This is the second book of the Arkship Trilogy. The first book, A Hole in the Sky, was published in paperback in January 2026. The third book is expected in December 2026. All three have previously been available as audiobooks.
My colleague Mark Chitty reviewed this first book for SFFWorld as an audiobook (HERE.) I read it as a paperback back in January. I really liked it, but felt there was nothing I could meaningfully add to Mark’s excellent review (which I read after I’d read the book myself.)
But putting it simply, I felt that it was a young adult type of novel; it very much reminded me of the juvenile classics by Asimov, Clarke & Heinlein, albeit with a more contemporary feel. It was simpler and more direct than Peter’s usual material, but this meant that the plot focussed on the key points of narrative and character without side-stories or detailed background.
And so to Book 2. Warning: As it is Book 2, there may be slight spoilers for Book 1 here, although I will try and keep them to a minimum.
Their world lives on, but who will control it? Hazel and the reawakened command AI have repaired Daedelus, the vast generation ship carrying the last of humanity on a centuries long journey to a new world. But can she convince her people of the truth she learned in the process? That humanity is not alone on Daedelus. That the Yi, an alien species, have made it their home.
But those in power don’t want to listen if it means a challenge to their authority. So Hazel must travel again to the ship’s far reaches, to learn what the Yi plan for Daedelus. What she discovers there is far more terrifying than a mere hole in the sky…
After the revelations of Book 1, here Peter extends the science-fictional element more in that the focus has widened to beyond the confines of Hazel’s village. Now that we (and they!) know that they’re on a generational spaceship with antique technology and an alien lifeform, Hazel, her younger brother Frazer, loyal Alice, Shao and her boyfriend Rell have the task of letting other people know what they now know (from Book 1.) Most of this book deals with the fact that they also have to travel forward to the defunct elements of the ship and deal with the alien Yi who have also infiltrated themselves throughout the spaceship.
We become more science-fictional as the group revive and learn to use old technology, under the guidance of John, their recently awakened AI, and others they meet. The last part of the book deals with their attack on the Yi and the consequences of that, setting things up for the third book.
All in all, this is a typical middle book. You need to have read A Hole in the Sky to fully comprehend the actions in The Captain’s Daughter, although Peter does a great job of summarising it at the beginning of this book. Of course, Book 2 sets things up for the third act in Book 3.
Told from the perspective of Hazel, things do move forward in this book, and we get to know more about Hazel and her group as well as the very alien aliens.
It is quite refreshing to read a less complex but still engaging Peter Hamilton book. There are minor annoyances – using the phrase “Oh my dayz” as the main characters do feels dated even now, for example – but generally the book has enough charm and action to keep the reader page-turning. Like before, it is not super-complex, yet it is exciting enough to keep the pages turning until you get to the inevitable ‘To Be Continued’.
Book 3 – Queens of An Alien Sun – is expected in print in December 2026, although the audiobook version is already out there.
© 2026 Mark Yon
Paperback | Angry Robot
THE CAPTAIN’S DAUGHTER by Peter F Hamilton
June 2026 | 256 pages
ISBN: 978 183 6730 118
