Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton

I am always excited to read a new to me author, especially in one of my favorite genres, however that excitement dwindled a little because I had a hard time becoming invested in the story. I loved the plot. However, there were a few things about the book I did not enjoy. I’ll get into that later.

The story opens with aliens, disguised as humans, landing on Earth. Skip forward to the beginning of the 23^rd century and the Olyix, another alien species, has made contact. They are on a religious mission and are making a stop over to refuel before continuing on their journey to the end of time to meet their God. They have given humans technology to greatly extend life expectancy in exchange for the fuel they need. In addition, humans have now begun to colonize the galaxy. A new technology of jump gates, literally, makes far flung plants just one step away.

A crashed alien ship is found on a newly discovered planet and this has a highly skilled team assembled to review the findings. As the team travels to the crash site, we learn more about each team member and how their lives, and what they do from this point forward, will affect the future of mankind.

Interspersed with the team member’s stories is a look at life in the future at least 1000 years later. The humans of this time are being genetically modified to do battle against a group of hostile aliens. The reader learns that the crash site investigation team members are now called “Saints”. Therefore, you know something is not at it seems and the reader does not yet know why they are called “Saints”.

I loved the story. My beef is with the execution. First problem, there is no main character. Therefore, I never had someone to identify with and root for. In addition, I did not enjoy all the various stories and the jumping around between time lines. It made the pace of the plot rough. Basically, it felt like a bunch of short stories strung together.

I liked the inventiveness of the story and a couple of characters I liked a lot. I just wished the author had focused on one or two of the characters to advance the plot. I did like the story enough that it over came some of the problems and I liked it enough to read the next book in the series.

One addition items to note, this book ends on a cliff hanger so if you enjoy the book it will be a wait for the next installment.

I recommend this book to all those who love Science Fiction. If you are a true Sci-Fi fan, I think the flaws in the book are not fatal and you will still enjoy this one.

I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.