I could just repeat my review of the first book of the series. I really like the story and the grand ideas, but it could easily been written in two thirds of the volume. I know that's not generally the point of space opera but it seems like a waste to "get through" one third of the book just to get to "the good part". Nevertheless, I will be reading the third installment of the series because this world and this story are just too interesting to quit. I'll give my brain some rest first though... ( )

I think I'm going to have to do a more thorough review later. At this point, I'm just going to focus on mechanics.

I like this book. And this series. Honestly, I do. However, I'm at the point where I really think that the whole Night's Dawn series was actually written as one big tome of an epic, and the publishers decided to break it into three (or six, as you decided to buy them) novels just for the sake of the spine. And geez, what a doorstopper a 3500 page book would be anyway. There are just limits.

But, when we hit the last chapter of The Neutronium Alchemist, I really didn't feel like we were building toward a climax. Nothing heart-wrenching, no amazing clincher that wraps the book up, not even a real cliffhanger to make people want to read the next one. There were a couple of mysteries, but not really a "OH HOLY CRAP WHAT THE HECK'S HAPPENING" sort of thing. And starting the next book, the first chapter felt like it was just the next chapter of the previous book.

I think that's the thing that's getting me the most, besides the outrageous number of POVs and locations. It's really taking a wiki for me to get through this without losing track of who's where and doing what. And the plot feels like it's ramping up at a steady pace, and in such a way that it feels more real to me than a typical epic. I feel like I could be reading a tome about WWII at this point, although I think an author would have selected fewer POVs for an actual history book to avoid confusing his reader.

I'm finding the meat of the series interesting in and of themselves; we don't often deal with religions in science fiction that are not utterly imaginary, unless it's a Christian Sci-Fi novel, which I steer clear of. Hamilton definitely handles it with the care of a historian -- no proselytizing, just reflecting the different beliefs of the systems and cultures he's working with. It's interesting, and something I'd like to write a review or an essay specifically addressing, but one that will take some significant research and thought on its own. I'm still curious about the implications of Father Horst's abilities, but it was mentioned in the first book and then never again.

As it stands, I'm continuing on in the slog. Not because it's particularly sloggy, as it t'were, but because the world building really is intricate and extensive. Not an easy series to read by any means, but if you're really looking for something TRULY EPIC in its story, this is definitely what to go for. ( )

And I made it through another one. Wow. Would've liked this twice as much if it were half as long. ( )

At this point, the novelty has warn off and I just want to finish. I love the universe but I think I'll take a break to read some other more diverse authors. I do plan to come back to see how it all ends, though (hopefully something big and interesting). Unfortunately, the plot structure is surprisingly similar to the previous book and the title is a bit of a give away. I am, however, interested to see how all the forces interact in the next and final book. ( )

Hamilton, Peter F. The Neutronium Alchemist. 1997. Night’s Dawn No. 2. Warner, 2000.
About eight years after Dan Simmons wrote a monumental space opera series in which he resurrected John Keats, Peter F. Hamilton wrote an equally impressive, albeit much less literary, series in which he resurrects the like of Fletcher Christian, Al Capone, and Elvis. On a distant planet some aliens manage to lock open the gate to a pocket universe, allowing the sensation-deprived dead to take over the bodies of the living. That was all in Reality Dysfunction, the first novel. In this one, the dead are getting organized with leadership by Al Capone. Will Al conquer the galaxy? In another ring of Hamilton’s interstellar circus, a mad scientist with a grudge and a superweapon (the Neutronium Alchemist of the title) is looking to get even with some war criminals. Al Capone and others would also like the weapon. The action moves right along but following it all presents a considerable challenge. There are a dozen different locations with a gaggle of different characters in each one. Since many of the locations are spaceships, you cannot count on them staying in one place. There is also a lot of far-future technology, much spooky physics, and several religions and governing philosophies to get the head around. Is it worth the effort—yes, indeed! But I do have two nits to pick. Why Al Capone and not some far future gangster? Finally, can’t we find a less old-fashioned term than “datavise” for a future alternative to email? Take a deep breath. On to The Naked God to wrap up the plot. ( )

Too long, too slow, too many characters: There was just enough additional mystery added for me to want to read the final volume. ( )

How is it even possible to review a book jammed with a future galactic civilization getting invaded by the dead of all history?

Succinctly, I suppose. ;)

... unlike the first and second books in the series, at 1000 pages for the first and just under 1,300 pages for the second and an even bigger page count for the third. Ah, well, at least the book is epic as hell. The invasion goes from one world to a vast swath of the galaxy. Just how often do we get epic space operas with living spaceships, high-tech alien races, a vast number of inhabited worlds, only to have it turn into a war of the Living versus the Dead?

