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)

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.

These characters are like my friends and family...

OMG! I actually cried at the end. you become so attached to all the characters.

Great look at the future

The story provided a very possible future for mankind. The characters make you like them and the plot keeps you intrigued.

Really Great Story

The second to Pandoras Star this has a good ending. John Lee is British so inflections on certain words are different and he seems to think all Amercan characters should sound alike. But it is still a great read bringing resolution to.many characters.and plots.in.the first story.

Third Time Around

I've listened to Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained three times now, and it's still just as engaging of a story as it was the first time through.

Loved it!! Great story!

The performance is good. But took a little getting used to for me. I think it's just because of the accent. It's no big deal and don't let it dissuade you because he does a very good job and the story is fantastic.

Great story and narration but the volume varied

I'm a big fan of Peter F. Hamilton and enjoyed this giant space opera. He went out of his way to tie up all of the loose ends at the end and I like that. evil aliens: check, valiant last stands: check, heroic sacrifice: check, punishments dealt out: check, redemption offered: check. And everybody is sexy and fabulous while doing it. The only fly in the ointment is the sound volume would dip occasionally. This led to quite a few rewinds. I don't believe this was down to John Lee's narration so much as a production issue. Still well worth the credit!

Another great story from Hamilton.

I burned through this book and the predecessor. Loved the rich detail and sweep of the tale.
The narrator was a perfect fit

one of the best.

narration is on point and this is really one of the best sci-fi series i ever heard

Best epic since Dune

Would you consider the audio edition of Judas Unchained to be better than the print version?

The military story isn't as gripping as Larson but the story and character development is much better.

What other book might you compare Judas Unchained to and why?

Dune. Depth of story.