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Summary

Britain's bestselling SF writer returns to outer space.

In AD 2329, humanity has colonised over four hundred planets, all of them interlinked by wormholes. With Earth at its centre, the Intersolar Commonwealth now occupies a sphere of space approximately four hundred light years across.

When an astronomer on the outermost world of Gralmond, observes a star 2000 light years distant - and then a neighbouring one - vanish, it is time for the Commonwealth to discover what happened to them. For what if their disappearance indicates some kind of galactic conflict? Since a conventional wormhole cannot be used to reach these vanished stars, for the first time humans need to build a faster-than-light star ship, the Second Chance. But it arrives to find each 'vanished' star encased in a giant force field -- and within one of them resides a massive alien civilisation.
©2004 Peter F Hamilton (P)2008 Tantor Media Inc
Adventure Space Opera
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What listeners say about Pandora's Star

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Stephen

Very solid and enjoyable space opera

I enjoyed this book (which is part 1 of a 2 part story - see Judas Unchained for aprt 2) which takes place in the Commonwealth - a version of human kinds future where the stars are within reach via wormholes and you can, mostly, if you're reasonably careful, live forever!

The story is about the discovery of a couple of stars which dissapear, the investigation as to what happened and the subsequent consequences. Hard to write this review without spoliers so I shall skip the detail of the plot and just say it is quite complex and there is a lot of detail but never so much that you end up confused as to who is doing what and why - a triumph in books this large in both size and scope.

The characters are well described and Hamilton spendsa a lot of the time in the book detailing people and places in a infinite detail. There were time's I really thought the book could have been 2/3 of the length but after reading Judas Unchained afterwards I was impressed how pretty much everything came together with good solid reasons for the details in the first (and also the second) book.

I really liked the Commonwealth and the tech and the concept of people living for >200 years allowing them to have several marriages and so on, with the ability to block out bits of the past. I also enjoyed what was discovered at Pandora's Star and felt that how this was described and built up was really very good.

It's a long book, but the pay off is worth it in my opinion. This was my first Hamilton book and I look forward to reading the others.

I see some criticism of the narrator, and it did take me a few chapters to get used to him, but his speech was clear and personally I did not find it a problem. After listening to tyhe sequel as well it's a good job too - must be 50+ hours!

In summary, a great space opera, long and detailed but with some nice ideas. Moderately hard core sci-fi which is easy to read yet epic is scale and scope.

23 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for dannacet

Unexpectedly superb sci-fi

I haven't read any sci-fi for a long time, but based upon its star rating I decided I would give this a go. what a pleasant surprise. The character development and story delivered something quite enthralling. I am already looking forward to the next book.

7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for christopher

An amazing story that only leads to wanting more

If you could sum up Pandora's Star in three words, what would they be?

Complex, Detailed and Beautiful

What did you like best about this story?

It’s a mix between the paths and the Politics within the commonwealth.

Which character – as performed by John Lee – was your favourite?

Aussie!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

One sitting would be too long but listened to it over 5 days well worth it.

Any additional comments?

An outstanding story and performance with the need for more each time you pause.

6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Jon

One Of The Best SciFi Books Ever!

Would you consider the audio edition of Pandora's Star to be better than the print version?

For any SciFi lover this book has it all. The plot is gripping with plenty of truly breathtaking science. I can highly recommend this book as must read. It is up there with the greats of SciFi - Arthur C Clarke, Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein.

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Dr. S. Johnston

Absolutely fabulous!

A space-opera on a grand scale, this really is a modern classic. The narration is fabulous, John Lee has a great style, all the main characters have their own voices, that are instantly recognisable, making it a pleasure to listen to. Even better this is a great vision of the future for the human race, not one of the more depressing dystopian affairs.



I originally bought this because of the lengthy run-time (lots of long-distance driving) but this should not put anyone off - it's very easy to listen to, the pace never lets up, and you're through it all too soon. Some of the characters you can't help but love, even some of the more machiavellian (Ozzy, the super-genius surfer dude, is my personal favourite).



