The Dreaming Void, by Peter F. Hamilton, $27. Peter Hamilton’s new Void Trilogy takes place some 1,500 years after his Commonwealth Saga of “Pandora’s Star” and “Judas Unchained.” A few old characters appear, and many new ones.
Followers of the Living Dream believe if they migrate past the void they will reach a new place of transcendence. Others believe it will shred space-time and destroy the universe. Inigo, the founder of Living Dream, has vanished, but his successor announces a migration.
Aaron has no memory of who he is, but when he needs to know something the knowledge comes to him. He’s the ultimate secret agent. His methods sometimes leave a swath of destruction behind him. Who he works for and what they want is a mystery to both Aaron and those who are chasing him.
In a more planet-bound story, Aramita overcomes a bad marriage and starts her own property renovation business. The friendly salesman at the hardware store is in all places at once. He is a multiple and has 38 separate bodies to run different parts of the store. When he and Aramita become lovers, she has to consider multiplying herself to please all of him at once.
The dreams of Inigo form almost a fantasy novel within the novel. This is the saga of Edeard, an apprentice eggshaper in a small village. He uses his telekinetic powers to make genetically engineered animals. He must migrate to the big city, where he changes his path and becomes a constable. His enormous psychic power destines him for much more.
Hamilton is a master at big-scale space opera. There are fleets of starships and planet-destroying weapons. These special effects are secondary to a number of interesting human (or almost human) characters, with subplots ranging from planet-moving spacedrives to interior decorating.
The Edge of Reason, by Melinda Snodgrass, $24.95. Richard Oort is small for a policeman. He is determined to succeed on the Albuquerque police force largely to spite his father. When he intervenes in an attack on a girl, everything he believes about the world is challenged. His gun ceases to work, and the girl defends herself with power she conjures from a spinning penny.
Some answers come from Kenntnis of the Lumina Corp. Richard is a chosen one because he has the very genetic quality of possessing no magic. Kenntnis declares religion is the tool of spreading darkness and wants Richard to help fight for reason. A man with no magic is not sufficient. Kenntnis also recruits the girl he rescued, a physics student with very strong magic ability.
The premise inverts stereotypes of heroes and power while embracing the contradiction of championing reason in a world where it is clearly shown there are many things beyond reason. Richard cannot accept it without serious conflicts with his religious beliefs. I had trouble accepting it because the side of science is presented as another use of magic.
Richard has a lot of demons to confront professionally and personally. It is hard for him to fit in at work, and he has a difficult relationship with his family. The best parts of the book are the cop novel parts on the streets of Albuquerque. The ominous battle between good and evil pretending to be a battle between science and superstition is not convincing.
From Dead to Worse, by Charlaine Harris, $24.95. I missed the last few adventures of Sookie Stackhouse, the mind-reading Louisiana waitress with a vampire boyfriend. The books have taken off from paperback originals to hardcover best sellers and an HBO series in the fall. Sookie has grown through the series of books but is still at the center of supernatural struggles and still discovering new things about herself and her world.
The supernatural world in Louisiana has not been exempt from serious problems in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Weakness and lack of resources bring out power struggles in both the werewolf and vampire families. Sookie is forced uncomfortably close to the center of both very violent disputes.
One of the aftermaths of Katrina is that Sookie takes in a roommate from New Orleans. Amelia is a witch in training. She made one overambitious error, and the result is Bob, who she transformed into a cat in a spell Amelia can’t reverse. And then she gets mad at Bob the cat when he fathers kittens instead of being loyal to her.
The series continues to be inventive and funny with an engaging, smart and sexy heroine. There are almost monthly variations of supernatural characters in our midst, and Harris is the gold standard of the genre.
Fred Cleaver is a freelancer who writes regularly about new science-fiction releases.