With a tiny alteration, of course. These aren't the dead rising up from graves. The dead are rising up out of history and out of purgatory, taking over the bodies of the living in a vast way. Vast numbers. And now it's almost magic versus high-tech in a very unusual war.

With Al Capone. :) And anti-matter. :) Hippies and star-busters.

Very fun. I have to admit it took me a while to get into Hamilton's writing style, but once I finally got to this proper comfort level, things really took off. :) ( )

Excellent follow-on, not a weak middle at all. ( )

This book made me keep saying 'Noooooo, you can't do that!' because of the different times in the book where either evil triumphs over good or it appears that evil has triumped over good. It was a riveting read and introduced some new characters and complexities, as well as having more adventures with the characters we know and love. ( )

...Hamilton raises the stakes in The Neutronium Alchemist, as a middle book is supposed to do. It does more or less suffer from the same problems as the previous novel though. Bloated, repetitive and not very demanding. Although Hamilton tries to make it a multi-faceted conflict, he avoids the really big issue in the story in favour of politics and battles. That might be fine with some readers. I would have liked a little more from this novel but after The Reality Dysfunction, that was hardly what one could expect....

Full Random Comments review ( )

I read the [b:The Reality Dysfunction|45245|The Reality Dysfunction (Night's Dawn, #1)|Peter F. Hamilton|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1331274659s/45245.jpg|747250], the first book of the Night's Dawn Trilogy in August 2012, I just finished this second volume The Neutronium Alchemist on December 13, 2013. So more than one year has elapsed since reading the first one. With a leaky memory like mine a lot of details have fallen by the wayside during the intervening period. Going back to reread the 1000 pages of [b:The Reality Dysfunction|45245|The Reality Dysfunction (Night's Dawn, #1)|Peter F. Hamilton|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1331274659s/45245.jpg|747250] is out of the question. I considered reading up summaries in Wikipedia or some other web sites but then I decided to throw caution to the wind and just dive into this second book and see what happen. It is a testament to [a:Peter F. Hamilton|25375|Peter F. Hamilton|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1235123752p2/25375.jpg]'s writing skill that he manages to bring me back to speed without a prologue chapter that summarize what went on in the previous book. The little details and characters’ names gradually fell into place as I read on. Funny how the brain archives these details in some dusty storage places and they come out when the memory is jogged.

As with all the Peter F. Hamilton’s books that I have read so far The Neutronium Alchemist is a long book but a quick read. His prose is always clear, his pacing is good and never grind to a halt. Most of the main characters are fairly engaging and his “Confederation Universe” is always full of wonder. The only difficulty I tend to have is the large cast of characters, there are so many minor characters that I find it impossible to remember who they all are and whose side they are on. There is, however, a “Cast of Characters” appendix at the end of the book if you don’t mind jumping back and forth to that as you read. I personally could not be bothered so I just figure them out from the context of the chapters.

The Neutronium Alchemist of course continues where [b:The Reality Dysfunction|45245|The Reality Dysfunction (Night's Dawn, #1)|Peter F. Hamilton|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1331274659s/45245.jpg|747250] left off. In the first book we are introduced to the Confederation Universe and what happen when the souls of the dead start coming back to possess the living. Obviously that doesn’t sound very sci-fi, more like some ridiculous “exorcist in space” silliness you may get in an episode of Family Guy, but leave it to Hamilton to come up with some pseudo-science to make the concept somewhat believable within a sci-fi setting*. The major difference between this second volume and the previous one is that the return of the dead through possession is now and an established fact and the readers are spared the dull process of each character being skeptical to begin with until their jaws drop when the dead come calling. The struggle between the living and the dead was too uneven in the first book, in this one at least the living have found some way of coping but not defeating the enemy.

Characterization is also much more interesting in this book as many chapters are told from the possessed characters’ point of view, some of whom are even decent people. The usage of historical characters like Al Capone and Fletcher Christian as major characters also piles on the fun. Hamilton’s plotting skills is second to none, I cannot imagine how he manages to juggle all the numerous plot strands and gradually weave them into a cohesive story. He also has a great eye for minutiae, like this little scene from a possessed character’s view point: “Once he’d actually thrown up after transforming sachets of bread into chocolate gateau – he hadn't removed the foil wrapping first.”

The Neutronium Alchemist, like [b:The Reality Dysfunction|45245|The Reality Dysfunction (Night's Dawn, #1)|Peter F. Hamilton|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1331274659s/45245.jpg|747250] before it, is not a book to read for edification. It is just a fun romp. A book this length is bound to have themes you can glean from but why not just give yourself a well-earned break and just kick back and enjoy.

