Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton

[Werthead]

http://thewertzone.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/great-north-road-by-peter-f-hamilton.htmlGreat North Road by Peter F. Hamilton

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 2143. Detective Sid Hurst is called upon to investigate the unusually violent murder of a North. The Norths are a large family of clones who have forged a powerful, interstellar corporate empire. Twenty years ago another North was killed in the exact same manner on the world of St. Libra...but the woman responsible, Angela Tramelo, has spent two decades in prison, protesting her innocence and claiming that an alien lifeform was responsible.With mounting evidence that she may have been right, an expedition is mounted to St. Libra's wilderness hinterland to investigate further, even as Hurst's enquiries on Earth continue.

However, St. Libra, a planet twice the size of Earth circling Sirius, is a difficult world to survey. It's thick ring system inhibits the operation of orbiting satellites and the planet is already under investigation for its bizarre plant life (which cannot have evolved in the short lifespan of the system). The expedition soon finds itself operating in a wilderness far beyond any relief efforts, with something in the jungle stalking them.

Great North Road is the latest novel from Britain's biggest-selling science fiction author, Peter F. Hamilton. It's a stand-alone unconnected to any of his previous universes or series, so can be read in confidence that there are no cliffhanger endings lurking in wait. With my review copy clocking in at 1,087 pages (the final version may be slightly shorter, apparently) it's also a huge book, giving a lot of words to the pound. It's actually Hamilton's longest book since The Naked God, outstripped his previous seven novels in size (none of them particularly short either).

As usual with Hamilton's space operas, we are introduced to a large cast of characters who are divided up amongst several storylines. There are two primary plots: the investigation into the murder in Newcastle and the expedition on St. Libra, with a number of smaller subplots that are developed more concisely. There's also a complex backstory to the novel that is revealed gradually through strategically-placed flashback sequences. Hamilton is an old hand at both multi-stranded epic plotting and also depicting high-tech police investigations and Great North Road is a triumph in both departments. The pacing is pretty good as we move between characters and storylines and their individual pieces of the puzzle slot together nicely in moments of revelation.

Character-wise, it's a solid cast, although not Hamilton's best. We're lacking a character as vivid as Ozzie or Paula Myo (or as frustratingly punchable as Joshua Calvert) but otherwise they are an interesting bunch. Angela Tramelo is embittered from her two decades in prison (not to mention effective torture by a shadowy government agency), but also has herself to blame for her lack of cooperation when that could have vindicated her much earlier. The reasons for this form a mystery that gradually unfolds over the course of the novel. Sid Hurst is a reliable protagonist as the detective investigating the murder, although his house-hunting woes (Hamilton continuing a slightly random theme of futuristic property market musings that began in The Dreaming Void) take up a fair bit of space that could have been trimmed. Vance Elston, the leader of the St. Libra expedition, is also a key protagonist and Hamilton uses him to return to one of his favourite topics, the place of religious faith in a science-driven world.

The science is a mix of the fairly basic and the advanced, speculative. The basic science comes from the history of observations of Sirius, which, if you accept the history at face value, is fairly bizarre. The presence of a fairly complex system of planets orbiting Sirius is also something Hamilton almost cheekily sneaks in: due to Sirius's size and type, detecting planets circling it through current methods has proven almost impossible, giving him a window to make up his own planetary system. The more speculative science applies to his traditional use of quantum and wormhole physics. As in his earlier novels, Hamilton brusquely describes his advanced scientific concepts in a straightforward manner that renders them fairly understandable to the reader. Unfortunately, he does commit one error when he fails to take into account relativity during a sublight interstellar voyage, which is a bit of an elementary mistake. Fortunately, it is not of major importance to the storyline.

In most respects, this is Peter F. Hamilton at his traditional, page-turning, easily-readable, SF blockbuster best. Unfortunately this extends to his traditional problem of including a number of sex scenes that add little to the narrative. It's not as prevalent an issue as it has been in the past (and we're fortunately still a long way from the dissolute Misspent Youth) but there are still a few scenes where characters start disrobing and the reader has to groan as the more interesting SF stuff is put on hold for a few paragraphs. Hamilton's other notable problem of how he ends his novels also rears its head here. In general terms the ending is fine and well-foreshadowed, but it does seem to almost be implausibly happy given the body count in the story and is certainly rather abrupt (something a character even half-apologetically notes). However, the storyline is mostly wrapped up satisfyingly, with only a couple of minor elements that could have been explored a bit thoroughly.

