Review | Great North Road by Peter F Hamilton (Pan Macmillan)

Title: Great North Road
Author: Peter F Hamilton
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Hardback
Release Date: 27th September 2012

Reviewed by: Mark Chitty

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

St Libra is paradise for Earth's mega-rich. Until the killing begins.

In Newcastle-upon-Tyne, AD 2142, Detective Sidney Hurst attends a brutal murder scene. The victim is one of the wealthy North family clones – but none have been reported missing. And the crime’s most disturbing aspect is how the victim was killed. Twenty years ago, a North clone billionaire and his household were horrifically murdered in exactly the same manner, on the tropical planet of St Libra. But if the murderer is still at large, was Angela Tramelo wrongly convicted? Tough and confident, she never waivered under interrogation – claiming she alone survived an alien attack. But there is no animal life on St Libra.

Investigating this alien threat becomes the Human Defence Agency’s top priority. The bio-fuel flowing from St Libra is the lifeblood of Earth’s economy and must be secured. So a vast expedition is mounted via the Newcastle gateway, and teams of engineers, support personnel and xenobiologists are dispatched to the planet. Along with their technical advisor, grudgingly released from prison, Angela Tramelo. But the expedition is cut off, deep within St Libra’s rainforests. Then the murders begin. Someone or something is picking off the team one by one. Angela insists it’s the alien, but her new colleagues aren’t so sure. Maybe she did see an alien, or maybe she has other reasons for being on St Libra ...

In this stunning, standalone adventure, Peter F. Hamilton blends fast-paced narrative with vividly imagined future-worlds.

Great North Road is Peter F Hamilton's latest novel, and first stand-alone in a decade. His past six books have all been set in his Commonwealth Universe (Misspent Youth, Pandora's Star, Judas Unchained, The Dreaming Void, The Temporal Void, and The Evolutionary Void), and Great North Road is a big step away from the galaxy-spanning action of those novels. It still has all of Hamilton's trademarks - in-depth world building, a large cast of characters, interesting aliens, and a complex plot - and at over a thousand pages it certainly tells an epic story.

Great North Road is a story of two halfs. The first is the investigation that happens in Newcastle after a North clone is found murdered, and focuses on the police team led by Detective Sid Hurst as they attempt to track down the killer. What makes this even more complicated is the fact that the murder appears to have been commited in the same way as one from twenty years ago on St Libra, but the woman who was convicted of the crime, Angela Tremalo, is locked up. And she still maintains her innocence, her story never waivering or changing. Could the alien she spoke of be back?

The second thread focuses on the expedition to St Libra to investigate for signs of life following the North murder, to look for this mysterious alien that Angel Tremalo spoke of. It becomes clear that she was telling the truth, but for reasons kept to themselves, the Human Defense Agency decided to lock her up and cover up the details of the murders. And when members of the expedition start dying everyone questions the story, and if she was actually telling the truth after all...

It's always hard to sum up a Peter F Hamilton novel, simply because condensing a thousand pages into a couple of paragraphs is damned near impossible. Suffice to say that simplifying the story into the two threads is the best way to go about it, but it doesn't do justice to the story or Hamilton's skills as a writer who can weave a tale with so much going on.

As far as the story goes, Great North Road delivers, and it's clear Hamilton enjoys his detective plots a great deal. Sid Hurst and his team are well developed, and with the Newcastle investigation making up almost the entire first 300 pages, it's well plotted and detailed, sometimes a little too much. The plot doesn't end at that point and carries on throughout the novel, though I felt that the whole section could have been tighter, and a little less bloated in parts. I can't put my finger on exactly where that should be done, but it did start to drag and my impatience to see more of the expedition didn't help the issue.

As for the expedition, it's by far the highlight of Great North Road, and shows Hamilton at his best. The world building is spot on, intricate, and a joy to read. The characters that form part of the expedition are also enjoyable to read, with Angela Tremalo standing out from the crowd. If Great North Road can be anyone's story, it's hers. With flashbacks spread throughout we discover more details about her past, her motivations, and the truth behind her actions. It's interesting in a way I didn't expect, and come the end of the novel she was by far my favourite character.

