The Dreaming Void

The Dreaming Void
By Peter F. Hamilton; Read by Toby Longworth
20 CDs - 23 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Audio UK
Publication Date: 02/05/2008
ISBN: 9780230709829

AD 3580. The Intersolar Commonwealth has spread through the galaxy to over a thousand star systems. It is a culture of rich diversity with a place for everyone. Even death itself has been overcome. But at the centre of the Commonwealth is a massive black hole. This Void is not a natural artefact. Inside there is a strange universe where the laws of physics are very different to those we know. It is slowly consuming the other stars of the galactic core - one day it will devour the entire galaxy. Inigo, a human, has started to dream of a wonderful existence in the Void. He has a following of millions of believers and they now clamour to make a pilgrimage into the Void to live the life they have been shown. Other starfaring species fear their migration will cause the Void to expand again. They are prepared to stop them no matter what the cost. And so the pilgrimage begins…

The Dreaming Void is a very big book and it's an even bigger audiobook. Peter F. Hamilton's story is one of the better recent SF stories that I've experienced in any form, full of fascinating settings, situations, and ideas. It has many fully realized subplots and varied characters, too many. What could have been at least two brilliant stories, one of the commonwealth dealing with the potentially disastrous consequences of an attempted pilgrimage into the Void, and one of the much more low-key story of Inigo's dreams, is instead merely a long opening to a longer trilogy.

The main plot(s) of the story are wonderful. It is science fiction as it should be. It takes the imagination to new vistas, mixing newer ideas (the Void, gaiafield, etc) with core traditions of SF (space travel, aliens, etc). Indeed, the basic story is nearly perfect but with all the stretching, it greatly overstays its welcome. Somewhere around the twelve hour mark, listening to The Dreaming Void became a chore. If I had not already committed so much time to the story, I would have quit then.

Final analysis: The Dreaming Void is just too big a story, filled with many unnecessary subplots and distractions. It is far too easy loose track of the multitude of characters inhabiting this enormous beginning to the Void Trilogy. Yet, it is far from a hopeless audiobook. Throughout the epic story, the skill of both author and the reader are quite apparent and each part of the story is interesting. I am still of very mixed opinions about the story. I will look for more stories written by Peter F. Hamilton and more read by Toby Longworth, but only if they are about half this length or shorter. However, the audiobook might well be worth the effort for someone who has a lot of free time and is willing to take notes.

Rating: 7/10

Armageddon's Children

Armageddon's Children

By Terry Brooks; Read by Dick Hill
12 CDs - Approx. 14 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Published: 2006
ISBN: 1423322568
Themes: Fantasy/ post-apocalyptic/ Shannara/ demons/ elves

The first entry in Terry Brooks' new Genesis of Shannara trilogy, Armageddon's Children starts things off brilliantly. It is immediately engrossing, capturing the listener's attention from the first minute clear through its cliffhanger ending.

Set in an Earth where civilization has been mostly destroyed by war, diseases, and by demonic entities. It is a world of mutants and demons, with elves and humans hiding from an unavoidable end. Post-apocalyptic fantasy is an odd sub-genre but Brooks pulls it off well, mostly combining the feel of post-apocalyptic fiction with the trappings of fantasy.

Like many stories of this size, there is more than one main character. Armageddon's Children has four. Logan Tom, a Knight of the Word is the first main character. Here he is given a mission to find a mysterious "gypsy morph" and lead it and a few human survivors to salvation. He, like most of the main characters here, must overcome self-doubts and accomplish his mission if humanity is to be saved. Another main character, Angel Perez is also a Knight of the Word. She is sent with a tatterdemalion to find, and help save the elves. The other main characters are Hawk, a street child who leads a small group of children in this broken world, and Kirisin, an Elf who is one of the chosen who must tend the Ellcrys, a sentient tree from the original Shannara series. The fates of all these characters are intertwined and each must succeed if humanity and elfkind are to survive the inevitable destruction of the Earth.

Simply put I loved this one and can't wait for the next in the series. Though the audiobook builds upon characters and ideas from earlier Brooks stories, it stands on its own quite well. I haven't heard or read many of them, yet I never felt as I were missing anything while I was listening here. The story is great and is what one might expect from Brooks and Dick Hill is one of the better readers that I have heard. Indeed, the only complaint I have, and a very minor one at that, is about the marketing. It is annoying that Shannara is not mentioned on the cover of the audiobook, while it is the third largest word on the paperback cover. And since that's the worst complaint I have, I am very glad I listened to this one.

A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange
by Anthony Burgess; Read by Tom Hollander
7 CDs - 8 hours [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Caedman/Harperaudio
Published: 2007
ISBN: 9780061170621
Themes: Science Fiction/Dystopia/youth violence/mind control

Anthony Burgess' classic novel A Clockwork Orange is likely familiar, at least through reputation or Stanley Kubrick's film, to most science fiction fans. It is arguably the best post-Orwell dystopia novel. This new audiobook version is every bit as enthralling and disturbing as the novel.

Set in a not too distant future the story centers around an anti-hero Alex, a fifteen year old delinquent, and his rather violent life. Alex and his three droogs (friends) are a small gang, one of many that preys upon this future society. These youth gangs are a very well developed subculture with their own slang called "Nadsat." Alex enjoys his life of cruelty and commits several horrendous crimes early in the story (this is not for the squeamish). Eventually Alex becomes the subject of a government mind-control experiment which raises many questions about the value of free will.

Although the story fails to predict technological advances (word processors, CDs, etc) other parts, such as the Ludovico Technique seem even more plausible now. It is a fascinating world due in part to the wonderfully imagined Nadsat. Here the audiobook really impresses. Tom Hollander's thoroughly professional reading of the story brings out the richness of the language and the setting. His reading helps make this one of the best single reader-reader audiobooks that I have ever heard!

It is an amazing story that both fascinates and repels. One of the best novels of the twentieth century has been given a worthy audiobook translation in this version. It is not quite perfect for those new to the story, however. Anyone who has not read the full version, including the controversial twenty-first chapter, is advised to skip the first two tracks of the audiobook until after they have finished the story. These tracks are the spoiler filled introduction. I am very ambivalent about the inclusion of the twenty-first chapter. I feel the same about this chapter as most Alien/Aliens fans feel about Alien3, but its inclusion does allow listeners to make up their own minds. Overall this is an A+ production of a great story. And I'm proud to have proved that it is possible to review A Clockwork Orange without overusing Nadsat to prove one's coolness, O my little brothers. (Cow! I guess it is impossible) :-)

Posted by Dave Tackett


Labels: Science Fiction/Dystopia/youth violence/mind control/Anthony Burgess/Tom Hollander