The Dreaming Void

Void Trilogy, Book 1

By: Peter F. Hamilton

Narrated by: John Lee

AD 3580. The Intersolar Commonwealth has spread through the galaxy to over a thousand star systems. It is a culture of rich diversity with a place for everyone. A powerful navy protects it from any hostile species that may lurk among the stars. For Commonwealth citizens, even death has been overcome.

At the center of the galaxy is the Void, a strange, artificial universe created by aliens billions of years ago, shrouded by an event horizon more deadly than any natural black hole. In order to function, it is gradually consuming the mass of the galaxy. Watched over by its ancient enemies, the Raiel, the Void's expansion is barely contained.

Inigo dreams of the sweet life within the Void and shares his visions with billions of avid believers. When he mysteriously disappears, Inigo's followers decide to embark on a pilgrimage into the Void to live the life of their messiah's dreams - a pilgrimage that the Raiel claim will trigger a catastrophic expansion of the Void.

Aaron is a man whose only memory is his own name. He doesn't know who he used to be or what he is. All he does know is that his job is to find the missing messiah and stop the pilgrimage. He's not sure how to do that, but whoever he works for has provided some pretty formidable weaponry that ought to help.

Meanwhile, inside the Void, a youth called Edeard is coming to terms with his unusually strong telepathic powers. A junior constable in Makkathran, he starts to challenge the corruption and decay that have poisoned the city. He is determined that his fellow citizens should know hope again. What Edeard doesn't realize is just how far his message of hope is reaching.

©2007 Peter F. Hamilton (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Broad in scope and panoramic in detail." ( Library Journal)
"A real spellbinder from a master storyteller." ( Kirkus)

Ambling story with no direction

What was most disappointing about Peter F. Hamilton’s story?

The story pops around several different points of view. By the end of this book, you have a sense of who the POVs are, and how they're related, but it takes forever to get there. It's really unclear who the antagonist and protagonist are... and that's never resolved. In fact, the main "character," the Void itself, remains an enigma. Mostly, it's a series of descriptions of radically advanced technology, peppered with political angst about an event that may or may not happen.

What three words best describe John Lee’s voice?

Scottish guy, what? --- I've listened to a couple of books written by John Lee, and whenever he needs another voice, he defaults to "deep voiced Scottish guy," which often doesn't make sense in context to the rest of the characters. He's not bad to listen to... but I kinda wish he didn't do so many "voices."

Do you think The Dreaming Void needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Dreaming Void is NOT a standalone book. It's a part of a trilogy... so if you like the premise, it might be worth investing in the whole trilogy. This first book was not satisfying as a single book, and really went no where. It would probably make more sense in context with the rest of its series.

Another stunning achievement

Amazing book, (can't wait to get part 2), love that their is so much continuity with his previous work's; but in new ways that leaves the story fresh and exciting.

I can understand a "little bit" of the other reviewers frustration, Hamilton's stories can be complex and are not always obviously cohesive. (This isn't the kind of book you can partially listen to while grading papers or something)But these are also the qualities that keep you riveted and intrigued and impatient for more! One needs to do a bit of critical thinking on their own to put things together, but the brilliance of this is that the immersion into the story is intense. The reader isn't constantly jolted out of the story by some monotonous explanation. It has some of the qualities that make up a really good mystery or thriller. That the readers conclusions and interpretations, right or wrong, are part of the experience. Plus the connections and overall continuity in the end are always surprising and satisfying!

I highly recommend any of his books and look forward to the continuation of this story...

many plot lines at the same time to follow

In general I liked the book although the different plot lines were difficult to follow. I felt like I should be taking notes as I listened. The last third of the story the pieces do come together.

Slow start

If you have not read Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained, you will be lost in this universe. Even after reading them, technology and the socio political structure of the commonwealth has changed so much that it can still be confusing. The transition to the dreams is somewhat jarring almost like a separate book, but I found myself more interested in the dreams than the 'real world.'

This book sets the scene for the Void books, so (understandably I suppose) it was really slow. I remember thinking the same thing about Pandora's Star. So if you liked it, this one will probably not bore you too much. The second book makes this one worth the read.

Typical Hamilton - a semi-hard sci-fi space opera.

This is a strong sci-fi/alternative future/fantasy novel. If you have read any of Hamilton's works before, you will find this one has exactly the same style, tone and pacing as his other works... if you didn't like his style, tone or pacing in other books he has written, you won't like this one either.

For those of you who haven't read Hamilton before - his books are THICK. The science is relatively detailed (but not hard-core), the plot is divided into 'threads' that start off completely unconnected but tie together at the end, and there are a LOT of characters to keep track of. Sometimes this disconnected thread approach might cause you to get lost... and sometimes there is just a bit too much time spent on side-stories (in this case: the alternative sexual/relationship possibilities of the future). But these side stories do fill out the space-opera requirements, and give the reader a fuller sense of the world/reality being built.

I actually quite liked the 'fantasy' component of the novel. I thought it was, in many ways, more interesting than the 'sci-fi' part since it was a single storyline, not the multi thread line of the 'real' world story. Again, though, all these threads do come together in the end, but you have to get through probably more than half of the book before you can see the potential connections. There is just a smidge of moralizing but it is short and dispersed throughout the story so it doesn't become too annoying.

I will read the rest of the series, and probably any other books Hamilton comes out with as well. His stories are strong, his characters distinct, and the science/potential is very believable. The only thing that would make his books a bit more enjoyable would be the cutting back of about 100 pages of side-story filler - this would increase the pacing a bit, and I don't think we would miss out on much if we didn't get to hear about what people wear in Hamilton's worlds.

The narration is very good. There is occasional swearing, but there is no gore or graphic sex (though there is an exploration of mature alternative sexual activities). Oh, and keep in mind it is a trilogy so the story isn't wrapped up here; the cliffhanger is somewhat mild, but you will probably have to get the next book in the series if you like full resolutions.