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jenbsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I've really enjoyed this series. As I started this one up (audio download, as were the first two) my first thought was "wait ... something has changed!" Different narrator! It wasn't really an obvious change, still very good, still heavy accents very similar, but I did notice. And whereas Syl and Paul were separated in most of book 2 (so we were jumping between the two different storylines) the jump seemed even more distant here, as we followed Syl, Paul, and their crew, then back to earth and the stars for the other stories (which isn't really a spoiler if I say there is a time difference, as it's in the blurb). I wasn't sure I was going to be able to overcome such separation ... but I did.
Even listening to this NOT in the best circumstances (in bits and pieces, during basketball games, etc.) there were times I felt like I'd missed things, but was still able to follow and be involved in the story. I got a little discouraged at the end, but then liked how it all wrapped up.
I did a blog post a while back, discussing authors and their views of alien interactions ... most were negative (and the majority of these aliens were "the bad guys"). Always interesting to uncover the imaginative ideas of authors!
Even listening to this NOT in the best circumstances (in bits and pieces, during basketball games, etc.) there were times I felt like I'd missed things, but was still able to follow and be involved in the story. I got a little discouraged at the end, but then liked how it all wrapped up.
I did a blog post a while back, discussing authors and their views of alien interactions ... most were negative (and the majority of these aliens were "the bad guys"). Always interesting to uncover the imaginative ideas of authors!
maybeitsmallory's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this series so much! The book ended, but it left me wanting more story.
mirandanbenson's review
5.0
How do you wrap up a series that spans thousands of pages, dozens of worlds, and hundreds of characters? How do you take a story so large and life-spanning, so that it encompasses the entirety of existence itself, and ground it in a single character, reflecting how the universe could change in how this character grows?
They're questions I as a writer have often troubled myself with, but it's clear after reading Dominion--and the entire Chronicles of the Invaders series--that it can be done.
Dominion, for anyone new to the series, is the final in the Chronicle of the Invaders trilogy, the culmination of the journey of diplomat's daughter Syl and Earth resistance warrior Paul. Yet calling it that feels so microscopic when in reality, it's the story of the intersection of four races: humans, Illyri, mechs, and Others. The final chapter in the saga answers an endless slew of questions about how these races originated in a format that's nearly 20 parts long, jumping between worlds and characters like a season of Game of Thrones. (Speaking of, take note, Hollywood directors: this saga is begging to be adapted for television.)
There's much to praise in this book, but perhaps nothing is as stunning as the progression of Syl. Once the first Illyri born on Earth, Syl has been a Nairene, a fugitive, a friend, and is now seen as an enemy of her own people. But she is determined to protect those who remain against the Others, the parasitic alien race that has consumed a faction of her people and cost her father his life. In this final chapter, we see how far she's grown both in her telepathic abilities and in her strength. Though she is still, in certain terms, a teenager, she has matured beyond her years, and become every bit the defender of the universe she needs to be.
In Syl becoming an adult, alongside Paul, and across the universe from Ani and Steven, we finally see the series reach where it has always belonged: an adult space opera that just happens to have children involved. Classifying this story as young adult made sense in CONQUEST, and wavered in EMPIRE, but in DOMINION, it firmly finds its feet in the adult category. The ethical dilemmas they face and the wars they wage have aged alongside them. It's a beautiful example few series are able to accomplish: characters that grow up and reach adulthood with the readers. Though I'm reading this series as an adult, and years after it came out, I can imagine having read this as it released in my late teens, and how the journeys these characters face mimicked my own emotional progression.
That's a lot of words to say something simple: this series is remarkable, Dominion is a pleasure, and though it breaks my heart to know this is the end of their story, I look forward to reading these books again and again.
They're questions I as a writer have often troubled myself with, but it's clear after reading Dominion--and the entire Chronicles of the Invaders series--that it can be done.
Dominion, for anyone new to the series, is the final in the Chronicle of the Invaders trilogy, the culmination of the journey of diplomat's daughter Syl and Earth resistance warrior Paul. Yet calling it that feels so microscopic when in reality, it's the story of the intersection of four races: humans, Illyri, mechs, and Others. The final chapter in the saga answers an endless slew of questions about how these races originated in a format that's nearly 20 parts long, jumping between worlds and characters like a season of Game of Thrones. (Speaking of, take note, Hollywood directors: this saga is begging to be adapted for television.)
There's much to praise in this book, but perhaps nothing is as stunning as the progression of Syl. Once the first Illyri born on Earth, Syl has been a Nairene, a fugitive, a friend, and is now seen as an enemy of her own people. But she is determined to protect those who remain against the Others, the parasitic alien race that has consumed a faction of her people and cost her father his life. In this final chapter, we see how far she's grown both in her telepathic abilities and in her strength. Though she is still, in certain terms, a teenager, she has matured beyond her years, and become every bit the defender of the universe she needs to be.
In Syl becoming an adult, alongside Paul, and across the universe from Ani and Steven, we finally see the series reach where it has always belonged: an adult space opera that just happens to have children involved. Classifying this story as young adult made sense in CONQUEST, and wavered in EMPIRE, but in DOMINION, it firmly finds its feet in the adult category. The ethical dilemmas they face and the wars they wage have aged alongside them. It's a beautiful example few series are able to accomplish: characters that grow up and reach adulthood with the readers. Though I'm reading this series as an adult, and years after it came out, I can imagine having read this as it released in my late teens, and how the journeys these characters face mimicked my own emotional progression.
That's a lot of words to say something simple: this series is remarkable, Dominion is a pleasure, and though it breaks my heart to know this is the end of their story, I look forward to reading these books again and again.
conalo's review
4.0
This was a good conclusion to an entertaining series though this one had less action than I was expecting. I did like that all the story lines converged and their was a satisfying ending.
4 stars for a fun read and recommended for all reading this series.
4 stars for a fun read and recommended for all reading this series.
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