I really enjoyed this end to the series. This series is one of the most fascinating scifi explorations of identity, personhood, and freedom out there. However, we'll go into the spoiler block to discuss why I gave it 4 not 5 stars. Spoiler The ending of the the novel is very gentle. It feels like the pressure and the stakes build and build and then the release is very anticlimactic. On one hand, it kinda fits with how the story was told. But I remember the incredible emotional catharsis of Donaldson's Gap series (which is, to me, a really close thematic cousin to this book) and how that inexorably built to a moment when all hell cut loose and there was redemption and sacrifice and I could barely sleep after finishing it the first time. And while this series had a similar build, it didn't feel like the payoff was everything it could have been. Again, I get why the narrative choices were made and I still love the series and it is close to the top of my list for must recommend (especially since it has interesting gender politics vs Donaldson's super rapey novels). I just feel like it could have been even more. Anyway, it is a fantastic book and a great conclusion to the series.
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