Set in the near future, follows the story of a detective assigned to a murder investigation and a woman who was wrongfully imprisoned. Both are very focused on solving a mystery while others around them are self absorbed with their own personal agenda. This leads to chaos and very little gets done quickly.

The beginning is slow, but the pace quickens and soon it is hard to stop listening. I found myself sneaking a listen during inappropriate times.

To me, the best part of the book is the personal technology used on a daily basis. For example, everyone has a personal recorder that captures every moment. Very cool, but comes with a price. There is very little personal privacy. Meaning others can watch you sing and dance in the shower.

Amazing Sci-fi Epic.

All paths converge onto the Great North Road.

It is a Great big book and I enjoyed every little bit of it. Doubtless I will enjoy all of his available work.

I listened to this book in a non-stop Listen-Fest, something like 37 hours! I spent the first part of the book being confused, then I was sure I knew where it was going, but it didn't go there, it also didn't go to the next place I was sure it would go, or the next... I literally couldn't sleep until I'd finished it!

Peter F. Hamilton is one of my favorite science fiction writers. I have to compare him with George R. R. Martin and "A Song of Ice and Fire." Like Martin, Hamilton writes without any editing. Every character in his chapters seems like the main focus of the plot and no detail is left untold.

The "Great North Road" is a daunting read. I've read "Commonwealth Saga" before and that was an excellent series and much longer, but this recent title just seems to be bloated and long with every molecule being explained.

It's an epic story by far and a great modern science fiction, but it's hard to tackle because there is so much detail to comprehend.

I should had pace myself at listening to "Great North Road" because I finished 36 hours in a few days. I should had taken a break because I felt that I was being burned out with the story.

The alien monsters and the revealing of the North is totally worth the listen, but there is a lot of reading before and even after.

Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained in the Commonwealth are much more enjoyable and easier to follow.

An intricate story told in foreshadow and flashback, advancing the narrative ever so slightly over so very long in clock time of listening. The three stars is because of the abuse of my patience. The story is very good, the reader is amazingly flexible - all those different characters. I can't believe such an imaginative and capable author could not have crafted a more tolerable and less tedious length.

I would put this book in the same category as Reamde by Neil Stephenson. It is a bit better in terms of preserving mystery throughout the book, but it is a long haul. The narration is great with good pauses and decent voice characterizations, though the female voices are a bit sad.

The biggest issue I had was trying to keep track of which clone was which, but I guess that is part of the story.

Absolutely; it was a lovely listen. I enjoyed the story, and really enjoyed the narration. Anyone who's read some of Hamilton's other epics will likely enjoy this one; he has the ability to make a reader understand the technology he's writing about without a lot of explanation, and builds characters who are interesting and flawed and fun, all at the same time.

Some parts of the book drag out a little, as is wont to happen in a Peter Hamilton novel, but you take the bad with the good.

No comparisons spring immediately to mind.

Excellent narration, great pacing, great characterization.

Absolutely worth the credit, particularly for people who liked the pacing of the Commonwealth Saga.

Had all the fun and wondrous tech of a PFH story, but I felt it was a good bit longer than necessary. It also has a larger percentage of the story grounded in a terrestrial detective case which drags on slowly for both the characters and the readers. This story was at it's best when it took to the stars and the off-world settings.

Stupid question Audible. But, if you are a fan of Peter F. Hamilton, you will not be disappointed with another sci-fi suspense story that combines the mystery and intrigue of a detective story and the often novel but always interesting sci-fi themes that together form a tantalizing space-epic whodunit. Satisfying ending.

Angela Tramelo, but I can't tell you why without giving too much away.

Toby did a great job, as always. He is certainly up in my top five favorite performers. In each series there is always one that comes off as core to the performance, for me, in this series, it was the pragmatic Detective Sidney Hurst. I love the way he says, "okay."

Another stupid question, Audible: No way, this book is over one and half days long; 36.5 hours is too long to sit for one reading... But, if the question is less literal, than yes, I would enjoy going from start to finish in one act of entertainment.

I look forward to Peter's next book, and hope Toby is there to perform it.

I don't usually re-read books, so no, probably not.

Along the lines of the Commonwealth and Void series, Great North Road fits right into Hamilton's unique take on the future. I would personally recommend the Commonwealth and Void series books over this, but I still loved it.

Great reader - I am a fan

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