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hank's review
4.0
Great ending! I think I enjoyed the second book in series the best. I still love Jedao(s), the servitors, Mikodez and the whole crazy world. The plot was a touch complicated at times and the discussions based around the various plans were overly long sometimes. I wish someone had gone with the moth Revenant, I would love to know more of its story. Lots of layers and stark commentary about war. Loved the whole series.
shellbellbell's review
4.0
4 stars instead of the 5 stars that I gave to the previous books in this series because it was just a bit...slower. A lot more time was dedicated to political intrigue and character musings than the previous books. Which is not a bad thing, I like that stuff! But the previous books felt more balanced in terms of including action, intrigue, twists, and plot movement. There's just not a ton that happens in this book and I'm still kinda confused about one thing that happened at the end that I can't mention because spoilers. That said it was still a fun read and an enjoyable conclusion to this awesome series. I loved the introduction of Hemiola, it reminded me of Murderbot but less snarky.
Representation notes: Women everywhere, including in positions of power. At least two main characters are explicitly queer and/or poly. Poly/queer family structures are the norm. One main character is a trans man. Two prominent side characters are non-binary and use they pronouns. Many PoC, including a main character of Asian descent and a prominent side character who is black.
Trigger warnings: Non-explicit depiction of rape of a male character; suicidal ideation and suicide.
Representation notes: Women everywhere, including in positions of power. At least two main characters are explicitly queer and/or poly. Poly/queer family structures are the norm. One main character is a trans man. Two prominent side characters are non-binary and use they pronouns. Many PoC, including a main character of Asian descent and a prominent side character who is black.
Trigger warnings: Non-explicit depiction of rape of a male character; suicidal ideation and suicide.
suzemo's review
4.0
I think of all of the books in the series, this one was almost my favorite.
I am still operating under the premise that calendrical controls/heresy is all about magic (and we can fight about this all day, but I'm keeping it). This novel opens up with another Revenant Jedao - made of the missing memories that Kel Cheris did not have, which makes for a very interesting read.
The Jedao we absolutely don't know, but kind of know has to find his way in a new awakened world, waging war against the remnants of his own people with other remnants of his own people.
In the middle is Nirai Kujen, a broken genius who has put in place a system that manages to be way more horrific than the one he was trying to fix.
I wish the world building were a little stronger in this piece. While I love a good character driven story, I felt like, even though the groundwork was mostly laid in the previous novels, that we needed a little more information. Or maybe YHL just left it open for more stories. Either way, this book was pretty solid.
And servitors - there were servitor characters and they're fantastic.
I am still operating under the premise that calendrical controls/heresy is all about magic (and we can fight about this all day, but I'm keeping it). This novel opens up with another Revenant Jedao - made of the missing memories that Kel Cheris did not have, which makes for a very interesting read.
The Jedao we absolutely don't know, but kind of know has to find his way in a new awakened world, waging war against the remnants of his own people with other remnants of his own people.
In the middle is Nirai Kujen, a broken genius who has put in place a system that manages to be way more horrific than the one he was trying to fix.
I wish the world building were a little stronger in this piece. While I love a good character driven story, I felt like, even though the groundwork was mostly laid in the previous novels, that we needed a little more information. Or maybe YHL just left it open for more stories. Either way, this book was pretty solid.
And servitors - there were servitor characters and they're fantastic.
stephenmeansme's review
3.0
Though better than the feast of inconsequence that was RAVEN STRATAGEM, the finale of the Machineries of Empire falls far short of NINEFOX GAMBIT. I can't tell if I'm more or less disappointed. After all, it's not unheard of for sf/f series to drop in quality, sometimes precipitously, with each new entry, but GAMBIT was pretty obviously setting up for a sequel, which was delivered in short order. We got stuck in an anime "gaiden" episode for almost the whole book of RAVEN STRATAGEM: I mean it, at the end of the series almost nothing that happens in that book matters very much. With the final book, we see a bit more return to form, but messy.
For example, most of the non-Jedao-centric chapters seem extraneous. Ultimately this is a Cheris-Jedao-Kujen story about stopping cycles of abuse, and Brezan, Inesser, and any other characters don't contribute much to it at all. Often they don't even serve the same function as the POV from Scattered Needles in GAMBIT. At least with STRATAGEM, where the point was indirect narration of what Cheris-Jedao is up to, I could see the logic. Here it didn't seem to come to much.