For those who like this, Judas Unchained is the sequel that continues the story and is equally as good. I have a feeling, after this, most of Peter Hamilton's books are going to be making their way into my wishlist.

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Mr N.

Excellant

This is the first part of two culminating in Judas Unchained. This book, whilst entertaining, proves to be more difficult to engage, as there is much foundation to the plot and characters to be established. Peter Hamilton's description and character development are again superb and this book is well worth the effort, particularly as the second part of the series is 5 Star.

5 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Si
  • Si
  • 18-06-14

The good just about outweighs the bad

I read this in print some time ago but when I recently listened to it on audio it seems to have lost some of its magic. What struck me most this time was Hamilton's long-winded explorations of trivia and his excruciating fixation on teenage girls. Almost every female character has a body age of under 19 and Hamilton describes them in detail, normally starting with the breasts. It's a wonder he can write so many books using only one hand.

That aside I do still like the universe he creates and the way he integrates believable future tech into the story. As a creator of believable far-future worlds he's one of the best.

And the narration? No. Just, no. John Lee would make a great newsreader but for a story like this, not a chance. He sounds like a cross between Rising Damp's Rigsby and the host at a spelling bee. He pronounces every syllable with such clarity you can almost hear him winding up before each word, the individual sounds clattering off his tongue like the noise of malfunctioning farm machinery. If he could do this whilst retaining the emotive content directed by the text then maybe I could live with it, but he can't, and I can't.

38 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Xander

Don’t understand how he pulled this off

This (together with its part 2 ) is a LONG book… over 70 hours… longer than the hobbit and loth1,2 and 3 combined…

Yet he somehow manages to maintain the story arc…

That is a very impressive feat…

Properly written, decent quality sci-fi. Nothing too new but certainly interesting.

The narrator is perfect

One downside is the way women are written. The story is very much a “heterosexual mans eye view” of the cosmos… i found it just about bearable but if this especially triggers you… don’t start this 70+ hour journey…

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Mango Chutney

Just can't listen to narrator....

I have listened to a lot of audiobooks, usually as passenger in a car.
Everyone is different, but for me I also could not continue listening to this book. I listened to the preview and thought it was OK, but believe me after a while it is totally brain numbing.
Peter F Hamilton takes ages getting to the point, and likes to describe loads of scene setting stuff and frankly tons of superfluous detail and observations that are of no real relevance to main plot or story. This is OK if reading - but somehow this narrator so slow and tries to dwell on words as if he is enacting a dramatic scene in a dark twisted play - and he does this ALL the time. It's difficult to concentrate on, and he moves from chapters as if there is no break so you sometimes don't realise he's talking about a different scene or person until its a minute in so you have to rewind.
I actually ended up trying to listen to him at 1.5 times speed - and was surprised that even at that speed, some words at the end of his sentences still seemed unnecessarily drawn out. Sounded like a cross between Richard Burton reading in the stye of James T Kirk (the actual character not William Shatner)
This narrator might be good for some styles of books, but definitely not P.F.Hamilton.
In the end I have tried on 3 separate occasions to listen to this in the car - and have decided to give up.

24 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Hamish Muirhead

Starship Second Rate encounters Ham Accents

This isn't about the story - I bought the books in paper format long ago. The fact that I spent more money and time in order to listen to the books shows that I like the storyline enough. It's about the narration.

The non-dialogue narration is for the most part ok. One major personal niggle: Hamilton writes 'further' - the narrator says 'farther'. I prefer the former in much the same extent I prefer R&B of the 1960s to R&B of the 21st century. But apart from that, the intonation is adequate.

Sadly the narrator tries to augment the dialogue with a panoply of cod accents ranging through steroidal North American (far too much of this - it often sounds like a Dallas clone that never even made pilot) , a smattering of Oirish and a French accent that would have shamed 'Allo 'Allo in much the same way that HP sauce augments a tuna nicoise salad. The result is often merely bearable rather than enjoyable. I suppose it is a testament to how much I liked the original story that I persisted.

