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)

great book

loved it. The sex in the book could become distracting from the plot and i often skipped sections not due to the quality ofthe description and power of the act but because it took away from the story around it. the abundance of character and collection of setting and ideas of future kind is amazing and provoking. with a powerful political retoric relevent to today and human history.

Worth the investment

A good long book in the series.

Wonderful.

Wonderful sci-fi. there are a few chapters that can drag on a little but they you're always rewarded for sticking with them.

I'm hooked

I finished the entire series a few weeks ago and i've given it a lot of thought since then. This is a really great series, probably my favorite of the 'modern' sci-fi genre so far. I listened to all five books (Commonwealth Saga+Void Trilogy) w/o much pause b/c i couldn't stop myself.

In terms of the Void Trilogy alone, the second entry is superior to the first simply b/c the characters and the society are more established. If you listened to the Dreaming Void and the prequel series, the Commonwealth Saga (Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained) already, I'm sure you don't need my review to encourage you to continue. You won't be disappointed!

John Lee, as always, does a fantastic job and hardly needs to be mentioned b/c he is so consistently good. This was a great listen that i will probably repeat in a few months!

Interesting, intriguing

Sometimes the voice isn’t different enough to tell who’s speaking especially with the story jumping places and times so abruptly. But still a good read.

Wow

Would you consider the audio edition of The Temporal Void to be better than the print version?

Maybe. The production issues continue (not enough space between sub-chapters), but John Lee is great and in a book this length his performance keeps the various plots from becoming confusing. I don't understand why there isn't a 5 second space between sections however. It would have been so easy to do.

What did you like best about this story?

This middel book in the trilogy is devoted largely to Endeard, hence the title. This means that most of the book is not Sci Fi but Fantasy based. Weaving elements of fantasy into Sci Fi is not unheard of (Jack Chalker comes to find) but Hamilton does this a separate plot device which make the trilogy so interesting and this middle book a respite from cosmological concerns.

Which character – as performed by John Lee – was your favorite?

Nigel. His character is brilliant, hysterical and profane and Lee does him exceptionally well. Ozzie is not in this installment, who is my favorite in the series, but I am sure he is waiting in the wings.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Impossible. This is a lengthy book. This is not a book to rush through, rather I enjoyed it as part of my regular routine over a 2 week period.

Any additional comments?

Modern Sci Fi masterpiece. If you like Dune of The Foundation Series I think you will really like this combination of hard sic fi, space opera and fantasy. There are a lot of characters but all are well written and important to the story. Highly recommend.

Loved it

I really enjoyed the greater focus on Eddiard's journey in this book, and the combination of fantasy and sci-fi

I'm hooked!

Okay Mr. Hamilton and Audible, I have devoured the Commonwealth Saga and now 2/3rds of the Void Trilogy, devoting my commute time and lunch hours to exploring the amazing universe created by my new favorite sci-fi author. Bring on more! Soon!!

Awesome!

The story is reach and pleasant. You really hang to each word. I can't wait to start the next book.

Wonderfully imaginative!

If you could sum up The Temporal Void in three words, what would they be?

Fascinating, descriptive, great science fiction

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Temporal Void?

Finding out what the Void did regarding "time travel"

Which scene was your favorite?

The way the Crystal City shaped it self and talked to Eddear

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

laugh, couldn't stop listening,

Any additional comments?

I'm enjoying all 3 of theses books