Villordsutch reviews A Second Chance at Eden by Peter F. Hamilton…
I’m rather ignorant about the works of Peter F. Hamilton, which is odd as I adore my science fiction stories, and I feel that as the cover tells me that Peter is “Britain’s Number One Science Fiction Writer” I should be aware of his work. A Second Chance at Eden is a collection of one novella and seven short stories (separated by decades in some cases) all of which are set within the universe that Peter has created, but they don’t require you to have any knowledge of this universe to understand; you can easily step into in without a concern about what the heck is going on. I’ve gone through the individual stories below to give a small glimpse into them…
Sonnie’s Edge
Sonnie’s Edge takes us into the very murky world of the Affinity bonded genetically-spliced, soulless fighting creatures of the near future. Within the whole context of the book it fits well into the evolution of the universe, however I found this story a bit dated and a bit basic to be brutally honest.
A Second Chance at Eden
An excellent short piece of science fiction/whodunnit. Through the first half we stroll through a steady stream of backstory and red herrings swimming in front of you. The story stays strong throughout, but leaves us with an empty lost feeling for our protagonist with his final decision. I enjoyed the story so much it made me consider taking up some Agatha Christie novels.
New Days Old Times
A short powerful tale, but truth be told if it wasn’t for the brief talk about planets and Affinity bound hounds this story could have been set pre-World War II or in any town in the world with the unwarranted fear of immigrants. I understand that most sci-fi is shown to reflect our own world, but for me this wasn’t a great sci-fi story.
Candy Buds
A very unnerving tale of organised crime and drugs, it’s extremely disturbing being locked in mind of the head of the crime family Laurus and his fantasies. Laurus is an aging, hate-filled man who, with his wealth, tightly controls Kariwak, a small coastal village. A discovery of an intense drug called Candy Buds leads Laurus to a young girl and her disabled brother. This is a corking story up until the end which is rather sudden, so much so that I went back a page under the belief I’d missed something.
Deathday
A rather melancholy tale of a couple in love as they attempt to start a new life on a lonely planet, however the actions of a corporation have sealed their sad fate. The story becomes a rather empty chase of one of the few remaining creatures that walk this planet; during the hunt we flash back to moments that have led to our main character stalking the creature alone in the rain. A short (very short) story that you leave feeling emotionally low.
The Lives and Loves of Tiarella Rosa
A tale of a terrorist, who in a moment of realisation is no longer willing to take the life of thousands. He takes into hiding by joining a family off the coast of Kariwak as a travelling worker. Initially he can’t help but throw his weight and power around with the family he has attached himself too. Though obnoxious at first he soon becomes a protector and caretaker of the grounds and family and it’s here he begins to fall in love with the daughter, becoming jealous of others that show their interest in her. As the relationship nears a marriage proposal the mother shares her plan with the reformed terrorist and our tale turns into a tragic love story. This is one of the better short stories in the book.
Escape Route
A starship and its crew are slowly running out money and staff are not being paid when a business man (and his colleagues) offers them a chance to earn millions by sifting through an ancient dying solar system and its ruined planets for gold. Upon approaching the system they discover an ancient unknown ship, part destroyed, with its crew are missing. This is an enjoyable space adventure with mystery and excitement, and echoes of past sci-fi writers run through the core of this story.
Altogether this collection is good, but it’s the short stories that hold this back from being great. The shining star for me is the novella A Second Chance at Eden as it runs at just the right pace and is the perfect length to keep you trapped and awake at night as you race towards the end to find out who did it and why.
Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.
Originally published November 29, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
