One of the better scifi ARCs I’ve read this year, hands down.

I’m not even going to try and summarize the plot because I don’t think I can do it justice so definitely go read the blurb, but this is EPIC scifi. Intergalactic politics, super evolved humans, arkships, time dilation effects, eternal queens that live for millennia using cloned host bodies. Incredible world building with a variety of societies and cultures.

It's 900+ pages so it’s a chunky boi and I love it. There’s multiple POVs and a huge cast of characters, and if you don’t like that or find it confusing, you might not be wild about this because it does hop around. And since you’re dealing with space travel, time dilation and relativistic effects, some of the storylines happen at different paces; however, I think Hamilton does a masterful job of weaving those POVs together so that you’re not jumping back and forth in time. There are several different plots that seem completely unrelated that end up tying together into one thread.

I can’t even begin to explain how Peter Hamilton pulls this off. There are so many characters, so many stories, and he fleshes it all out without ever feeling slow paced and boring to me. I was interested in each character, even (or maybe especially) the unlikeable ones. The breadth and scale of this story, in terms of pages and plot, are just epic.

If you like hard scifi with political machinations, then you will love this. It was mind-blowingly good and I can’t wait for the sequel, as this is meant to be a duology. Bonus, it’s actually scifi litRPG, and is based on the Exodus game, which I’d never heard of before. Different characters but set in that universe. So if you’re into scifi RPG video games, might be worth checking that out as well!

A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballentine for this advanced copy in exchange for my opinion. It was quite a ride.

My first book by Peter F. Hamilton and I was told by a few others who have read his other books to prepare to lose hours being lost in the worlds that he crafts, and this was true. The worlding building he has built for the world of Exodus is spectacular! I constantly found myself being awed at either the technologies he has invented in a would be universe 40,000yrs in the future or a new species.

Peter F Hamilton is truly a master of his class, and I will be looking forward to picking up other books he has written.

Like many of Peter F. Hamilton's books, this one covers many years and quite a few important characters. It is an enjoyable look into the future of humans and their genetically engineered descendants about 40,000 years into the future.

Finn was born into one of the five Dominions where humans are ruled by Crown Celestials. These Celestials can pass their memories on to one of their children, effectively giving them immortality. This gives them plenty of time to consolidate control over the humans and their other genetically engineered descendants. While Finn's family has been given the task of governing a human planet controlled by the Celestials, he still longs to leave home and explore other worlds.

When an arkship that left Earth 40,000 years ago shows up and Finn makes friends with some of them, he sees his chance to get away and live his life differently. Little does he know that Celestial politics and thirst for power is just as bad, if not worse, than it is among humans.

My first book like Peter Hamilton and I was not disappointed. Though this book is over 900 pages, I did not feel in any shape or way that it could be cut down. I did not want to put it down. I found the pacing to be good. I really appreciate the brief history timeline to be included on the front and not to be just dropped into the book without any information at all. Also that the characters were given at the beginning.
I do fine myself having to write myself notes to keep track and wish that I had a physical copy to tab as I find this would have been easier read for me physically. The character Glossy in the beginning did help as mentioned above, but would have been much easier for me personally as a physical read. Normally, I can read even 900 page books within two days this one took me about five.
Overall, I’m very interested in reading book 2 when it releases

Wow! Great book. My only disappointment with Pete Hamilton's book, was when I got to the last page and realized I would have to wait for the sequel. It's a very interesting long space opera. Well worth the read!!

Exodus: The Archimedes Engine
Exodus: The Archimedes Engine by Peter F. Hamilton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can't really review this book without writing a book about it -- and that's because it's an enormous, sprawling far-future SF full of humans, demi-post-humans, and post-humans that have settled across a goodly portion of space without breaking the speed of light barrier.

Those who arrived first got to set up everything however they wanted, passing down the torch in spectacularly high-tech ways, while those who slow-moved their way into the cluster are pretty much given a couple of super-planet reservations to farm and feed the rest of the empire.

