometimes difficult to follow.
I would definitely say this book is only for mature readers. There are parts of it that I would consider definitely pornographic literature. There is severe violence and aggravated torture, both physical and mental. The language is bad.

[Danyel Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the tech and the accelerated pace of technological growth. I just started reading the earlier books in the same universe and character origins. To me it feels like I'm reading a prologue written after this trilogy. I'm sure it is the other way around. These books are almost all fast paced action after a certain point and feel like a greedy indulgence of sci-fi and fantasy. But they are in fact the epilogue of a bunch of previous books by the same author that I am reading now.

[Marta Strekowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freaking amazing. This whole series was one of the first ones I read entering into the Sci-Fi genre. The plot is so complex, the characters so multi-faceted that the real world melted away and there I was inside their world, as cheesy as that sounds. I recommend this trilogy to all sci-fi lovers, if you want something you simply can't put down!