Kym
Really nice read, lots of seemingly technical explanations, made me feel very smart indeed.
If you are coming from the movie, the book version is not as dramatic, the characters are... neutral? they are very thematically appealing characters, but none I really didn't mind dying, except maybe the only kid.
Fun quick read!
A very dark and interesting look into a semi-plausible cyberpunk future, I initially found the first person narration jarring, but after a few chapters, I barely noticed, and towards the end, I realised that was the only way to accurately convey some of the more unique perspectives thrown up by some of the story universes' mechanics. As a Peter F. Hamilton fan, (especially the technologies on offer in his universes), I enjoyed a lot of these mechanics, and for other fans, the best way to describe it is as Greg Mandel inside of the commonwealth universe, but much much darker. I'm beginning to think I'm a fan of philosophically challenging fiction, as this dealt with some pretty deep issues in relation to mortality and other things, and I loved it, in fact I loved the whole book. Now for the next book in the series.
This sequel definitely was better than the first for me, Quentin was a lot less depressing but his signature personality was still intact, the story moved from a harry potter/Narnian approach into LOTR/hobbit territory and I was introduced into the deep workings of Grossmans' world, which had some really nice touches.
Surprisingly I was halfway through when I realised my approach to these novels had been wrong, that Grossman was indeed weaving a beautiful tapestry of satire from webs of fantasy tropes, I guess a couple of the tropes were too obvious (maybe deliberately so), because I then started taking the book less seriously, almost comically, and even had a giggle a couple of times at the irony knitted into the story.
The last 1/3 of the book was like a bunch of separate rails (some originating from the original book like the H.P. series is want to do), coming together into a fun roller coaster that quickly zips around tying many loose ends and serving a satisfying ending before delivering you behind a curtain into what you thought was the end of the books, but instead was an open invitation into the third entry of the series, for which I can hardly wait.
I think my favourite thing about Hamilton is his ability to go into such extreme depth when describing events and locations in his books. In fact, in the hands of another author, I could imagine this series wrapped up in one large book or maybe two small ones. I love those small gritty details and the sheer numbers of “players” in his stories, and this trilogy is no different. Unfortunately, I much preferred the ride rather than the end destination, and I felt the ending was almost like Peter only had a limited amount of pages left to squeeze an ending into, even though I believe that the ending fits perfectly with the overarcing message and restates it clearly in the final chapters. Maybe I'm just greedy and want more :)
As I've seen from previous encouters with Hamilton, His second books are usually where the action heats up and the Neutronium Alchemist is no different. Characters are well established by now, and some of them I just love. The first book was great, the second book was brilliant, Hamilton really knows how to push things uphill!
I think What I love most about Hamilton's books is the detail. Every minor thing is explained in such detail you wonder if what he is explaining is going to be a major point in the future of the story. I think that's really the mastery of his works, because it makes you study each sentence clearly, to determine if there's any hidden glimpses of revelation in their statement. This book is no different.
Another thing I love about Hamilton, is his universes. Each one is similar, in a great way. Things like his focus on longevity of life, differing beliefs etc. and the way that screws with the psychology of humankind.
This book and subsequent series adds a bit of religion into the mix to see how it fares in frozen voids (surprisingly well), and throws in his usual universe changing storyline. I liked it a lot.
It's like a depressing harry potter book, sometimes I just felt like throwing it away, but I'm glad I finished it, if mainly for the unique way it handled your standard magic fantasy tropes, I still enjoyed the ride. It's a matter of perspective I suppose, if you hate depressing, whiny draco-like characters, you're not going to have fun with this one, although objectively it was a good fantasy.
Good ending, much fun, felt like some convenient issues appearing out of nowhere to give tension, though. Not my favourite of Hamilton's series but it is still good.
