One of the disadvantages of cycling to work each day is that I miss out on my book reading time on the bus. I may well be catching the bus a bit more frequently over the next week or so, as a book I’ve been waiting for has just been released in New Zealand. That book is The Temporal Void, by ‘Britain’s Number One Science Fiction Writer’1, Peter F. Hamilton.

Hamilton first came to my attention with his fantastic post-warming England detective tales centring around psychic Greg Mandel. Never one to embrace the common sequel, these three linked books each explored quite different themes. The Void trilogy, of which Temporal Void is the middle book, follows on some 1500 years from the events in his last Duology, begun with Pandora’s Star2. I’m not going to give you plot descriptions here, if you’re interested, get the books and read them yourself!

Hamilton writes the sort of science fiction that really appeals to me, by taking one or two small (or large, but still plausible) technological advances, and projecting it forward uncannily onto human endeavour. He seamlessly mixes galaxy spanning events and individual characterisation, never losing sight of the human equation. Though I have yet to even open it, I have been looking forward to this book for many months3, ever since learning the title. Sorry, but the geekyness of that many layered puns just appeals to me. (Okay, a very small amount of plot, to explain this: the ‘Void’ refers to an artificial universe created at the centre of our galaxy, but could also reference the growing power struggles amongst human factions, and the lack of leadership. ‘Temporal’ may reference the fact that time moves at a different rate in the void than the rest of the galaxy, or the growing schism between spiritual believers and non-believers. All very cool).

At 750 pages, it should keep me going for at least a couple of days.

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1 Who writes these things? Even if you were to discount an older generation of British writers like Arthur C. Clarke, or further back H. G. Wells, I would still dispute that Scottish authors Iain (M) Banks and Ken MacLeod would give him a run for his money. As marketing phrases go, I guess it must work!

2 This book has the most fantastic prologue I have ever read. It would stand alone perfectly well as a short story, and in a few short pages lets you into the main characters head effortlessly before turning around and knocking you out cold with the twist ending.

3 Though NZ has in the past been the first to release his books, in some cases beating even the UK by a fortnight, this time we’ve had to wait over a month more. Still – better than in the states, where it’s scheduled for early 2009!

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