More grating were the retcons, which I don't really know the point of. This is not about the "mathematics" of threshold winnowers, which so triggered a different review, but the further explanation of why Brezan has an almost-our-world trans man experience in a sfnal universe where genetic tweaking, computerized brain implants, and body modification (to the point of normalized non-binary "alt" people) are so common: apparently the Kel are just puritanical about sex reassignment specifically, for some reason. (Wouldn't dysphoria screw up calendrical effects?)
It would be much too mean to say that the only thing separating REVENANT GUN from Lee's YA book THE DRAGON PEARL is the random fairly explicit (and questionably-consensual!) sex scenes, especially because I ended up liking this one well enough. But the three less-good books of Lee's that I've read seem to suffer from the same problem, where characters make weird decisions seemingly just so the plot can resolve. New!Jedao In fact none of the actual, explicit sex in the Machineries of Empire trilogy seems good, despite all the normalization of so many different gender and sexual identities. (By contrast, Inesser, for example, has "wives" but she only "wakes up next to" one of them. Oddly chaste.)
The consistent bright spot is the servitor subplot, though even there I think it was underserved. That goes to maybe the more general critique: Lee should have restrained the subplots and gone "long" rather than "wide."
Overall, 2.5 stars rounded up because I think it was better overall than REVENANT GUN. But the continuation of this series has been a mediocre disappointment. Stick with NINEFOX GAMBIT and don't feel any pressing desire to complete anything after that.
For example, most of the non-Jedao-centric chapters seem extraneous. Ultimately this is a Cheris-Jedao-Kujen story about stopping cycles of abuse, and Brezan, Inesser, and any other characters don't contribute much to it at all. Often they don't even serve the same function as the POV from Scattered Needles in GAMBIT. At least with STRATAGEM, where the point was indirect narration of what Cheris-Jedao is up to, I could see the logic. Here it didn't seem to come to much.
More grating were the retcons, which I don't really know the point of. This is not about the "mathematics" of threshold winnowers, which so triggered a different review, but the further explanation of why Brezan has an almost-our-world trans man experience in a sfnal universe where genetic tweaking, computerized brain implants, and body modification (to the point of normalized non-binary "alt" people) are so common: apparently the Kel are just puritanical about sex reassignment specifically, for some reason. (Wouldn't dysphoria screw up calendrical effects?)
Spoiler
There's also the blatant retcon that the "moth" ships are basically cyborged Mothras? And that a lot of Hexarchate technology has biological components? This seems unnecessary; I don't see what part of the story is enhanced by it; it makes the Kel look like gigantic hypocritical fools when they freak out about how the Hafn build their ships; it doesn't even much impact new!Jedao's story. It's conveyed in an almost "as you already know..." style, whereas at least Cheris's secrets are supposedly classified.Spoiler
Separately, the Hafn just faff off back to their home territory during the timeskip because apparently that's less interesting?It would be much too mean to say that the only thing separating REVENANT GUN from Lee's YA book THE DRAGON PEARL is the random fairly explicit (and questionably-consensual!) sex scenes, especially because I ended up liking this one well enough. But the three less-good books of Lee's that I've read seem to suffer from the same problem, where characters make weird decisions seemingly just so the plot can resolve. New!Jedao
Spoiler
comes back with only part of his memories (the others having been eaten by Cheris in a scene more emotionally affecting than anything in the other two books), and at what's sort of implied to be an emotional age of seventeen? The characterization isn't very tight about it, especially when the rough sex starts and it ends up being possibly mutually non-con? Oof.The consistent bright spot is the servitor subplot, though even there I think it was underserved
Spoiler
perhaps by being split with the moth subplotOverall, 2.5 stars rounded up because I think it was better overall than REVENANT GUN. But the continuation of this series has been a mediocre disappointment. Stick with NINEFOX GAMBIT and don't feel any pressing desire to complete anything after that.
riotsquirrrl's review
4.0
I could have lived without knowing that Nirai Kujen was a switch but here we are.
