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)

Enzyme Bonded Concrete

I genuinely enjoyed this book and it's precursor, but I swear if I ever hear the words enzyme bonded concrete again it will be too soon.

Very good overa

Very memorable, if not stereotypical characters, and a great story arc. All in all it is able to bring together all the various story threads from Pandora's star and make them viable. I was pleasantly surprised in how Hamilton, a seemingly unknown author, was able to create a universe so rich and alive with uniqueness. A great read for any science fiction fan, with the only downside being audible, besides this series, only offers [at the time of this review] 1 more real novel that takes place in this universe. Given the precedent of being able to 're-life' and 're-juv', the main characters from this book should be in future novels from Hamilton as well.

Amazing

Great story with lots of action. Hamilton does a great job of weaving characters together to make this book a classic.

very entertaining!

hours and hours of great entertainment highly suggested great plot and character development you won't be disappointed buying this book

Great book

John lee does Peter f Hamilton justice in this incredible story. Can't wait to get into the void trilogy. Two thumbs up

God story but needs character development

The story and detail to mechanics, and other inanimate objects are great, but I think it really lacks character development. I just don't feel connected to very many of the characters.

Read Pandora's Star First!

Judas Unchained is the ultimate Sci-Fi saga. It has it all. Extraordinary science, engaging characters, edge of the seat action, multiple plot lines that come together and all manner of characters you will become engaged with.

But you must read Pandora's Star before you read this book. Judas unchained is actually the second half of Pandora's Star, rather than a sequel to it. If you don't read Pandora's Star first, you will have little idea of what this excellent book is about. Think of the two books as actually one extremely large book.

Taken together, these are superb books well worth the credits.

Great adventure

This was a highly entertaining book. There was only one downside however. The narration is shoddy. It is jarringly apparent when the narrator takes breaks in his exposition. The tone and pith of his recorded voice changes noticeably and frequently it takes on a tinny aspect. It is obvious that he uses recording equipment that varies sharply in its quality, and frankly it can get a bit irritating. That is the only black Mark on this book. The plot has a level of depth and planning that takes entire books to bring to fruition, even though when it does so it can be a bit inelegant.

Great story

Can be a little hard to follow and a little long winded at times, but the story is wonderful.

A well-written, complex but not perfect book

The complexity of the universe that Hamilton creates is impressive. The characters are engaging and the narration is outstanding. My major difficulty with a book of this length (41 hours) and complexity has to do with the audio format that doesn't permit one to flip back and consult a page of "dramatis personae" or check some other fact. But while interesting & often gripping, the story line was far from flawless. e.g., it was never clear to me why the Guardians had such difficulty destroying the Institute on Faraway or how they could be so ineffective in preventing the Starflier's returnm. (Just destroy the tracks well ahead.) Or how a large storm could destroy a ship with shields capable of withstanding a small nuclear explosion. All that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it.