Dave reviewed Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton (Nights Dawn Trilogy 2)
Not as good as the first
3 stars
Neutronium Alchemist isn't a bad book, but it's not as good as the first book in the series.
As countless characters chase after Alkad Mzu, it ends up getting a bit bogged down and super slow for the first three quarters. It picks up speed towards the end and has a couple of satisfying space battles, but it never matches the thrilling action sequences of its prequel.
But what lets it down the most - in my opinion - are the arcs involving real people, one specific former US gangster in particular! It just feels unneeded. I'd much rather this character was a novel creation, with more scope for its own development (like the other characters). The same goes for the possessed accompanying Louise... I have no problem with fleeting cameos (like the fighting Elvis impersonators), but to make them such major parts of the story.
Speaking of Louise... this …
Neutronium Alchemist isn't a bad book, but it's not as good as the first book in the series.
As countless characters chase after Alkad Mzu, it ends up getting a bit bogged down and super slow for the first three quarters. It picks up speed towards the end and has a couple of satisfying space battles, but it never matches the thrilling action sequences of its prequel.
But what lets it down the most - in my opinion - are the arcs involving real people, one specific former US gangster in particular! It just feels unneeded. I'd much rather this character was a novel creation, with more scope for its own development (like the other characters). The same goes for the possessed accompanying Louise... I have no problem with fleeting cameos (like the fighting Elvis impersonators), but to make them such major parts of the story.
Speaking of Louise... this character does basically nothing in this book. She moves slowly from A to B, and nothing else. A definite option for cutting down the book's weighty length would be to excise this character completely, and the story would only improve!
Overall, pretty good, but not amazing.
