Exodus: The Archimedes Engine

Story and Plot

Rating: 5/5

In Exodus: The Archimedes Engine, Peter F. Hamilton weaves a complex narrative spanning lightyears and millennia. In this universe, humanity fled a dying earth in a number of ark ships. Traveling at relativistic speeds the ark ships scattered in all directions. One group of arkships found a region with a high number of habitable planets in the Centauri cluster, and sent a signal to the other arkships. These ships then began their journey to the cluster. Because of their relativistic speeds, only a few hundred years go by for the passengers of these ships while thousands of years go by outside. By the time the other arkships begin arriving in the Centauri cluster, millennia have gone by.

In the intervening years, the original inhabitants of the Centauri cluster have populated their region of space. Empires have risen and fallen, and countless conflicts and destructive wars have taken place. During this time, the descendants of these original settlers began genetically modifying themselves. By the time the other arkships begin arriving in the region, the current inhabitants scarcely resemble their human ancestors. Humanity has diverged into hundreds of different cultures and species collectively known as the Celestials.

As the scattered arkships return, they are met with indifference, contempt and even hostility by the Celestials. The arriving humans, hoping to find habitable planets, are instead relegated to fringe and marginal worlds. One Celestial culture in the Centauri cluster, the stable and prosperous Crown Dominion, offers safe haven to humans, and a small population of baseline humans takes root on their worlds. Against this backdrop, a tale of action and intrigue takes place that will test the humans and shake the foundations of an intergalactic empire. 

In Exodus: The Archimedes Engine, Hamilton draws on many of his favorite themes, such as complex economic systems (‘space capitalism’), age extension and youth rejuvenation. In contrast to some of his other works though, the setting is solidly ‘hard sci-fi’. While many of the technologies are fantastical, the speed of light remains sacrosanct, with implications for the characters and worldbuilding alike. Fast paced action is interspersed with slow burn world building, and Hamilton interlaces the story with a plot that starts disparate but ties together in a satisfying manner at the end.

Worldbuilding

Rating: 4.5/5

The entire point of Exodus: The Archimedes Engine is essentially to build a world for the upcoming Exodus video game, and boy does it succeed at that. The one shortcoming I would say is the slight over reliance on exposition; however because some of the details of this world have already been decided, I’m tempted to forgive it in this case. Hamilton is more than capable of ‘showing’ rather than ‘telling’, but in this case, there are so many details already decided that it helps for the reader to understand them, even if it’s not always fit smoothly into the narrative. And most of the time, the reveals and explanations for the world are handled well as the characters explore their world and interact with others.

Narration

Rating: 4/5

Narrated by John Lee, the prolific voice actor lends his solidly British sensibilities and voice to a work by one of the greats of British sci-fi. While I have great respect for John Lee, he is at times understated. While some may enjoy this style, I find that his often deadpan delivery can undersell what is occurring in a scene. While he does have some range with voices and accents, he seems to limit himself to a handful of English accents, with an American or South African accent thrown in on occasion.

Value

Rating: 4.5/5

At just under a respectable 31 hours, Exodus: The Archimedes Engine is a solid value. Between engaging story and more than competent narrator, the time will fly as you immerse yourself in this new universe, and you’ll be left wanting more, which I’m sure the second book in the series will more than deliver on.