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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
Note to myself: I did better eye-reading this third book of the series, though it took me a while to get going on it. I think the narrator of the first two books was a little difficult for me.
This is a big crazy space opera. I'm not entirely sure HOW things worked out at the end, but work out they did, in a big way. Lots of action in the last half.
This one took me a while, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Good stuff. Architects, a multi-billion-year plan to shape the universe into... something, dislike of sentient life, Intermediaries tackling unspace and the ?monster? the lurks within -- this book has it all.
I continue to enjoy Mr. Tchaikovsky's writing.
This is a big crazy space opera. I'm not entirely sure HOW things worked out at the end, but work out they did, in a big way. Lots of action in the last half.
This one took me a while, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Good stuff. Architects, a multi-billion-year plan to shape the universe into... something, dislike of sentient life, Intermediaries tackling unspace and the ?monster? the lurks within -- this book has it all.
I continue to enjoy Mr. Tchaikovsky's writing.
adventurous
dark
funny
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
Great ending of the trilogy.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
dark
emotional
inspiring
slow-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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am genuinely crying a little bit having finished this series. Idris and the rest of the crew and extended family mean so much to me especially for a book I found almost by accident. This book is serendipitous. Its ideas and themes are concrete and so powerful shining through a brilliant world and story thronging with fantastic characters, this book especially balances the small and much larger conflicts amazingly in a space where other writers may not have.
The writing itself I have to say is fantastic, and I’ll be thinking about some of the lines here for a long time more.
“Hence those who cannot live within their bounds are yet made use of. If railing against fate is wrong, let us do wrong. Let us do all the acts unspeak-able. Break all the laws. Fight that which must be borne. Be wicked, know no grace. Refuse all walls. And so, though we be cursed, reviled, denied, so we yet serve the way that we have left behind.”
“The coward Idris Telemmier, a man of no appreciable backbone. You couldn't rely on him, everyone knew. A wretched little weasel of a man.” - Up there with my favourite MC descriptions of all time
“Idris was dying again. Up to his old tricks, the mischievous scamp.” It’s insane how well the moods of this book are well woven.
Thank you so much Tchaikovsky, and thank you so much Saint Idris guardian of unspace.
The writing itself I have to say is fantastic, and I’ll be thinking about some of the lines here for a long time more.
“Hence those who cannot live within their bounds are yet made use of. If railing against fate is wrong, let us do wrong. Let us do all the acts unspeak-able. Break all the laws. Fight that which must be borne. Be wicked, know no grace. Refuse all walls. And so, though we be cursed, reviled, denied, so we yet serve the way that we have left behind.”
“The coward Idris Telemmier, a man of no appreciable backbone. You couldn't rely on him, everyone knew. A wretched little weasel of a man.” - Up there with my favourite MC descriptions of all time
“Idris was dying again. Up to his old tricks, the mischievous scamp.” It’s insane how well the moods of this book are well woven.
Thank you so much Tchaikovsky, and thank you so much Saint Idris guardian of unspace.
adventurous
slow-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
emotional
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I wouldn't say that this book is necessarily better than either of the first two, only that it did a solid job bringing together the various pieces set up in those books & executing a conclusion. Overall, it had the same general strengths and weaknesses as Shards of Earth and Eyes of the Void, though it did a slightly better job with character development (see below). Mainly, I'm rounding up for the trilogy as a whole. I try to base my evaluation of any given book (or, for that matter, show or movie) on the idea of taking it for what it is--much of what I considered "not great," I think is inherent to the genre of space opera (focus on action rather than character; friendships and romantic relationships that are more tell than show & mostly take place off "camera"; failure to explain exactly what things are/ how they work, esp in terms of all the sci-fi / tech stuff). When I pictured it all as a sort of Star Trek in book form, I realized it was its own kind of genius. In fact, I think this trilogy would make a killer little mini-series which should use Star Trek for its blueprint, changing nothing in terms of the general aesthetics, acting, etc. It would be perfect. A large part of me--the part that doesn't want to do my actual work--was tempted to go through & break the series down into TV episodes. Maybe I will still come back and do that at some point. It seems extremely fun.
I enjoyed the arcs of Olli and Solace in particular. Olli, a lifelong spacer whose very identity is tied up in the Vulture God, is still adjusting to her new role & evolving relationship with Aklu when he decides to go ahead and sacrifice himself as part of the ultimate weapon, leaving her his legs and his Unspeakable title. I love the moment when she realizes she's now the head of Broken Harvest, after misinterpreting the original speech by a cultist interpreter for the Essiel as a threat to her personal safety. I actually think the Olli/ Kit/ Junior/ Havaer sections of the novel were more enjoyable to me than the "main action" on the Eye. The Solace plotline has some real payoff because she has to face a whole existential dilemma with the coup staged by Mercy & Felicity. I did also get a kick out of watching Ravin Uskaro's entire ark conspiracy get destroyed right as he was enjoying his personal victory and setting his gross plans into motion.
The final confrontation with the Big Bad was pretty satisfying in terms of the action itself, though I could have done without the sense, also carried over from the previous books, that we were getting the same general explanation over and over without any of the important details. I didn't care that much for the epilogue, but I can see how it was necessary to show us the after. I really, really would have liked to see more of Olli, Jane, & Kit doing the whole Broken Harvest thing. Kris, Solace, etc. I was indifferent to & Idris having somehow tamed the Presence was a big eye roll.
I enjoyed the arcs of Olli and Solace in particular. Olli, a lifelong spacer whose very identity is tied up in the Vulture God,
The final confrontation with the
dark
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes