I’ve recently started reading the 6-volume sci-fi epic by Peter F. Hamilton. The first book in the series is _The Reality Dysfunction – Part 1: Emergence_. So far I’m really enjoying it. Hamilton has created a very complex and engaging universe where humanity has spread to hundreds of worlds in an effort to alleviate the burgeoning population problem on Earth. I’m scarcely 300 pages into this massive tale and already there is almost too much to summarize. Hamilton has managed to force-feed a lot of information into a very compact space.
I think that perhaps the thing I dislike most about Hamilton’s writing, though, is the way everything somehow involves sex. ((Though, to be fair, Hamilton _could_ be a lot more graphic in his writing than he is, so I suppose from that perspective, he actually shows a fair amount of restraint.)) I suppose it’s only representative of the way the real world functions, but I tend to find that most fiction is more robust and, for me, more enjoyable without the overuse of the sexual mechanic. I’ve seen science fiction where sex was almost completely absent from the story and when it _was_ mentioned, it was implied more than overtly stated. ((I’m tempted to rant about this, but I think I’ll save it for another day.))
Still, I’m curious to see where he goes with this. He’s already provided a tantalizing bit of mystery – on several fronts – so I’ll read on to see what happens.
