Scan barcode
shandyt's review against another edition
3.0
Slow and largely pointless, poorly paced, and ruined by an ill-conceived and ill-supported plot twist.
2. The pacing of this series has always been a little strange, but in book 4, it becomes atrocious. Entire months get glossed over while we spend pages and pages on minutiae like slaves flirting and teenage fart jokes. (Not that the fart jokes weren't funny.) It's never clear how the timelines are supposed to line up, and some things that really deserve some attention in the text get skipped over altogether, or just mentioned in passing. We get one (1) scene of Karris and Zymun interacting, and that's it. Almost nothing of the war efforts, or the political climate of the Jaspers. How are the Spectrum dealing with the ongoing crisis? What is the new Green's contribution? How is the Blackguard doing under Fisk's command? What was the fallout of the Mighty's escape at the end of book 3? Either we'll find out in book 5, or never. It almost reads like ASOIAF, where the story got split into two volumes, each covering different characters.
3. The revelation that Gavin DID die at the end of the war, and Dazen-as-Gavin never really held anyone prisoner is just... I can't even begin to describe how infuriating that was to read. Everything that happened in the prison in books 1 and 2 is now meaningless! It's clear that the author only came up with the twist after writing the second book, or perhaps even the third. There is no single element of foreshadowing in the previous books that doesn't seem retroactive, and no single element that couldn't also be used to contradict the twist's veracity. It's been jammed in as inelegantly as a replacement table leg made of Lego. Not a single detail of the reveal made me think, 'Ohhhh, that's what that meant!' I just don't buy it.
One thing that I did enjoy about the book was theorizing about the Lightbringer. At this point the author would have to make (another) really hard left turn for the LB to be anyone other than Kip, but it was fun to try and fit it to other characters anyway. Tisis was a pleasant surprise of a character, and I hope she isn't plot-twisted into having been evil all along. Ultimately, though, this was by far the weakest installment and I hope it doesn't bode poorly for book 5.
Spoiler
1. Not much happens in 600 pages. Gavin stays locked in his cell, Karris makes some moves in her role as the new White, Andross schemes, Teia works her way deeper into the Broken Eye, and Kip leads the Mighty in guerrilla attacks against the White King. What comes of all this? Very little. The much-deserved death of the Nuqaba is a highlight, as well as Gavin being set free at the very end. Otherwise, the plot moves forward only a few plodding paces. Kip's plotline in particular is frustrating in its pointlessness. He leads his people through the woods to fight off the White King's invasion of the Blood Forest, only, at the very end of the book, we find out the WK couldn't give a crap about losing the satrapy. His true plan, already underway, is to launch a fleet of banes toward the Jaspers. What has Andross been doing to prevent this? Seems like an obvious threat. Another whale-ex-machina going to save them at the last minute? It's sad that the Kip-and-Tisis Sex Show has the most forward momentum and the most satisfying resolution.2. The pacing of this series has always been a little strange, but in book 4, it becomes atrocious. Entire months get glossed over while we spend pages and pages on minutiae like slaves flirting and teenage fart jokes. (Not that the fart jokes weren't funny.) It's never clear how the timelines are supposed to line up, and some things that really deserve some attention in the text get skipped over altogether, or just mentioned in passing. We get one (1) scene of Karris and Zymun interacting, and that's it. Almost nothing of the war efforts, or the political climate of the Jaspers. How are the Spectrum dealing with the ongoing crisis? What is the new Green's contribution? How is the Blackguard doing under Fisk's command? What was the fallout of the Mighty's escape at the end of book 3? Either we'll find out in book 5, or never. It almost reads like ASOIAF, where the story got split into two volumes, each covering different characters.
3. The revelation that Gavin DID die at the end of the war, and Dazen-as-Gavin never really held anyone prisoner is just... I can't even begin to describe how infuriating that was to read. Everything that happened in the prison in books 1 and 2 is now meaningless! It's clear that the author only came up with the twist after writing the second book, or perhaps even the third. There is no single element of foreshadowing in the previous books that doesn't seem retroactive, and no single element that couldn't also be used to contradict the twist's veracity. It's been jammed in as inelegantly as a replacement table leg made of Lego. Not a single detail of the reveal made me think, 'Ohhhh, that's what that meant!' I just don't buy it.
One thing that I did enjoy about the book was theorizing about the Lightbringer. At this point the author would have to make (another) really hard left turn for the LB to be anyone other than Kip, but it was fun to try and fit it to other characters anyway. Tisis was a pleasant surprise of a character, and I hope she isn't plot-twisted into having been evil all along. Ultimately, though, this was by far the weakest installment and I hope it doesn't bode poorly for book 5.
rynetry's review against another edition
4.0
I think we're heading towards a solid conclusion here. The series has continued to improve. It's not earth shattering, but has been a fun ride. Excited to finish it, and excited to be finished it after the next book
bookswithcori's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
aceinit's review against another edition
3.0
I've always had such contradictory feelings about the series. On one hand, some of my favorite caracters from fiction walk in these books. On the other hand, some of my least favorite characters from fiction walk in these books. It makes for a very frustrating combination.
With this newest installment, Weeks has me reevaluating a lot of things in the wake of the latest reveals about the Guile brothers, and I both love and hate how easily my emotions are manipulated by Gavin, who remains a dynamic character despite having very little to actually do.
Which is the first problem with most of this book. It is a big damn book, and yet so many important moments happen off the page. Too much time remains spent on Kip and Teia, two characters I am never going to be able to care about, and whose parts I usually had to trudge through to get back to the parts of the story that interest. me. I don't have it in me to care about either one of them. I just don't. I never have. I never will. And I've mostly made peace with that. But it still irks me that so much of the book was devoted to both Kip and Teia.