The final volume [b:The Naked God|45260|The Naked God (Night's Dawn, #3)|Peter F. Hamilton|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1316548289s/45260.jpg|1396625] is just as long as The Neutronium Alchemist. Damn you Peter F!
__________________________________

*There is a good discussion of whether The Night Dawn Trilogy is science fiction or science fantasy here

Note: I intended to mention the phrase “massive epic space opera” somewhere in the review, but I can’t find a place to shoehorn it in so I’ll just stick it here. ( )

My copy was annoyingly misprinted. Everything's fine until page 794 when it jumps to page 843. You're missing the end of the episode about Joshua (no important plot points), whatever takes Oenone away from the Kiint homeworld, and whatever happens on the Villeneuve's Revenge to get Erick into that state. Considering the size of the novel and Hamilton's verbosity, you are probably missing the equivalent of about 5 pages.

Anyway, everything is then fine until page 1034 when pages 987 to 1034 are repeated. Things are then fine until the end.

My copy was an early printing. I'm not sure if it was a problem unique to my copy or a flaw in the print run.

Great novel though! ( )

The second novel of the Night’s Dawn Trilogy takes place on an even grander galactic stage. With the possessed spreading throughout the galaxy, Capone’s organization growing in size and power, Rubra working to save the remain population of Valisk, and Ione Saldana’s team discovering more about a lost civilization which suffered its own reality dysfunction, time is running short for the Confederation and for humanity as a whole. Tranquility, the Lady Macbeth, Oenone, Jupiter, Trafalgar, and Kulu each face their own challenges as they work with, around, and against one another, hoping to find a solution to the reality dysfunction and humanity’s encounter with the Beyond. Relying on Laton’s words and the pieces of information humanity has gained at a painfully high cost, the nature of the problem and the solution remain elusive. Meanwhile Alkad Mzu escapes from Tranquilty seeking to use the greatest weapon ever conceived, The Alchemist, to get revenge upon the society that destroyed her planet decades earlier. With Joshua ‘Lagrange’ Calvert sent after her by Ione, the various agencies desperate to catch her, and the possessed determined to use her technology for their own advantage, her escape has become a long chase, the end of which may well determine the future of the human race. ( )

The panoramic vistas of Peter Hamilton's huge universe are interesting and entertaining, but I have a hard time getting past the premise of the dead returning to life in a space opera. And I could have done with less of the brutal assaults and torture. ( )

Focussed more on plot development than world-building, not quite as fun as the first part, but still entertaining. You need a scorecard to track all the characters, though, especially when they start coming back from the dead. ( )

If you’re reading this review, then you’ve probably read The Reality Dysfunction. If not, you need to do so. This is book two of a three book series and cannot be read as a stand alone novel. The three books are really three volumes of the same story (Night’s Dawn), a 3,500 page behemoth to be sure.

I found The Reality Dysfunction to be an outstanding work of science fiction, striking a perfect balance between complicated “hard” science fiction concepts and captivating story lines. The numerous threads made it something of a challenge to keep abreast of the action, but I was able to do so by reading it through without pause (over the course of 2-3 weeks).

I rated this volume slightly below the original for the simple fact that my least favorite story thread (the Norfolk heiresses) plays a significantly more prominent role in this book. As with most “book twos” of multi-volume works, this tome advances the story line of the original book without achieving much resolution, but it certainly does so in an entertaining and captivating manner.

Certainly, any story in which “the dead” return would be missing a potentially captivating angle if certain famous historical personages were not represented. In an angle reminiscent of Philip Jose Farmer’s classic Riverworld series, such is the case here, though on a very limited, though nonetheless effective basis.

I must confess that near the end of this second volume, I found it more difficult to keep track of the numerous threads and peripheral characters within each thread. Again, you cannot hope to stay on top of this story unless you dedicate time to it on a daily basis. I’m certainly hoping that the final volume begins to merge some of the threads as the overall story comes to its final conclusion. ( )

Don't ask - don't question why or how or what is happening - jump in & hang on! ( )

1st off I gave this a try because a few people recommended it on the Amazon Kindle Discussion board. I generally love Sci-Fi and the price was right, $7.99 for all three books on my Kindle. What I didn't realize was that all three books have a total page count north of 3,600 pages! Yikes. So I plunged into this trilogy.

It picks up right where book 1 leaves off! It suffered from none of the 1st books issue with setting up the story.

Aside from being a very large investment in time, this book did not disappoint. The pace varied between good and frantic. Late in the book was a scene that had me breathless as it moved along. I could sit there an imagine just what it might look like on the big screen. It was that good.

It also has left enough lose ends in place for book three. ( )

Massive space opera, and only part two of a trilogy. Ranges over star systems with dizzying speed, moves the story forward, and introduces new mysteries for the final installment. My only criticism is my own fault, I left it too long before starting it, and had forgotten a lot of "The Reality Dysfunction", so I was a bit confused at times. Hamilton does not spoon feed his readers, you have to struggle to keep up with the pace. I enjoyed this challenge enormously though. ( )