Peter F. Hamilton

1999

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This trilogy is an impressive achievement. More so in the detail than in the broad sweep, I think: the individual episodes, characters, technologies, species, and other elements are all wonderfully creative and varied, deeply envisioned and carefully described. So at a micro level, the plot is a success. But at the macro level, it's less satisfying. (Spoiler now coming.) A large number of plot twists and difficult pathways are set up, ready for a clever resolution. What happens instead is that a character encounters an alien god-like entity who ... well, allows anything to happen, which means that any possible twist can be straightened out. It's only slightly improved on the stereotyped "and then she awoke from a dream" ending, and really isn't respectful of all the efforts the author went to in the rest of the books.

3/5. Finished 17 November 2018.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)