Nights Dawn

[Rob Wilson]

Anyone read Peter F hamiltons "nights Dawn" trilogy? It was actually printed as 6 books in the US as the publishers deemed the individual books too big for the american audience. Good Hard Sci-fi with some nice weapons and Ships.

[septesix]

I read them all in a couple of weeks. It's probably one of the biggest space opera (in term of active characters). I find it amazning that Hamilton can keep track of so many different things without making the books too confusing...

he started some philosophic stuff near the end of the last book, but they aren't too long to interferer with the story.

Overall a very entertaining serise, very good read, the ending might be a bit too sudden, but the books warns you about it on its cover so I'm fine with it.

[Rob Wilson]

I read them all in a couple of weeks. It's probably one of the biggest space opera (in term of active characters). I find it amazning that Hamilton can keep track of so many different things without making the books too confusing...

he started some philosophic stuff near the end of the last book, but they aren't too long to interferer with the story.

Overall a very entertaining serise, very good read, the ending might be a bit too sudden, but the books warns you about it on its cover so I'm fine with it.

After reading it (and realising it came out long before Andromeda) did you notice how like Andromeda's missile swarms the Combat Wasps were? And did your mind go pop trying to envision Tranquilities little jaunt.

[David]

I haven't read it but I will now that you brought it to my attention. What's wrong with bg books????? The price, that's what.

[septesix]

After reading it (and realising it came out long before Andromeda) did you notice how like Andromeda's missile swarms the Combat Wasps were? And did your mind go pop trying to envision Tranquilities little jaunt.

Well, the Combat Wasps were far more advance than Andromeda's simple smart misslies. Wasps are weapon platform themselves, carrying beams, projectile, and even anit-matter in the rare & illegal case, and an advanced enough computer to control all that. However, they don't seem to have the high velocity of the smart missles though.

[Rob Wilson]

Well, the Combat Wasps were far more advance than Andromeda's simple smart misslies. Wasps are weapon platform themselves, carrying beams, projectile, and even anit-matter in the rare & illegal case, and an advanced enough computer to control all that. However, they don't seem to have the high velocity of the smart missles though.

Oh aye, I'm not saying the Andromeda ones were any better, i just remmber seeing the show and thinking "Ah well another good Idea ripped off for cheesy sci-fi TV"

I think the Nietchian's would be a bit envious of the Combat-boosted Mercs and Marines though.

[septesix]

Oh aye, I'm not saying the Andromeda ones were any better, i just remmber seeing the show and thinking "Ah well another good Idea ripped off for cheesy sci-fi TV"

Plenty of good idea get ripped off for cheesy sci-fi TV, at least Andromeda did it in a better looking style IMO

I think the Nietchian's would be a bit envious of the Combat-boosted Mercs and Marines though.

No Kidding. The Combat-boosted Mercs are the most advanced one without resorting to any totally weired out tech. I mean, those boosting tech were actaully believable!

Not to metion even civilian-grades consumer "electronics" are much better than most Sci-Fi has to offer

[David]

Can ya'll give me some idea about what it is about?

[Rob Wilson]

Can ya'll give me some idea about what it is about?

Not without giving away the main premise of the Attacks. Hang on though and I'll give you a spoiler free summary.

[Rob Wilson]

Can ya'll give me some idea about what it is about?

Ok here's the Spoiler free summary.

It's the future and Earth is in the Midst of a Colonisation spurt. They have developed a FTL travel method called ZTT and are using it to start up new colonies far across the Galaxy. They have Met 2 Alien races (and I do mean alien, in appearance and thought) and the ruins of a third.
Now there are not really that many characters (it's not like a Robert Jordan book ) but there is a lot of moving between points in the story (hence the sheer size of the books). The technology is not uber-advanced but a good extrapolation of what might be (and it's effects on the society of the future). You start the first book thrown in at the deep end with none of the jargon explained to you, but as you go along it all starts to make sense so don't worry.

