The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton

The Reality Dysfunction (Night's Dawn #1) by Peter F. Hamilton
Publication date: January 26th 1996
Publisher: Pan Books
Format: Paperback
Buy it here: Amazon, The Book Depository

Goodreads Description

In AD 2600 the human race is finally beginning to realize its full potential. Hundreds of colonized planets scattered across the galaxy host a multitude of prosperous and wildly diverse cultures. Genetic engineering has pushed evolution far beyond nature's boundaries, defeating disease and producing extraordinary spaceborn creatures. Huge fleets of sentient trader starships thrive on the wealth created by the industrialization of entire star systems. And throughout inhabited space the Confederation Navy keeps the peace. A true golden age is within our grasp.

But now something has gone catastrophically wrong. On a primitive colony planet a renegade criminal's chance encounter with an utterly alien entity unleashes the most primal of all our fears. An extinct race which inhabited the galaxy aeons ago called it "The Reality Dysfunction." It is the nightmare which has prowled beside us since the beginning of history.

Wow, where do I begin with this book? 

First thing I will mention is that this book is 1200 pages and loaded with sci-fi jargon, so it's not for everybody. However, if you can endure the initial 100 or so pages where the story begins to progress, it’ll be well worth your time. And what a story it is! The word ‘epic’ is bandied around all too often these days, but honestly… I can’t think of a better way to describe it. Peter F. Hamilton has managed to create a vast universe with a rich history and an intricate political structure across a variety of worlds and cultures. However, Hamilton chooses not to elaborate on things like the mercantile Kulu empire and the militaristic commonwealth. This would usually be inexcusable in a novel this size, but they ARE covered in Hamilton’s other commonwealth novels in more detail, which (admittedly) I’ve yet to read...

The story starts off slow, as the first few hundred pages focuses on the sentient ‘bitek’ (a sentient organic matter, relied on by genetically engineered Edenists to create spaceships and planets), outpost Tranquility and the commonwealth planet Lalonde with its population of exiled convict labourers and wide-eyed colonists, of which the main pool of characters are drawn from (trust me, there are a lot of them). In fact, it’s worth mentioning that the action flits between protagonists fairly regularly, which can be quite disorientating in the few high-action moments.

I definitely wouldn’t describe this as an action-packed novel - and it does suffer from fairly frequent pacing issues, and I admit, this would be an issue for me if the setting and subplots were not so thoroughly engaging. For example, during the inevitable convict uprising on the Colony planet Lalonde, we are treated to the exploits of the archetypal young manrogue Joshua Calvert, who treats us to the *ahem* racier moments and some pretty cool settings throughout his quest (such as Atlantis, which as its name suggests, is almost entirely covered by ocean, as well as Norfolk which could briefly be described as Downton Abbey in Space) to become… well I’m not sure at this moment in time.

Now back to the storyline… I’m anxious not to give too much away, but to sum it up briefly: 

Thousands of years ago, an ancient advanced alien society suddenly suffered an instantaneous mass extinction thousands of years ago and scientists are on the verge of a breakthrough in the modern day whilst simultaneously things are getting weird on the colony planets like demonic possessions and mass murder - you know the usual. It is these moments that drive most of the action and are suitably disturbing and seem designed to make the reader question the nature of death (no spoilers), which it does to great effect. The themes of religion and human evolution are also prevalent throughout the story, with mistrust between the Adamists (humans) and the Edenists (genetically engineered humans who can telepathically communicate with Bitek), as well as the exploration of baser human nature and the limitations of science, - which are at this point pretty standard fare for sci-fi novels, but are at times handled clumsily and sometimes feels like Hamilton has shoehorned them in to lend intelligence to the novel.

Another problem is the reliance on jargon: there is a hell of a lot of it and it can often be difficult to remember the difference between a Voidhawk and a Blackhawk, as is the occasional (but thankfully brief) bombardment of high science, although it becomes more than manageable in the end and actually enriches the universe even more.

Now, as you can probably tell, I’ve been intentionally vague regarding the plot and that is because I am incredibly reluctant to give any of the wider plot details away, as despite the pacing issues, the story is still masterfully crafted. However, as I have mentioned before, this is not a light read. If you can make the commitment to suffer through the initially confusing technojargon, you will find there is a lot to love. The sheer amount of characters consequently means that some never feel as fleshed out as they could be and the story is prone to meandering. Also, do not expect the loose ends to be tied (I forgot to mention this is part of a trilogy, oh yes there’s another 2400 pages in this series) by the end, but it is one hell of a journey that rarely feels like a chore, thanks to the rich setting and captivating story. It manages to create a sense of mystery, tension and a scale which many less-talented writers could reasonably pull off though.

Is this book for everybody? No, definitely not. Is it for you? Well… if you love a good space opera with rich story arcs and a beautifully realised setting, intertwined with a healthy amount of existential horror, then I couldn’t recommend it enough!

If you are undecided, then there’s only one way to find out: take the plunge. I’m sure you won’t regret it.