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willrefuge's review
2.0
3.0 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2022/05/22/the-tindalos-asset-by-caitlin-r-kiernan-review/
The Signalman reprises his role from Agents of Dreamland. He’s joined by a fresh-faced partner. Ellison Nicodemo also returns in what just may be her swan song. But I suppose the same could be said of mankind.
A series of paranormal events plagues the Earth, portent of the looming apocalypse. Squid are born to human mothers. Planes fill with water while in flight. Whales are discovered beached thousands of miles inland.
The time has come for this motley team to face the end of the world.
…I think. It’s kinda hard to tell.
—
The Tindalos Asset gets excellent ratings and reviews on Goodreads, but I think I know why. Anyone that made it through Black Helicopters and was excited to continue the series is bound to love the Book #3 more. I mean, even I loved the Tindalos Asset waaay more than the one that came before it. Though that’s not to say it’s any good. I’m the kind of person that made it through Black Helicopters and thought “well, #3 can’t possibly be any worse”—which isn’t really the best reason to continue a series, I know.
The Tindalos Asset is like Fringe meets… whatever Book #2 was about. I’d say it’s a motley start to a new series, but unfortunately it’s the final one. So, as the conclusion to a series, well, it sucks. Bonus points for the Fringe connection though. I know what happened at the end. It just didn’t make any sense why or how.
There’s a romance, kinda. But it doesn’t make any more sense than anything else in this series. I mean, weren’t there aliens at some point? What happened to them? They’re… really not in this installment. There are hints, yes—but nothing concrete; nothing even remotely approaching clear. Of the romance however: no hints. There’s some sex between the Signalman and his partner, but it’s more raw, less romantic. Does little more than peg him as human—something the other entries just left as a open question. As a romance it’s really lacking, but the only thing I felt indicative of the term. That said, this isn’t who the romance is really between (the Signalman and his partner, I mean), so I don’t know what to tell you. I really hope that this isn’t how the author thinks people flirt.
So, do I recommend this? Nope. I mean, it’s better than Black Helicopters, but that’s a really low bar. The ending was an adequate conclusion to the series, but I’ve no idea how we got to that point, and I read the damned things. But again, it’s better than what directly preceded it. There’s a (mostly) coherent plot. It actually connects to events and characters from Agents of Dreamland. There’s actually some character development, which was a complete surprise. Some of it even makes sense. But yeah, there is no lasting sense of completion or achievement. Sad to say, but the best part of this book—no, this entire series—is likely the end. When it ended.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2022/05/22/the-tindalos-asset-by-caitlin-r-kiernan-review/
The Signalman reprises his role from Agents of Dreamland. He’s joined by a fresh-faced partner. Ellison Nicodemo also returns in what just may be her swan song. But I suppose the same could be said of mankind.
A series of paranormal events plagues the Earth, portent of the looming apocalypse. Squid are born to human mothers. Planes fill with water while in flight. Whales are discovered beached thousands of miles inland.
The time has come for this motley team to face the end of the world.
…I think. It’s kinda hard to tell.
—
The Tindalos Asset gets excellent ratings and reviews on Goodreads, but I think I know why. Anyone that made it through Black Helicopters and was excited to continue the series is bound to love the Book #3 more. I mean, even I loved the Tindalos Asset waaay more than the one that came before it. Though that’s not to say it’s any good. I’m the kind of person that made it through Black Helicopters and thought “well, #3 can’t possibly be any worse”—which isn’t really the best reason to continue a series, I know.
The Tindalos Asset is like Fringe meets… whatever Book #2 was about. I’d say it’s a motley start to a new series, but unfortunately it’s the final one. So, as the conclusion to a series, well, it sucks. Bonus points for the Fringe connection though. I know what happened at the end. It just didn’t make any sense why or how.
There’s a romance, kinda. But it doesn’t make any more sense than anything else in this series. I mean, weren’t there aliens at some point? What happened to them? They’re… really not in this installment. There are hints, yes—but nothing concrete; nothing even remotely approaching clear. Of the romance however: no hints. There’s some sex between the Signalman and his partner, but it’s more raw, less romantic. Does little more than peg him as human—something the other entries just left as a open question. As a romance it’s really lacking, but the only thing I felt indicative of the term. That said, this isn’t who the romance is really between (the Signalman and his partner, I mean), so I don’t know what to tell you. I really hope that this isn’t how the author thinks people flirt.
So, do I recommend this? Nope. I mean, it’s better than Black Helicopters, but that’s a really low bar. The ending was an adequate conclusion to the series, but I’ve no idea how we got to that point, and I read the damned things. But again, it’s better than what directly preceded it. There’s a (mostly) coherent plot. It actually connects to events and characters from Agents of Dreamland. There’s actually some character development, which was a complete surprise. Some of it even makes sense. But yeah, there is no lasting sense of completion or achievement. Sad to say, but the best part of this book—no, this entire series—is likely the end. When it ended.
nonesensed's review
4.0
A retired agent is abruptly dragged back into active duty. A follower of Dagon is hard at work ending the world. There's a hound on the loose. All in a day's work for the Agents of Dreamland.
The Hounds of Tindalos are one of my favorite cosmic horror concept; creatures that get at you through aspects of the physical world that are difficult but not impossible to control. I wasn't sure what I'd think about a story where the hounds were an 'asset' so to speak, but I think this story made it work. There is plenty of build-up around the main threat and while there are timejumps like in the last part of this series, I found the ones in this story to be easier to see the point of, so to speak. An interesting read.
The Hounds of Tindalos are one of my favorite cosmic horror concept; creatures that get at you through aspects of the physical world that are difficult but not impossible to control. I wasn't sure what I'd think about a story where the hounds were an 'asset' so to speak, but I think this story made it work. There is plenty of build-up around the main threat and while there are timejumps like in the last part of this series, I found the ones in this story to be easier to see the point of, so to speak. An interesting read.
eegekay's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
brandonadaniels's review
5.0
This is the third and possibly final book in the series. Like the previous two, the plot of the book is a bit less important than the vibe. It bounces around chronologically, and a few of the tales could work as standalone shorts. I lost the thread a little since the last book, but I still lived revisiting this world.
mamimitanaka's review
3.0
I liked this one but it overall confirmed my main issue with this series - too short! Kiernan builds up to so much and in the conclusion to this one everything just sort of...abruptly comes to a halt, with a lot of plot threads tied up as though the book's last stretch was written on a deadline. I've always liked Kiernan's books for the fact anyone can die at any time, the world they create feels properly dangerous and exciting, though that approach kind of didn't work for the ending here, when so many interesting threads and setpieces could have ended as they did just fine if only they had been expanded on further. Because those threads are really good, and the build up here is done very well This one is more of a popcorn book than the first two entries, and its timeline is essentially linear except for a few generally easy to parse chronological shifts, so this could be a reasonably good start to exploring Kiernan's aesthetic fixations. This book also contains a scene maybe in the top 3 of her hallucinatory cosmic horror moments, one that among pulp novels rivals Langan's in "The Fisherman". But I do really wish and hope this series could get at least one more entry - there's so many interesting things going on here, but so many of them explored marginally, which can be tantalizing and I understand is part of the point of Lovecraftian horror, but dammit, Kiernan is simply so good at it I want to see more of how this universe is built and how the characters within it operate! Thankfully, Kiernan's work as a whole is a treasure of modern dark fiction, so all of their works contribute to the greater mythos at play in one sense or other.
dokushoka's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
getradified's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0