Description:

The "reality dysfunction" is a break in the fabric of time that allows the dead to return by possessing the bodies of the living. As more and more star systems fall to the possessed, the Confederation starts to collapse economically and politically. With the human race now in imminent danger, Quinn Dexter plots the Final Night -- from which humanity will never recover. But on the far side of the Orion Nebula, an alien god may hold the solution to the crisis...if only Joshua and Syrinx can discover it before it's too late.

Amazon.com Review

After invasions and battles, panic and horror, after denial and the revelation of ultimate truths, after four volumes and 2,300 pages, it all comes down to this: To stem the tide of souls of the dead who have returned to possess the bodies of the living, Joshua Calvert must take his ship, the Lady Macbeth , on a mission beyond the farthest reaches of explored space. His goal is to find the artifact/entity the Tyrathcans call The Sleeping God in the hope that this legendary presence can offer some kind of help, or at least advice with the problem. Otherwise human civilization is perhaps doomed. Meanwhile on Ombey, an army of bitek soldiers stages a counter-invasion of possessed-controlled Mortonridge--a strange battle in which neither side is completely human--but the gains are little and each victory dear. The best of Adamist "gray" technology and Edenist green biotech, now used together in willing cooperation, still offer little hope. Physics cannot overcome metaphysics.

This final installment of Peter F. Hamilton's Homeric space adventure, which began with The Reality Dysfunction , volumes I ( Emergence ) and II ( Expansion ), and continued in The Neutronium Alchemist , volumes I ( Consolidation ) and II ( Conflict ), is no simple winding up of the story. You'll be amazed to find Hamilton busily introducing new characters, new plots, and new enigmas up to the very end. After all this time can he possibly surprise us? Absolutely. --J.B. Peck

From Publishers Weekly

In the massive conclusion to his elaborate metaphysical trilogy, Hamilton (The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist) resolves the fate of humanity and its confrontation with the souls of its dead. In this volume, the Confederation's epic spiritual crisis reaches a climax: the tear in the boundary between reality and afterlife, a boundary that many souls cross to possess the bodies of the living and to use their energistic power, remains open. Petrified of being forced back into the beyond--a hell where all souls anguish in nothingness but can see the familiar universe just out of reach--the possessed withdraw entire planets from our universe to another. Two factions of the possessed, however, have no intention of leaving our universe: Al Capone's brutal, ever-expanding mafia organization and Quinn Dexter's cult of pain, which is trying to orchestrate a torturous apocalypse. Meanwhile, a Liberation Army attempts to forcefully remove individual possessors from their living victims, resulting in atrocities. GovCentral works on a weapon to extinguish a soul entirely from all existence, but is unwilling to commit itself to the kind of genocide the weapon would unleash. As a last hope, two starships are sent to hunt down a literal deus ex machina, another species's Sleeping God. Its existence is the only real hope that mankind has of surviving. Hamilton's work encompasses a broad sweep of philosophical and moralistic themes, yet he keeps a tight focus on his 100-plus "principal characters" and the highly fantastical universe they inhabit. His work requires slow, careful reading, but those who put in the extra effort will be paid back in full and then some. The depth and clarity of the future Hamilton envisions is as complex and involving as they come. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

As more and more worlds fall prey to the armies of possessed humans led by the mad prophet Quinn Dexter, starship captain Joshua Calvert travels to the farthest reaches of the galaxy in search of a legendary entity whose godlike powers might hold the key to saving the human race. Set in a far future where nano-augmented and genetically engineered humans vie for control of the galaxy, this final volume in Hamilton's (The Reality Dysfunction; The Neutronium Alchemist) epic tale of human expansion, alien technology, and cosmic catastrophe builds to a dynamic conclusion that leaves room for further development. The author's expansive vision of the future combines action and intrigue on a panoramic scale that should appeal to fans of Asimov's "Foundation" series. For most sf collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

This final part of Hamilton's doorstopper trilogy set in a.d. 2600following The Reality Dysfunction (mass market, published in two parts) and The Neutronium Alchemist (ditto), not to mention a recent compilation of related stories, A Second Chance at Edenswitches to hardcover, presumably on the theory that readers who've patiently accumulated all those paperbacks won't want to wait ages for the paperback market editions. But unless you can claim prior acquaintance with lucky Joshua Calvert, can tell Edenists and Adamists apart at a glance (the former are genetically engineered, and dwell in space, where they commune telepathically with their sentient trader starships; the latter, though rejecting technology, are willing to pioneer new worlds), grasp what's been happening on the muddy planet Lalonde (a space/time/mind-boggling alien invasion), and know who or what the Neutronium Alchemist is and why s/he/it's crucial to the entire operation: Don't even try to force an entry here; you've already missed more than two thousand pages of stuff. Instead, if you were impressed by Greg Mandel's trilogy (triumphantly concluded with The Nano Flower, 1998), try part one of The Reality Dysfunction and ease your way in. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

Space operas are galaxy-spanning tales of battling starships, exploding planets...and questions on the nature of good and evil and the evolution of man. Making coherent stories from this material is a rare talent....Peter Hamilton has joined this rare breed in a big way. -- Denver Post

About the Author

PETER F. HAMILTON is the author of numerous short stories and novels, including The Reality Dysfunction and The Neutronium Alchemist and his story collection, A Second Chance at Eden. Mr. Hamilton lives in England and is working on a new novel.

The Naked God is the brilliant climax to Peter F. Hamilton's awe-inspiring Night's Dawn Trilogy, a space opera that is “big, boisterous, and has something for everyone” ( Science Fiction Weekly ).

As the Confederation begins to collapse politically and economically, the “possessed” insidiously infiltrate more and more worlds.

Meanwhile, Quinn Dexter is loose on Earth, destroying the giant arcologies one at a time. As Louise Kavanagh tries to track him down, she manages to acquire some strange and powerful allies whose goals don’t quite match her own.

The campaign to liberate Mortonridge from the possessed degenerates into a horrendous land battle, the kind which hasn't been seen by humankind for six hundred years.

And finally, Joshua Calvert and Syrinx race to fly their starships on a mission to find the Sleeping God — which an alien race believes holds the key to overthrowing the possessed.

"Elements of space opera, Straubesque horror and adrenaline-laced action make this a demanding, rewarding read." — Publishers Weekly on The Reality Dysfunction

The Night’s Dawn Trilogy
The Reality Dysfunction
The Neutronium Alchemist
The Naked God