Of course, that's just the setup. The rest of the book is over nine-hundred pages, and we've got investigations, intrigue, adventure, interesting politics, high-tech enmeshed plot, and the titular Archimedes Engine -- based on some of the oldest original tech that only the Archons should have their hands on. Of course, the Celestials, the Uranic, and the normal latecomer normal humans will all vie for power -- and there's no power quite as big as that engine. No spoilers, but it's impressive.

What I should really point out is that this is a deep, wildly imaginative, and thoroughly explored novel. If you want to get lost in a really huge tale with amazing, far-reaching worldbuilding, great plots, tons of characters, and great action, then I'm just going to point at Peter here.

He's got it all -- big books that will last you a great long time. :)

This is a spectacular space opera written by a master of the genre. The book introduces fantastic concepts that will challenge the readers imagination. I read this massive story in 3 days because I just couldn't stop. Hyper advanced civilisations clash with more relateable humans from the near future and themes like ethnic and social supremacy are explored in the book. The character are sympatic and their motivation makes sense. Highly recommend to all Science fiction lovers. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this marvellous novel.

Clearly the finest game tie-in novel I could have imagined, The Archimedes Engine is stunning. This is an epic work, huge in length, richly imaginative, complex, and detailed. Set in a far future, where time and technology have splintered humanity into a variety of species, ranging from base humans to advanced genetically modified Celestials, who are quasi immortal and who may or may not have moved on from human preoccupations. All seem locked in variants of the Great Game, played out on multiple worlds over hundreds and thousands of years. As the novel opens several Great Game plots are reaching maturity at approximately the same time, with possibly devastating consequences for the Centauri Cluster, where humanity and its more advanced relatives abide. Anchored by the adventures of a handful of generally sympathetic viewpoint characters, it is a joy to see the future world explained and to see the complex plots unfold. I am eager for the second, concluding volume. The best Peter Hamilton I’ve read in years. What an adventure!

I received an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Peter F. Hamilton has long been one of my favorite science-fiction writers. From my earliest days of reviewing when I worked at Borders Books, he was one of the first authors I got into after pulling a copy of The Reality Dysfunction off the shelf and totally becoming immersed in Hamilton's prodigious imagination. After that I was hooked and I couldn't get my hands on the rest of his books fast enough. Hamilton writes space opera that can also be heavy on the hard sf, but does it in such a way that even a newbie to the genre can grasp the plot without getting lost. It's a tough thing to pull off as a lot of hard sf elements can provide a good deal of intimidating moments for those who aren't used to reading it. EXODUS: THE ARCHIMEDES ENGINE is Hamilton's latest effort and I have much to say about it after venturing through its 900+ pages.

The first thing I will say is that immediately upon reading the back cover description this seemed like a book that was right up my alley. Generation ships fleeing Earth, setting up colonies and then seeing how that evolves tens of thousands of years later on said colonies? Yeah I guess you could say I was eager to read this story based on the tantalizing summary.

This is a huge book in pretty much every way. Huge in length, huge in galactic scope, with a huge cast of multi-dimensional characters. The main thrust of the plot is a very interesting one as the already established Celestials are now having to deal with a brand new group of colonists and see them as inferior just by virtue of the fact that they are new. Never mind that these Celestials were once exactly the same as the newly arrived colonists 40,000 years previously. I couldn't help but think that this was an intentional aspect of the storyline that kind of mirrors a lot of things that have happened in our real world history. And as the book progresses we get to see the same prejudices and stereotypes that have stained much of our past and present.

Understandably there is a good deal of setup in the first 200 pages or so of EXODUS: THE ARCHIMEDES ENGINE. We get introduced to the timeline of events leading up to present day and then each major player and their particular factions and home worlds. It can be tough to wade through but thankfully there is a handy glossary to help keep everyone straight. After I was able to grasp who was who the story really took hold and I couldn't stop reading, often consuming this goliath of a novel in hefty chunks. And once Hamilton sucks you in, you really have to cancel all plans for a while because he doesn't do anything in a half-hearted way, its mostly pedal to the floor with mind-blowing scene after mind-blowing scene.

