Throughout the first two books of this series, the Edeard story line (from inside the Void) seemed to overshadow the far more numerous threads related to events happening outside the Void. Edeard's life in Makkathran was just more interesting and the growth of his psychic powers kept things fresh as he pursued his quest to achieve fulfillment. As his story line progressed it also provided much needed context to explain why the human Living Dream movement was willing to put the entire galaxy at risk with their pilgrimage into the Void. Despite numerous factions and alien species willing to go "all in" to stop them, Living Dream was prepared to do anything for a chance to achieve fulfillment. Would their pilgrimage trigger a Void expansion phase so large that the galaxy was consumed? Would anyone be able to stop them before they got there? With the stage finally set Peter F. Hamilton answers those questions and more as he concludes the series and unveils the mystery of the Void once and for all.

I have to say that I finally got into the "outside the Void" story lines in this one and that made this the best book of the series. All of the main characters and threads converge on the Void for the big finale and it is not obvious how it is going to play out until the very end. So many questions from this complex story finally get answered: Will Living Dream achieve fulfillment? If fulfillment is so great why does Inigo, the founder of Living Dream, think it is a bad idea to pursue it? Is fulfillment the same as going post-physical? Can the nature of the Void be changed so that it doesn't pose a threat to the galaxy any longer? If not, will the Void expand? If it does, can the expansion be controlled in some way? There are so many possible ways the story could go that you are driven to get to the conclusion as quickly as possible just so it can finally all make sense.

When it is all said and done it becomes obvious that the mystery of the Void itself is the main character and everyone else's story is related in some way. Luckily things are explained in detail and wrapped up nicely so you need not worry about being left hanging. You also need not be concerned about having to read any other books first. Although this trilogy is part of the same literary universe as the Commonwealth Saga series it is completely stand alone and complete. John Lee narrates many of the books in this universe and does a great job with all of them so reading and listening are both good options. If you are in the mood for some sci-fi on an epic scale with some fantasy thrown in for good measure then give this series a go and you too can experience the mystery of the Void for yourself.