The Temporal Void

Void Trilogy, Book 2

By: Peter F. Hamilton

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 25 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Long ago, a human astrophysicist, Inigo, began dreaming scenes from the life of a remarkable human being named Edeard, who lived within the Void, a self-contained microuniverse at the heart of the galaxy.

There, under the beneficent gaze of mysterious godlike entities, humans possessed uncanny psychic abilities, and Edeard's were the strongest of all. Equally strong was his determination to bring justice and freedom to a world terrorized by criminal violence and corruption.

Inigo's inspirational dreams, shared by hundreds of millions throughout the galaxy-spanning gaiafield, gave birth to a religion - Living Dream. But when the appearance of a Second Dreamer seemed to trigger the expansion of the Void - an expansion that is devouring everything in its path -the Intersolar Commonwealth was thrown into turmoil. With the adherents of Living Dream determined to set forth on a dangerous pilgrimage into the Void, interstellar war threatens to erupt.

With time running out, the fate of humanity hinges on a handful of people. There is Araminta, only now awakening to the unwelcome fact that she is the mysterious Second Dreamer - and to the dire responsibilities that go with it; Inigo, whose private dreams hint at a darker truth behind Edeard's legendary life; Paula Myo, the ruthless field operative of the Commonwealth, whose search for Araminta and Inigo is about to yield a most unpleasant surprise; and Justine, whose desperate gamble places her within the Void, where the godlike Skylords hold the power to save the universe...or destroy it.

Dream on: listen to the first book, The Dreaming Void.

©2008 Peter F. Hamilton (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Fusing elements of hard SF with adventure fantasy tropes, Hamilton has singlehandedly raised the bar for grand-scale speculative storytelling." ( Publishers Weekly)
"This second book of a trilogy promises a spectacular finish." ( Booklist)

Most exciting yet

While the Void Trilogy is three books, it is only one story. Each of the three could easily have been 2 or even 3 books by themselves. I believe that they were that rich in depth and breadth. I had finished the Commonwealth Saga not too long ago and was blown away by both books. I could not say which I enjoyed more given that again there was a great deal of continuity between the two and I read and reviewed them as one.

Interestingly, the Void Trilogy is set in the same universe 1200 years later (AD 3580) and contains many of the same characters. That's good for those of us who elected to read the story from the beginning but not totally unacceptable for those who chose to pickup the story from from the Void. Having a background about or history on the characters helps. When I first ventured into the trilogy with the Dreaming Void I was a bit disappointed. I thought that it was slow and difficult to figure out. However, I stuck with it and with the Temporal Void (#2 of 3) things really picked up in pace and action. In fact, of all three books I think that the second was the most exciting. This was the brilliance of Peter Hamilton that I remembered from the Commonwealth. Incredibly unique landscapes, characters and creatures. But not to be only bowled over by the senses, these books are heady, contemplative and complex. These are not books to listen to while doing something else. They require, they demand, they deserve our full attention or forget it. Read something lighter.

By the time I got into the last in the series, The Evolutionary Void, my biggest concern was how this epic was going to end. These worlds and stories were so gargantuan and magnificent in almost every respect, how could the conclusion possibly do justice to all that came before. But again, somehow Hamilton pulls it off.

However, I would submit that there is still something missing in Hamilton's characters. While there is incredible opportunity for character development just given the lengths of these books, the characters themselves seem to lack something. I have struggled with this wondering if this is a lack of mature writing on the part of the author or just the way beings are 2500 years into the future. I kind of got attached to some of the characters but then not really. Maybe when you live for a thousand years people just become less concerned about you; less caring.

Two, three, let alone five of these books required an investment in time and energy but it was one hell of a ride. The narrator I have listened to in a great number of books. He was not the best part of this one.

Just get it

Hamilton's ability to bring this ultra futuristic universe to life is unparalleled to any other author I have ever read. Hard sci-fi at its best.

Loved It!

I was leary of the "dreaming" by Indigo, but, as unrealistic as the "powers" of Ediard are, Peter F. Hamilton wrote it in a way I found myself believing it to be reality. I can't wait for book three due out in mid August 2010!

Good narrator

Really liked the narrator and the storyline so far, it's possibly better than pandoras star.

Thoroughly enjoying my 2nd listen

The personalities, the entities, the politics, the technologies, the multi-level realities and generations and intrigue make the story a lot of fun and also thought provoking.

Escapism? Not Hardly!