Yes, the chapters make for some good maturity and character development (they really do), but so much of their page time could have been trimmed and better spent elsewhere. It's a big world, it is enormously frustrating to have quite a few key moments and characters relegated to afterthought status. I would much rather read about Liv embracing her transformation, or see firsthand what happened to bring about the devastating situation in the final Karris chapter. Zymun, who is now the most important person in the satrapies, barely garners a passing mention.
The second issue is that this book is very much a set up for the final volume in the series. It's Middle Book Syndrome, except with the fourth volume in the series. As such, there are a lot of things happening, but ultimately things that are not particularly interesting or riveting to read about. And, in a lot of places, the book seems to focus on the wrong things. Or at least the wrong things to keep this particular reader entranced.
Still, as a writer, Weeks continues to grow in leaps and bounds. Each book in the series has been stronger than the last and terms of writing and characterization. And, so I found this particular installment almost as frustrating as the previous one, I look forward to seeing how the series wraps up in the next and final book.
With this newest installment, Weeks has me reevaluating a lot of things in the wake of the latest reveals about the Guile brothers, and I both love and hate how easily my emotions are manipulated by Gavin, who remains a dynamic character despite having very little to actually do.
Which is the first problem with most of this book. It is a big damn book, and yet so many important moments happen off the page. Too much time remains spent on Kip and Teia, two characters I am never going to be able to care about, and whose parts I usually had to trudge through to get back to the parts of the story that interest. me. I don't have it in me to care about either one of them. I just don't. I never have. I never will. And I've mostly made peace with that. But it still irks me that so much of the book was devoted to both Kip and Teia.
Yes, the chapters make for some good maturity and character development (they really do), but so much of their page time could have been trimmed and better spent elsewhere. It's a big world, it is enormously frustrating to have quite a few key moments and characters relegated to afterthought status. I would much rather read about Liv embracing her transformation, or see firsthand what happened to bring about the devastating situation in the final Karris chapter. Zymun, who is now the most important person in the satrapies, barely garners a passing mention.
The second issue is that this book is very much a set up for the final volume in the series. It's Middle Book Syndrome, except with the fourth volume in the series. As such, there are a lot of things happening, but ultimately things that are not particularly interesting or riveting to read about. And, in a lot of places, the book seems to focus on the wrong things. Or at least the wrong things to keep this particular reader entranced.
Still, as a writer, Weeks continues to grow in leaps and bounds. Each book in the series has been stronger than the last and terms of writing and characterization. And, so I found this particular installment almost as frustrating as the previous one, I look forward to seeing how the series wraps up in the next and final book.
zoff's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-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
stepriot's review against another edition
4.0
I want to loved it. There is so much potential in this book. Up to this point the series was pretty middle of the road, but then Weeks pulls out some tricks only seen on Weird fiction and I was sold. His use of the unreliable narrator added layers of intrigue I didn't think this series was capable of. While the execution wasn't perfect, I really loved seeing it. I regret that he didn't have a strong editor. The addition of the unreliable narrator makes the reader question everything that comes before. Suddenly, people who were obviously evil, are far less obvious and vice versa. The revelations in this title should have shaken everything. I respect Weeks for attempting it and with the right editor this could have been a crowning jewel in his legacy. Unfortunately it ends up feeling like a lot of wasted potential. I hope Weeks will not be discouraged by the more negative reviews. I look forward to future works where he can tread Weird territory with more confidence.
peterkeep's review against another edition
4.0
Probably the most setup of all the books so far, there aren't a huge amount of big plot points or thing like that. I heard a lot of criticism about this book (most of it along those lines) and while I agree, I still really enjoyed the book.
Kip and his group are less and less interesting to me, and I'm a bit tired of the humor (since most of it is just low hanging fruit) but even that wasn't terribly distracting. Overall, there was still a lot of interesting stuff happening (three characters specifically were awesome even with less "screen time" than others), and a few twists. Best of all, though, is that it looks like there's a clear direction for most every character heading into the final book. it should be a great conclusion with a lots of twists and turns, even if there weren't as many in this one.
Kip and his group are less and less interesting to me, and I'm a bit tired of the humor (since most of it is just low hanging fruit) but even that wasn't terribly distracting. Overall, there was still a lot of interesting stuff happening (three characters specifically were awesome even with less "screen time" than others), and a few twists. Best of all, though, is that it looks like there's a clear direction for most every character heading into the final book. it should be a great conclusion with a lots of twists and turns, even if there weren't as many in this one.
baldwinme40's review against another edition
4.0
5 stars for making me yell and hit this book a whole bunch and for elaborately building up a world and then COMPLETELY DESTROYING WHAT WE ALL THOUGHT WAS REAL
-.5 for TMI sexytimes and -.5 for a saggy middle which despite short chapters became very repetitive. i skipped most of kip's chapters once i figured out he was just going to keep winning.
but SUSPENSE and HORROR and WTF and MY CHILDREN..... it's about to hit the fan for the next book! the stakes are as stake-y as they're gonna get and i'm READY. to wait another like. 2 years. WHY.
-.5 for TMI sexytimes and -.5 for a saggy middle which despite short chapters became very repetitive. i skipped most of kip's chapters once i figured out he was just going to keep winning.
but SUSPENSE and HORROR and WTF and MY CHILDREN..... it's about to hit the fan for the next book! the stakes are as stake-y as they're gonna get and i'm READY. to wait another like. 2 years. WHY.
galidar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-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
4.5
mrbear's review against another edition
4.0
A solid book. I'm probably being generous giving this 4 stars, since I wouldnt really recommend it at that level unless you've read and liked the first 3 books, and the book itself is worse than some of the earlier books in the series (I think 2 was the best in my mind). Still a solid story that hopefully will lead to a strong conclusion.