The Reality Dysfunction
by Peter F. Hamilton · first published 1996
68% recommend21% neutral11% critical
Why HN recommends it
Big-canvas space opera spanning many planets and characters, with an interstellar humanity threatened by souls that persist after death. Fast-paced and gripping; suits fans of Banks and Asher.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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.
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slightly off-topic, but relevant for the future of this technology. I love Sci-Fi novels such as Peter Hamilton's "Reality Dysfunction" where an AI does the function of all local and central government in a habitat for no personal gain and every single person is connected to it real time on a personal basis. The day we can move from…
on “How to answer a question: a simple system” ↗…set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read: The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson Gridlinked - Neal Asher Neuromancer - William Gibson The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan Market Forces - Richard Morgan Blindsight - Peter Watts The Electric…
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗…non-mathematicians have on their coffee table book, while The Mathematical Experience is the one that mathematicians have. Lots of people gave sci-fi recommends for you. To those I'll add Peter Hamilton's Reality Dysfunction series and Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series. Furthermore if you haven't seen it yet, go to an IMAX and see Hubble 3D. If you ever dreamed of space, you need to see it. Really. For random science fact,…
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗…styles, I found pretty much everything written by Iain M Banks excellent (start with Excession or Player of Games), I enjoy John Scalzi’s humourous sci fi space operas a fair bit too, Peter F Hamilton’s Reality Dysfunction trilogy was pretty decent... I’ve loved most of what I’ve read from Charles Stross but particularly Accelerando, Greg Egan’s Diaspora was awesome, like a modern day Childhood’s End (read that too if you…
on “Is ‘Oumuamua an alien spacecraft? First scans show no signs of technology” ↗…Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, and the other two in the trilogy too. Hard, but accessible. I've never read a series so dense with cool and believable ideas that are unlike much I had come across before. The Reality Dysfunction by Pete F. Hamilton (and the rest of the series). If you want something a bit more traditional in form. More sex, violence and so on. Ach, loads of others. Roadside Picnic really stuck with me too. Though…
on “Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?” ↗You would really enjoy The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton.
on “At 104, John Logie Baird colleague recalls first TV demonstration” ↗Space Operas: - The Reality Dysfunction (Peter Hamilton) - Gridlinked (Neal Asher) - Hidden Empire (Kevin J Anderson)
on “Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?” ↗…http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... * Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... Fiction: * Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction * Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)
on “Ask HN: Book Recommendations?” ↗…dare, to see the world more clearly. Pairs nicely with the unnecessarily long winded "Fall" by Neal Stephenson for understand a post truth world, specifically the idea of "Edit Streams" * (Scifi )The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton This one game me a framework for science and spirituality to coincide * (Scifi ) Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie Questions everything, blows your mind on multiple levels. * (Self…
on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗Peter F Hamilton. Start with Pandora's Star if you want more Asimovish, or Reality Dysfunction if you want it more Lemmy \m/.
on “Doctors investigate mystery brain disease in Canada” ↗I once read a bunch of accounts of near-death experiences. Descriptions run the gamut, but the one that stuck with me described it as “turning off a light switch.” Shout out to Peter F. Hamilton’s Reality Dysfunction trilogy, in which an interstellar humanity is threatened by the discovery that souls persist after death. Recommended for my fellow sci-fi aficionados.
on “Death, Nothingness, and Subjectivity (1994)” ↗…stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from…
on “Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?” ↗It wasn't until this latest outbreak that I realised just how pervasive the ideas of pandemic are in the creative works I consume. One of my favourite books is "The Reality Dysfunction" which deals with a pandemic of possession. A favourite childhood video game is "Halo: Combat Evoloved" which centres on alien space zombies. Speaking of zombies, I really like "World War Z" (the book,…
on “On Pandemic and Literature” ↗Hamilton’s The Reality Dysfunction was the stupidest book I’ve ever read and took hundreds of pages to expose itself. Are his others any more grounded (like your other suggestions)?
on “Water found on a potentially life-friendly alien planet” ↗Exactly. Peter F. Hamilton explores this in "The Reality Dysfunction". Although it's Sci-Fi and a space-opera it's it illustrates the problem pretty well.
on “In the Singularity Movement, Humans Are So Yesterday” ↗