Humans are split into two types, those that use Mechanical Technology to advance their goals (called Adamists) and those that use Organic methods ( called Edenists) and no it's not the tired trope most people think it is for Organic tech. Think along the lines of Organic Computers and a form of telepathy (whereas the Adamists use a sort of Bluetooth analogue to do the same thing). The reason for the split is because the Religions of the Earth Deemed Organic tech to be Against God (pick a god, any god) and the Mechanical Tech companies seeing their profits running away jumped on the Bandwagon to secure their marketshares. This Forced the Edenists (so named because the biggest use of Organic tech was to grow a Habitat in Jupiters orbit called Eden).

It's a well thought out universe with some great Idea's and uses of those idea's. Give it a read and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

[David]

Sounds good. I must now find it. Is this a recent book or old.

[Rob Wilson]

Sounds good. I must now find it. Is this a recent book or old.

They were released as six books in the US, below are the Amazon.com URLs for all six. In the UK and the rest of the world they were a trilogy. As to age, the first book was released in 1996, the last in 1999


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... r=1-16/ref
=sr_1_16/102-7689077-2987310

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... r=1-15/ref
=sr_1_15/102-7689077-2987310

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... r=1-14/ref
=sr_1_14/102-7689077-2987310

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... r=1-12/ref
=sr_1_12/102-7689077-2987310

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... r=1-6/ref=
sr_1_6/102-7689077-2987310

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... r=1-5/ref=
sr_1_5/102-7689077-2987310

[Dead on Arrival]

Awesome series of books, though one scene rubbed me the wrong way. I have serious doubts an anti-matter bomb implanted in someone's body would be sufficient to wipe out ships dozens/hundreds of km away from the point of detonation. Hamilton says he worked the math, but it didn't sit right with me nonetheless...

[Darth_Shinji]

Spoiler question, so if someone is willing to comment please pm me. So we don't ruining the story twists. Any ideas on what happen to AL?

[Rob Wilson]

Awesome series of books, though one scene rubbed me the wrong way. I have serious doubts an anti-matter bomb implanted in someone's body would be sufficient to wipe out ships dozens/hundreds of km away from the point of detonation. Hamilton says he worked the math, but it didn't sit right with me nonetheless...

The Gamma ray release was the thing that hurt the voidhawks as far as I remember, the destruction to Trafalgar was however a bit much (though it was close in when it went boom). Though the biggest damage was electronic wasn't it.

If you think the reply is going into Spoiler territory, PM me.

[The Episiarch]

Umm, may be *I* was the one who read it the wrong way (I don't think so), but didn't he detonated the content of the ship's antimatter confinement chamber? That's the ship's fuel load I don't think he was implanted with any antimatter at all. Indeed, it didn't seem that there was any method of implanting hidden antimatter into a human being available in the Night Dawn trilogy.

It was the ship's load antimatter that went off in a suicide attack and from what I remember there was a fair bit of it (anti-M) too.

Someone with an implanted antimatter bomb can instead be found in 'Revelation Space' by Alastair Reynolds

[septesix]

Spolier Alert! if you haven't read the book stop reading this post


Actually, It was an embeded Antimatter container withing Pyror's abdomen. He hijack control of the ship, self-destruct the ship, then switch off the antimatter container while he was inside a life capulse floating toward Trafargar.

So , in short, yes, it was an implanted antimatter bomb (actaully it was just a few grams of anit-hyderogen)

not to metion that the ship he was on carried no antimatter to start with. Anitmatter are banned throughout the Confed in the book.

[The Episiarch]

Sorry, you were indeed right, silly me I just checked my copy of The Naked God and it was indeed an implant within his abdomen. Though I reckon it is not improbable to fit a fair quantity of anti-M into a containment device that can be fit into a grown man's abdomen, certainly enough to cause the devastation depicted by Hamilton.

