Solid if slightly self-indulgent in places - Rated 
There are pluses and minuses to Peter F. Hamilton's second volume of the Void Trilogy; `The Temporal Void' (TTV).
In the plus column are:
1. The quality of the writing is as high as always.
2. There is plenty of exciting, well written action.
3. Its chock full of ideas.
4. The future it envisages is brilliantly conceived.
5. It juggles multiple plot strands with deceptive ease.
6. There is a welcome lack of the cringe making sex that Hamilton sometimes seems slightly too fond of.
In the minuses:
1. There is no preceding summary of events thus far. Having read The Dreaming Void well over a year ago I struggled to remember who everyone was and what they were up to. Surely it's not beyond the publishers to include a quick recap up front.
2. Whilst Edeard's adventures were the strongest element of The Dreaming Void and whilst they are still enjoyable there is simply too much of them here and they go on for too long. They could have been substantially truncated with no real loss. Instead they feel self-indulgently long winded and limit the amount of time given to the other plot strands. Araminta's adventures especially feel very shortchanged.
3. The pacing is off. By the end I was tempted to skip forward to find out what happens. Partly this is due to the surfeit of Edeard's adventures and partly because in the final quarter nothing terribly `exciting' happens. Yes, there are revelations aplenty but the no real action to speak of. Plus too many plot strands are just left waiting for volume 3, without a cliff hanger or big finale to keep the reader interested.
4. Its 700+ pages long. I don't have a problem with long books in principle. I do wonder however, whether the length is entire justified here. I think some trimming could have been done without the book losing anything.
Overall TTV doesn't quite live up to the standard of The Dreaming Void. It very much feels like the middle chapter of a three volume series, with a great deal going on but no resolution. It's also feels somewhat self-indulgent in places, and struggles to completely hold the reader's interest for its not inconsiderable length.
Despite these problems however, it remains first class epic sci-fi. Hamilton is one of the best writers working in the genre at present and I will eagerly await the trilogy's conclusion. Who knows, when viewed as part of the completed saga I might find that my opinion of TTV needs to be reassessed.
Much better than the first book. - Rated 
The first volume in The Void Trilogy, The Dreaming Void, was an enjoyable novel but not up there with Peter F. Hamilton's best. The story took a little long to get going and the links between Edeard's story in the Void and of events in the Commonwealth felt somewhat disconnected. This second book in the trilogy is a much stronger book which sets things up nicely for the finale and ties the two narratives together much more strongly.
Picking up after the events of the first novel, the Greater Commonwealth is in turmoil. The Living Dream movement is assembling its Pilgrimage fleet, which it plans to take into the Void to begin a life of paradise and unity. Unfortunately, it seems likely that this will trigger a major expansion event within the Void, threatening the Galaxy with destruction. In order to undertake the Pilgrimage, the Living Dreamers must find the Second Dreamer, the human who is in contact with the Skylords who control the Void. Unfortunately, the Second Dreamer is a scared young woman who has no interest in becoming the new messiah to a fanatical movement whose followers number in the billions, and she goes on the run.
Elsewhere, the alien Ocisens are hurtling towards Commonwealth space, determined to destroy the Pilgrimage fleet before it can reach the Void. The Commonwealth's attempts to deter them reveal that the threat they are facing are of a far greater magnitude than previously thought, resulting in the calling in of some very big guns indeed. Characters from the Commonwealth Saga - such as Paula Myo and Oscar Monroe - are involved in investigating the apparent conspiracy by elements within the Commonwealth who want the Pilgrimage to succeed, despite the trillions of lives it could cost. Another returning character, Justine Burnelli, opts for a more direct approach when she decides to try to slip into the Void and negotiate directly with the Skylords.
However, the bulk of the novel takes place within the Void itself. Edeard, a young constable in Makkathran's police force, has been revealed as possessing extraordinary psi-powers beyond those of many of the inhabitants. As his abilities grow, so does his determination to bring down and destroy the corrupt gangs who hold the lower echelons of the city in their grasp. But, as he discovers, there are connections between the gangs and the city's rulers which makes his task thankless, uncomfortable and exceedingly dangerous.
