Pandora's Star

by Peter F. Hamilton

758 pages

English language

Published Nov. 10, 2004 by Del Rey/Ballantine Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-345-46162-9

(107 reviews)

Critics have compared the engrossing space operas of Peter F. Hamilton to the classic sagas of such sf giants as Isaac Asimov and Frank Herbert. But Hamilton's bestselling fiction--powered by a fearless imagination and world-class storytelling skills--has also earned him comparison to Tolstoy and Dickens. Hugely ambitious, wildly entertaining, philosophically stimulating: the novels of Peter F. Hamilton will change the way you think about science fiction. Now, with Pandora's Star, he begins a new multivolume adventure, one that promises to be his most mind-blowing yet. The year is 2380. The Intersolar Commonwealth, a sphere of stars some four hundred light-years in diameter, contains more than six hundred worlds, interconnected by a web of transport "tunnels" known as wormholes. At the farthest edge of the Commonwealth, astronomer Dudley Bose observes the impossible: Over one thousand light-years away, a star . . . vanishes. It does not go supernova. It does not collapse into a black hole. It simply disappears. Since the location is too distant to reach by wormhole, a faster-than-light starship, the Second Chance, is dispatched to learn what has occurred and whether it represents a threat. In command is Wilson Kime, a five-time rejuvenated ex-NASA pilot whose glory days are centuries behind him.Opposed to the mission are the Guardians of Selfhood, a cult that believes the human race is being manipulated by an alien entity they call the Starflyer. Bradley Johansson, leader of the Guardians, warns of sabotage, fearing the Starflyer means to use the starship's mission for its own ends,.Pursued by a Commonwealth special agent convinced the Guardians are crazy but dangerous, Johansson flees. But the danger is not averted. Aboard the Second Chance, Kime wonders if his crew has been infiltrated. Soon enough, he will have other worries. A thousand light-years away, something truly incredible is waiting: a deadly discovery whose unleashing will threaten to destroy the Commonwealth . . . and humanity itself. Could it be that Johansson was right?From the Hardcover edition.

3 editions

noisenerd reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton (Commonwealth Saga, #1)

Good SF in an interesting setting

4 stars

A nice blend of sci-fi ideas, space-opera adventure, and political intrigue. Not the kind of mind-bending stuff my most favorite SF is made of, but still a very fun read. It's a pretty long book, but definitely kept me interested and entertained, and made me glad I was able to get my hands on both books right away so that I can get right into the second one. This is the first I've read of this author, but judging by this I will probably be reading more after these two.

Tavish reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton (Commonwealth Saga, #1)

My review of "Pandora's star"

5 stars

Second time I've read this, and it was still as good as I remembered. It is long, and maybe a lot fat could be cut from it, but this was the first big space opera type book I had read and I still liked it a lot.

Ayushi reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton (Commonwealth Saga, #1)

Stellar Hit

4 stars

The tale has a few interesting elements, but this is in the end a DNF for me. The plot feels to slowed down through pointless density for me to sense actively engaged in what is going on. i am positive this is a stellar hit for a few people

Dave reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton (Commonwealth Saga, #1)

Too long

2 stars

It's funny how memory works... before this re-read, I would have talked highly of Pandora's Star. I would have said I was especially impressed with the detailed alien world-building of the main protagonist. In my memory, this was a major component of the story...

Well, memory isn't always to be trusted, because this book is not that story.

True, it does have the interesting alien world-building, but it is such a minor part of it. In fact, the alien protagonist isn't revealed until over 60% of the way into the book. You get a few tens of pages of development... and then it goes away for most of the rest of the book until the very final part.

What comes before is pure soap-opera. Not the riveting "Den and Angie" type soap build-up; more like Eldorado. Countless characters;flat dialogue; disconnected, convoluted plot-lines that may at some point in the future …

Well, memory isn't always to be trusted, because this book is not that story.

Like the Nights Dawn trilogy by the same author, this needed a good editing. That interesting alien world-building and protagonist would have worked really well in a 400-500 page book.

As it is, this just feels needlessly long.

RobertJordan reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

Review of "Pandora's star" on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

The story has some intriguing elements, but this is ultimately a DNF for me. The plot feels to bogged down via unnecessary density for me to feel actively engaged in what is going on. I'm sure this is a stellar hit for some people, but definitely not for me. For reference, I stopped reading at about 330 pages in

Electric Monk reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton (Commonwealth Saga, #1)

Classic SciFi novel containing everything a SciFi need needs!

