The novel “The Evolutionary Void” by Peter F. Hamilton is the third volume of the Void trilogy and is the sequel of “The Temporal Void“.
Araminta, the Second Dreamer, is trying not to fall into the hands of those who want to use her for their agendas. To understand what she should do, she decides to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Ozzie on the Silfen paths. Various factions are looking for Araminta for several reasons while preparations for the Pilgrimage into the Void go on with the collaboration of Ilanthe, whose faction wants to take control of that isolated universe.
Edeard, the Waterwalker, defeated his enemies and yet it seems that there are always others ready to take their place and threaten the peace of Makkathran and beyond. Edeard can reset the events going back in time at any key moment to fix them but at what cost? Every time he’s forced to relive a certain amount of time again trying to do it all the best way but he can never get everything the way he meant.
“The Evolutionary Void” is the final part of what’s actually one huge novel almost two thousand pages long in which the last secrets of the Void and Makkathran are finally revealed. Consequently, it should absolutely be read after the two previous books in the Void trilogy otherwise the story will be impossibile to understand.
In this last part of the Void trilogy, there’s the true battle for the control of the Void and its outcome will have profound consequences for the entire galaxy. The final battle will take place inside it with lots of characters appearing in the trilogy who will meet unifying some of the many subplots.
If “The Temporal Void” was mainly Edeard’s story, in “The Evolutionary Void” the subplots outside the Void occupy most of the novel again and a few more Inigo’s dreams show other pieces of Edeard’s story before reaching the end of the great story.
Peter F. Hamilton is famous for his mini-cycles with many characters that start various stories that are initially disconnected then slowly get intertwined and sometimes merge. Some people criticize him because such sophisticated plots generally lead to an abrupt end. Again in the Void trilogy there’s an ending of this type, whether it’s a flaw is a matter of opinion.
It’s true that in “The Evolutionary Void” this feature is in some ways even more extreme than in other mini-cycles by Peter F. Hamilton because he adds new elements and reintroduces characters appeared in previous novels of the Commonwealth Universe, “Pandora’s Star” and “Judas Unchained”. It almost seems that Hamilton loves to flood his readers with as many elements as possible in his novels, in this case by creating new connections with his previous ones. On the other hand, complex plots are his trademark.
In my opinion, the flaws in the Void trilogy are others. For example, before dying Edeard reveals to everyone the possibility to reset the events going back in time but how can that kind of power work when anyone can use it? A criminal could go back in time to prevent Edeard’s birth remaining the only one having that power because noone would reveal it to the people. Thinking a bit, you can think of many problems as a result of Edeard’s choice.
Of the many characters who appear in the Void trilogy, some are well developed and among the one who already appeared in previous novels of the Commonwealth universe some are further developed. Unfortunately the villains aren’t extraordinary. Ilanthe seems a cliche of the arrogant villain who thinks she’s better than anyone but in the end her plan is supported only by some technobabble. Catherine “the Cat” Stewart is a not particularly interesting psychopath who seems to have been reintroduced from the previous novels to make the plot more complex.
Despite its flaws, the Void trilogy is a work that also has several merits. Peter F. Hamilton is recognized as one of the masters of the new space opera in its third millennium version, with many elements concerning very advanced science and technologies. However, in the Commonwealth universe he also included elements that have a very fantasy style. In his previous novels there was Ozzie’s quest on the Silfen paths, in the Void trilogy a similar quest is accomplished by Araminta but above all there’s the whole story that takes place on the planet Querencia. Peter F. Hamilton managed to merge apparently opposite genres.
Overall, I think that “The Evolutionary Void” is a worthy conclusion to a high-level trilogy that hard science fiction fans can like but is also enjoyable for fantasy fans. In general, I recommend reading all the Commonwealth universe novels to people who appreciate novels that are long and complex with multiple plots.
