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Home > Categories > Books > Sci-Fi > Night's Dawn : The Confederation Handbook review
A Vital Guide to the Night's Dawn Trilogy
Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn Trilogy (and companion publications) has proved one of the best-selling Science-Fiction series of the last decade, and the most dramatically successful from a UK author.
This handbook is an essential companion volume for all the countless readers past, present and future for whom this massive trilogy has evolved into a defining SF classic. It comprises general background information relating to all three volumes, with comprehensive notes andglossaries on the major characters, planets, space stations, political hierarchies, weaponry, spacecraft, invasions, and the many alien races with their diverse social economies, industries and technologies.
Night's Dawn : 1 : The Reality Dysfunction
Night's Dawn : A Second Chance at Eden
Night's Dawn : 2 : The Neutronium Alchemist
Night's Dawn : 3 : The Naked God
Bad Luck and Trouble
Dream of Asarlai - 1 - Secret Ones
Dead Witch Walking
The History Keepers 1 - The Storm Begins
Indulgence in Death
Horrible Histories: The Beastly Best Bits
Openly Straight
Colouring Creations
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Review by: tucker (Karl)
Dated: 10th of January, 2005
If you enjoyed the stories set in that Night's Dawn universe, you will simply have to get a copy of this book too! It helps fill in a lot of background, presents easily-referenced data on every aspect of the "known universe and it's inhabitants", and it just helps you keep track of what's going on and where it's happening.
A little pricey for what it is, (I would have been happy to pay up to $16.95), it is still an essential reference book and well worth thinking about. OK, if you have a fancy memory, you can do without it, and it contains a couple of TINY contradictions (but only a geek is gonna spot them really) [Did I just call myself a geek?!] but the overall structure is amazingly detailed and coherent.
The only other thing is, of course, that it predates the revelations at the end of The Naked God, and so does 'appear' to contradict itself. This is well covered by the occasional headings of "From Pre-2611 Information".
Overall, I am really impressed, and it just goes to show how detailed a 'universe' you need to build if you plan to write realistic stories. There goes the first draft of my little sci-fi tale. Ah well, back to the word processor. :)
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