A Night Without Stars: A Novel of the Commonwealth

Peter F. Hamilton

Sep 2016 · Commonwealth: Chronicle of the Fallers Book 2 · Sold by Del Rey

About this ebook

Bestselling author Peter F. Hamilton returns to his acclaimed Commonwealth series in this thrilling follow-up to The Abyss Beyond Dreams. Featuring Hamilton’s trademark blend of intricate plotting, riveting suspense, high-concept science, and vivid characters, A Night Without Stars brings the story to a fully satisfying finish.
 
After centuries trapped inside the Void, the planet Bienvenido—along with its inhabitants, both human and Faller—has been expelled into normal space. But the survivors are millions of light-years from the Commonwealth, which knows nothing of their existence. As the two races plunge into mortal conflict for sole possession of the planet, the humans seem destined to lose—despite the assistance of the mysterious Warrior Angel, who possesses forbidden Commonwealth technology.

With the Fallers’ numbers growing, and their ability to mimic humans allowing them to infiltrate all levels of society, it’s only a matter of time before they surge to victory. Then, on a routine space flight, Major Ry Evine inadvertently frees a captive vessel that crash-lands on Bienvenido carrying the last, best hope for human survival: a baby. But a far from ordinary one.

The child not only ages at a remarkable rate but demonstrates knowledge and abilities far beyond those of Bienvenido’s humans. Hunted by Fallers and humans alike, she is a crucial link to humanity’s lost past—and a glorious future already almost out of reach.

Praise for A Night Without Stars

“Roars relentlessly along in utterly mesmerizing style, with edge-of-the-seat plotting, thrilling action, and knife-edge tension that will leave readers gasping. An atomic blast of a yarn. Hamilton in peak form and absolutely not to be missed.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“[An] interstellar adventure with espionage, old-style space exploration, and the story of a fugitive who carries the hope of salvation.”—Publishers Weekly

“An action-packed page-turner . . .  It’s a joy to witness such a master of science fiction at work.”—SFFWorld

Praise for Peter F. Hamilton’s The Abyss Beyond Dreams

“Incredibly robust and exciting and rousing, sharing flavors of Jack Vance, John Wright, China Miéville, Orson Scott Card, and A. E. van Vogt . . . Hamilton’s deployment of lots of grand super-science is utterly deft and convincing.”—Locus

“Engrossing . . . The characters, always Hamilton’s strength, remain as distinctive as ever.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Everything one wants in sf—great characters, mind bending stuff, adventure, politics, romance, revolution . . . just superb.”—Fantasy Book Critic

“The work of an author at the top of his game.”—SFFWorld

Ratings and reviews

I've read most of Hamilton's books. I love them. But my least favorite part of them have almost always been the ending. Night's Dawn Triology, in particular, but most of his book have weak endings. They always seemed rushed and the character endings implausible. Night WIthout Stars finally has an ending that makes sense, was built up to in such a manner that made sense and the character endings were satisfactory. I'm really happy to see how Hamilton has matured as a writer and this most recent series (The Fallers) is probably his best. He kept the scale simple, his characters were believable and the action sequences made sense. For anyone who likes good space opera, I think this is a great one.

Hamilton is one of the greatest at world building. So much so that he goes far beyond creating worlds, and achieves entire intergalactic sagas. And as he crafts these epics, sprawling thousands of pages, often times the ending doesn't quite achieve the pinnacle of the story, but serves as a hundred-page downshift from a full-throttled adventure.

A fantastic book. I am a huge fan of Peter F. Hamilton. I have 2 or 3 of his books going at the same time. Much more immersive to read a book than to watch tv. Please keep up the great work.

About the author

Peter F. Hamilton is the author of numerous novels, including The Abyss Beyond Dreams, Great North Road, The Evolutionary Void, The Temporal Void, The Dreaming Void, Judas Unchained, Pandora’s Star, Misspent Youth, Fallen Dragon, and the acclaimed epic Night’s Dawn trilogy (The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God). He lives with his family in England.