EXODUS: THE ARCHIMEDES ENGINE is a brilliant first book in what will be a duology, so there won't be very long to wait for the ending of this story. Please do not be put off by the size of it because there aren't very many lulls and I found myself breezing through it in fairly short order. I am constantly in awe of Peter F. Hamilton's incredible vision and ability to project that vision onto the written page. If you are looking for space opera that has a lot of meat on the bone, then you should jump on this right away. It's just another masterpiece in a long string of successes from one of the best in the biz. I can't wait for the final chapter of the duology because the cliffhanger to this one left me truly flabbergasted.

"Exodus: The Archimedes Engine" by Peter F. Hamilton is a monumental science fiction saga that spans millennia and galaxies. Set in the expansive Centauri Cluster, humanity has evolved into Celestials ruling over vast dominions, while ordinary humans struggle under their oppressive regime. Finn, a young man born into this divided world, seizes an opportunity to join a new arkship from Earth, hoping to explore the uncharted reaches of space as a Traveler.

Hamilton's worldbuilding is nothing short of extraordinary, immersing readers in a future where technological marvels and complex societal structures intertwine. The narrative unfolds across nearly 1,000 pages, weaving together intricate plotlines and a diverse cast of characters, each with their own motivations and struggles.

"Exodus" not only captivates with its grand scope and vivid imagination but also challenges readers to ponder themes of identity, destiny, and the vast expanse of the cosmos. Hamilton's storytelling prowess shines through, making this epic novel a must-read for fans of ambitious science fiction.

I am awestruck at the vast capacity of the imagination of SF author Peter F. Hamilton. The breadth and depth of his World Building, multilayered and multicultural, the depth of Far-Future Scientific achievements, Genetic Engineering, Transhumans, effective immortality through transmission of Consciousness...an amazing 928 pages, engrossing, intriguing, highly suspenseful, yet peopled with characters both comprehensible and beyond our current comprehension.

Forty thousand years into the Future: can you imagine? Peter F. Hamilton can, and brings this Future vividly to his readers. First in a duology: so anticipating the next novel!!!
Distinctly a Best of 2024 and of this decade!

Humanity fled earth thousands of years ago in ark ships, large habitats designed to accommodate a population for generations as the ships traveled deep into the galaxy, looking for new homes in the vicinity of Alpha Centauri. A grouping of multiple suitable planets gave the multitude of humans places to call home. One grouping of humans evolved into a more sophisticated being, but also a crueler, more dominant administrator that treated original humans as a slave population.

One man, Finn, gets a chance to join a late-arriving ship, planning to return to the space life as a Traveler instead of a tool for the upper class to use.

The future can be a scary place, but also one of promise and adventure. Which will it be for Finn?
This is an epic tale with a character that will attract your interest.

Peter F. Hamilton's Exodus: The Archimedes Engine is an epic science-fiction novel sitting at just shy of 1,000 pages. The first book, in what is set to be a duology, is phenomenal and ended in such a way that will leave readers clamoring for the conclusion to this story. My only complaint with this novel is a factor of the sheer size which left me constantly referring back to the dramatis personae to remind myself who a character was after they weren't mentioned for several hundred pages, as well as referring back to the "Timeline of The Centauri Cluster" found at the beginning of the book to remind myself of key events and the years in which they took place.

Hamilton's worldbuilding is superb, setting the stage for a mass exodus as humans flee a dying Earth for the Centauri cluster and its vast array of potentially habitable planets. Upon arrival, humanity finds many worlds suitable for habitation, and sends the "Green World Signal" back to Earth to encourage the rest of humanity to make the journey. Due to time dilation (I would recommend a quick Google review of the concept), once the rest of humanity has followed the Green World Signal and arrived in the Centauri system, over 40,000 years have passed since the original human pioneers arrived... and humanity has evolved. Now calling themselves Celestials, these incredibly advanced civilizations view humans as a primitive, archaic species and exile them to war-torn, remnant worlds to live under the rule of the Celestial dominions.

This book is an epic, space opera unlike anything I have had the pleasure of reading. This book is a commitment, and one that I will make again in a heartbeat when book two releases, Exodus: The Archimedes Engine, Book Two: The Helium Sea.