The first book in the best space opera of the last 20 years. I'll always remember this as the first book I ever bought from the (then small) Amazon.com. It takes a lot to pull off a story about murderous ancient space zombies, but Hamilton imbues his tale with urgency and a grounding verisimilitude. You care about what happens to the (many, many) characters and to human civilization as a whole. This would've been a great 1970s miniseries or anime series, but it would never get made in the US because of all the (admittedly graphic) sex and violence. Some works are meant to be absorbed in print, and this is one of them.



The Edenist/Adamist societies are well-constructed, engaging and fully believable as outgrowths of today's society. Brand names still exist (McBoeing's good for a laugh), but there are structures and entire ways of being that are completely new.



This isn't for the kids, but it's a book you won't regret reading.