Peter Hamilton's space opera saga, which began with the Reality Dysfunction, Part 1: Emergence and Part 2: Expansion, continues in The Neutronium Alchemist, another two-volume novel. Now the battle lines are clearly drawn, and more than half a dozen plot lines are charging ahead as humanity's galaxy-spanning culture faces a terrifying revelation: souls of the dead are returning from the beyond to possess the living. The living, though competent and brave in the best science fiction tradition, must contend with history's greatest generals and leaders, as well as some unexpected champions. Al Capone, it seems, makes an excellent interstellar emperor. How do you fight an enemy whose every soldier is also a hostage and who, if killed, will simply return to possess someone else? The dilemmas are not just technical, but moral, as people face the first real proof of life after death.
This conflict is far broader, though, than a simple apocalyptic battle of good versus evil. Among the possessors are some good souls who fight the risen dead even though it's against their best interest. Conversely, plenty of the living see siding with the dead as an opportunity to further their own interests. Action, wonders, and mystery continue to characterize this high-quality series. --Brooks Peck
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In The Reality Dysfunction, it became horrifyingly clear that all of humanity was at risk of being taken over by the minds of those long dead, arriving in our universe by means that seem impossible to stop. More and more of the dead are stealing the bodies of those still living, grouping together into powerful consortiums led by leaders from history. Opposing this development is an increasingly desperate Confederation Navy. Joshua Calvert is assigned to chase after Alkad Mzu, who is trying to recover the "doomsday weapon" that might possibly blast the dead back into oblivion. Mzu is hunted not only by Joshua, but also by various intelligence agencies and the possessed themselves, all of whom are desperate to lay hands on the weapon.
The Neutronium Alchemist: Part 1 Consolidation FROM THE PUBLISHER
Humanity is in incredible peril. The minds of those long dead are taking over the bodies of the living, in increasingly alarming numbers. Joshua Calvert is desperately trying to recover a "doomsday weapon", an instrument that might blast the dead back into oblivion--but in the wrong hands, it could mean the end of the human race.
FROM THE CRITICS
Locus
This series is taking on one of SF's (and maybe all of literature's) primal jobs: the creation of a world with the scale and complexity of the real one.
VOYA - Marsha Valance
Hamilton's two volumes provide a painful example of the traditional space opera. Together, this 1,162-page work features undead souls "possessing" the bodies of the living, an escaped scientist with a superweapon (the neutronium alchemist) bent on revenge for her planet's genocide, and mechanically augmented pragmatists allying with genetically engineered philosophers to save the Confederation--and the universe. If better written, the entire work would call to mind the star-smashing world-building of another Hamilton (Edmund, who delighted readers in SF's golden age). Instead, readers encounter cardboard characters--including an arrogant sentient habitant in conflict with his possessed, revengeful grandson; two naive young noblewomen rescued by the spirit of Fletcher Christian possessing another's body; a sensation-seeking rock star who allies with the spirit of Al Capone (possessing another body) to conquer the universe; and many others--all of whose dialogue could be lifted from a 1930s pulp magazine or a Harlequin novel. The breakneck pace and frequent scene changes could appeal to young military SF fans, but since the writing and plot are on the level of a 1930s Flash Gordon serial, there are many other authors whose purchase would be preferable in these days of limited budgets--for example, Lois M. Bujold, Gordon Dickson, David Drake, or S. M. Stirling. Note: This review was written and published to address two titles: The Neotronium Alchemist Part 1: Consolidation and Part 2: Conflict. VOYA Codes: 2Q 2P S (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q, For the YA with a special interest in the subject, Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).
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