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tschmidt's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
danny_thereader's review against another edition
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
4.5
whatabetty's review against another edition
5.0
this was a cracker ending to a killer series. it did not disappoint. each character arc and conclusion was perf. I'm so glad I happened across these books. definitely one of my favorites.
aden's review against another edition
4.0
this is such a fantastic and wildly underrated scifi trilogy. i can’t wait to reread this one day
pilebythebed's review against another edition
5.0
Megan O’Keefe’s motto for the third and final book of her Protectorate series, Catalyst Gate, seems to be “go big or go home”. She goes big and she delivers. O’Keefe’s contained and effective debut Velocity Weapon exploded outwards into a much larger and more complex universe in Chaos Vector but left plenty of questions and allegiances hanging. Catalyst Gate does its best to answer those questions (after posing some new ones), unmask various traitors or verify the goodness of some allies, and all within a page-turning, do-or-die plot. Being the final book in a trilogy this review may contain spoilers for the first two volumes. If you love space opera and don’t want to be spoiled, go back and read those first.
Catalyst Gate starts in the aftermath of Chaos Vector. Once again, there is no prelude or recap, readers are thrown into the action. And that action is once again split across three main characters. Sanda Greeve and her team of misfits aboard the intelligent space ship The Light pick up Nazca spy Tomas who has big secrets to reveal but can possibly help them in their fight against the alien Rainier; her brother Biran is trying to weed out Rainier clones from his ranks while also leading a critical mission but finds that Rainier’s conspiracy goes deeper than he imagined possible; and Jules is trying to make amends for launching a biological weapon that has brought an entire planet to its knees. The three stories will wind around each other, dropping both life-changing and galaxy-changing revelations along the way to resolution.
There is a lot going on here but O’Keefe keeps a handle on it all, using her three-focus structure to set up a bunch of cliffhangers for her characters. The action is once again well handled but also balanced against great character work. Sanda herself is the same kick-arse, punch first ask questions later, risk taking hero she has ever been but increasingly desperate as time and options run out. Her team may have felt like they originally came out of science fiction found-family casting in Chaos Vector (the doctor, the tech-head, the ex-soldier, the spy with a heart of gold) but all emerge further from any thought of typecasting.
Catalyst Gate is as good an end to this trilogy as fans could hope for. O’Keefe asnwers more questions about her universe and resolves the main mysteries but leaves plenty of uncertainty for the future. Whether or not O’Keefe ever returns to the universe of The Protectorate it is just exciting to wonder what she might deliver next.
Catalyst Gate starts in the aftermath of Chaos Vector. Once again, there is no prelude or recap, readers are thrown into the action. And that action is once again split across three main characters. Sanda Greeve and her team of misfits aboard the intelligent space ship The Light pick up Nazca spy Tomas who has big secrets to reveal but can possibly help them in their fight against the alien Rainier; her brother Biran is trying to weed out Rainier clones from his ranks while also leading a critical mission but finds that Rainier’s conspiracy goes deeper than he imagined possible; and Jules is trying to make amends for launching a biological weapon that has brought an entire planet to its knees. The three stories will wind around each other, dropping both life-changing and galaxy-changing revelations along the way to resolution.
There is a lot going on here but O’Keefe keeps a handle on it all, using her three-focus structure to set up a bunch of cliffhangers for her characters. The action is once again well handled but also balanced against great character work. Sanda herself is the same kick-arse, punch first ask questions later, risk taking hero she has ever been but increasingly desperate as time and options run out. Her team may have felt like they originally came out of science fiction found-family casting in Chaos Vector (the doctor, the tech-head, the ex-soldier, the spy with a heart of gold) but all emerge further from any thought of typecasting.
Catalyst Gate is as good an end to this trilogy as fans could hope for. O’Keefe asnwers more questions about her universe and resolves the main mysteries but leaves plenty of uncertainty for the future. Whether or not O’Keefe ever returns to the universe of The Protectorate it is just exciting to wonder what she might deliver next.
kerstincullen's review against another edition
5.0
I don't think I can rave enough about this series. Fantastic balance of characters, world building and plot. Minor inconsistencies in previous books were acatually planned out hints to make great twists in this satisfying conclusion.
leighton_cs's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
albernikolauras's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A slightly dragged out end to a great series. Satisfying ending (although some conveniency was taken). Excited to see what else O'Keefe writes.
thoughtsstained's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-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? N/A
4.5
Full review posted at Thoughts Stained With Ink:
Finally, I've finished another trilogy by Megan O'Keefe! One of my main goals last year was to get caught up with The Protectorate series. Mostly because I wanted to read it before starting her new series, The Devouring Worlds, which already has two books out and the third coming out later this year. So, I reread Velocity Weapon and finally got to read Chaos Vector and Catalyst Gate for the first time!
Needless to say, I think Megan E. O'Keefe is one of the best sci-fi writers out there, if not one of the best writers. Period.
With Catalyst Gate, O'Keefe is cemented as one of my favorite authors, ever. (Not surprising, since I've read two completed trilogies from her now with a third planned for this year.) If you are a fan of sci-fi at an epic scale, with incredible politics, mind-blowing twists and characters you'll become so invested in, you need to read O'Keefe's work.
Finally, I've finished another trilogy by Megan O'Keefe! One of my main goals last year was to get caught up with The Protectorate series. Mostly because I wanted to read it before starting her new series, The Devouring Worlds, which already has two books out and the third coming out later this year. So, I reread Velocity Weapon and finally got to read Chaos Vector and Catalyst Gate for the first time!
Needless to say, I think Megan E. O'Keefe is one of the best sci-fi writers out there, if not one of the best writers. Period.
With Catalyst Gate, O'Keefe is cemented as one of my favorite authors, ever. (Not surprising, since I've read two completed trilogies from her now with a third planned for this year.) If you are a fan of sci-fi at an epic scale, with incredible politics, mind-blowing twists and characters you'll become so invested in, you need to read O'Keefe's work.
katbotdiaries's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Catalyst Gate is the ending to the Protectorate Trilogy, and wraps up the myriad of character development and plot point from the first two books. Overall, I really enjoyed it, there were moments where revelations were made that had me vindicated in predictions I had made, and there was some character development I really enjoyed. However, I was disappointed by how the story was wrapped up overall, it felt rushed and a bit forced. At one point I had the note "Is ANYONE in the main cast actually a human? And having not one, but two alien consciousnesses "saving" humanity in different ways did not feel satisfying to me for a book that was centered around the scrappiness and perseverance of humanity.
I will be reading the other trilogy that is currently coming out from this same author, she has some really interesting ideas.
I will be reading the other trilogy that is currently coming out from this same author, she has some really interesting ideas.