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A review by nightshade_novels
Oblivion by Anthony Horowitz
4.0
The fifth and final book in this series, Oblivion, was much longer than the previous four books. However I don’t think that it was any better. I felt as if I spent the majority of the book waiting for something to happen. I was particularly confused at first by the introduction of Holly to the story, who in hindsight really had a very small part to play and actually didn’t do anything useful. I was also confused by the fact that they had jumped forward ten years, but this soon made sense in terms of the plot.
The end itself seemed to be really short compared to the huge build up and how long the final book was. But I had kind of expected this because that is the way it happened 10,000 years ago when Jamie went back in time to help win the war then.
It was an interesting decision on Horowitz’s part to hold the final battle in Antarctica. There is no doubt that it makes for a good background to the fight. However, I am dubious as to the survival of all the people in the Antarctic conditions, even if it was summer. Most of them were living in whatever planes or boats they had arrived in. Also at the end Pedro and Jamie both arrive in Antarctica without any special clothing, then stand around for a fair while in the snow. How did they not die, or even get a little bit of frostbite? Was it because they are the Five, or was Pedro subconsciously healing them?
This was a really good book and nicely concluded the series, but is certainly not my favourite out of the five and therefore receives four stars.
Spoiler
I knew as soon as Richard was given his special knife by the Inca’s and told that he would regret being given it, that it would fall to him to have to kill one of the five. I predicted that Scott would be the character betrayed them and that died (initially I thought Richard would have to kill him, but it would make more sense for Richard to have to kill Matt, with whom he had become such good friends), but once Matt read the book of his life (which was only 150 pages long) and found out when he would die I then decided that he would be the one to die in the final battle and Scott would live. Therefore I was surprised when both Matt and Scott died.Spoiler
I guess that having the nuclear war heads follow the Old Ones into the third gate was an indication that they have now been blown up, so either they won’t come back or it will be very hard for them to come back again.It was an interesting decision on Horowitz’s part to hold the final battle in Antarctica. There is no doubt that it makes for a good background to the fight. However, I am dubious as to the survival of all the people in the Antarctic conditions, even if it was summer. Most of them were living in whatever planes or boats they had arrived in. Also at the end Pedro and Jamie both arrive in Antarctica without any special clothing, then stand around for a fair while in the snow. How did they not die, or even get a little bit of frostbite? Was it because they are the Five, or was Pedro subconsciously healing them?
Spoiler
It was interesting that the five chose to leave the world and reside in the Dream World at the end of the book. Through their being there the world became colourful and populated with people. Richard and Holly were now also able to visit the Dream World when asleep, although their time there is just like a dream to them, as opposed to the second reality that it was for the five. You have to wonder how the five would get along, considering Flint and Matt are from 10,000 years ago and the others are from the present, each member having experienced the death of another who is now seemingly still with them.This was a really good book and nicely concluded the series, but is certainly not my favourite out of the five and therefore receives four stars.