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)

Impressive big idea future fiction and sci-fi

I'm so glad I found this series, I really enjoyed the first installment and this one is equally as good. The macro thinking and big ideas from this author are simply fantastic. this book was written almost 20 years ago and fortunately I've been spoiled since then. I have encountered other works that have clearly been inspired by the series. For example, Mass Effect, which pays homage to all sci-fi sub genres, clearly pulled some of its most compelling and thought provoking ideas directly from the series. unfortunately for this series, Mass Effect did a way better job utilizing some of these ideas and applying them in different ways. both first installment and this one did not land a fifth star from me due to the simple fact that it could not connect with almost any of the characters. I thoroughly enjoy long epic novels and I absolutely love that this author delivered on that note. However, I found the softcore pornesqu story elements off putting, and the British signature and humor just didn't hit home for me. The buildup and mystery through the first book was fantastic, but the way the author decided to reveal the plot behind the mystery didn't sit right with me. The author made the mistake of doing the much dreaded "Tell me rather than show me" narrative. I also liked how this book paid homage to greats of science fiction like Jerry Niven, even naming the aliens after the Moties from the Mote in God's Eye. All in all, this is a really enjoyable sci-fi read with great world building and enough story to keep you lost in the narrative for quite some time.

Exceptionally great book

This is essentially the second half of a single book - the first half is Pandora's Star. Judas Unchained begins where Pandora's Star left off, in the middle of a very exciting battle for survival. The writing is very descriptive, the action constant and intense. The author has a wonderful and consistent vision of other alien cultures, including philosophy, anatomy, and so on. There are enough threads of today's society that the descriptions of human culture in the future are quite believable and consistent. The narration adds to the quality, and is superb. You'll want to read Pandora's Star first, and download this one before you finish, so that you can go on listening to the end. The ending, of course, is quite satisfying.

Whew! What a ride!

I really liked Pandora's Box, and had high hopes for Judas Unchained - even though I'm wary of sequels. The end of Pandora's box leaves you hanging and I couldn't help myself. I was not disappointed. Broad in scope, varied in character, suspenseful, philosphical, humorous, riveting - I seldon rave about modern science fiction. I must say that after 80+ hours of listening, it felt like it was time for this tale to wrap up - but that was OK. The ending was quite good and appropriate to the characters and story. And what characters they were - intriguing, surprising, funny, scary, and more. Even though some of the physics was a stretch, Hamilton has the knack of getting you to suspend doubt and - after a while - you start to see how inspired some of it actually is! E.g., just tonight I read about a Washington university prof testing contact lenses that could quite likely receive microwatts of energy from an iphone transmitter and give you an output display on your eyeballs ... and the other day I saw something about wiring your body with circuits under the skin, not unlike the tattoos in this tale. Also, the aliens were varied, highly believable some terrifying and some quite likable - espcially Tow-Chee (spelling?). Often you come out of a really tense scene on the edge of your seat and are led into something totally different where a character likeTow-Chee makes you laugh out loud! And, John Lee's narration is FANTASTIC. It boggles my mind to go through 80+ hours and still find myself in awe of his story-telling skills and voices. I haven't had this much sheer fund since Snow Crash! I think you'll really like these two volumes.

The new gold standard for contemporary sci-fi

It's hard to discuss this book without mentioning it's companion, Pandora's Star which must be read first; therefore they will be discussed as a set. Hamilton is a true grandmaster of the craft of space opera. The breadth and depth of the two books is simply breathtaking. The sci-fi aspect is rock solid and well presented in that the science is not overwhelming. In addition, the evolution of humans is also logically developed and natural in light of advancing science. The alien cultures are also sufficiently different to make them interesting and compelling. While the plot is quite complex with multiple character viewpoints, the variety inherent in a universe as diverse as this one demands it. Hamilton is certainly a virtuoso when it comes to storytelling that makes the listening easygoing and never tedious.

Are we predator or prey?

Despite being only two books in length, the Commonwealth Saga manages to deliver an epic science fiction story from the mind of author Peter F. Hamilton. The first book, Pandora's Star, is aptly named as it sets the stage by telling the tale of how humanity lets curiosity unleash a threat upon the galaxy that it is in no way prepared to handle. Multi-century lifespans and instant wormhole travel between stars has made humanity overly complacent and easy prey for the Prime aliens who are ruthless, aggressive, and without mercy. Survival of the fittest may have served us well in the distant past but now it is time to find out if we are able to channel our inner predator or if we finally become prey to someone else.

As is hinted at in the first book, and implied by the title of this book, the Prime aliens are not the only threat being faced by the Commonwealth. While the Prime aliens attack from the outside there is also a threat eating away at the Commonwealth from within. The Guardians of Selfhood, often branded as terrorists, have been claiming for over a century that the "Starflyer" alien has infiltrated the government and they firmly believe it orchestrated the current conflict with the Prime aliens. But why would it do so and to what end?

The story slowly builds to a crescendo as it ponders what it really means to be human. This two book series wraps itself up nicely and feels complete, but it also serves as an excellent precursor to the Void Trilogy which takes place in the same universe 1200 years later. John Lee narrates all 5 books and does an excellent job bringing this universe to life.

Awesome

I loved this book it is a masterful telling of an epic adventure and with the addition of the rest of the books in the series this Space Odyssey will go down in SciFi history and should be made into multiple Movies.

Sooo impressed by this series!

It's a wonderful thing when you "discover" a new author that you love, and after audio-booking the commonwealth series, I may have a new favorite author. Wow! This series has it all. Alien Invasion, space exploration, combat, a detective "whodunnit", political intrigue, and lots more. Great series, great ending, and an excellent reader to boot. Highly, highly, highly recommended.

bad narration

I really didn't care for John Lee's narration. he doesn't have enough character in his characters. 90% of them sound identical including the women roles. Also, I prefer a more consistent volume level. I usually listen in my car and there are a lot of very quiet parts where I needed to crank up the volume and then turn it back down. this often happened within a single sentence.
I did love the story though and I really loved how long it was.

complex, sweeping, cool

I really liked this book! I have a weakness for anything where the stakes are unapologetically high and massive. It felt a bit like Hyperion by Dan Simmons. I think it might have been a sequel, which somehow wasn't immediately clear to me when I bought it (I think I picked it up in a sale) but if you can start from the beginning and you're a scifi fan then it is certainly worth the read.

Overall a Fun Listen

Overall a good listen. The narration sound quality gets weird at times. The story is entertaining but does drag a bit at times.