Salvation Lost by Peter F Hamilton

Peter F Hamilton writes vast and intricately plotted space operas with a large cast of characters, mostly over many volumes, and while perhaps most known for his Night’s Dawn trilogy, it’s his Commonwealth Universe books that really show the staggering vision he has when telling his stories. The Salvation Sequence continues this trend, the first in the series, Salvation (review), building up a picture of humanity’s near future in detail, and leading us towards a revelatory conclusion. Salvation Lost is the second novel in the series, essentially picking up the moment where Salvation left us, and it jumps straight in to the action.

Before going any further it’s safe to say that as this is a sequel there will be spoilers for the first book, Salvation, both in the publisher’s synopsis and my thoughts below…

From the publisher:

Humanity rises to meet a powerful alien threat, in this extraordinary sequel to Peter F. Hamilton’s Salvation. This is a high-octane adventure from ‘the most powerful imagination in science fiction’ (Ken Follett).
Fight together – or die alone . . .
In the twenty-third century, humanity is enjoying a comparative utopia. Yet life on Earth is about to change, forever. Feriton Kane’s investigative team has discovered the worst threat ever to face mankind – and we’ve almost no time to fight back. The supposedly benign Olyix plan to harvest humanity, in order to carry us to their god at the end of the universe. And as their agents conclude schemes down on earth, vast warships converge above to gather this cargo.
Some factions push for humanity to flee, to live in hiding amongst the stars – although only a chosen few would make it out in time. But others refuse to break before the storm. As disaster looms, animosities must be set aside to focus on just one goal: wiping this enemy from the face of creation. Even if it means preparing for a future this generation will never see.

Salvation closed on a major reveal that will propel the story forward from here: the Olyix are a threat beyond humanity’s wildest fears. Having used their advanced technology to infiltrate all aspects of human society by replacing human brains with one of their own, connecting it to the rest of its quint (a group of five Olyix that are quantum entangle and share all experiences), they know so much more about humanity and its secrets than almost any single human. With Feriton Kayne discovered as one of these Olyix quint, and the subsequent revelation that there is also another alien species, the Neána, present in human society, the Assessment Team find themselves scrambling to discover the truth with an Olyix invasion imminent.

As the Assessment Team return to Earth they are sceptical of Jessika’s revelation about the Olyix, especially with her true nature revealed as a Neána construct sent to help humanity escape. But they start to tentatively plan against such an invasion, confident in only the way humans can be that they will triumph. With city shields and interstellar portals at their disposal, everyone is sure that the Neána threat reports are exaggerated.

Down on the ground we follow the Southwark Legion gang members as they carry out jobs and raids for the mysterious Jade, hoping that she’ll give them the big job she’s been dangling in front of them for months. Little do they know just how bad things are soon going to become.

And we follow Dellian and his colleagues many millennia in the future, having left Juloss behind and continuing the plan the Saints left humanity. With a lure star created at Vayan they lay in wait for the arrival of the Olyix. But they aren’t alone…

Salvation Lost isn’t so much a sequel to Salvation, but merely the second part of a larger story. This is most obvious with the direct continuation of events, picking up straight away and dealing with the fallout from the Olyix revelation. Gone are the flashback sections: Salvation Lost is all about the here and now. And honestly, it’s a stronger novel for it.

The on-the-ground view from Ollie, Tronde, and the rest of the Southwark Legion, and that of Gwendoline and Horatio, really helps to show how events are effecting society on different levels. It’s an interesting viewpoint, and the way that media and instant information plays into this emphasises the fight that humanity has on its hands. It’s also good to see the plans of those left in charge, how they adapt and how they refuse to believe the Neána option is the only way to survive.

Hamilton is deft at creating future societies and populating them beyond the pages of the story, with everything having that lived-in feel and the knowledge that what he includes is done for a reason. Coming in at 460 pages of story (plus additional pages dedicated to characters and timeline), Salvation Lost is almost trim in comparison to Hamilton’s previous works, yet it doesn’t feel any less of a story. If anything, it feels a tighter novel without indulging in more points of view than necessary. And when you add in the backstory and progression from the first book it feels more complete.

This all brings me to perhaps the only negative with Salvation Lost, and a point I mentioned in my review for Salvation: it’s clearly part of a bigger story, a story that may need to be read as one whole to fully appreciate it. That isn’t to say that Salvation Lost isn’t good in its own right – it really is – but more that this is the first series I’ve read from Peter that feels completely connected and dependent on the whole to really deliver.

Ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed Salvation Lost. It ticks all the boxes, and now that the build-up is out of the way and we’re getting into the true action, it’s a thrilling read that will keep you reading chapter after chapter, eager to find out what happens next. Personally I can’t wait for The Saints of Salvation to bring this all to a close. I bet it’ll be fantastic.

Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Author: Peter F Hamilton
31 October 2019, 480 Pages
Hardcover, ISBN: 9781447281351
Review copy received from the publisher