If there
is any marked difference between space opera as it first appeared on the market
and space opera today, it’s size (along with a public/editorial acceptance of
more graphic content). What was first
published in magazines at short story to novella length appears today in
door stopper tomes of lengthy series. The
evolution a natural one, the inherent qualities of the sub-genre seem to
require a broad canvas, one which marketing and changes in publishing have
supported. One of the modern masters (for
what it’s worth) of the form is Peter Hamilton.
Fitting the space opera stereotype to a T, the length of his books, the
size of the universes he describes, and the action fast and simple, his books
are everything one would expect from space opera. Delving into his third major series, and
second in the Commonwealth universe, The Dreaming Void (2007) is the first of
a trio of more big—in more ways than one—science fiction.
Set 1,500
years after the story told in Judas
Unchained and Pandora’s Star, The Dreaming Void sets the scene in the
universe at large as it deals with a massive void slowly expanding to engulf
star systems. A religious order is also
growing in belief of the void. Led by
the enigmatic Ethan, its pilgrims prepare to make a trip inside, believing it
offers salvation. Local aliens against
the idea, thinking such an intrusion will cause the void to expand dynamically
and swallow their nearby systems, tensions run high in human/alien relations. Meanwhile, a government scientist is tasked
with creating a super-ultradrive that may affect the diplomacy, and behind those
scenes, a man whose past is blurry even to himself, sets out to find a person named
Inigo who may, or may not, have extensive knowledge about what the void really
is. His methods violent, he will stop at
nothing at find Inigo—or at least virtually.
But the
most important character in The Dreaming
Void is Edeard. Possessing fledgling
psi-powers beyond his comprehension, his talents as a young animal shaper are
well known in his little village. But
attacked one day by bandits, his greater powers of telekinesis and telepathy
are revealed in a flash, and recede just as quickly as the attack is quelled. The bandits seeking revenge in the aftermath,
Edeard, and his fellow villagers, are in for a major surprise as the young man
finds his way toward a better understanding of himself. What role he plays in the existence of the
void is only hinted at, but certainly important as legends spread across the
galaxy of the Waterwalker.
Never
moving beyond the bounds of what one expects, The Dreaming Void, like Hamilton’s previous series, is space opera
of the purest distillation. Hyperspace,
wormhole travel, tentacled aliens, laser guns, biomodified secret agents, space
ships, psi powers,techy language, conspiracies—nearly all the standard devices and motifs
are employed. Never getting bogged down
in excessive descriptions or extraneous exposition, Hamilton keeps the plot
moving briskly, alternating randomly through the handful of main characters’
perspectives. How they all relate only
slowly becoming clear, at the end of the novel it’s obvious there is still a lot of story to tell.
There is
no clear failing in The Dreaming Void. What Hamilton sets out to do, he accomplishes. Unlike many space opera writers, his writing
style is clear, doesn’t get caught up in excessive descriptions, and appears to
have control over the individual character arcs. That being said, The Dreaming Void is not complex literature. Dependent on relevant action sequences,
scattered sex scenes, overt character interaction, simple morals, and the eye
candy one expects in the sub-genre, it is shallow storytelling, and will
therefore disappoint the reader looking to engage with books at a deeper level. The only depth it possesses is plot
complexity, but that only gets the active reader so far.
In the
end, The Dreaming Void, like
Hamilton’s previous series, is standard space opera that will surely appeal to
the portion of science fiction fans who love such stories. Vigorous, efficient, base, familiar,
massive—it has all the hallmarks of classic space opera. For sub-text, however, there indeed is a
void…
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