Overall, Great North Road (****) is a very solid novel. It's not amongst his best, but it rattles along at a good pace and handles its immense length quite well. It's also great to read a book where Hamilton is able to combine his mastery of epic plotting with a definitive ending. The novel will be published on 27 September in the UK and on 26 December in the USA.

 

[alchemist]

Intriguing. I've probably read more PFH than any other (barring Stephen King) and am a big fan, despite his almost universally-accepted failings. The most interesting thing about this book is that it's set in a new universe and also in the relative near future (by PFH's standards).

My bookcase may have to groan again.

 

[Brian G Turner]

As usual with Hamilton's space operas, we are introduced to a large cast of characters who are divided up amongst several storylines.

Hopefully not 500 pages of each group going; "Hey, let's do our job here! Bicker! Fight! Make love!" Then die horribly - switch to next group ...

 

[Patrick Mahon]

Thanks for a really helpful review, Werthead. I've been reading a lot of PFH's books lately, and it looks like this is another one I'll have to add to the to-read list. May need to get the crane back out of storage though, given the page count...

 

[Gramm838]

I always liked that fact that PH sets his novels in locations that to most people would seem uninteresting - like Peterborough, Rutland, and now God's Country (Newcastle)!

I'll be getting this book when it comes out in paperback but am looking forward to reading it.

 

[Vertigo]

Here's my take on it:

This is my first Hamilton for a while and I was a little nervous having seen some uncomplimentary reviews, however, for me at least, it did not disappoint. Unusually for Hamilton this is not space opera, despite having often seen it described as such; although most of the action takes place on two different planets, they are connected by a ‘gate’ and, with almost no space craft in sight, the action is very firmly ground based. However it is Hamilton’s usual 1000 pages doorstop with grand world building, complex multithreaded plot and multiple POVs, woven together with Hamilton’s usual mastery. I was never bored finding myself happily absorbed throughout. As usual from Hamilton, it is rarely very fast paced but rather stays steadily comfortable only ramping up in the last couple of hundred pages. For me, had it not been for a couple of moderately major flaws, it would have been a clear five star read rather than the four I have given it.

The story combines an almost traditional murder mystery with a surprisingly novel first contact. I can imagine many lovers of Hamilton’s space opera being somewhat disappointed by the murder mystery parts (which do make up a very significant proportion of the book). This certainly isn’t Hamilton’s first foray into murder mystery but, despite the cloning technology and modern tools at the detectives’ disposal, it has much less of an SF feel than is usual for him and I can understand how that might disappoint many of his traditional fans. However I still found these parts enjoyable with interesting and sympathetic characters and a plot that kept me on my toes. The first contact theme was a fascinating and absorbing exploration of sentient possibility.

There were a couple of flaws in the writing which I did find particularly annoying. Several times, particularly in the early parts of the book, Hamilton kept referring to the year most of the action takes place – 2143 – as being in the 23rd Century; just plain bad editing.

Spoiler

Then there was one moderately major plot point which Hamilton engineers by having a young detective, conscientious and good at his work, suddenly turn into a full blown stalker after just one meeting with a beautiful girl. This detective uses police resources to track her and even sabotage her relationship with her fiancé. Then after the plot point has been made he’s back to being a good cop again. This I found completely implausible and it really wouldn’t have been hard to have come up with a more realistic way of making that particular point.

However the biggest flaw was in how Hamilton reveals information to the reader. He drip feeds us backstory in flashbacks which always end just before an obviously critically important piece of information is about to be revealed, which, of course, he does reveal to us later when it suits the him. Withholding critical information is something that many books do but usually quite subtly; in Great North Road there is nothing subtle about it; each time it is blatantly obvious that he has, once again, stopped short of giving us information that is obviously more than a little important to what is already going on. I felt like I was being strung along in such an obvious way it was almost insulting. I still think it is very good book but, sadly, this dragged it down from the exalted heights of five stars.

A long book in which I never lost interest, flawed by some badly managed revelations and one implausible bit of plotting. A classic example of Hamilton’s supreme world building and intricate plotting. A very good book that could have been excellent.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

In Africa the "Great North Road" is I think Zambia / Zimbabwe (former N & S Rhodesia) ?

 

[Vertigo]

I don't think the title is a reference to that but rather to the A1 in the UK which mostly runs along the old 'Great North Road' and also to the dominant North family in the book; a large 'family' of (mainly) clones.

 

[picklematrix]

I think this book mainly appeals to people who are MASSIVELY into the Nights Dawn and Commonwealth books. It's not quite as good as either, while being equally indulgent, but if you are a fan of his excessiveness, then it's enjoyable enough. I liked it, but I will probably reread every other massive tome he has produced before I reread it.