But then again that's part of why I really like this series: the characterization. People do cross stitch. They have cats. They have hot kinky sex. They talk about sculpture and fashion. And some people use they pronouns and it's so not a big deal that the author doesn't even explain why. Just some people use singular they.
The plot? Oh right. I do recommend reading Extracurricular Activities before reading this one. It's short and has gay sex. You'll like it.
I found this book to be easier to follow than Raven Strategem. While there are some new characters, the cast of thousands from the previous book returns for the most part. That and I got to know them in context before they started talking to and about one another.
Otherwise, this book had the most straightforward plot. The interesting bit is how the characters would interact with each other once they did. And that isn't quite what's expected.
But then again that's part of why I really like this series: the characterization. People do cross stitch. They have cats. They have hot kinky sex. They talk about sculpture and fashion. And some people use they pronouns and it's so not a big deal that the author doesn't even explain why. Just some people use singular they.
The plot? Oh right. I do recommend reading Extracurricular Activities before reading this one. It's short and has gay sex. You'll like it.
I found this book to be easier to follow than Raven Strategem. While there are some new characters, the cast of thousands from the previous book returns for the most part. That and I got to know them in context before they started talking to and about one another.
Otherwise, this book had the most straightforward plot. The interesting bit is how the characters would interact with each other once they did. And that isn't quite what's expected.
cryo_guy's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? No
3.75
After a lukewarm start on this trilogy with one friend, I got another friend hooked and she encouraged me to get to the end because "I hate it when I don't know what happens." WELL, I'm not as motivated by conclusions as a reader, but I have enjoyed Lee's unique and innovative approach to the sci-fi/fantasy/military scifi blended genre. At first it was about the creativity and the push to test the reader's imagination, but this trilogy actually gets more straightforward as you read.
So I'll go over some of the stuff I liked and didn't. I think the coolest thing about these books was the world-building. A majority of the pages are actually spent on developing the space opera plot and having mostly accessible character scenes, but there is a lot of unique stuff going on in the background. The first book front loads this and is purposefully defamiliarizing, but as I said, these elements are less prominent in books 2 and 3. As far as the space opera plot goes you can easily see influences from star wars and dune, but the dressing is an all new mostly Asian inspired pastiche. I think the single most innovative element is the idea of technology operating by means of belief and ritual-and effects of tech, called "exotic" in the novels, activating accordingly. This presents a perfect context for the finale where such a system is turned on its head and the rules are rewritten to depend on consent (an always pertinent topic nowadays). I'm being a little flip, but its also good haha.
The characters are also pretty interesting and well-developed, but I liked some of them more than others. There's generally a good deal of clever social commentary that doesn't need to get heady to make a point; something I would consider talented writing. And of course, we all love the robots and their enhanced role in the latter 2 books.
And the plot itself is interesting but accessible in the space opera way. I feared that it might lean too hard into the twist ending, but it doesnt at all which was very refreshing for me. I hate it when authors don't trust their plots enough to resolve them without resorting to some radically alien device or run of the mill deus ex machina. But here we have a solid plot that resolves quite well.
One of the most impressive things to me was how his take on military sci-fi redeemed a genre that I had completely given up on.
I docked the score of this book because I enjoyed the other books a little more. I missed some of the weird defamiliarization from the first book. I also think that as far as the plot goes, while the worldbuilding excels and lifts things up, the resolution to this space opera mess does sort of drag it back down to the mundane-which I can only say is both good and bad for me. And a new character introduced in this book was not the most compelling to me.
Otherwise, I'd say this is a fun series, definitely worth reading to challenge one's imagination-at least at first-and worth finishing to see how Lee takes it to its conclusion. Maybe the highest praise I could give is exactly that: even if I told you how things end, the book is written such that the reading of it is worth it no matter your foreknowledge. Maybe I'll check out his collections of short stories also set in the same world.
So I'll go over some of the stuff I liked and didn't. I think the coolest thing about these books was the world-building. A majority of the pages are actually spent on developing the space opera plot and having mostly accessible character scenes, but there is a lot of unique stuff going on in the background. The first book front loads this and is purposefully defamiliarizing, but as I said, these elements are less prominent in books 2 and 3. As far as the space opera plot goes you can easily see influences from star wars and dune, but the dressing is an all new mostly Asian inspired pastiche. I think the single most innovative element is the idea of technology operating by means of belief and ritual-and effects of tech, called "exotic" in the novels, activating accordingly. This presents a perfect context for the finale where such a system is turned on its head and the rules are rewritten to depend on consent (an always pertinent topic nowadays). I'm being a little flip, but its also good haha.
