Mindstar Rising

This is the first volume of the Greg Mandell Techno-Merc Trilogy (followed by "A Quantum Murder" and "The Nano Flower"; all three of which are great reads. Set in 21st Century Great Britian, all three books are every- thing that fans of Biotech, Cyberspace, International and Inter- commercial Espionage could ask for. With excellent plot lines and well detailed characters, One could ask for little else in a high tech, edge-of-your-chair, can't put it down tome!

Mindstar rising was the first Peter Hamilton book I read - but not for long. As soon as I had got past the first couple of chapters of this book, I went out & bought the rest of the trilogy ('A Quantum Murder' and 'The Nano Flower'). All concern a 21st Century dramatically changed both Politically and Environmentally. The main protagonist is Greg Mandell, a veteran of the second Gulf war, who has some enhanced psychic ability - due to experimental surgery performed on him & others who tested 'positive' for the basic capability. Due to this ability (and the fact that he has become a private detective), he gets pulled into a world of high-powered politics & intrigue, with the action mainly taking place in the Rutland area of England. If you haven't read any of his books, this is good one to start with; but don't forget to buy the rest of the trilogy. The book is handled well, with the characters being believable, & having a depth to them that you will find in all his books.Any complaints? Ony one - that I hadn't read it sooner. This trilogy is one I keep coming back to (8 times so far), and has become one of my firm favourites. Saying that.....which bookcase did I put them? I think I'll start them again, ta ta.

Near-future SF seems to be almost as hard to do well as fantasy. Too often, authors of both kinds of material rely on tired cliches or an assumption that a reader will fill in the blanks rather than taking the time to create and then ground their story in a fully realized world.Thankfully, Peter F. Hamilton took the time in 'Mindstar Rising' to fully introduce the reader to the 21st century world of Greg Mandel (a veteran soldier turned trouble-shooter for hire) before launching his characters into a thrilling mystery plot.The end result is a futuristic detective story that has heavy techno-thriller aspects and touches of the fantastic, by the way of psionics and precognative abilities. Nonetheless, it all makes perfect sense... and at no time does the reader feel like an alien in the setting. This makes his already well-drawn characters even more believable.If more writers were willing to spend the time that Hamilton spends on world-development, we might see non-media tie-ins reclaim some of the shelfspace in the bookstores. We certainly need more writers of Hamilton's calibre working in the science fiction and fantasy genres!

As I took this book from the shelf, I dident know Peter F. Hamilton.. This has changed alot! I now has All his books (and are looking forward to the next ones). I started reading SciFi with the famous William Gibson's "Neuromancer" .. I thourght nothing could match that guy.. But there is! .. Peter F Hamilton is as good as William Gibson.. the way they describes their charecters and the universe is to me quite alike.. Do yourself a favour.. READ THIS!

This book is the debut novel by Hamilton, and it definitely kick starts the career of what seems to be one of SF's hottest new writers right now. The place is 21st Century England, in the days after the Global Warming, the Credit Crash, and the People's Socialistic Party (PSP). The protagonist is Greg Mandel, an ex-Army veteran of the Mindstar Battalion, a special force of people infused with a gland that enables them to "see" what other people feels (or alternatively, see into the future). He is hired by the company Event Horizon, to clear up a mysterious leak in the company. This investigation takes him to many places, and to the final confrontation with the villain, Kendric di Girolamo.This book has it all: good characterization, a very thorough world-building, a good scientific base, and lots of suspense.