I forgot how much fun science fiction can be. I just finished The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton and once it got going it was impossible to put down. The book is almost 1100 pages long, so needless to say, it would be pretty difficult to write up a synopsis without going into way too much depth.
What I enjoyed about the book though was the multitude of characters and worlds. So many well written characters. My favorite by far was Joshua Calvert, and not just because he has an awesome name, but because of the way he is so cool and also such a jerk at times.
He basically has sex with tons of girls and becomes a completely badass starship captain. He also has gut feelings which help him stay out of trouble.
Aside from introducing a ton of characters, the book also sets up what the major problem will be in the series. The dead are able to come back from some sort of nothingness and take possession of the living. Once they have done this, they are virtually unstoppable. The majority of the book deals with learning a little bit about them (even though the majority of the time is confused as an invasion by an old villain named Laton).
One of my favorite moments is after Laton is taken over and his body is used to take over an entire island (not going into much detail), he then proves he is a superior being by retaking control and helping destroy the island and the possessed. It was a very cool moment.
I am looking forward to reading the next book. Especially since the book is almost the same length, but will not have the problem of needing to explain the universe as much or the characters. I am guessing the final two books will be jam packed with action (and probably more characters), which excites the hell out of me.
Anyways, I realize this book is older and some of you may have read it before, what did you think?
