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)

Outstanding

Just a small note of thanks to the author. You have a knack for storytelling.

Awesome beyond measure!!

Make sure to listen to book 1 first though. it'll make much more sense. Otherwise brilliant!

Good Listen

Would you listen to The Temporal Void again? Why?

Great Listen with very few boring parts. Hamilton has incredible detail to make the universe very interesting. Lee is a good narrator that keeps it interesting.

A grand space opera that lost me on occasion

On occasion I would get lost in the plot but it's such a well told story it mattered not. A nice walk with the Waterwalker.

Love it.

Really enjoy this author. Sets up a little slow, but the payoff is great.

two great stories

I really got fixated on the dream story in this one. almost made not care about the main story.

Read the Commonwealth series first .

I was lucky, I did read the Commonwealth series first. They are Pandoras Star and Judas Unchained. If you read them first you will have a much better understanding of the people and the terminology used in this series. You can get even a better insight if you go to the authors (Peter Hamilton) personal website and read the time line of the series. I have thouroughly enjoyed the series and am looking for more.

Everything I Want In A Sci-Fi Series

Good follow-up to “The Dreaming Void”. More details on the cool technology introduced in the first book and continuation of an intriguing storyline with many sub-plots. Since this is the 2nd book in the trilogy, I expected a drop off in novelty, but hoped the book would deliver high entertainment value. Basically, I knew what I was getting into and was not disappointed.

I also realized that I must be a Peter Hamilton fan. I have listened to 5 of his books and enjoy his mix of tech, storytelling and action. Importantly, I do not find myself getting bored and wondering “what’s on TV?”.

Mind bender

Great balance of story and characters. The science-fiction was really interesting and different from other stories. I loved it.

The complexity and mystery builds

I often check the reviews of the second and third books in a trilogy BEFORE reading the first just to make sure I'm not making a commitment I don't want to keep. If that's what you're doing, don't hesitate -- this series is worth the time, attention, and effort it will demand of you. Some of the mysteries of the Void begin to deepen in this second volume, and it becomes more sinister as well as more alluring. The coming of age saga of Edeard matures as well, and some of the fun goes out of that part of the tale, even while it begins to explore some serious moral questions in ways that surprised me (pleasantly) at times. As more of the science of the Void emerges, it begins to lose some of its fantasy quality, but for me that was a plus, not a minus. The other six or seven story lines that Hamilton always insists on weaving together begin to emerge as important and compelling in their own right, with the return of the Sylvan paths (see the earlier novels in this universe - Pandora's Star & Judas Unchained) to prominence as especially welcome and well done. Middle books in trilogies are often the weakest part of the series, but in this case that is just not so. It just keeps getting better as you go.