2 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for Robert N. Stephenson
  • Robert N. Stephenson
  • 13-12-12

And So this Massive Journey Begins

What did you love best about Pandora's Star?

The grand size of the book surprised and pleased me at the same time. While some of the technical jargon was hard to follow at first the book was dedicated in part to helping me understand and I appreciated this.

What other book might you compare Pandora's Star to and why?

I cannot compare anything I have read, but I can say there is a smattering of Brin, Asimov, Bova and even Benford within the text and it was a joy to hear something new that in a way also paid some kind of hommage to these great writers. Hamilton is unique though and this work is not a characature of those that have come before.

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I find John Lee to be a good narrator, his clarity is outstanding and his light inflections on tone and voice go a long way in developing a good connection between the story and the listening. I believe any book narrated b y him would be a damn fine listen.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I suppose in the end I could relate well to the character Ozzie and his final outburst matched mine, or I his. It was shock, disappointment, excitement and wonder all rolled into one. I purchased the next book within minutes of completing this one. So, yes, I developed a strong connection with the story and have fallen for the massive world view Hamilton has created.

Any additional comments?

Don't listen to this in big swathes unless you have time to burn. I did this in short 1 hour blocks which allowed me to consider the story a little before continuing. That helped a great deal with understanding and over all enjoyment.

5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Mark
  • Mark
  • 29-07-13

Awesome story written by a brilliant mind

Would you consider the audio edition of Pandora's Star to be better than the print version?

The intertwined lives of the various characters and species, but most of all the complete escape from what we call normal, into a world (Sorry I should say galaxy) that just blows your mind.

Which scene was your favorite?

There were just too many really interesting and funny scenes to single out any in particular, I really enjoy Peter's sense of humour, and John Lee brings this across so nicely

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

After listening to all of his books on Audible, I started all over again, this is the second time I've listened to The Commonwealth saga, and both books are excellent. This is most definitely a good listen

Any additional comments?

I would love to meet Peter in person, with a brain that can come up with all the amazing technologies and incredible places and people in the characters in the books as only Peter introduces in his work. He's amazing. Sounds corny but living in one of his worlds sound absolutely amazing, I love listening to his stories.

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Benjamin
  • 18-09-10

Wonderful & transporting!

I have been a fan of PFH's work for some time, and jumped at the opportunity to get this audiobook. In short, the material is fabulous and John Lee's confident reading is inspirational. He brings this exciting and non-stop story to life! Thoroughly recommended!

4 people found this helpful

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Profile Image for Andrew
  • Andrew
  • 20-03-12

Amazing saga

Would you listen to Pandora's Star again? Why?

Absolutely I will listen to this again. I didn't want this book to end, so many sub-stories within the main text, great characters and the amazing world in which the live.

What other book might you compare Pandora's Star to and why?

The Rama series would be the next best thing aside from other Peter F Hamilton books.

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I hated John Lee's narration when I first heard him narrate the Dreaming Void, but after a few chapters he settles in and I started to enjoy his narration. The same applied to this book but this time I was expecting it so it did not bug me so much. In the early part of the book he sounds like he is over emphasizing parts of the sentence and overall it sounds to staccato in his speech but then he settles into normal reading pattern as he progresses.

Any additional comments?

Best series I have ever read, after reading Game of Thrones series it was a pleasure to read a well written series that was as interesting on page one as it was on the last page.

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Chris
  • Chris
  • 25-09-10

Excellent book, narration could be better

A word of warning, don't buy this book unless you plan to get the second (Judas Unchained). It's really one book split into two, so the story ends abruptly in book one.

Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained is a true science fiction epic, it intertwines the various stories of disperate characters together with a complex plot that gradually builds to a dramatic and satisfying climax.

