Reviews

Calamity by Brandon Sanderson

hyzerchan's review against another edition

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This whole series is fine. It's not digeridooing great but it's not horse koala either.

amblygon_writes's review against another edition

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5.0

I adore this trilogy! It's so fun and original. I loved reading Calamity because the characters are human and they make mistakes. It's an adventure that also touches on a lot of deeper issues. There were a lot of unexpected twists and turns (as always with Sanderson), and I think it was a great end to a trilogy! Of course, a small part of me hopes that he'll visit this world again in the future, but perhaps our heroes truly do deserve some rest.

eesh25's review against another edition

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5.0

4.5 Stars

I'm gonna miss this series. I really enjoyed this installment, especially in the second half. And it left us with a lot of potential for more. But I loved the ending, so I'm okay with knowing that this is probably the last book we're getting in this world. We all know Sanderson's got enough series' to juggle.

But, as much I liked this book, I'm aware that that's a bit of an unpopular opinion. And while I've no interest in trying to change the opinion of someone else or defend my own, I wanted to acknowledge that some people weren't satisfied with the conclusion.

So, at the end of Firefight, Regalia's masterplan came to fruition. Turns out, she couldn't give two shits about destroying the city or the Reckoners. She just wanted to lure Prof and turn him to the dark side. And she did. So now, the Reckoners are being (reluctantly) lead by David, who might have cracked the code on how to save Epics from their own destructive natures. And rather than taking Prof down, which is what Prof would want, they Reckoners are going to save him. This mission leads them to Ildithia.

Ildithia, let me tell you, is the coolest city yet. We've seen cool stuff before. Babilar was submerged and had glowing plants, for example. This one's made of salt and it moves. Like, the buildings at the back crumble and are rebuilt at the front, exactly the same. One city cycle per week. And no Epic is controlling it.

The Reckoners go there because it's where Prof is. They need to save him, but they also need to find out what's he's planning and stop it. And they need to find his weakness and try to stay hidden from him because Prof is really fucking powerful and he will kill them all.

It's the fight with Prof that takes center stage. Yes, they also need to somehow kill Calamity. But they need Prof to do it. If they could just get him to face his weakness and overcome it.

But, I don't wanna give anything away about what happens with Prof. Hence why most of this review has just been a synopsis. What I can tell you, is that it's all brilliant. Not just seeing Prof in action, but also getting to see more of what Megan can do. There are also the consequences of when Calamity tried to turn David into an Epic.

Speaking of David, he's amazing as always. At this point, he no longer has any desire to get vengeance from Epics. He won't hesitate to kill one if necessary, but he's realized that the best way to honour his father is to find those Epics that his father believed would come. And I think that's a great goal to have. That's the best thing about David—aside from his simile's—he's not bitter and he doesn't hold a grudge. Practical to a fault. Emphasis on the fault part, because he can be a bit too enthusiastic about Epic powers.

Megan was amazing in this book. She's come so far from the unsure girl we knew before. Cody's still making up bizarre stories about Scotts. And Abraham is the voice of reason. There are also a few new characters, one of them an important Epic. There is a big battle that knocks the others out of the park.

Overall, this has been a great series. I'll never consider it Sanderson's best. But it gave us a lighter tone, a hilarious narrative, cool world-building, and even delivered some twists, ending everything with a very satisfying conclusion. To me, at least. There are some scenes that others found underwhelming, but they made sense to me. So, if you've been reluctant to pick up this last book, I'd say go for it.

liaashryver's review against another edition

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5.0

Marvellous

leerchen's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

shardaunei's review against another edition

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5.0

Finished! Oh, I love this series. I'm not really into superhero type of sruff, but this one drew me in. It was, wait for it, EPIC! hur hur.

leafstorm0809's review against another edition

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5.0

Holyyyy crap. I know I was disappointed at the end of Firefight - David saying ‘no’ to Calamity was a real cheap way out - but apparently, no, Sanderson had more in store.

Calamity being Larcener wasn’t something I can personally say I saw coming - once it was revealed, I suddenly realised why Larcener said ‘humans’ rather than ‘us’ or ‘we’.

Knighthawk is a great character - especially with the filter over the texts. I burst out laughing each time I read ‘didgeridooing’ knowing exactly how Knighthawk was feeling.

And DAVID FINALLY. FINALLY. USING HIS POWERS!!! That was the best thing OUT - lemme tell you.

And. He. Got. To. See. His. Dad. Again.

And poor Prof - poor Tia ;-;

And subtle reference to the end - Mizzy getting powers too! That’s such a cute subtle thing to mention!

Little disappointed we didn’t get to see David have to struggle with the ‘darkness’, but, it didn’t take away from the story.

Such a great book, so sad that it’s over.

sareadings's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

bookph1le's review against another edition

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4.0

I'm satisfied with the way the series was resolved and am sad it's over.

kaileah22's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25