5 stars

I really loved this book and its sequel “Judas Unchained”. The books are part of the Commonwealth saga of Peter F. Hamilton and contain everything the SciFi heart longs for: Aliens, space ships, space action, different worlds, world hopping, cyborg stuff to name just a few. I also really like Hamiltons style of writing, it’s a good read even for a non native speaker like me. A Must read for every SciFi fan!

bondolo reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

Review of "Pandora's star" on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I wanted to like this book but it was entirely too long with too many distractions and it didn't finish the story. Introducing the antagonist 61% of the way in to a 1000 page book…cmon! Rather than a half dozen plot lines it should have stuck to one or two and told more of the story. Parallel books in the same universe would have been a better approach. I honestly feel cheated by the ending and disinclined to start the next volume.

loppear reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

Review of "Pandora's star" on Goodreads

4 stars

Space opera with mystery and variously disinterested aliens, really well done with many layers. But this is just half the book, so plan on reading another 800 pages.

kim karma reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton (Commonwealth Saga, #1)

Review of "Pandora's Star" on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I can't remember where I saw the recommendation for this book, possibly on twitter. This book is really long, which is something I actually like and it is oh.so.good. The huge cast of characters,aliens, and cool tech what more could I want?

I finished this book and went straight to book 2.

Fred reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton (Commonwealth Saga, #1)

Review of "Pandora's Star" on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Quoting Sara King;

"Hard science fiction, a.k.a. technobabble, is the dry stuff that reminds you of college physics textbooks explaining cool new ideas in a very logical way. I mean, it’s neat, but you can forget the main character’s name in a couple days."

And that's pretty much how I found this book. Dry. And really long-winded with forgettable characters. I really didn't care whether or not any of the characters in Pandora's Star made it or not. So, unfortunately, I quit this book.

Quoting Sara King;

"Hard science fiction, a.k.a. technobabble, is the dry stuff that reminds you of college physics textbooks explaining cool new ideas in a very logical way. I mean, it’s neat, but you can forget the main character’s name in a couple days."

Daniel Darabos reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

Review of "Pandora's Star" on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

It's intriguing but somewhat boring.

It's boring because the story moves so slowly. It's the first book of a "saga" so we barely get past introductions.

Also it's boring because it says the distant future will be exactly like the day of today. Except without the feeling of constant technological progress. This frustrated me a lot. Humans live all over the galaxy, know a bunch of intelligent aliens, travel instantly, have AI, and live forever. Yet everything else is the same. They go to school, read newspapers, celebrities hide from paparazzi, etc.

A possible explanation for this is that this is the point. Once humans live forever, progress stops. This is a very interesting thought, but I could imagine more interesting ways of conveying it.

The intriguing parts of the book are more obvious. Super mysterious aliens and conspiracies. Can't have too much of those, I say!

Tavish reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

Review of "Pandora's star" on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

First sci-fi I've read, mind=blown. Literal cliffhanger though. Which just means that the two books (this and Judas Unchained) are basically 1 very large book divided into two large books.

Yohan Yukiya Seseㆍ사요한・謝雪矢 reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton (Commonwealth Saga, #1)

Review of "Pandora's Star" on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

You can read my complete review on my blog: laibcoms.com/pandoras-star

I applaud Hamilton in his way of building up the invasion. Because he introduced a lot of characters and let us lived with each as if we were them, the invasion gave an intense feeling as by this time we were already in their world. It also justifies the length of the book – 988 pages, font size 11.5, with a .8 line-spacing and why you should not skip anything.

Combine his method of thoroughly describing the world around, I can truly say that I was there during the invasion. The 800 pages or so building up the characters ended up being a built-up of the world and the invasion. It simply pulled me in. It immersed me. I was really there with them.

No other book brought this level of immersion to me. Hamilton disproved me that immersion is only possible with role-playing games – no, it is possible in books as well. First book and I am now a Hamilton fan. Different characters across 600 planets with independent stories all weaving together at the end. Peter Hamilton is indeed the best in Epic Space Operas.

You can read my complete review on my blog: laibcoms.com/pandoras-star

markm reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

Review of "Pandora's Star" on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Entertaining space opera. Doesn't really end and has sequel.

John Wilker reviewed Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton (Commonwealth Saga, #1)

Review of "Pandora's Star" on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I found this at our local used book store, and wowza. Granted I'm a sci-fi nut, but Hamilton surprised me, with how deep his universe goes and how well he lays it all out.

My only gripe, and this isn't a Hamilton problem, but I had no idea it was a two parter, until I was 7/8s done and the story wasn't resolving, a quick flip to the back page, and low and behold, a second part.

If you're into the deeper sci-fi stories that have real people and lots of them, this two book series is a must. I'm reading the second part right now.