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A review by ruben_franz
Arkadien fällt by Kai Meyer
2.0
Disclaimer: Reviewer is not a native speaker.
Even more than in the first two parts, I felt the connection to the story and the characters only moderately. Some things in the past were dug up and discovered, which I personally found very exciting and am glad to have picked up some resolutions. At the same time, I am left with so many new questions that I am not sure it was worth it overall. I think the ending is good (with some sacrifices for individual explanations, such as the funding of the trip at the very end), but the road to it was very bumpy for me. Especially since the settings weren't really holding it together in this one for me either.
I like the antagonists in this volume more than any before though.
There is nuance and we get relevant choices (not sensible, or coherent, mind you, but at least relevant) for once. Rosa becomes increasingly irrational, the group of "heroes" doesn't synergize very well in my eyes, and again, many new characters remain very pale. Especially everything that has to do with TABULA.
Leonardo Mori, although just a in-universe-historical character, is still one of the best supporting characters for me. The holes in the crowd are what kept me going and why I basically like the ending.
And Stefania seems to be the only rational person the main characters encounter that doesn't change traits and worldviews within a few moments. Of course, I could also assume that simply quite a few characters are so good at cloaking why they speak and act the way they do, but that doesn't seem to me the most obvious conclusion when measured against the main characters, whose emotional interior architecture you can at least half-see.
If you've already read two volumes, read this one as well.
As far as suspense goes, you definitely can't go wrong here.
Even more than in the first two parts, I felt the connection to the story and the characters only moderately. Some things in the past were dug up and discovered, which I personally found very exciting and am glad to have picked up some resolutions. At the same time, I am left with so many new questions that I am not sure it was worth it overall. I think the ending is good (with some sacrifices for individual explanations, such as the funding of the trip at the very end), but the road to it was very bumpy for me. Especially since the settings weren't really holding it together in this one for me either.
I like the antagonists in this volume more than any before though.
There is nuance and we get relevant choices (not sensible, or coherent, mind you, but at least relevant) for once. Rosa becomes increasingly irrational, the group of "heroes" doesn't synergize very well in my eyes, and again, many new characters remain very pale. Especially everything that has to do with TABULA.
Leonardo Mori, although just a in-universe-historical character, is still one of the best supporting characters for me. The holes in the crowd are what kept me going and why I basically like the ending.
And Stefania seems to be the only rational person the main characters encounter that doesn't change traits and worldviews within a few moments. Of course, I could also assume that simply quite a few characters are so good at cloaking why they speak and act the way they do, but that doesn't seem to me the most obvious conclusion when measured against the main characters, whose emotional interior architecture you can at least half-see.
If you've already read two volumes, read this one as well.
As far as suspense goes, you definitely can't go wrong here.