The characters are also pretty interesting and well-developed, but I liked some of them more than others. There's generally a good deal of clever social commentary that doesn't need to get heady to make a point; something I would consider talented writing. And of course, we all love the robots and their enhanced role in the latter 2 books.
And the plot itself is interesting but accessible in the space opera way. I feared that it might lean too hard into the twist ending, but it doesnt at all which was very refreshing for me. I hate it when authors don't trust their plots enough to resolve them without resorting to some radically alien device or run of the mill deus ex machina. But here we have a solid plot that resolves quite well.
One of the most impressive things to me was how his take on military sci-fi redeemed a genre that I had completely given up on.
I docked the score of this book because I enjoyed the other books a little more. I missed some of the weird defamiliarization from the first book. I also think that as far as the plot goes, while the worldbuilding excels and lifts things up, the resolution to this space opera mess does sort of drag it back down to the mundane-which I can only say is both good and bad for me. And a new character introduced in this book was not the most compelling to me.
Otherwise, I'd say this is a fun series, definitely worth reading to challenge one's imagination-at least at first-and worth finishing to see how Lee takes it to its conclusion. Maybe the highest praise I could give is exactly that: even if I told you how things end, the book is written such that the reading of it is worth it no matter your foreknowledge. Maybe I'll check out his collections of short stories also set in the same world.
himalaya's review against another edition
4.25
yes I definitely vibed with this one more than book 2, maybe just that I'm deeper into it, but maybe the book itself? I actually understood a lot more of the plot and stuff lmao.
Loved learning more about the moth drives and servitors, which are more interesting to me than militarypolitical stuff. Also Hemiola..... you give me a bot that makes AMVs of its shows of course I'm going to love it. favourite character.
I still kinda wanted more from Cheris and her POV. and i missed cheris and jedao because there’s not much of that….well technically MORE but not in the like. talking to each other.
(and I miss guyinyourhead trope. though this time Jedao has guyinyourhead trope, kinda!)
Loved learning more about the moth drives and servitors, which are more interesting to me than militarypolitical stuff. Also Hemiola..... you give me a bot that makes AMVs of its shows of course I'm going to love it. favourite character.
I still kinda wanted more from Cheris and her POV. and i missed cheris and jedao because there’s not much of that….well technically MORE but not in the like. talking to each other.
(and I miss guyinyourhead trope. though this time Jedao has guyinyourhead trope, kinda!)
aleffert's review
5.0
Concluding volume. I'm a sucker for twisty complicated plots engineered by incredibly smart characters and this did that in spades. But it also did it with strong emotional stakes. Creative, weird, fun, and poignant.
skycladmp's review
5.0
I freaking love this series. The ending was very fitting for pretty much all characters involved
Spoiler
except poor Dhannethpilebythebed's review
5.0
Yoon Ha Lee wraps up his stunning Machineries of Empire trilogy much in the way he has preceded it. Both the eye-opening Ninefox Gambit and its satisfying sequel Raven Stratagem were shortlisted for the Hugo Award (Lee’s debut was shortlisted for pretty much every award going). And it will be no surprise if Revenant Gun joins them. The third book of the trilogy takes the universe and characters that Lee created in these earlier books and once again twists them into new shapes, like the mathematician that he is, Lee seems to be constantly finding new answers to the same equation.
At the end of Raven Stratagem the status quo of Lee's universe has been seriously upended. The calendar-based system which powered the universe had been overthrown, many of its architects (the hexarchs) were dead and chaos was threatening to flow into their wake. Revenant Gun jumps forward nine years from that point – the empire is split in two, and an ancient enemy is rising keen to see the status quo re-estbalished and the universe go back to the way it was.
