IntheZone

Wow!! This book (and I include the continuation novel Judas Unchained) is the kitchen sink of sci-fi ideas and implementation all incorporated in a highly entertaining story.

This was the first novel I read from Peter F. Hamilton and he gives you plenty of aliens, a new twist on travel between worlds and lots of political intrigue in the Commonwealth saga. His story is so large that it takes some time to introduce all the characters and plot lines going on including lots of back story. I found myself backtracking several times to confirm people and places that had not been discussed recently but I am glad that I stuck with it as the action really gets going about halfway through the first book and does not really stop until the end of the second book.

What would the future look like if worm hole technology that gave anybody the ability to travel between worlds was invented some time in the 21st century? or medical science enabled rejuvenation technology that allowed a person to extend life indefinitely? or alien races, including some seriously hostile ones, that were as prevalent as nations are in today's world? Hamilton attempts to answer these questions in this series and does a damn fine job of it in my opinion!

I can enthusiastically recommend this series if you enjoy any of the sub-genres within science fiction.