Pandora's Star: 1 (Commonwealth Saga)

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This is a list of characters that appear in the Commonwealth Universe. All characters are listed alphabetically and each will have an indication of where they most prominently feature, [PS] for Pandora's Star, [JU] for Judas Unchained and [CS] for those characters that feature in both books of the Commonwealth Saga; Similarly [DV], [TV], [EV] and [VT] for the Void Trilogy and [AB], [NW] and [CF] for the Chronicle of the Fallers. The other two elements of Pandora’s Star that stand out are Hamilton’s descriptions of exploratory space travel and his weird-yet-accessible depiction of a hostile alien power. I’ll say no more about the latter since that would get us into spoiler territory, but I will share my favorite passage highlighting the ingenuity of human engineering and the bravery of astronauts in the face of the unknown:

List of Characters | Peter F Hamilton | Fandom List of Characters | Peter F Hamilton | Fandom

Tarlo [CS] Investigator at the Intersolar Serious Crimes Directorate and later a Lieutenant in Navy Intelligence As the war rages, the human forces begin to build much faster, better armed ships and fitting them with new "quantumbuster" weapons that can destroy an entire planet. Later on, a more advanced quantumbuster is deployed, which is capable of inducing a main-sequence star to go nova. Despite the original plan to use it on the Dyson Alpha star and thus kill the entire prime race, a modified field version of a normal quantumbuster is eventually deployed on the Dyson Alpha forcefield generator, destroying the mechanism that was interfering with the generator's systems. This allows the mechanism to reactivate, trapping the Prime aliens inside and avoiding genocide. Unlike simple strobes, the PandoraStar is equipped with a variety of light sequences that facilitate and maintain coherent brain wave states. These in turn quite effectively harmonize the emotional state. The PandoraStar-Session “Happy Protocol” is a perfect example for this: It is frequently used to alleviate depression and causes euphoria and happiness. Catherine Stewart (The Cat) [JU] Convict Navy Trooper, wetwired armament and member of the Cat’s Claws Dudley Bose [CS] Professor of Astronomy at Gralmond University and a member of the Second Chance missionHoshe Finn [CS] Detective for the Darklake City Police working for the ice division/criminal investigation department On a distant planet, astronomer Dudley Bose performs the first detailed observations of a mysterious astronomical event known as the Dyson Pair Enclosure. Two stars, located roughly 1,000 light years from Earth (750 light years from the edge of Commonwealth space), disappeared some time in the past. The theory is that they have been enclosed inside Dyson spheres. Some PandoraStar programs last a few minutes, others several hours. We know that brainwave activity is influenced by a synchronized activity of neurons firing in the brain. This allows the user of the PandoraStar to effortlessly dive into various states of consciousness, and to explore them to his heart’s content. Holistic healing with PandoraStar light sequences PandoraStar Light Machine For Naturopaths, Meditators and Yogis I’ve seen what societies like ours progress into. I’ve walked on their worlds and admired them firsthand. This Commonwealth is only an interim stage for a species like ours; even your Socialism will be left behind in true evolution. We can become something wonderful, something special. We have that potential. (259) These passages probably reveal more about Hamilton’s assessment of existing 21st-century human civilization than they do about what a 24th-century posthuman civilization would look like (if we can get there), but that’s not a criticism; the future’s inherent unpredictability usually ensures that science fiction is more about critiquing the present than describing what’s to come with much reliability. Hamilton’s preoccupation with this debate is engaging and useful despite its heavy-handed presentation.

Commonwealth Saga - Wikipedia

Rafael Columbia [CS] Chief of the Intersolar Series Crimes Directorate, member of the Exo-Protectorate Council and a Halgarth family member. Becomes the Vice Admiral in charge of planetary defense when the Navy is formed and later the Admiral of the Navy McClain Gilbert (Mac) [CS] Forward crew chief at the CST exploratory division on Merredin , member of the Second Chance mission and later a Navy captain of the starship Moscow The Commonwealth Saga is a series of science fiction novels by British science fiction writer Peter F. Hamilton. This saga consists of the novels Pandora's Star (2004) and Judas Unchained (2005). Hamilton has also written several books set in the same literary universe. Misspent Youth (2002) takes place 340 years before the events of Pandora's Star. The Void Trilogy, consisting of The Dreaming Void (2008), The Temporal Void (2009), and The Evolutionary Void (2010), takes place 1,200 years after the events of Judas Unchained; several of the main characters from Judas Unchained and Pandora's Star also appear in the Void trilogy. LionWalker Eyre [PS] An eccentric living on Tanyata with a private observatory that is used by Dudley Bose to confirm the Dyson Pair envelopment. Ends up living next door to Mark Vernon. Also known as Trance Tool or Light entrainment system, the PandoraStar is a state-of-the-art stroboscope or strobe light. It resembles a plate with 12 white LED lights arranged in the shape of a hexagram. This futuristic-looking device can easily be attached to a tripod.Orion [CS] Parentless teenage boy from Silvergalde and Ozzie’s companion during his search to find the adult Silfen Samantha McFoster [JU] A clan member in the Guardians of Selfhood , technician for the planet's revenge Crispin Goldreich [CS] Senator, Chair of the Budget Commission and member of the Exo-Protectorate Council Renne Kempasa [CS] Investigator at the Intersolar Serious Crimes Directorate and later Lieutenant in Navy Intelligence