Saying too much more about the plot would invite more spoilers. Suffice to say that Lee uses the book to once again reset his two main characters Shuos Jedao and Kel Cheris. Each book of the series has dug into a these two characters in a different way. In Revenant Gun there are two Jedaos, working for opposite sides. The Jedao working for Hexarch Nirai Kujen , an ancient, seemingly unkillable force with no respect for other lives, has been given the body of the grown man but only has the memories of the seventeen year old original Jedao. While the other Jedao, out of favour with the new regime that he helped establish, is on a mission to stop Kujen. But Lee also has plenty of time for a number of other point of view characters including Kel Brezan, introduced in Raven Stratagem, and a robot servitor character called Hemiola who goes on her own journey of discovery.
Revenant Gun, like its predecessors has war at its heart. The main characters are soldiers and the narrative revolves around the political and tactical manoeuvring around a couple of major campaigns. The Kel are soldiers, bred to serve and strictly follow command in order to keep formation. Those under the young Jedao's command hate him for crimes that he committed but that he has no memory of but are bound to serve him. Despite its military styling, Lee never shies away from the human cost of battle, and the consequences of being forced to blindly follow orders.
Revenant Gun has all of the trappings of modern space opera that have been wielded so effectively recently by exponents like Iain M Banks and Ann Leckie – including complex politics, a reconfigured society, snarky independent robots and sentient space ships. And like these authors, despite all the strangeness of the setting, there is a deep humanity to the characters and their concerns. And Lee’s mathematics-driven universe combined with the way he tells these tales has its own uniqueness which sets him both apart from these and other authors.
So that once again, on top of all of the verbal and descriptive flourishes and the military science fiction styling Lee has delivered a deeply humanistic tale that furthers the concerns of the previous volumes of the series but does not feel repetitive. Revenant Gun wraps the up Machineries of Empire series well. While there are possibly more permutations Lee can put his main characters through it is probably time to let them settle even if the future of this universe remains ambiguous. Because life, even in a mathematics driven universe, does not always have easy answers.
At the end of Raven Stratagem the status quo of Lee's universe has been seriously upended. The calendar-based system which powered the universe had been overthrown, many of its architects (the hexarchs) were dead and chaos was threatening to flow into their wake. Revenant Gun jumps forward nine years from that point – the empire is split in two, and an ancient enemy is rising keen to see the status quo re-estbalished and the universe go back to the way it was.
Saying too much more about the plot would invite more spoilers. Suffice to say that Lee uses the book to once again reset his two main characters Shuos Jedao and Kel Cheris. Each book of the series has dug into a these two characters in a different way. In Revenant Gun there are two Jedaos, working for opposite sides. The Jedao working for Hexarch Nirai Kujen , an ancient, seemingly unkillable force with no respect for other lives, has been given the body of the grown man but only has the memories of the seventeen year old original Jedao. While the other Jedao, out of favour with the new regime that he helped establish, is on a mission to stop Kujen. But Lee also has plenty of time for a number of other point of view characters including Kel Brezan, introduced in Raven Stratagem, and a robot servitor character called Hemiola who goes on her own journey of discovery.
Revenant Gun, like its predecessors has war at its heart. The main characters are soldiers and the narrative revolves around the political and tactical manoeuvring around a couple of major campaigns. The Kel are soldiers, bred to serve and strictly follow command in order to keep formation. Those under the young Jedao's command hate him for crimes that he committed but that he has no memory of but are bound to serve him. Despite its military styling, Lee never shies away from the human cost of battle, and the consequences of being forced to blindly follow orders.
Revenant Gun has all of the trappings of modern space opera that have been wielded so effectively recently by exponents like Iain M Banks and Ann Leckie – including complex politics, a reconfigured society, snarky independent robots and sentient space ships. And like these authors, despite all the strangeness of the setting, there is a deep humanity to the characters and their concerns. And Lee’s mathematics-driven universe combined with the way he tells these tales has its own uniqueness which sets him both apart from these and other authors.
So that once again, on top of all of the verbal and descriptive flourishes and the military science fiction styling Lee has delivered a deeply humanistic tale that furthers the concerns of the previous volumes of the series but does not feel repetitive. Revenant Gun wraps the up Machineries of Empire series well. While there are possibly more permutations Lee can put his main characters through it is probably time to let them settle even if the future of this universe remains ambiguous. Because life, even in a mathematics driven universe, does not always have easy answers.