The Temporal Void

Overall a satisfying read though not as good as the first in the series imo. The fantasy section of the book felt a little fluffy even though it was a good story.

Executive Summary: I found this to be an improvement over [b:The Dreaming Void 866136 The Dreaming Void (Void, #1) Peter F. Hamilton https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1412740155s/866136.jpg 851537], although I think that will heavily depend on how much you like Edeard's story.Audio book: I continue to enjoy John Lee's narration, especially for the Commonwealth series.Full ReviewI liked [b:The Dreaming Void 866136 The Dreaming Void (Void, #1) Peter F. Hamilton https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1412740155s/866136.jpg 851537], but had some complaints. In particular the number of characters and the ridiculous sex scenes. This book felt more focused and less sexual wish fulfillment. As a middle book, I thought it did a nice job setting the stage for the final act, while not suffering from middle book syndrome. Things finally start to converge.This book largely focused on Edeard's story, which is really just a chosen one fantasy story embedded in this space opera. However while in the first book I had no idea what it was doing here, in this book Mr. Hamilton does an excellent job in revealing its relevance to the overall plot.We also get a lot of Paula, whose always been one of my favorites. As most space opera's are largely character driven, I think how much you enjoy this book will rely heavily on how much you like Edeard and Paula.Overall this was a very different book from the first, and certainly not like most space opera I've read. Maybe its my preference towards fantasy and ability to read infinite variations of the chosen one story, but I thought it to be a fun book, and am greatly looking forward to finishing the trilogy.

The Temporal Void is not as strong as its predecessor, [b:The Dreaming Void 866136 The Dreaming Void (Void, #1) Peter F. Hamilton http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320491232s/866136.jpg 851537], but it's still a strong book, if more of a 3.5 than a 4. The book continues the story, but this time the SF side is stronger than the fantasy. Both have weaknesses. On the SF side, key character Araminta experiments with different romantic/sexual relations. Unfortunately, it comes across less as exploration of future social models than as an exercise in wish fulfillment. It's distracting, but not really intrusive. The other complexities of the SF world work better than in the first book - partly because of greater familiarity, partly because they focus more on individual relationships.On the fantasy side, the story remains interesting, if a bit political. However, it weakens substantially at the end. I can't decide whether Hamilton got bored with aspects of the Edeard-Salrana relationship, or just made unusual choices. Either way, I disliked the effect, and liked Edeard substantially less as a result - this is problematic, since he's at the center of the entire story, and it's important that we admire him. Even when he takes advantage of "fix-it" magic, he doesn't go far enough.Overall, a worthy successor to The Dreaming Void,, though I wish Hamilton had paid more attention to the ending and wrap-up.