Salvation Lost by Peter F Hamilton
I would like to thank Pan Macmillan for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher – Macmillan
Published – Out Now
Price - £9.99 paperback £5.99 Kindle eBook
Humanity rises to meet a powerful alien threat, in this extraordinary sequel to Peter F. Hamilton’s Salvation. This is a high-octane adventure from 'the most powerful imagination in science fiction' (Ken Follett).
Fight together - or die alone . . .
In the twenty-third century, humanity is enjoying a comparative utopia. Yet life on Earth is about to change, forever. Feriton Kane’s investigative team has discovered the worst threat ever to face mankind – and we’ve almost no time to fight back. The supposedly benign Olyix plan to harvest humanity, in order to carry us to their god at the end of the universe. And as their agents conclude schemes down on earth, vast warships converge above to gather this cargo.
Some factions push for humanity to flee, to live in hiding amongst the stars – although only a chosen few would make it out in time. But others refuse to break before the storm. As disaster looms, animosities must be set aside to focus on just one goal: wiping this enemy from the face of creation. Even if it means preparing for a future this generation will never see.
It is said that strategy lasts until the moment the first shot is fired. At that point when you finally meet your opponent the grand plans can either pay off or fall apart with new ones quickly required. Reading Salvation Lost the second part of Peter F Hamilton’s Salvation Sequence (the first of which Salvation is reviewed HERE ) gave me a grand story of humanity discovering it’s under threat of total conquest and where far in the future it’s last hope for survival find their grand plan isn’t enough to combat their greatest enemy.
A quick recap – in 2202 humanity discovered that their super friendly alien allies the Olyix were actually playing a long game to take the entire human population and convert it (willingly or not) into their strange religion which they have been doing for eons across the galaxy to any race they feel is sentient and advanced. They have created enemy agents who are infiltrating Earth to further their agenda for future invasion. Fortunately, another set of biological constructs created by the mysterious Neana. a race that fled the Olyix’s approach millennia ago. A small group of humans at the end of Salvation were stunned to find an intruder but this also has triggered the Olyix invasion of Earth.
What really impressed me in this story is Hamilton’s examination of an advanced earth and what happens if it meets an even more advanced invader. There is a wonderful sense of future global shock that a civilisation that has taken over it’s solar system and is beginning to terraform and harness the power of stars and interstellar portals is suddenly found to be impotent. More scarily that it’s biological marvels provided by the Olyix that can heal disease and morph bodies is actually a secret alien weapon that when we see what it is for turns into gruesome body horror. In this timeline we focus on the ingenious Callum a trouble-shooter who has to and save the planet and take some scary risks while we also get mercenary Kandara and the Nunea agent Jessika striking an uneasy truce trying to save earth but also see what the Neana are really up to.
In this Hamilton throws all the speculative idea of what a future earth looks like. How asteroids are converted into habitats or weapons; earth’s defence systems and the powerful computers watching and trying to do everything. The scale is vast and impressive and is painted with a feeling of solidity that I really liked – it’s a world that evolved into the technology rather than just assembled for the story. The reader gets a front row seat at the end of the world and I really liked how Hamilton played with the city of London you may recognise some of the streets and buildings but they are transformed into new purposes such as Kings Cross being used for portals and not trains.
The London storyline also centres on a young street gang trying to make a score while the chaos goes on but this felt the weakest element of the storyline and an opportunity for some truly cringing sex scenes – I could have done without the focus on how Viagra is replaced in the twenty third century. Despite that the overall theme is of the world as we know it ending and I really liked the action scenes and moments of body horror that come through.
The far future storyline also is well played with a focus on if you’ve played a chase and wait game against the Olyix for centuries what are the impacts on people’s psyche. Never settling down always running leads to some dark moments for the next generation. Happily, the leader Yirella has a strange idea that leads to an epic battle in space and more revelations for the future instalment.
Nothing is totally resolved in this novel, but the respective timelines are in very different places by the end and are setting up for what should be an epic conclusion. If you enjoy your SF big then this will appeal a lot!
