Scan barcode
A review by joliendelandsheer
The Ascent to Godhood by Neon Yang
3.0
My rating of the 4 novellas averages out to a little more than 4, so that's what I'm sticking with here. As for the individual novellas, here are my ratings:
- The Black Tides of Heaven: 4.5 stars
- The Red Threads of Fortune: 4 stars
- The Descent of Monsters: 4.5 stars
- The Ascent to Godhood: 3.5 stars
Overall, I really enjoyed this series of novellas. The world is fascinating, intricate, yet easy to understand. The characters are complex, flawed and interesting. Out of all the stories, The Black Tides of Heaven was my favorite. It's the longest out of the four, as Neon Yang needed the time to show you the world itself. Akeha was also my favorite character, and this was his/their POV.
What I find interesting is that Neon Yang took the time to try out different writing styles. One is a story spanning many years, allowing you to get to know the world and first characters. One a story spanning only a few days. One is more a collection of investigative reports & letters (which I loved!), and lastly, we have a story that's being told to "us" (wherein the reader is playing the role of a character, if that makes sense). I liked this exploration of different writing styles within the same series and universe, I don't think I've ever read anything like it.
I have to admit that I found the final novella quite disappointing. We've been building up to something for 3 stories and I can't help but feel like we were denied of the story's climax. Especially since it was so short as well!
Overall, I'd highly recommend this series.
- The Black Tides of Heaven: 4.5 stars
- The Red Threads of Fortune: 4 stars
- The Descent of Monsters: 4.5 stars
- The Ascent to Godhood: 3.5 stars
Overall, I really enjoyed this series of novellas. The world is fascinating, intricate, yet easy to understand. The characters are complex, flawed and interesting. Out of all the stories, The Black Tides of Heaven was my favorite. It's the longest out of the four, as Neon Yang needed the time to show you the world itself. Akeha was also my favorite character, and this was his/their POV.
What I find interesting is that Neon Yang took the time to try out different writing styles. One is a story spanning many years, allowing you to get to know the world and first characters. One a story spanning only a few days. One is more a collection of investigative reports & letters (which I loved!), and lastly, we have a story that's being told to "us" (wherein the reader is playing the role of a character, if that makes sense). I liked this exploration of different writing styles within the same series and universe, I don't think I've ever read anything like it.
I have to admit that I found the final novella quite disappointing. We've been building up to something for 3 stories and I can't help but feel like we were denied of the story's climax. Especially since it was so short as well!
Overall, I'd highly recommend this series.