The Temporal Void picks up from the ending of The Dreaming Void without a beat and ramps up the pace of events. This may be a novel that is over 700 pages long in hardcover, but the pages absolutely fly past. There may be SF writers who have more attitude (Morgan) or better and darker prose (Reynolds), but for the simple ability to tell a rattling damn good story and combine it with complex scientific ideas and make it all compelling, Hamilton can't really be beaten. Just to add insult to the wound, Hamilton also proves himself to have similarly good skills with writing fantasy in the Makkathran chapters, and once again the reader ponders what Hamilton would do with a pure fantasy story.
Complaints? Edeard's powers mean that the situations when he finds himself in jeopardy are not as dangerous as they should be, and a shocking series of events near the end (which are beyond GRRM's Red Wedding in making the reader's jaw drop and go, "What the hell?") are disposed of rather easily. There's also a rather awkward plot revelation near the end of the book that essentially relies on lots of characters not talking about something they all know about merely to keep the reader in suspense, which feels slightly artificial.
The complaints are pretty minor though. The Temporal Void (****½) is the most readable, compelling slice of SF published this year, and leaves the reader sitting on edge for The Evolutionary Void, which will conclude the story (due in early 2010). The novel is out now in the UK from Pan Macmillan in hardcover, and will be published by Del Rey in the USA in February.
Great book - Rated
The 2nd volume of the void trilogy continues the saga started in last years "The Dreaming Void". As before this, is a complex multi-threaded narrative combining the machinations and intregue of the Commonwealth factions and their stooges with the ongoing story of the Waterwalker inside the void itself. As the book progresses both the capabilties of the void and the threat posed by it become clearer leading to the final positioning of the characters before the concluding volume.
I can't rate this book highly enough, though I found that in contrast with the last volume, the waterwalker's narrative strand was somewhat more engaging that the wider positioning strands outside the void. I can't wait for the final volume, this is a superb space opera and really sets a standard for sci-fi everywhere and is shaping up to be even better than the Nights Dawn maesterwerk.
This certainly lays down the gauntlet for other sci-fi writers. - Rated
Hamilton continues his story of humanity in the 36th century, leading his cast of bio-engineered characters across vividly imagined worlds into impossible situations that even their advanced technology and knowledge cannot protect them from.
* Plot
The book begins with the Commonwealth facing dual external threats from an invading alien fleet and an expansion of the mysterious sun-eating "Void". Internally various factions are becoming increasingly brazen in their struggle to to advance their belief systems and gain control of people who can communicate with those living in the Void. However, the bulk of this book concentrates on recounting Inigo's dreams of life in the Void, a fantasy tale following the adventures of Edeard and his friends as they struggle against the gangs of Makkathran.
* Style
As usual, Hamilton's skill with imaginative composition of the sci-fi elements is excellent. The fantasy element is also very good. The split between these two elements is good insofar as the Void storyline could stand on its own, but it does limit coverage of the rest of the characters (there are about ten squeezed into a third of the book).
There are occasionally small spoilers which foreshadow events in Edeard's storyline. In some ways these enhance the suspense, in others they spoil it a bit and make some of the twists less shocking. However, the twists were still enjoyable with various clues about the factions' agendas slowly woven together... to leave us waiting for the next book.
I was not expecting this to extend to a trilogy and I'm a bit puzzled (in a good way) about how he's going to find enough material for a same-sized third book. On the other hand, this does seem to take the story away from a worrying deus ex machina ending, which is good (the mysterious Commonwealth "deterrent fleet" is surely a nod to critics).
* Characterisation
This is well done, and he has certainly taken criticism over certain elements to heart. Most of the main cast are well fleshed out, the author using our knowledge of them from Judas Unchained to avoid starting over. However, the imbalance in coverage hurts some of the secondary characters and some of them don't come across particularly well. I suspect the spot light will focus on them more in the next instalment.
Overall this is an enjoyable page-turner. Inventive, stylishly written, and even emotive (I still can't believe she did that to him!).