Of course, Great North Road has many more aspects to it - the weird (and perhaps under-developed) alien Zanth that are a constant threat to Humanity's worlds; the genetic alterations that are part of the upper class culture; the North clone clan, and the way they have developed (particularly those from the Jupiter habitat); and, of course, the technology that Peter always excels at creating and describing.

Hamilton has once again shown why he is one of the best writers in the field today, how he can manage multiple plot threads and complicated twists and turns. Above all he can create a world that is unbelievably detailed, and can tell a vast and engrossing story within it.

However, is Great North Road a good book for those new to Hamilton's work? The short answer is yes, but it's not the best stepping on spot - I'll always recommend Pandora's Star and/or Fallen Dragon for those that ask. Regardless of that, if you want a stand-alone sci-fi novel to get lost in, you can't go wrong with Great North Road.

Review | The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Invincible by Jack Campbell (Ace)

Title: The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Invincible
Author: Jack Campbell
Publisher: Ace
Format: Hardback
Release Date: April 2012

Reviewed by: Mark Chitty

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

Admiral John "Black Jack" Geary earned his rank after being revived from cryogenic sleep to lead the Alliance to victory against the Syndicate Worlds. But his superiors question his loyalty to the regime. Now in command of the First Fleet, Geary is tasked with exploring the frontier beyond Syndic space, a mission he fears deliberately puts the fleet--and himself--in harm's way.

An encounter with the alien Enigmas confirms Geary's fears. Attacked without warning, he orders the fleet to jump star systems--only to enter the crosshairs of another hostile alien armada. Ignoring all of the First Fleet's attempts to communicate peaceful intentions, this system's species send their ships into battle on suicde runs, while guarding the exiting jump point with a fortress of incalculable power.

Now, with a faction of his officers determined to eliminate this new threat despite the cost, Geary must figure out how to breech the enemy's defenses so the fleet can reach the jump point without massive casualties--and knowing that the Enigmas are most likely waiting on the other side...

Another Lost Fleet book by Jack Campbell? Oh, go on then!

I think it's fair to say that I'm a fan of The Lost Fleet series of novels, and whenever a new volume is announced it's swiftly added to my wish list. Invincible is the second in the Beyond the Frontier saga, following on from the initial six book series, and picking up events immediately after the ending of Dreadnaught, and manages to add much more to the setting than I initially thought it would do.

With the Alliance Fleet now firmly in alien territory we start just as Dreadnaught finished - with a massive alien fortress and fleet blocking the way back and chasing the Alliance ships. Geary must decide how to proceed, and with options limited, the only way is forward. Of course, not all is that simple...

In Invincible Campbell managed to continue the ongoing human political issues just as well as he has done in previous volumes, but also adds in a new aspect with secrets from the past coming to the fore. While not much is done or explored with this new problem, it is very much a solid example of how he's developing the universe further with each volume, giving a deeper history to the Alliance-Syndic war, and laying the groundwork for what I can only imagine will be a very interesting aspect in future novels.

The main draw for me in Invincible is the introduction of other alien races. With two new species turning up in space beyond Enigma territory, it adds a new dynamic to the universe and raises plenty of questions. The first race, the Bear Cows, aren't delved into much more than the Enigma race was in previous volumes - it's all about human discussion and theories on them and their aggressive nature. The other, however, the Spider Wolves, are entirely different and we get discussion between Geary's fleet and them. It's really nice to see a seemingly friendly race communicate with humans, and following the negotiations for what they're asking for is amusing, though ultimately a little disappointing. Still, it adds much to the story and allows everything to move forward nicely.

As for the characters, well, I really don't have too much to say about them. I've been with them for seven books prior to this one, and they were as expected. I may have been surprised if there were any big changes, but suffice to say it was like returning to an old group of friends after some time apart. They're easy to read, and their motivations and actions have stayed true to their development throughout the series.

I think the bottom line with Invincible is simple: if you enjoyed the previous Lost Fleet books you're going to find things here that you'll enjoy. As a newcomer, I believe the Beyond the Frontier series is written well enough to be read without reading the previous six-volume series. Invincible may not break new ground in the genre, but boy is it a fun read!

