LegitHyperbole said:
The audible narrator seems decent and I've got some tokens. Any reason I should wait for a paper back delivery? Does it get complicated with names and world building that takes some extra thought like Lord of the Rings/Name of the wind/Song of Ice and fire, did you find yourself taking yourself away from it to consider what you read or ponder connections between what and when things happen? |
 
 
There are a lot of interweaving story lines, and I did reference the timeline a couple times. Just more for background information as it's part of the Commonwealth series. So more for finding its place in the overall timeline.
The Abyss Beyond Dreams and A Night without stars are the prequel to the void trilogy
The year is 3326. Nigel Sheldon, one of the founders of the Commonwealth, receives a visit from the Raiel—self-appointed guardians of the Void, the enigmatic construct at the core of the galaxy that threatens the existence of all that lives. The Raiel convince Nigel to participate in a desperate scheme to infiltrate the Void.
The planet Bienvenido is in crisis. It has finally escaped the Void, emerging into regular space. But it's millions of light-years from Commonwealth assistance, and humans are battling the Fallers for control of their world. This rapacious adversary, evolved to destroy all sentient life, has infiltrated every level of human society—hijacking unwilling bodies so its citizens fear their leaders, friends, and family.
So yes, there are a lot of returning characters and references to prior events in the commonwealth saga. But I think it shouldn't be too hard to follow as the references are more enhancements than needed prior knowledge.
Actually Night without stars is more separate, I think that references events in the Void trilogy, so that's after.
To get the full impact
Definitely read Pandora’s Star and Judas Unchained first. It adds context that makes the Void Trilogy 10 times better. So many emotional things that would be missed if you didn’t read the first two books first.
It's not needed to follow the story but as this comment said, you'll be more invested in the returning characters
The year is 2380. The Intersolar Commonwealth, a sphere of stars some four hundred light-years in diameter, contains more than six hundred worlds, interconnected by a web of transport "tunnels" known as wormholes. At the farthest edge of the Commonwealth, astronomer Dudley Bose observes the impossible: Over one thousand light-years away, a star... vanishes. It does not go supernova. It does not collapse into a black hole. It simply disappears. Since the location is too distant to reach by wormhole, a faster-than-light starship, the Second Chance, is dispatched to learn what has occurred and whether it represents a threat. In command is Wilson Kime, a five-time rejuvenated ex-NASA pilot whose glory days are centuries behind him.
The Prime are the Commonwealth's worst nightmare. Coexistence is impossible with the technologically advanced aliens, who are genetically hardwired to exterminate all other forms of life. Twenty-three planets have already fallen to the invaders, with casualties in the hundreds of millions. And no one knows when or where the genocidal Prime will strike next.
Anyway it's all excellent, can't go wrong with Baxter. The void trilogy is the icing on the cake.
Essay Pro