The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F Hamilton

[slowfox]

There are bits in this book that I really like (particularly Ione setting up Tranquility's sarjeants with her personality to accompany Josh and the gang on the Lady Mac), but other bits are utter froth.

I dislike the increasingly god-like powers that Quinn gets given (the ghost trick, for example), and yet other aspects, like the Kulu politics, and the Navy's reaction to the Possessed are good. We have one glimpse of an opponent for Quinn who seems to have similar levels of power, when Louise and co are making their escape from Norfolk. Book III reveals who this is, but for the time being it's notable, I think, that this person chooses to abandon the body he's possessed, presumably secure in the knowledge that they'll be able to possess another body in a convenient location at a later date. Quite a risk, given what's at stake.

I don't like Capone's role, or the Organisation. It seemed to me that Hamilton hadn't fully fleshed out his ideas as to what substance energistic powers really had, and there's an attempt to shore up the definitions with Moyo and Stephanie's ponderings in Mortonridge, I s'pose.

On the other hand, I do like Valisk, Rubra and Dariat... specifically, how twisted and single minded Rubra proves to be. And the Hellhawks, name aside, aren't bad (was interested by the passing reference to the tumours - I can't remember whether blackhawks do start succumbing to cancer in part III).

The space battles are excellent in their abruptness: 93 seconds for the voidhawks to subdue Valisk and so on. Given the technology that Hamilton's deploying, that makes sense. Plus it's always cool to read about the voidhawks, because they rock completely.

That said, Oenone still doesn't really get much opportunity to shine - even Sly Minx's trip to the Kiint ('we have some command of technology' = 'they manufacture moons, plural') was surely epic from the characters' point of view, I guess, but storywise it doesn't feel like much.

There's at least one reference to Tranquility being more than a 'standard' habitat in the first book, but in book II we get several subtle hints that there's more than the usual bitek magic going on with the Lord of Ruin's domain, and I guessed from the first reading of book I's outset that Tranquility must have some kind of voidhawk like sensing ability, but hadn't realised it'd actually be able to swallow.

On the yay front, we do have hints that Ione misses Joshua, and Joshua's suitably flummoxed by the serjeant's personalities. But PFH seems to want to pair him with Louise. Given that, then, it's odd how there's a girl at one point who's described as 'too young for him. Louise's age'... which makes you think DOES NOT COMPUTE, since he's supposedly totally in luuuuuuuuurve with the Norfolk girly. I think Joshua and Ione are more equal than Louise and Joshua ever could be, which I think is why I prefer the former pairing to the latter.

The whole subtext of the Confederation being a collection of ethnically streamed planets seems kinda... sad. Even if there is extensive trade and communication between them all, it does sound a little like planet-sized ghettoes.

So, aside from the habitats (I would jump at the chance to live on Tranquility) I'm not sure that the Confederate Universe is a place I'd actually like to live.

Comments

[carolanne5]

Tranquility's sarjeants are kinda brilliant; bots with Ione's personality.

I never liked Quinn as a baddie, too one dimensional. As a human being he just didn't seem plausible which ruined any scene he was in for me.

Capone (once I got over the original disbelieve) I actually quite liked, completely OTT but on some level he amused me. Especially falling for that outrageous charicature of a hussy with a heart.

Voidhawks fabulous; Mortonridge painful.

You know it would be fabulous to see a new novel set around Tranquility; maybe when I go to his panel at SFX I'll ask if he'd ever consider using Ione/Tranquility in a future novel. *nods*