Meanwhile, I see that you are a fan of the Xeelee sequence...since the Spline are armed with Xeelee starbreakers, would that make them planet-killers too? Afterall, one did (admittedly accidentally) destroyed the Qax's star...How about the Nightfighter, wouldn't that be the ultimate fighter? Something no bigger than an X-wing (discounting the discountiuity wings) capable of cracking worlds. Maybe the Xeelee should be introduced into the 'vs' forum?

[septesix]

Meanwhile, I see that you are a fan of the Xeelee sequence...since the Spline are armed with Xeelee starbreakers, would that make them planet-killers too? Afterall, one did (admittedly accidentally) destroyed the Qax's star...How about the Nightfighter, wouldn't that be the ultimate fighter? Something no bigger than an X-wing (discounting the discountiuity wings) capable of cracking worlds. Maybe the Xeelee should be introduced into the 'vs' forum?

This is completely off topic now, however, the impression I get from the short story about the "Snow Flake" where the quote of Spline having planet cracking weapon, was that it was merely an human imitation of the famed Xeelee weapon. But they are still planet killer nevertheless

As for the normal Xeelee stuff......go ahead, rasie the debate, I bet within 1 hours someone from SB will response with Culture or something more dangerous.

[Vendetta]

Utterly excellent books. Absolutely mindfucking in terms of scale. (and who else kicked themselves at the JC?)

Anyone else read Fallen Dragon? that's rather damn good as well (the Mindstar books aren't as great, but they're still a fair old read, remind me of Luther Arkwright a bit though)

If you like the Night's Dawn story, and haven't already, get "A Second Chance at Eden" to see how the Confederation evolved as it did, and the original adamist/edenist split.

[The Episiarch]

Yep, I've read [/i]A Second Chance at Eden particularly love 'beastie baiting', make stuff like Robot War look down right lame (though I have seen a few ep of the UK version and there are some good designs like Razer, PussyCat and Chaos 2).
I'm waiting for Fallen Dragon to come out on paperback (actually I think it *is* out, just haven't gotten around to getting it), that should be a good one to read.
Haven't read any Culture novels, though I wish I have just so I can compare them with the Xeelee...I wonder if the Culture can fight off the Photino birds...?

[Vendetta]

Yep, I've read [/i]A Second Chance at Eden particularly love 'beastie baiting', make stuff like Robot War look down right lame (though I have seen a few ep of the UK version and there are some good designs like Razer, PussyCat and Chaos 2).

Razer's a badass, not the world champions for nothing you know. Only robot from the US version that can stand up to the best of the UK's is Frenzy.

Literally, there was a transatlantic challenge match, first round eliminated every US competitor except Frenzy, which lost out to either Razer or Mortis, (some of the more serious competitors, Mortis has an axe on with penetration equivalent to a .38 magnum against bulletproof plastic, Razer's beak is a hydraulic system that puts on a pressure of around 3 tons at it's point)

[The Episiarch]

I know this is dirfting way off topic but I kinda have a soft spot for Pussy Cat. That saw! But yeah, Razer's one mean and classy looking machine.
Down in in Australia, they've only just shown us Robot Wars UK series 4 and now they decided to do a U-turn and show us series 3 instead...figures! I want series 5!

[Morat]

Haven't read any Culture novels, though I wish I have just so I can compare them with the Xeelee...I wonder if the Culture can fight off the Photino birds...?

The Culture probably couldn't do it (FTL's way too slow to fight Xeelee stuff), but the Sublimed could probably take down the Photino Birds. The Excession might be able to do it, but we don't really know enough about that to be sure.

[septesix]

Haven't read any Culture novels, though I wish I have just so I can compare them with the Xeelee...I wonder if the Culture can fight off the Photino birds...?

The Culture probably couldn't do it (FTL's way too slow to fight Xeelee stuff), but the Sublimed could probably take down the Photino Birds. The Excession might be able to do it, but we don't really know enough about that to be sure.

*look at the above quote* You must be from SB too, eh