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marcusmarcusrcJudas Unchained is the 2nd book in a massive epic science fiction duology. I liked the first book enough that I ordered Judas from amazon.co.uk because I couldn't wait for it to come out in the US in January. For a review of book one, Pandora's Star, I cannot do better than point you to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
firstfrost's review . It was the "5 and a half stars out of 5" rating that made me take Pandora's Star out from the MITSFS, and I thought it deserved that rating.
So, do I give Judas Unchained the six stars out of five? If I had posted immediately upon finishing it, I probably would have. It was hard to put down (all 949 pages of it!). However, on reflection, there was one decision made "pre-game" that was fundamental to the entire duology whose motivation was explained but which I don't buy, along with one or two other nagging issues (some over-sexed characters, which seems to be a common theme in Peter Hamilton books, and another decision where one character even comments on the odd behavior, and it wasn't explained at all, though I can I guess invent a rationalization for the action). Of course, in 1700 pages, one expects to have a couple nagging issues, and really, as Firstfrost pointed out, there are probably 5 or 6 science fiction novels wrapped into this epic, of which all but one are top notch in their respective categories (I also found the fantasy travelogue a lesser beast, though I understand its purpose). Anyway, I certainly give it 5 stars out of 5. Or (to usetirinian's rating system), it survives 10 days of game but still has some post-game mop-up to do.
Now I sort of want to go back and reread Pandora's Star in the light of the 2nd book. In any case, if you enjoy epic science fiction, I highly, highly recommend this duology... Firstfrost gets first borrowing rights, of course, but after that it is up for lending... (though I don't own Pandora's Star. Yet)
firstfrost's review . It was the "5 and a half stars out of 5" rating that made me take Pandora's Star out from the MITSFS, and I thought it deserved that rating. So, do I give Judas Unchained the six stars out of five? If I had posted immediately upon finishing it, I probably would have. It was hard to put down (all 949 pages of it!). However, on reflection, there was one decision made "pre-game" that was fundamental to the entire duology whose motivation was explained but which I don't buy, along with one or two other nagging issues (some over-sexed characters, which seems to be a common theme in Peter Hamilton books, and another decision where one character even comments on the odd behavior, and it wasn't explained at all, though I can I guess invent a rationalization for the action). Of course, in 1700 pages, one expects to have a couple nagging issues, and really, as Firstfrost pointed out, there are probably 5 or 6 science fiction novels wrapped into this epic, of which all but one are top notch in their respective categories (I also found the fantasy travelogue a lesser beast, though I understand its purpose). Anyway, I certainly give it 5 stars out of 5. Or (to use
tirinian's rating system), it survives 10 days of game but still has some post-game mop-up to do. Now I sort of want to go back and reread Pandora's Star in the light of the 2nd book. In any case, if you enjoy epic science fiction, I highly, highly recommend this duology... Firstfrost gets first borrowing rights, of course, but after that it is up for lending... (though I don't own Pandora's Star. Yet)
