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rusticredreads 's review for:
The Fall of Babel
by Josiah Bancroft
Really disappointed in this finale. There are a lot of action and new things introduced to us in this book - new concepts and the same odd and inept characters in each ringdoms. While we only have crumbs and a generous bite of the overall lore of the tower, the hods, Sphinx, etc., in here we are flooded with it.
We spend about a third of our book on the Crown of the Tower, called Nebos, with Adam. As a finale for a book, it is bad. This part and maybe a story about Marat or one of his associates or maybe a citizen from a ringdom would be better to be collected as a "Stories of Babel" or a "Book of Babel #3.5". We are introduced to huge concepts that could change everything and it's a little bit overwhelming. And the quirkiness and to some extension the "plot armor" or the significance of our main characters is a bit too much.
Next we spend it with the crew and IT. IS. EXHAUSTING. While the previous books have a bit of action here and there, focusing more of their little adventures and growth as characters, this part is action after action. Once again, it felt that we could use another book for this. It feels that this series is cancelled so the plot in this book is moved about ten times the speed as the previous ones. This part with the "in-between chapters" (like the previous Black Trail parts) is more about the larger story, rather than the characters. I didn't care for the new characters or the new ringdoms or the new problems they faced. But there are still some character improvements here and there.
And the last third is just something. Again the focus is on the mystery of the tower (
TL;DR: It's TOO fast paced compared to the previous books, more focused on unraveling the mystery of the tower rather than the characters. Should have been a 5 or even 6 book series.
We spend about a third of our book on the Crown of the Tower, called Nebos, with Adam. As a finale for a book, it is bad. This part and maybe a story about Marat or one of his associates or maybe a citizen from a ringdom would be better to be collected as a "Stories of Babel" or a "Book of Babel #3.5". We are introduced to huge concepts that could change everything and it's a little bit overwhelming. And the quirkiness and to some extension the "plot armor" or the significance of our main characters is a bit too much.
Next we spend it with the crew and IT. IS. EXHAUSTING. While the previous books have a bit of action here and there, focusing more of their little adventures and growth as characters, this part is action after action. Once again, it felt that we could use another book for this. It feels that this series is cancelled so the plot in this book is moved about ten times the speed as the previous ones. This part with the "in-between chapters" (like the previous Black Trail parts) is more about the larger story, rather than the characters. I didn't care for the new characters or the new ringdoms or the new problems they faced. But there are still some character improvements here and there.
And the last third is just something. Again the focus is on the mystery of the tower (
Spoiler
some solved, some are not, some are a bit questionable but understandable like the Nebos being a ship heading to the stars? and there are apparently other Towers? And Voleta going back in time. then there's the key, the eye storing the memories of the Brick Layer that didn't die in the accidentTL;DR: It's TOO fast paced compared to the previous books, more focused on unraveling the mystery of the tower rather than the characters. Should have been a 5 or even 6 book series.