The Reality Dysfunction

Peter F. Hamilton

Oct 2008 · Sold by Orbit

About this ebook

The Reality Dysfunction is a modern classic of science fiction from Peter F. Hamilton, an extraordinary feat of storytelling on a truly epic scale.
 
"A space opera that is big, boisterous, and has something for everyone." —Science Fiction Weekly
 
Space is not the only void. . .

In AD 2600 the human race is finally beginning to realize its full potential. Hundreds of colonized planets scattered across the galaxy host a multitude of prosperous and wildly diverse cultures. Genetic engineering has pushed evolution far beyond nature's boundaries, defeating disease and producing extraordinary spaceborn creatures. Huge fleets of sentient trader starships thrive on the wealth created by the industrialization of entire star systems. And throughout inhabited space the Confederation Navy keeps the peace. A true golden age is within our grasp.

But on a primitive colony planet, a renegade criminal's chance encounter with an utterly alien entity unleashes the most primal of humanity’s fears. An extinct race which inhabited the galaxy aeons ago called it "The Reality Dysfunction." It is the nightmare which has prowled beside us since the beginning of history.
 
 
The Night’s Dawn Trilogy
The Reality Dysfunction
The Neutronium Alchemist
The Naked Go

Ratings and reviews

Although this book is filled with in depth characters that are fleshed out quite well, I feel there are too many! I would find myself quite engaged into a specific group of characters for a fair duration only to have three or four other groups introduced before getting back to one of the original set. I like the idea behind the story and am quite curious to find out what happens next however I feel it is too much of a chore with little to no reward.

This is an epic space opera with dozens of engaging characters and intertwining plots. But it also has elements of fantasy that to me just really didn't fit in. The science and pseudoscience don't jive with the aspects that feel like unexplained magic.

By the time I got to page 26 I realized this was true 4/5 star scifi that should rank among Asimov and Heinlein or Clarke. It's not meant to please you or cater to you but to challenge you. Bravo.

About the author

Peter F. Hamilton was born in Rutland, England in 1960. He began writing in 1987, and sold his first short story to Fear magazine in 1988. He has also been published in Interzone and the In Dreams and New Worlds anthologies, and several small press publications. His first novel was Mindstar Rising, published in 1993, and he has been steadily productive since then. Peter lives near Rutland Water with his wife and two children.