Pandora's Star, Book 1: Pandora's Fall, Peter F. Hamilton, Nenad Savic

In 2380, humanity has colonized six hundred planets, all connected by wormholes. The Intersolar Commonwealth has developed into a peaceful and prosperous society, where "rejuvenation" allows every citizen to live for centuries. Then, an astronomer witnesses an incredible cosmic event: the disappearance of a star a thousand light-years away, trapped in a gigantic force field. The Commonwealth decides to investigate further. Against the wishes of some, it builds the first faster-than-light spaceship: the Second Chance. Its mission will be to discover what threat hangs over the human race... Pandora's Star is a grand four-volume space opera, of which this is the first.