Social Science Fiction, Space Exploration - Fiction

The Dreaming Void

Name: The Dreaming Void
Author: Peter F. Hamilton
ISBN: 9780345496546

by Peter F. Hamilton

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Overview

Reviewers exhaust superlatives when it comes to the science fiction of Peter F. Hamilton. His complex and engaging novels, which span thousands of years–and light-years–are as intellectually stimulating as they are emotionally fulfilling. Now, with The Dreaming Void, the eagerly awaited first volume in a new trilogy set in the same far-future as his acclaimed Commonwealth saga, Hamilton has created his most ambitious and gripping space epic yet.

The year is 3589, fifteen hundred years after Commonwealth forces barely staved off human extinction in a war against the alien Prime. Now an even greater danger has surfaced: a threat to the existence of the universe itself.
At the very heart of the galaxy is the Void, a self-contained microuniverse that cannot be breached, cannot be destroyed, and cannot be stopped as it steadily expands in all directions, consuming everything in its path: planets, stars, civilizations. The Void has existed for untold millions of years. Even the oldest and most technologically advanced of the galaxy’s sentient races, the Raiel, do not know its origin, its makers, or its purpose.

But then Inigo, an astrophysicist studying the Void, begins dreaming of human beings who live within it. Inigo’s dreams reveal a world in which thoughts become actions and dreams become reality. Inside the Void, Inigo sees paradise. Thanks to the gaiafield, a neural entanglement wired into most humans, Inigo’s dreams are shared by hundreds of millions–and a religion, the Living Dream, is born, with Inigo as its prophet. But then he vanishes.

Suddenly there is a new wave of dreams. Dreams broadcast by an unknown Second Dreamer serve as the inspiration for a massive Pilgrimage into the Void. But there is a chance that by attempting to enter the Void, the pilgrims will trigger a catastrophic expansion, an accelerated devourment phase that will swallow up thousands of worlds.

And thus begins a desperate race to find Inigo and the mysterious Second Dreamer. Some seek to prevent the Pilgrimage; others to speed its progress–while within the Void, a supreme entity has turned its gaze, for the first time, outward. . . .

Synopsis

* Mp3 CD Format *. Featuring characters from Peter F. Hamilton's bestselling Judas Unchained, this novel begins a stunning new trilogy set in a far future where one great mystery remains: the nature of what is hiding within the Void, an area of space from which amazing dreams are being projected, allowing people everywhere to experience a reality never before imagined.

Publishers Weekly

The first of a trilogy, the far-future plot of this audiobook concerns various factions battling to help or prevent a religious movement from undertaking a pilgrimage to a world hidden within a mysterious void, a journey with the potential to significantly advance the human race-or destroy the galaxy. Listeners to Hamilton's complex SF epic must devote a fairly significant amount of time, patience and attention to the task. A single chapter lasts for hours; within each chapter, the perspective and story line shift multiple times, with no audibly perceptible break. It's comparable to being lost in a strange, dark and, above all, vast room, and takes a while to adjust. Gradually, though, plot lines begin to take shape, and the compelling story and relentless pace drives listeners forward through a highly enjoyable trip. John Lee enunciates a daunting amount of exposition with precision and provides his share of creditable accents and voice pitches. A Del Rey hardcover (Reviews, Feb. 4). (July)

About the Author, Peter F. Hamilton

Peter F. Hamilton is the author of numerous short stories and novels, including Judas Unchained, Pandora’s Star, Fallen Dragon, and the acclaimed epic Night’s Dawn trilogy (The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God). He lives with his family in England.

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Editorials

From Barnes & Noble

At the far edge of the known universe stands a Centurion Station, a research base built atop ruins two million years old, abandoned by aliens since the dawn of time. Recently however, this quiet zone is attracting notice because of signs that the dread Void has begun to stir again. Set several centuries after the events of Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained, Peter F. Hamilton's The Dream Void unfurls a large-scale space opera in the tradition of Heinlein, Asimov, and Frank Herbert.

Publishers Weekly

Library Journal

In the middle of the 36th century, the research facility Centurion Station sits atop the ruins of previously unknown civilizations. Here, scientists monitor the dark area of space known as the Void, thought once to be a seeding ground for new life but now no longer active-until the dreams begin, depicting a strange new reality. The author of the "Night's Dawn" trilogy as well as Pandora's Starand other far-future novels begins a new trilogy set in his alternate universe. A trio-including a woman whose planet may soon be destroyed, a telepathic young man, and a genetically engineered detective-finds themselves as the focal point of events. Hamilton's stories are always broad in scope and panoramic in detail. Fans of the author and of sf epics will enjoy this series opener. For most libraries.

—Jackie Cassada

Kirkus Reviews

The thread of Hamilton's latest doorstopper space opera picks up a thousand years after the events of Judas Unchained 2006. The Void, an almost impenetrable black hole-like region of the galaxy, is slowly expanding; many view it as a threat, including the ancient alien Raiel, who lost an entire battle fleet in an abortive attack. Somehow, however, a single human spaceship managed to enter and found a colony on planet Querencia. Inigo, the Dreamer, established a mental link with the colonists, and received a series of dreams involving the evolution of humble farm boy Edeard into the Waterwalker, an individual with astonishing telepathic and telekinetic powers. When Inigo vanished, his millions of followers founded the Living Dream cult, whose ambition is to penetrate the Void and land on Querencia. Problem is, many of the galaxy's great powers fear that this Pilgrimage will trigger an explosive expansion of the Void and swallow up the galaxy. Earth is now run by the ANA, a cyberspace composed of billions of uploaded minds, whose numerous factions keep close tabs on the situation by dispatching agents such as the Delivery Man to investigate and report. Others, like the memory-less, cyborg-powered warrior Aaron, are searching for Inigo. The belligerent alien Ocisen threaten to destroy the human Commonwealth if Living Dream moves against the Void. Also complicating matters is the presence of Paula Myo, who saved the Commonwealth from the Starflyer threat, as well as that of a sadistic psychopath known as the Cat. Somewhere, too, there's a Second Dreamer. Dozens of scenarios, a surprisingly well-delineated cast of thousands, plotting enough to delight the most Machiavellian of readers and,this time out, a far leaner and more purposeful product: a real spellbinder from a master storyteller.