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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
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:
Complicated
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"I thought if you told people facts, they'd draw their conclusions, and because the facts were true, the conclusions mostly would be true. But we don't run on facts. We run on stories about things. About people."
I broadly like these books, just like I broadly liked the show, but both always felt like they were just shy of being "great." Babylon's Ashes is a Pretty Good resolution to this arc in the series, taking a kind of fractal look at how the conflict has affected everyone in this world. Whereas Nemesis Games focused its perspective on the core cast, Ashes expands outward. We still have a couple core perspective characters, but we also have chapters from the POV of one-off characters, or mini-arcs with other characters. It gives the novel a sense of scope, an ability to explore what this series has, in essence, always been about. That is, the ramifications of very big events on very small people.
Babylon's Ashes is bookended by references to War & Peace, which Ty Abraham has said was an influence on this one. That's kind of a funny thing to suggest, given how pulpy these books often feel, but I see the touchstone. Marco Inaros as a self-obsessed Napoleon, and this wide cast as the Rostovs and Bolkonskies learning how to live in the swirling chaos of history. It eventually falls apart as a reference point, but I think their key is the idea of whether individual people have control over the world's turning or not. Marco certainly think he does, but he is brought down by a thousand minor things and any one member of the cast isn't aware of the whole picture. More than ever before, this is a book about the cast of this world trying to figure out what exactly coming together looks like. In a universe this complex, how do we pave a path for peace?
Still, I find the moment of contemplation come a little too seldom in these novels. To reiterate what I said in my Cibola Burn review, I think the best thing this series has done was slow down and decide to unpack one idea at a time. Without the length of War and Peace to give its wide cast a sense of depth, Babylon's Ashes never quite rises above the pulpy action it wears on its sleeve. And which I like! I enjoy pulpy action. But I was surprised to see people being kind of disappointed with this one, and I had to reflect and realize if I wasn't imagining Cara Gee's ever-charismatic Drummer in the Michio Pa scenes, maybe I wouldn't have grabbed onto that character as much. I did very much enjoy it and got through it fairly quickly, but I remain curious as to what the pivot into the last three books feels like when I no longer have the show to hang on my imagination.
I broadly like these books, just like I broadly liked the show, but both always felt like they were just shy of being "great." Babylon's Ashes is a Pretty Good resolution to this arc in the series, taking a kind of fractal look at how the conflict has affected everyone in this world. Whereas Nemesis Games focused its perspective on the core cast, Ashes expands outward. We still have a couple core perspective characters, but we also have chapters from the POV of one-off characters, or mini-arcs with other characters. It gives the novel a sense of scope, an ability to explore what this series has, in essence, always been about. That is, the ramifications of very big events on very small people.
Babylon's Ashes is bookended by references to War & Peace, which Ty Abraham has said was an influence on this one. That's kind of a funny thing to suggest, given how pulpy these books often feel, but I see the touchstone. Marco Inaros as a self-obsessed Napoleon, and this wide cast as the Rostovs and Bolkonskies learning how to live in the swirling chaos of history. It eventually falls apart as a reference point, but I think their key is the idea of whether individual people have control over the world's turning or not. Marco certainly think he does, but he is brought down by a thousand minor things and any one member of the cast isn't aware of the whole picture. More than ever before, this is a book about the cast of this world trying to figure out what exactly coming together looks like. In a universe this complex, how do we pave a path for peace?
Still, I find the moment of contemplation come a little too seldom in these novels. To reiterate what I said in my Cibola Burn review, I think the best thing this series has done was slow down and decide to unpack one idea at a time. Without the length of War and Peace to give its wide cast a sense of depth, Babylon's Ashes never quite rises above the pulpy action it wears on its sleeve. And which I like! I enjoy pulpy action. But I was surprised to see people being kind of disappointed with this one, and I had to reflect and realize if I wasn't imagining Cara Gee's ever-charismatic Drummer in the Michio Pa scenes, maybe I wouldn't have grabbed onto that character as much. I did very much enjoy it and got through it fairly quickly, but I remain curious as to what the pivot into the last three books feels like when I no longer have the show to hang on my imagination.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Rating: Really Enjoyed It
This is the 6th book in a series, so I'm not going to go into the details or the plot. I had a really good time being back in this world with the characters that I love so much. It tied up a lot of the loose ends, and it kind of felt like an ending to the series. It was very action packed, which took away some of the character time that I reveled in for all of book 5, but it was still a lot of fun, and a good installment. Just not a favorite in the series.
This is the 6th book in a series, so I'm not going to go into the details or the plot. I had a really good time being back in this world with the characters that I love so much. It tied up a lot of the loose ends, and it kind of felt like an ending to the series. It was very action packed, which took away some of the character time that I reveled in for all of book 5, but it was still a lot of fun, and a good installment. Just not a favorite in the series.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes