So, obligatory mention of data protection done, I figured since the summer (or for those people in the northern hemisphere \u2013 winter) break is usually a time to put your feet up and read a good book, I might share some of the things I’ve read and listened to over the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Commonwealth Saga<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nsrd.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Hamilton.jpg\")
Peter F. Hamilton’s Commonwealth Saga<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI discovered Peter F. Hamilton in 2006 on holiday, initially reading his Night’s Dawn Trilogy. I liked his writing but it wasn’t until his Commonwealth Saga, starting with Pandora’s Star, that I fell in love with his work. Admittedly, none of these books are new. Pandora’s Star and Judas Unchained were released in 2004 and 2005 respectively, and it initially seemed they’d just be a fantastic pair. But he followed them with The Dreaming Void, The Temporal Void and The Evolutionary Void in 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively. And he even managed another two in the same universe, The Abyss Beyond Dreams (2014) and Night Without Stars (2016).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I’ve read, and re-read these books so many times, to the point that they’re now “comfort reading”. The books you read when you’re between other books and you just can’t find something that grabs your interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a science fiction series I find totally gripping \u2013 and, I think so much so because it paints a vision of future I’d love to live in. It also has, I believe, arguably the best description ever of a truly alien species. And I’m not talking funny-noses-Star-Trek style aliens. I definitely re-read this series at least once this year, and if you’ve never read Hamilton before, I’d certainly suggest starting with this block of books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are all relatively long books \u2013 even for me as a fast reader when I’m glued to something, it takes me a full month to get through them, end-to-end. (My reading is mainly during meals It’s often only new books I read at any time away from the dining table.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nBirdsong<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I discovered Peter F. Hamilton in 2006 on holiday, initially reading his Night’s Dawn Trilogy. I liked his writing but it wasn’t until his Commonwealth Saga, starting with Pandora’s Star, that I fell in love with his work. Admittedly, none of these books are new. Pandora’s Star and Judas Unchained were released in 2004 and 2005 respectively, and it initially seemed they’d just be a fantastic pair. But he followed them with The Dreaming Void, The Temporal Void and The Evolutionary Void in 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively. And he even managed another two in the same universe, The Abyss Beyond Dreams (2014) and Night Without Stars (2016).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I’ve read, and re-read these books so many times, to the point that they’re now “comfort reading”. The books you read when you’re between other books and you just can’t find something that grabs your interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a science fiction series I find totally gripping \u2013 and, I think so much so because it paints a vision of future I’d love to live in. It also has, I believe, arguably the best description ever of a truly alien species. And I’m not talking funny-noses-Star-Trek style aliens. I definitely re-read this series at least once this year, and if you’ve never read Hamilton before, I’d certainly suggest starting with this block of books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are all relatively long books \u2013 even for me as a fast reader when I’m glued to something, it takes me a full month to get through them, end-to-end. (My reading is mainly during meals It’s often only new books I read at any time away from the dining table.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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