A Hole in the Sky is told through the eyes of 16-year-old Hazel
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At Hole in the Sky
Peter F. Hamilton, The Angry Robot
I’m a fan of Peter F. Hamilton’s dyed in the wool, so I was really looking forward to his new book, At Hole in the Skyespecially since I always like the ark ship story.
This ship has been on the road for hundreds of years, and its inhabitants have reverted to a sort of medieval peasantry, living in the villages beneath the high-tech towers that their ancestors inhabited. We learn about the problems they faced—a problem with the first planet they were supposed to land on, then a mutiny on board—that put them in dire straits. At age 65, each individual must be recycled for the good of the ship. I loved every single thing about this setup.
All of this is told from the first person point of view of Hazel, a 16-year-old girl. He gets a terrible headache because there is literally a hole in the ship’s hull (hence the book’s title) and quickly becomes embroiled in a dramatic chain of events. But there’s also time for her to care enough about boys and clothes I haven’t bought. Would a girl or woman of any age worry about her outfit when the lives of everyone on her spaceship were at stake and she had a constant headache?
As you may already know, Hamilton is a writing genius large science fiction. My favorite (probably his Invalid and Night dawn trilogy, plus his The Saga of the Commonwealth duology) are wild, ridiculously inventive, complicated, and stunning. I don’t always fully understand them, but I love the ride.
I wasn’t that excited about the recent Hamilton book Exodus: Archimedes’ engineassociated with the upcoming video game Exodus, as I felt that the sequences were only included there for the game rather than for the reader’s enjoyment, but I appreciate that it wasn’t aimed at me. I also understand that a master writer might want new challenges. (The second in the series, for those averse to video game sequels, will be released later this year. The game will arrive in 2027.)
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If I were a movie or TV scout, I could imagine it At Hole in the Sky it translates brilliantly to the screen
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All of which brings me back to At Hole in the Sky. I was halfway through when I noticed that it was a little, for want of a better word, childish. Upon further research, I discovered that the book was first published as an audio-only novel in 2021—and that it’s generally categorized as “young adult,” meaning it’s aimed at teenagers.
In a 2020 interview, Hamilton is quoted as saying, “Having a teenager as the main protagonist defines a publishing category, but I hope it appeals to readers of any age.” Personally, I think that the young protagonist does not rule out that the book will be aimed at adults. (I write this as someone who has written novels with teenage protagonists.) But will this particular book appeal to people of any age?
The setting and plot twists are fantastic as you would expect from Hamilton. But I wish he would have refrained from what I think are supposed to be “teenage” elements. When my hero is running for his life, I don’t need interludes where she’s excited to hold her boyfriend’s hand. I found myself wishing the main character was 65 and recycled – that would have some weight.
Maybe that will find Hamilton a new audience. If I were a movie or TV scout, I could imagine it translating brilliantly to the screen. At Hole in the Sky it is part of a trilogy with two installments in June and December. As I wrote in my preview of the new 2026 sci-fi books, this fast schedule is unusual and I’ll be interested to see how it goes.
Emily also recommends…
Pandora’s star
Peter F. Hamilton, Mr. Macmillan
If you’ve never tried Hamilton’s classic works, there are many possible entry points into the various universes he created, but I recommend Pandora’s Star and its sequel Judas Unchained (making up the Commonwealth Saga duology) as a good way to go.
Emily H. Wilson is a former editor The new scientist and the author The Sumerians trilogy, set in ancient Mesopotamia. The last novel in the series, Ninshubaris out now. You can find her at emilyhwilson.comor follow her on X @emilyhwilson and Instagram @emilyhwilson1
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