I wasn't blown away by the narrator; he manages to give distinct voices to the characters and generally gives enough emphasis and inflection to keep things interesting, but he doesn't sound particualy enthused and failed to draw me in at times. Also, he has an annoying habit of stressing the beginning of every sentence and trailing off towards the end. I found this distracting, but it's probably a matter of taste.

3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Katarina
  • Katarina
  • 08-08-17

Perfect if you want to take your time

This is a VERY long and detailed telling, with many characters, many of whom (sort of) protagonists. So from the start you'll have to pay attention, otherwise you'll get lost quickly. I had to 'rewind' several times because I wasn't paying close attention for a whole minute. So this novel is not something to listen to while doing lots of other stuff that requires your attention.

That being said, if you do like to invest the time and effort, this scifi novel offers a pretty immersive story, the author taking his time to paint his universe. His characters are fleshed out very well, and none are 100% 'good' or 'bad', which gives them a realistic feel.
As for the scifi aspects, I enjoyed this author's concept of human society a couple of centuries from now. How humans tackled the immortality problem, the everyday tech gadgets that are used by everyone, and even its application to... porn. Really fun ideas, without getting crass or sleezy. However, be aware that there are several instances of crude language, if that is something you deem important to know.

The author has also integrated diversity into his character concepts, different races and sexual preferences are incorporated in a very natural way without drawing unnecessary attention but present nonetheless. The only thing that does not get much attention is religion; none of the characters seem religious in any way, the entire human race seems to have a naturalistic viewpoint. Which is the only thing I found lacking in this otherwise colorfully diverse universe.

The narration is terrific, with lots of different accents and voices done by John Lee. He is a joy to listen to, and adds emotion and identity to his characters without overacting. I especially enjoyed his high society females, the way he read them was absolutely fantastic. Loved it all.

The editing makes it very hard to distinguish between chapters, and even viewpoints. There are no pauses whatsoever. So one minute your completely into one character's story unfolding, and literally the very next sentence takes you to a whole different character WITHOUT mentioning them by name so you still think you're at the previous viewpoint! Another reason to rewind several times...

Nevertheless I recommend this novel, and I went ahead and bought its sequel as well, titled Judas Unchained.

#FirstContact #Clever #Suspenseful #CommonwealthSaga #Galaxy #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for james
  • james
  • 18-09-10

Pandora's Star

Great story, well narrated, although accents and voice modulation mixed for some characters.

Disappointed with the end. It was so abrupt that I went looking for an extra download, thinking I'd missed one of the download files. I would still recommend this book though.

2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for Mr Robert W newton
  • Mr Robert W newton
  • 12-12-12

Great story, deep characters

Would you listen to Pandora's Star again? Why?

While it is one of those "every detail down to the nose hair" books, the characters are deeply developed.
Hamilton offers an insight into a scientifically plausible future with great insight and interesting story line.
yes a tad long and you must buy the second book but if you like the first hour, you will love the rest. one of those that is hard to press stop.

1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Profile Image for William
  • William
  • 14-09-12

Fantastic Sci Fi

Absolutely love the ideas in this book, Peter F. Hamilton does a brilliant job of fleshing out an extremely interesting and compelling future. Some may be turned off by the wordy descriptions of tech but I absolutely loved that aspect of the book. Maybe the character development isn't quite what it could be but overall I just thought it all came together incredibly successfully. I have to get the next chapter in this saga because of the cliff hanger that it leaves you on. I will definitely check out his other works as well as I am extremely impressed with his tech knowledge and the way he implements that in his story. Fantastic stuff.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Ted
  • Ted
  • 14-06-11

Pandora and Judas ....so far

Hooowee!!!!.... strap in for a cosmic ride of scifi seasoned with a pinch of fantasy.
LIke most good eats, this is done to a turn and slow cooked in a faster than light oven that captivates with what's happening now and the aroma of the feasting to come.
You will not want it to finish.... but you will crave for the end........a blissful dilemma


Great science fiction.
.

1 person found this helpful