I've had to spend some time in various hospitals lately, and just by luck I found that several different book series I've enjoyed in the 'not so distant' past had more books added to them that I had somehow missed... NOTHING makes you actually ENJOY time spent in the Hospital like knowing you have several Awesome, LONG, books to get through.. the kind of books you can't put down! In the hospital, aside from the occasional test you get wheeled out to, you get to listen to good books as long as you want to without feeling guilty about your horses starving, your dogs needing flea treatments, etc... Nope! Nothing to do but lay there and wish that your well-meaning visitors would go home and let you get back to your book!

You know how it goes when you get near the end of a good series of books... you keep looking at how much time is left, and dreading the time winding down to the finish, because the next book you listen to by another author can't possibly be nearly as good as the book you're about to finish... How can new characters compete with the characters you've come to know and like in your current book? ("I don't want a NEW puppy, I want my old dog back!" ;)

Such was the case as I wound up the last book in "The Subterrene War" series, 'Chimera' by T. C. McCarthy... With heavy heart, I got on here with my laptop, and with IV hoses hanging out of the backs of both hands I typed up my review, and finished it up with, "off to try to find another of those rare books that will leave me sleep deprived"... as luck would have it, with the very next left-click I stumbled right into 'The Void Trilogy'! How I missed it all this time, I don't know, since I really liked "The Commonwealth Saga" and *thought* I had been keeping an eye out for more books in the series!!! Duh!

Near the end of Book 1, "The Dreaming Void", I became afraid I was getting well and the doctors were going to send me home! A few chapters into book 2 here, and my wife accused me of making up new symptoms so I could stay longer! Luckily, she was only one book behind me herself and had a rather decent "Guest Bed" in my private room, so she didn't rat me out to the doctors, knowing they'd make HER leave if *I* left, and she wanted to at least finish the first book before we went home ;)

Seriously though, you can't just "Kinda pay attention" to this series of books, you HAVE to keep up with what's going on, meaning you may have to hit the "Back Up 30 Seconds" icon on your iPhone a few times if you feel like you've missed something. The more attention you pay to what's going on, the more raw enjoyment you get from Hamilton's Books! How he can write novels that are so detailed, technical (yet easily understandable), and far-reaching is way beyond me! By the end of Book 1 he's got so much going on that you feel like there's no way you'll be able to keep up with it all, yet somehow, you do!

...In "The Temporal Void", the author puts even more balls into the air, and you just know there's no way he's going to be able to pull this mass of characters and situations together in a way that you'll enjoy enough to cause you to dive right into the next book in the series... yet somehow, he does!

The series just keeps getting better! Hamilton's novels are HUGE, without being 'cumbersome', and I just keep dreading the end of each book drawing near...

I admit I'm an engineer (please don't tell my sainted mother!), and I love how Hamilton tickles the ragged edge of scientific discoveries, and seems to understand the implications and technology that *could* be possible some day thanks to those discoveries... He has the gift of being able to take your imagination past the dry science, and show you all of the things that *should* be possible once "discovery" turns into "practical applications"! For example, he extends "Social Networking" out to a time where sharing "the actual emotions with each other" is the norm.. Any Emo Kid would give his entire razor blade collection for THAT ability! ;)

A friend of mine (and fellow Sci-Fi buff) came to visit me at home the other day, and looked at my phone to see what I was "reading".. He said "25 hours?!?! That's some serious escapism dude!"..
I replied, "Escapism?? Not Hardly! You know I LOVE my life, and while I'm living it I get to listen to awesome Sci-Fi books like this one!!"

Bravo

What a wonderful trip this was. It just kept getting better. Bravo Mr. Hamilton. Your work covers all the bases and illuminates the situations from such diverse points of view. The dangerous dogma of the Dreamers is such an appropriate metaphor for a contemporary equivalent.

Good science fiction and allegory of politics

The depictions of varios levels of advanced beings and the nature of reality are mentally stimulating. The parallels with modern politics are too strong to be accidental, though the themes of a few powerful people corrupting society for their personal and families' gains are as ancient as civilization. I like to think of Edyard Obama.

A solid continuation of the first part.

What did you like best about this story?

I think the fantasy sub-story was fascinating.

Any additional comments?

If you liked the first book, you will like this one. It features renewed emphasis on the fantasy sub-story in the dream sequences,

Excellent Universe with compelling storyline

Any additional comments?

Hamilton does a great job with the universe he has created. Mixing technology and the social impacts of that technology in a believable series of events.