Review | The Departure by Neal Asher (Tor)

Title: The Departure
Author: Neal Asher
Publisher: Tor UK
Format: Hardback
Release Date: September 2011

Reviewed by: Mark Chitty

Buy from: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com

The beginning of a new series from a master of space opera

The Argus Space Station looks down on a nightmarish Earth. And from this safe distance, the Committee enforces its despotic rule. There are too many people and too few resources, and they need twelve billion to die before Earth can be stabilised. So corruption is rife, people starve, and the poor are policed by mechanised overseers and identity-reader guns. Citizens already fear the brutal Inspectorate with its pain inducers. But to reach its goals, the Committee will unleash satellite laser weaponry, taking carnage to a new level.

This is the world Alan Saul wakes to, travelling in a crate destined for the Calais incinerator. How he got there he doesn’t know, but he remembers pain and his tormentor’s face. He also has company: Janus, a rogue intelligence inhabiting forbidden hardware in his skull. As Janus shows Saul an Earth stripped of hope, he resolves to annihilate the Committee and their regime. Once he’s discovered who he was, and killed his interrogator . . . 

It's quite apt that this novel is called The Departure. Not only is it a departure from Asher's Polity Universe (where all but one of his prior novels are set, the exception being Cowl), but it's a departure from the typical space opera Asher has treated us to over the years. The big question is: is this departure successful, or not?

Before I go into my review of the novel, I need to give you a little background on what I was expecting. The Departure is not Neal's first venture into Owner territory, he's written four short stories (Proctors, The Owner, Tiger, Tiger, and Owner Space), and I love them all - if you read my review of The Engineer ReConditioned you can see just how highly I rate them (the fourth, Owner Space, is from the Galactic Empires anthology). I knew that The Departure was going to focus on the early days of the Owner, not the future depicted in the other stories, but I enjoyed them so much I had massively high expectations for any Owner novel. I think that's where the trouble began, and why it ultimately took me two attempts and over a year before I managed to read it.

The Departure is the story of Alan Saul, a man who, on the way to his death, awakens in an over-populated world ruled with an iron fist by the Committee. With next to no memory and an AI named Janus inside his head, he vows to rediscover who he is, learn what truth he can, and take revenge upon his torturer and, in turn, the Committee themselves.

There is nothing subtle about The Departure, that's for sure. From the totalitarianism of the Committee, to the all out, in your face violence, this novel delivers plenty of action with some great set pieces. Alan Saul is a great character to read, and his progress throughout the novel is satisfying, especially the way he's tied to Janus. It's an interesting concept, and put into Asher's hands it evolves rapidly to encompass every aspect you could imagine - and some you probably can't.

While the main focus is on Saul, there is another thread running throughout the novel, one of the Antares base on Mars and the events after the discovery by Var that it is being abandoned by the Committee, but not without them sending instructions to their subordinates running the base. It's interesting to see the struggle between the sides as they try and gain control of the base, and how they need to look to the future to survive the isolation.

Despite the typical Asher action and all else I enjoyed, The Departure was a difficult book. Perhaps it's because I enjoy his Polity novels so much, and this is big change to what he's given us before, or perhaps (and more likely) it was my high expectations. I found much of the book to be either black or white, with very little shades of grey to keep things interesting. When you have a completely evil organisation at the heart of a story I think the task of telling an interesting story is harder, though Asher tries damned hard to do so, not entirely succesfully.

At the end of the day The Departure worked for me, but not as much as I would have hoped. It works as a starting point for the Owner series, establishing the good guys, the bad guys, and setting events in motion. Now the setting up is done I expect much more from the sequel, Zero Point, and I won't be as forgiving if it doesn't meet the expectations I have.

Cover Art | US Covers for the Sentients of Orion series by Marianne de Pierres

I read and really enjoyed the first three Sentients of Orion books (Dark Space, Chaos Space, Mirror Space) by Marianne de Pierres when they were released a few years back, but I never got around to reading the final in the series, Transformation Space (though this is now a firm reminder!!). The series is soon to be released in the US as ebooks through Ereads.com, and here are the covers to go with them:

And the original UK covers:

I must admit I do prefer the UK covers, but the US ones aren't bad at all. They do look more like Sci-Fi Romance than Space Opera, but that might be just me.