Neutronium Alchemist (Nights Dawn Trilogy 2) [Paperback]

Peter F Hamilton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0330351435 | ISBN-13: 978-0330351430 | Publication Date: October 9, 1998

The second volume in the "Night's Dawn" trilogy. An ancient menace has escaped from Lalonde, shattering the Confederation's existence. In such times the last thing the galaxy needs is a new, powerful weapon. Yet Dr Mzu is determined to retrieve the Alchemist, so that she can complete a vendetta.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This enormous middle volume of the Night's Dawn trilogy, first published in the 1990s, is a solid space opera best suited to readers familiar with the first book, The Reality Dysfunction (republished in 2009), and who have a lot of time on their hands. The sprawling 27th-century epic mainly focuses on the struggles of humanity against people possessed by the spirits of the dead. When Chicago gangster Al Capone is revived, he uses his organizational skills to plot the spirits' conquest. Separately, scientist Alkad Mzu seeks revenge on the planet that destroyed her own with a weapon of mass destruction that she developed. An enormous cast of characters and an introductory time line that doesn't cover the events of the first book will leave newcomers floundering, and readers expecting gripping moral dilemmas or complex philosophical discussions will be disappointed by the focus on violence (including several sexual assaults) and intrigue. (Jan.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1225 pages
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan (October 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330351435
• ISBN-13: 978-0330351430
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,201,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Peter F. Hamilton was born in Rutland in 1960, and still lives near Rutland Water. His previous novels are the Greg Mandel series and the bestselling 'Night's Dawn' trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction , The Neutronium Alchemist and The Naked God. Also published by Macmillan (and Pan) is A Second Chance at Eden, a novella and six short stories, and The Confederation Handbook, a vital guide to the 'Night's Dawn' trilogy. His most recent novels were Fallen Dragon, Misspent Youth, Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a challenging read, March 2, 2011

By 

William Costello - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Neutronium Alchemist (The Night's Dawn) (Kindle Edition)

Of the three in the trilogy, TNA is by far the densest. You just want it to end so you can reach the conclusion. It had none of the build-up and character development of TRD. It just seems to drift. And for everyone you keeps referring to the possessed as zombies...please try to get it right. The souls who inhabit the unwilling victims by means of the reality dysfunction are not mindless, brain eating zombies. With their energistic powers and ability to control matter and appearance, they are about as far from zombies as possible. Regardless, it's still an interesting and fascinatingly complex story. I enjoyed it. And I'd definitely like to hang out in Tranquility (or even Valisk) for a while. What a cool idea...sentient, living biospheres inhabiting the space around gas giants. Where do I sign up?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the read!, May 8, 2011

By 

Renie - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Neutronium Alchemist (The Night's Dawn) (Kindle Edition)

It's long, but it's worth reading just to know what happens so you can get to the last book. It starts off a little slow, as we have to reconnect with all the different characters and settings from the previous book *and* also get introducted to even more characters! First book kind of revolved a lot around Lalonde, the first planet "invaded" (but nowhere near exclusively with it), this book juggles around even more planets and people, as there are several major situations unfolding. That last phrase about situations unfolding is probably the best way to describe the book, as it's about waiting for all these situations to reach their own fruition, but with the climax coming in the last book of the trilogy, so it may not feel as focused. There's so much more to learn about the invaders, so many different ways they manifest. We also get to become acquainted with another one of those ex-Edenist Serpents, except this one is more a rogue Tranquility than another Laton, and also see the various ways people try to cope and deal with the invaders. The main plot with Joshua Calvert revolves around the mysterious Dr Mzu (whose story starts off with a bit of shock!), but what the other characters are up to is also a lot of fun to follow, like watching Louise learn how to survive away from her sheltered upbringing on backwards Norfolk, although she suffers (*cough*) from being extremely lucky (and wealthy) like some of our other main characters. It's a minor quibble that, for me, didn't detract from staying up for hours with this fun and imaginative series, including this second book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent and engaging story, January 9, 2011

By 

Z. Zraly (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Neutronium Alchemist (Nights Dawn Trilogy 2) (Paperback)

The story was very interesting and quite engaging. At the end I could not wait to see what will happen to our civilization.