A wonderful continuation and very impressive novel - Rated
The Centaurion Station, the base of the Void observation for countless millennia, is torn apart as the Raiel machines move to counter the Void's expansion. Justine, who is at the station as it is destroyed, makes a decision that will affect the whole of humanity; to enter the Void in an attempt to negotiate with the Skylord. Will the Second Dreamer be able to get her safe passage, even if it means exposing herself?
After rejecting the Skylord's offer Araminta now comes to the full realisation that she is indeed the Second Dreamer, the one Living Dream say is destined to lead them into the Void and the life they so desperately wish. However, along with this discovery Araminta now knows she is the target of everyone who wishes to use her to their own advantage. But she will not bow to the pressures put on her and is on the run, unsure where or who to turn to.
Paula is continuing her mission to track down Troblum who holds crucial information about the Accelerators and their plans. Desperate to get hard evidence, Paula tracks him down and comes to the very harsh realisation of how far the Accelerators are prepared to go to fulfill their plans. Meanwhile, the Ocisen Empire are on their way to Commonwealth space to enforce the threat they previously issued: cease the pilgrimage or face the consequences.
After his spectacular display of power and unwavering belief of what is right, Edeard now faces increasingly difficult obstacles in his bid to bring peace to Makkathran. With the gangs planning to undermine the Waterwalker he must stand for what he believes, even if it means unwanted political manoeuvring, and the events that take place in Makkathran lead down the path that will reveal the full potential of the Void.
Continuing from The Dreaming Void, The Temporal Void picks up events immediately following the revelations and keeps the sense of wonder and urgency we were left with. This helps in keeping the story going at a strong pace and it feels that all the groundwork laid in Dreaming is really starting to pay off.
The Commonwealth sections are particularly impressive. We still know what we were told in Dreaming - the Void is expanding, the Ocisens are one their way to stop the pilgrimage, the Second Dreamer knows she is communicating with the Skylord and many other things. What we are given is a situation that reached a climax and now the after effects are being felt. Throughout the whole of Temporal, the Commonwealth sections are consistently entertaining with a couple of nice surprises in there. There are also even less detours this time around which means we get a very nicely focused story.
The Void sections are just as enjoyably and Edeard's story continues in glorious fashion. We are now treated to a more confident Edeard and one who has gained both popularity and notoriety within Makkathran. His ideas are not something the council are used to and his stance against the criminals results in some interesting and page turning action. The powers within the Void exhibited by Edeard, both the ones he discovers and the ones he learns of through others, are amazing and go to show why so many Living Dream members want to pilgrimage to the Void.
This comes to the main revelation of the book: the true nature of the Void. Without giving anything away, the Void becomes a very appealing place to go to. It also effectively ties up that main sub plot, although I fully expect to see more of the Void in the last book with some very interesting things left hanging.
The characters carry through from Dreaming, but the Commonwealth ones do suffer a little in this volume, simply due to short time most of them are on the page. Where Dreaming was around a 60/40 split in favour of the Commonwealth, Temporal is 70/30 in favour of the Void. This gives a great follow through for Edeard and builds on what I think was the strongest element in Dreaming, and probably the strongest in Temporal too.
It's already been confirmed by Peter that The Evolutionary Void will return more to the Commonwealth, and with promises of it being larger again than Temporal I can barely wait the 18 months or so until its release. The setting up for Edeard's story done in Dreaming paid off very well in Temporal, but it feels that we're still awaiting that payoff for the Commonwealth and all the dangers now facing it.
There are a couple of bits that I wasn't entirely convinced about, but without giving away spoilers it's very difficult to put them into words. Nevertheless, these are small concerns that didn't affect my overall enjoyment. The format also follows the same principle of Dreaming - we get a chapter in the Commonwealth followed by another of Inigo's dreams of the Void. It works again this time around, although the size of the Void chapters can be huge, one coming to over a hundred pages.
The Temporal Void delivers a lot of what space opera is good for, just not in huge amounts. Who will enjoy it will depend very heavily on what they thought of Edeard's story in Dreaming - if it's something they loved (like me) then Temporal will make them very happy indeed. But if it was the plot they least enjoyed then Temporal may not live up to their expectations. Either way, the stage has been set for an action packed and very promising conclusion. Another highly recommended novel.
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