Judas Unchained

By: Peter F. Hamilton

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 40 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Peter F. Hamilton's superbly imagined, cunningly plotted interstellar adventures are conceived on a staggeringly epic scale and filled with fully realized human and alien characters as complex as they are engaging. No mere world builder, Hamilton creates entire universes - and he does so with irresistible flair and intelligence.

His previous novel, the acclaimed Pandora's Star, introduced the Intersolar Commonwealth, a star-spanning civilization of the 24th century. Robust, peaceful, and confident, the Commonwealth dispatched a ship to investigate the mystery of a disappearing star, only to inadvertently unleash a predatory alien species that turned on its liberators, striking hard, fast, and utterly without mercy.

Coexistence is impossible with the technologically advanced aliens, who are genetically hardwired to exterminate all other forms of life. Twenty-three planets have already fallen to the invaders, with casualties in the hundreds of millions. And no one knows when or where the genocidal Prime will strike next.

Nor are the Prime the only threat. For more than 100 years, a shadowy cult, the Guardians of Selfhood, has warned that an alien with mind-control abilities impossible to detect or resist - the Starflyer - has secretly infiltrated the Commonwealth. Branded as terrorists, the Guardians and their leader, Bradley Johansson, have been hunted by relentless investigator Paula Myo. But now evidence suggests that the Guardians were right all along and that the Starflyer has placed agents in vital posts throughout the Commonwealth - agents who are now sabotaging the war effort. Is the Starflyer an ally of the Prime, or has it orchestrated a fight to the death between the two species for its own advantage?

Caught between two deadly enemies, one a brutal invader striking from without, the other a remorseless cancer killing from within, the fractious Commonwealth must unite as never before. This will be humanity's finest hour - or its last gasp.

©2006 Peter F. Hamilton (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"For flat-out huge widescreen all-engines-at-full I-dare-you-not-to-believe-it space opera, there is no one quite like Peter F. Hamilton." (Richard K. Morgan, author of Market Forces)
"Richly satisfying.... In more ways than one, this...work is monumental." ( Publishers Weekly)

Simply awesome!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely compelling, great plots, subplots, characters, story, etc. Excellent narration, too. Be sure to listen to the prequel (Pandora's Star), otherwise you'll be a bit challenged.

Great story, poor dubbing

Where does Judas Unchained rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Great book, great performance really, but I listen in my car and the transition between quiet and loud, esp in the treble range nearly killed my speakers a couple of times.

A very good piece of work

Very interesting at first. Super nice at second time. Maybe I'll come back for the third time so definitely worth to read.

the fantastic conclusion pandora's star needs!

Super action packed and a stellar ending! If you were disappointed by the ending of Pandora's Star, you'll find all the closure you need right here!

*Book 2* Amazing Sci-Fi From A Gifted Author

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Pandora's Star and this, its companion tell the story of the human Intersolar Commonwealth, a future civilization of 600 worlds connected by wormholes. Wormholes are theoretical connections between two points in the universe (or perhaps metaverse). In the story, they connect the many planets of the Commonwealth in a future civilization where people are nearly immortal. They can be made young again if they have the money. These near-immortals can even be downloaded into a clone body if they are accidentally killed. Be advised that the author is prolific, sometimes too much—his novels are long. These two novels together tell an amazing story with several complex plot strands through 1700 pages! Yes, you'll have to prepare yourself. If you have the patience to read or listen, you'll be rewarded by a complex and often pulse-pounding narrative. One of the reasons Hamilton makes the story so long is so that the reader becomes invested in this great civilization and its colorful characters only to introduce a powerful, heartless alien villain who threatens to stomp humanity into its component parts.I'd call this semi-hard Sci-Fi. Many of the elements of the Commonwealth may someday be plausible scientifically. One major issue with using wormholes is that the amount of energy predicted to be required to create one is enormous. Other parts like the Silfin paths seem like magic. But remember that famous quote attributed to Arthur C. Clarke . . .

Who was your favorite character and why?

I have more than one favorite character, certainly. Wilson Kime, ex-astronaut and elder statesman of the Commonwealth is seemingly at the center of everything important, including the disastrous first-contact event with the antagonist aliens. He is a tough, capable leader, a well-intentioned individual who does everything he can to protect humanity. Ozzie F. Isaacs, co-inventor of the wormhole is another favorite, though he's a definite hedonist. Justine Bernelli, a member of one of the most powerful families in the Commonwealth, is strong-willed and powerful but decent, unlike many of the other children of the rich in the story.

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

To me it was fine. I enjoyed John Lee's rich baritone reading. Some reviews of Pandora's Star complained about the audio production, but I think they fixed the recording. It should be fine now.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My pulse quickened near the end of Pandora's Star so much that when it ended on an unexpected both figurative and literal cliff-hanger, I cried out in frustration. Quickly ordering a paperback copy of Judas Unchained (and later the audiobook), I gave it my undivided attention because I wanted to know what would become of this amazing civilization and all those interesting characters.

Any additional comments?

Ozzie's story *does* have a purpose despite what some reviews say. To explain why might be considered a big spoiler so I'll ask a couple innocent questions: Did the Sylfin really do nothing to help the Commonwealth defeat the baddies? What was Ozzie looking for when he set off on his journey? What did he ultimately discover? Besides friends and very cold feet.If you enjoy the story, listen to these novels more than once. They're complex enough where you likely won't catch everything the first time through.The Void Trilogy that follows was very good and the prose was much more polished, but it didn't grab ahold of me, slap my face and shake me quite like the Commonwealth saga did.One of my very favorite authors.

Excellent

A very good listen, complex but easy to leave and come back too.

Hated to hear it end!

Loved the reader, exciting plot, and characters!
So exciting and fast pace! Went by fast!

confusing jumps in time but worth a read

I enjoyed it but the volume was very inconsistent. Some characters I barely understood because voice was to quiet or just little volume.

Amazing character/ world-building

Pandora' Star and Judas Unchained are exceptional examples of Science Fiction on the fast-track to becoming out future realized. A wonderful work of character development, with plausible notes of technology to come. I highly recommend.

Good story

I almost gave up on these books. Glad I didn't. There is A LOT of detail and many characters. Just hang with it and know the basics of what is going on and you will be rewarded with a very good story.