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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The conclusion to this series was unexpected and I think I liked that. There were parts that genuinely caught me off guard.
The first book I've read in like a month, and it was an excellent choice to move back into that space. John Scalzi is always entertaining, engaging, and readable, and The Last Emperox is no exception -- I read the last half in almost a single sitting. A page-turner for sure, with an excellent cast of characters and world-building that's almost a little too on-the-nose for the world we currently live in. A satisfying and earned end to the trilogy.
I really enjoyed this series but felt that the third book was the weakest, even as, I have to say, the ending was nonetheless gratifying and successful in story terms. My main complaint is that the final climactic moment was basically a remix/repeat of the climactic moment of book two. It took away the weight of a main character's "death" to know that they were almost certainly coming back. Still really happy to have found this series and thankful for the brilliant audiobook performance.
The prologue was such a strong start, I thought surely this was going to be five stars. Then around chapter 10, when we finally got past all the recaps of the first two novels, I starting thinking 3-4 stars. Then when the book ended mere pages (a small exaggeration) later, with a totally contrived ending that neatly tied up all the plot lines, while nothing actually happened; I demoted this down to 2 stars.
I still recommend the first two novels.
I still recommend the first two novels.
This was a fitting (and fun!) conclusion to the Interdependency trilogy, and I think I set a record for myself regarding how quickly I finished a book after its initial release date — just ten days. My favorite characters were there, and they were as expected, even though not everything that happened to them (or that they caused to happen) was expected. (No spoilers from me!)
My somewhat longer review on my website also does not contain any spoilers.
Maybe more like 3.5 but a good wrap-up to the trilogy so I'm happy to bump it up a bit.
Recent Reads: The Last Emperox. In John Scalzi's interstellar game of thrones you either win or you die. Actually, the entire Interdependency dies with the failing interstellar Flow that links worlds. So what is an emperox to do, when it all falls apart? A tale for our times.
"As far as Kiva could tell, whenever selfish humans encountered a wrenching, life-altering crisis, they embarked on a journey of five distinct stages:
1. Denial.
2. Denial.
3. Denial.
4. Fucking Denial.
5. Oh shit everything is terrible grab what you can and run."
Which explains the toilet paper crisis of 2020, even though this book was penned in 2019. The author is apparently a doomsday genius.
This has to be one of the best space operas I've ever read. It is smart, snarky, and unpredictable. The characters are addictive. I am glad I own these books to re-read.
1. Denial.
2. Denial.
3. Denial.
4. Fucking Denial.
5. Oh shit everything is terrible grab what you can and run."
Which explains the toilet paper crisis of 2020, even though this book was penned in 2019. The author is apparently a doomsday genius.
This has to be one of the best space operas I've ever read. It is smart, snarky, and unpredictable. The characters are addictive. I am glad I own these books to re-read.
A fine conclusion to an excellent series. Although certainly not lacking in space opera tropes, which can at times be rsthef convoluted, the main focus of the story was well centered and easy to follow.