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paulrules's review against another edition
3.0
Book ends in a way that is probably true to the series. But I personally did not like how it ended. Maybe that's my fault, but it is also my prerogative, as are my three stars.
thewallflower00's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like this might be Scalzi’s least Scalziest book yet. Something about the writing style of the Interdependency series leaves me cold. Colder than his other books, at least. In terms of tone, it feels like one of those big deal epics that Isaac Asimov or Larry Niven wrote. Not like Lock In or Old Man’s War.
First, a lot of the book is setup. Basically, the empress is dealing with the paradigm-shifting changes made to the status quo last time, and not everyone in government likes it. In fact, half of the battle is stopping those derogators than moving forward with fixing the mess. Every chapter is “oh, this might happen”, “oh, this might happen”, “oh, this might happen”, and it’s exhausting waiting for a shoe to drop. He’s basically saving it all for the end. Reminds me of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”, which I didn’t like.
The scope of the narration feels so high it’s like you’re watching Sims go about their business. Getting emotionally close to characters is eschewed for snarky narrative and plot twists. It loses characterization to be a book about global machinations, like the saga of the Spanish Armada. A “big deal” political epic like Dune or Foundation, condensed and modernized. But it’s a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. I’m just eager to read something a little more personal and intimate.
First, a lot of the book is setup. Basically, the empress is dealing with the paradigm-shifting changes made to the status quo last time, and not everyone in government likes it. In fact, half of the battle is stopping those derogators than moving forward with fixing the mess. Every chapter is “oh, this might happen”, “oh, this might happen”, “oh, this might happen”, and it’s exhausting waiting for a shoe to drop. He’s basically saving it all for the end. Reminds me of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”, which I didn’t like.
The scope of the narration feels so high it’s like you’re watching Sims go about their business. Getting emotionally close to characters is eschewed for snarky narrative and plot twists. It loses characterization to be a book about global machinations, like the saga of the Spanish Armada. A “big deal” political epic like Dune or Foundation, condensed and modernized. But it’s a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. I’m just eager to read something a little more personal and intimate.
humanignorance's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars. In terms of raw entertainment value, this book was solid – the characters were great, the dialogue was snappy, the plot was swift, and the ideas were interesting. Some aspects were a little disappointing – several plot points/ideas were not explored with enough depth, and the conclusion was not fleshed out enough to be satisfying.
pages_n_puzzles's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good conclusion to the trilogy, and still really liked the characters, but not in love with the final plotting.
isaac_petherbridge's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
shoosha's review against another edition
5.0
Aw man! I loved this series!!! I didn't want to say goodbye. (still holding out hope to see Marce flow adventures into the Earth Colonies!!) However, it ended strong and purposefully and I truly enjoyed these three novels! Full of political intrigue and some five star cursing and sentient ships and even lovely romantic moments! I can't recommend this series enough! Just a great light and fun read!
liketheday's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely liked it better than the second book, but overall it was just sort of fine in the Canon of Scalzi (which is, you know, pretty darn good in the Canon of Things I Read). I'm glad to know that this is the end of a defined trilogy of books, so whatever's next should be something new and exciting!