epic space exploration novel

[Vooloc]

currently i am reading Pandoras Star, loving it.
always been a huge sci fi fan but mostly movies and tv but always read fantasy novels, just wanted a change.
ive been loving Pandoras Star but the thing i wanted more in it was mysterious space voyage exploration.
let me explain.
as the ship was heading to the dyson stars i was getting excited about what they would discover, and then it was all over way too quick. no sooner had the got there than they were heading home. and then the second time they go there its even faster.
i want a novel where some ship or ships head off to explore and discover unexpected things, races, wars.
basically a voyage into the mysterious or unknown, and epic.
good modern writing also.
names and very brief synopsis?

[ian_sales]

Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pushing_Ice

[Vooloc]

thanks man, will give that a look. been looking into his novels. is it a standalone?

[ian_sales]

Yes, it is standalone. Also worth trying is the Orphans trilogy by Sean Williams and Shane Dix: Echoes of Earth (2002), Orphans of Earth (2003) and Heirs of Earth (2004) - if you've not already read them, seeing as the authors are local for you :-)

[Vooloc]

after every single fantasy series being a trilogy [cant anyone write a story within 1 book now??] a standalone will be awesome, might stick with them for a little while too. might check out some more Peter Hamilton standalones too.
i guess id better give Misspent Youth a read too and whats Fallen Dragon like?
a couple years back i read The Reality Dysfunction and started The Neutronium Alchemist but just really really didnt like that the enemy ended up being the dead. so glad i started Pandoras Star, just clicked with the writing style straight away.

[poser765]

after every single fantasy series being a trilogy [cant anyone write a story within 1 book now??] a standalone will be awesome, might stick with them for a little while too. might check out some more Peter Hamilton standalones too.
i guess id better give Misspent Youth a read too and whats Fallen Dragon like?
a couple years back i read The Reality Dysfunction and started The Neutronium Alchemist but just really really didnt like that the enemy ended up being the dead. so glad i started Pandoras Star, just clicked with the writing style straight away.

Fallen dragon was ok. I was neither blown away nor let down. The military aspects of it were pretty neat, but I felt it ended with a lot still up in the air.

[krisbslick]

i guess id better give Misspent Youth a read too and whats Fallen Dragon like?
a couple years back i read The Reality Dysfunction and started The Neutronium Alchemist but just really really didnt like that the enemy ended up being the dead. so glad i started Pandoras Star, just clicked with the writing style straight away.

I read most of Hamilton's books and loved all but one - Misspent Youth. I thought it was the weakest by a long shot (it almost felt like it was a different author). Personally, I would not recommend this book to a friend (or anyone for that matter). It's just not on par with his usual epic-ness. Maybe I was going in expecting too much since I read this after the commonwealth saga, the void trilogy, and Night's Dawn - I don't know. Fallen Dragon was very good too and that is a standalone.

Oh, and yes, the Void Trilogy is set in the commonwealth Universe too, just like 1,000 years later or something.