'Judas Unchained' is the second part of the Commonwealth Saga series by Peter F. Hamilton. The book continues the epic space opera storyline from 'Pandora's Star', featuring a galaxy-spanning techno thriller with elements of hard science fiction. The plot revolves around humanity facing a potential extinction at the hands of hostile aliens, advanced technology, and political intrigue within the Commonwealth. Hamilton's writing style is characterized by intricate world-building, a vast cast of characters, and a blend of action, mystery, and futuristic concepts like immortality, hyper space travel, and alien conflicts.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include graphic violence, depictions of death and resurrection, and explicit sexual content.
Has Romance?
The book contains elements of romance, with characters exploring relationships throughout the narrative.
From The Publisher:
WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER
"An interstellar suspense thriller . . . sweeping in scope and emotional range."-San Antonio Express-News
In the star-spanning civilization known as the Intersolar Commonwealth, twenty-three planets have fallen victim to the Prime, a technologically advanced alien species genetically hardwired to exterminate all other forms of life. But the Prime is not the only threat. The Starflyer, an alien with mind-control abilities impossible to detect or resist, has secretly infiltrated the Commonwealth and is sabotaging the war effort. Is the Starflyer an ally of the Prime, or has it orchestrated a fight to the death between the two species for its own advantage? Caught between two deadly enemies, the fractious Commonwealth must unite as never before. This will be humanity's finest hour-or its last gasp.
Praise for Judas Unchained, the sequel to Pandora's Star
"Bristles with the energy of golden age SF, but the style and characterizations are polished and modern."-SF Site
"You're in for quite a ride."-The Santa Fe New Mexican
"The reader is left breathless in amazement."-SFRevu
Ratings (16)
Incredible (8) | |
Loved It (5) | |
Liked It (1) | |
It Was OK (2) |
Reader Stats (20):
Read It (16) | |
Want To Read (3) | |
Not Interested (1) |
1 comment(s)
3.5 ⭐️
I enjoyed this a lot more than the first book. The plot felt a lot more cohesive in this book. The original book followed a dozen different characters who were all doing their own things that were barely related or not at all related to each other’s stories. I found it really hard to be invested in some of the characters when they seemed irrelevant to the plot. This book finally brings all those characters together with the same goal and is a lot more satisfying.
I think all of the set up of the first book paid off well but it was a lot of set up. Probably too much set up. This is an extremely slow book. I wasn’t really invested in the story until just under halfway through this book or about 1300 pages of this world's story to feel like I cared. After that point there was tons of mystery and “who can you trust” sort of drama that I loved.
I think this world is very interesting but the writing is so slow and overly descriptive that I find a hard time staying engaged. The combat and action sequences especially are very hard to read. They will be fighting or building up to this highly awaited intense scene but spend 2-5 pages describing the beach and the mountains or the engine in the cars they are driving. I DON’T CARE ABOUT HOW THE SUN LOOKS NEXT TO THE WET DESERT AT THIS POINT. It really destroys the momentum when I am forced to skim through description after description of irrelevant things. It ruined the climax of the story for me which was unfortunate since I was really looking forward to it.
I still enjoyed a lot of the build up in this story and I connected with a lot of the characters. They were all very flawed but it showed the highs and lows of the human race in a realistic and compelling way. Mellanie and Ozzie in particular are my favorites.
I’m glad I read it but unless you are a die-hard sci-fi fan I would skip this series.
What can you read after
Judas Unchained?
About the Author:
Peter F. Hamilton is the author of numerous novels, including A Night Without Stars, The Abyss Beyond Dreams, Great North Road, The Evolutionary Void, The Temporal Void, The Dreaming Void, Judas Unchained, Pandora's Star, Misspent Youth, Fallen Dragon, and the…
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