Review: Salvation Lost

Salvation Lost by Peter F. Hamilton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An excellent continuation of a richly woven, sci-fi adventure!

WARNING: This review contains spoilers for the first book of the series, Salvation.

Man, this series really is a lot of fun. I never expected to enjoy sci-fi this much, so I'm really glad I had the opportunity to read it!

Plot: The Invasion is here. Our ragtag band of heroes are trying to figure out how to save the world in the face of a threat that's got some pretty mad technology in their corner. The enemy has been stealthy so far but now that their plans are known, it's GAME ON. A thousand years in the future, Dellian and gang are also preparing for their war against the enemy. It's about to get hectic.

SO MUCH FUN.

Firstly, the variety of characters and storylines really makes this series for me. A lot of the science goes over my head (I'm always here for the explosions and stuff though, of course) but getting to know all these characters and the dilemmas they face makes it a really fun ride. There's the main crew trying to save the world: Yuri, Callum, Kandara, Alik, Jessica ... these guys are an entertaining bunch, and the way they interact is fantastic - like a family that fights ALL THE TIME but will still give their lives for one another. There's plenty of sass and swearing to keep things spicy, even in the face of the certain doom of humanity. Plus, hello, they are resisting, despite the overwhelming odds, and that fighting human spirit is something I definitely connect with.

Then you've got Yirella and Dellian and all the others in the future playing their own war games. Oh hey, more science stuff I only semi-understand. To be fair, though, I'm already struggling with today's technology. Again, though, it doesn't hugely matter because the resulting chaos is easy enough to understand and there is plenty of chaos. Plus the sneaky references to the original invasion are a lot of fun. It happened a thousand years ago, but you only read about it a chapter ago. Love that.

This book also follows Ollie, Tronde, and their 'Legion' - a bunch of criminals unexpectedly playing their own part in the invasion of their planet. These guys were fun to know. It's not all heroes and villains here. They add a real human element to the story, and it's interesting to see how their story connects with the others.

I think that's a really big draw of this book - you've got several separate storylines, but they all connect somehow. Everything is relative, even over space and time. That fighting spirit is present, too. Everyone has something they're fighting for.

There's also a neat variety to the action - it's not all shooting things in space. There is depth and cleverness to the action and it's not all about big, messy explosions.

Add to all this the mission of the invading species and there's plenty here to wrap your head around.

I really enjoyed the journey this book took me on - there's so much to it, and it never gets boring. Because of the setting and the overwhelming power of the enemy, it's pretty hard to predict anything so there are plenty of surprises along the way.

Another wild ride, equally as thrilling as the first book and definitely has me impatient for the conclusion! Sci-fi fans will love it, and if you're not big on sci-fi but have considered giving the genre a go, this is a great series to start with.

With thanks to Macmillan for my ARC

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