I really enjoyed this space set story. I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This is a rustic, farming community, small villages tending to crops and livestock. However they are on an arc ship heading to a new planet on a journey that will take centuries. As a result of their limited resources, people are cycled at age sixty five. An accepted part of their lives by most, with a few who run and are considered cheaters and a drain on society. The juxtaposition of the rural, low tech communities with the sci-fi setting is done so well. We uncover the history of the ship and the hidden technologies along with the main character gradually throughout the book and it was absolutely fascinating.

As you can imagine, as the main character learns more information, she starts to challenge the long held beliefs she has been fed her whole life. She starts to rattle against what she considers injustices, or things she thinks will harm others that she’s ordered to ignore. I often find stories with ‘chosen one’ teenagers battling against the establishment completely unbelievable but this one was done so well! Nothing ever felt overpowered, too much of a coincidence or just beyond the realms of possibility. Everything was built up in such a methodical way that it was a very easy story to immerse into.

There were times where the dialogue felt a bit clunky. But that’s my only issue in what was otherwise a fantastic, fascinating read. I would certainly read more from this author.

Inhabitants of an arkship heading to a new planet slowly realize that they're losing air. When it is discovered that Hazel is a descendant of the former Captain, she and some friends set out to find a way to repair the damage. Along the way they discover a new problem that has delayed their arrival at the new planet.
I enjoyed this story, it moves at a good pace and the characters are likeable. My favorite part was when the main character hears "Earth music" for the first time. It really helps to clarify the time period of the story.
I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

Such a good book! This was a page turner. At the same time, it's also very well-written. The plot is magnificent!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this free eARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC!

A solid YA coming-of-age sci-fi written by the king of classic sci-fi.

Everything that makes Peter F. Hamilton good makes this book great. Except it is 100% YA and therefore it gives that immature perspective of the main character. The author manages to depict the teenage spirit perfectly, making it a frustrating at times, but a fun read.

People live on a generation ship, traveling through stars, to reach that one habitable world, where they can finally settle in. Unfortunately, 500 years ago there was a rebellion that led to the destruction of most technology, and led the settlers to build some ramshackle villages in the habitable part of the ship, like medieval settlements, with no computers, barely any medicine, and an attestupa of sorts, called Cycling, with elders over 65-years old committing senicide. Our main character, Hazel, is part of the great celebrations of the Cycling ritual and is given a secret: There is a Hole in the Sky, and it’s leaking the precious oxygen. She begins a journey of self-discovery that will save the entire ship.

The story has a remarkable potential, however, as it is told from a teenager’s perspective, the focus is limited to the moment, to ‘I’ll fix my brother’, ‘I’ll fight against everyone’, ‘I saw a boy for the sec ond time, and all I can think of is to kiss him, even though he just warned me that the entire village is out to kill me’. Add a bit of sexist, controlling Elijah (personal pet peeve of mine), and the book reads way too successfully as a young adult.

Nonetheless, I did enjoy the story, and I cannot wait to check out the next book in the trilogy.

📚A Hole in the Sky
✍🏻Peter F. Hamilton
Blurb:
Full Synopsis
From New York Times bestselling author Peter F. Hamilton comes his first audio original, A Hole in the Sky, Book 1 in the Arkship Trilogy.

Sixteen-year old Hazel lives in the Daedalus, a starship that is flying in search of a new world. The ship has been traveling for five hundred years, searching for a world to settle in after having to abandon its last world. Everyone on board Daedalus lives a very simple existence in farming villages. The age of machines supplying their needs was lost during a mutiny five hundred years ago. The captain regained control of the ship after a huge struggle. Now, with finite resources, everything in the habitat is Cycled, including humans, who essentially are suicided at sixty-five so they don't deplete the biosphere's resources.

Hazel encounters the Cheaters, people who refused to Cycle, who tell her the Daedalus has been damaged and its atmosphere is leaking away. When her brother has a paralyzing accident which condemns him to be Cycled since he can no longer be productive, Hazel runs off with him to join the Cheaters. While with the Cheaters, she discovers that much of what has been told to the people living on Daedalus for the last five hundred years is untrue, and that the ship is under the control of Aliens called the Yi. Soon, Hazel is in a thrilling race to help repair the ship and help the people of the Daedalus escape the Yi.
My Thoughts:
A HOLE IN THE SKY is a first person narrative told in a linear fashion. Hamilton is well known for his complex plots covering multiple characters in different settings. I didn’t realize that this book was a YA book when I began reading to it, so in some ways it came across as a breath of fresh air. Some of the sex and violence in some of Hamilton‘s other books gets a little grim, and it was a pleasure to have a teenaged female protagonist in this book that I wasn’t going to have to worry about. A Hole in the Sky is a thrilling adventure and a perfect introduction of hard science fiction for the younger audience. My daughter and I loved the female heroine. Hazel is a 16 year old living on the starship Daedalus which has been traveling 500 years to find a new world to settle. The female MC was living a simple life, expecting her cycle of 65 years on an arkship travelling to a new terraformed world. Everyone had to play their part, there was limited power or technology for reasons that were revealed. It became clear after a short while that there was something subversive going on, on this vast ship. John and Frazer were favourite characters.
Thanks NetGalley, Angry Robot Publisher and Author Peter F. Hamilton for the advanced copy of "A Hole in the Sky" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#AngryRobotPublisher
#PeterF.Hamilton
#AHoleinTheSky
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Peter F Hamilton's an author I've read, and enjoyed, in the past, but haven't read for some time. A Hole in the Sky is his first YA, and manages to pack almost into it's narrative as his longer works. Maybe it's a bit old school, but it makes for a short, but enjoyable, read. I look forward to reading the subsequent volumes.

Thanks to NetGalley, Angry Robot and the author for an advance copy.

This was an interesting turn for this author. I always love Hamilton's work-my only hesitancy in recommending him was that his work, which engrossing, could be perceived as dense for first time readers. When you've read a lot, you crave the scale and sophistication, but you also have to 'be in the mood'. This has the same level of mystery and us against them of other Hamilton novels, but on a much more manageable scale and level that will probably be more accessible for readers not deeply immersed in sci-fi cannon. This will appear to readers of Pierce Brown as well as Hamilton, and might even have as broad of an appeal as Scalzi's work. That is not to say this isn't serious-Hamilton is a very talented writer, and what seems like a straightforward plot has twists in it to keep an experienced reader engaged, especially with his trademark questioning of morals, in a complex way. I highly recommend this novel.