A Well Crafted Final Novel
585344
Unlike what was written in one of the prior reviews, this was not a 'work-in-progress' but a completed novel before Dibdin passed away.  What we have seen since the first book is a continuing series of darker and darker novels that speak of the 'ennui' that Italy has been suffering from for the last twenty years.  After decades of 'revolving door' governments, 40 in 40 years, the government has sunk into a funk under Silvio Berlusconi. Berlusconi has served as Prime Minister for 9 of the last 15 years, and is the longest serving since 1944.  His governments have been notable for payoffs and party nepotism, unfulfilled promises and mega-projects that never seem to be completed or come in anywhere near the original time frame or cost.

All of the above, is complicated by a declining industrial base, lack of technological innovation and a declining birth rate.  To make up for the unwillingness of Italians, to do their own dirty work, thousands and thousands of Albanians and North Africans have come into the country.  They are despised by the Italians, but everyone looks the other way.  Who else is going to sweep the streets, pick-up the garbage, work at the bottom of the economic scale, take care of the elderly and nursery schoolers?  There is still a huge difference between the industrial north and the agrarian south.  There are independence parties in almost every province, and a strong resurgent neo-Fascist (anti-immigrant) party.

Dibdin does a good job of mining this malcontent.  His views of how Italian government agencies, both national and regional are more interested in advancement then progress is seconded by Magdalen Nabb and Donna Leon.  From these authors writings you would wonder how the country itself manages to go on and supply any type of services to its' citizens.  For caustic wit, Andrea Camelleri (the only Italian of the group) has a field day in each of his novels, describing the exhaustion of the everyday Italian governmental worker who has to deal more with scheming against their bosses and colleagues than doing any constructive work.

The story itself is secondary to the machinations that go on.  That's the true worth of this book and is a fine eulogy to Dibdin.

Zeb Kantrowitz
1693050
Several characters including protagonist and  villain drawn with  exacting  precsion,  and like a crossword puzzle,  everything fits as the last piece snaps into  place.  A well  plotted,  precisely wrought read,  with some  well rounded  characters.
3133834
Just finished and thoroughly enjoyed.  Laura hits her stride in this final volume.  Great pacing, dialogue, and an intriguing and imaginative view of what could have been.  Highly recommended.
4732200
This is book three in The Heartfelt series, and is a great end to the trilogy. We are back in Innishmahon, catching up with Marianne, Ryan and co. and of course Monty the dog. The island is hit by another storm, putting the bridge-building project at risk. So Marianne and the islanders do what they do best - they band together, pull a few strings, call in some favours and raise the funds themselves. But theres more than that going on - the islands inhabitants have lots of secrets and the author does a great job of revealing all, tying up loose ends and bringing the series to a satisfying conclusion - though this is bittersweet in that its a shame there won't be more from Innishmahon.
This is definitely recommended for a relaxing read and some pure escapism. The characters and the island itself feel like old, comfortable friends. A perfect antidote to January!
4.5 out of 5 stars.
1510842
All in all the final book of the Chaos Chronicles fulfills its responsibilities to wrap up the long convoluted plot laid out in the first two books.  Well-written, well-thought-out, the only drawback is the shear immensity of plot crammed into this hectic roller-coaster.  A working knowledge of mythology is almost required to untangle the woven web of characters.
9640
This is a the concluding novel of a series revolving around the adventures of a fascinating individual (Giraut Leones).  In the earlier novels (A million open doors, Earth made of glass, and The merchants of souls) we have been introduced to a universe in which individuals can be transmitted across interstellar distances instantaneously as information, albeit at great cost.  This technology is allowing once isolated worlds, colonized at a time when interstellar travel was limited by relativistic physics, to be reconnected (thus the term 1000 cultures).  This reconnection is political, cultural, and economic in nature, and is at times messy.

Giraut is a colorful individual with equally colorful friends.  In the first book Giraut starts as one dimensional (but entertaining) character who love women and loves to fight but who interacts with others as though they had parts in a play.  As the series proceeds, Giraut joins Special Projects, an organizations which includes both diplomatic and covert functions, and in the course of his adventures develops empathy with others and grows into a truly likable person, although with qirks and warts.

This final book is truly a wonderful conclusion to the series.  It combines the best of the previous books - interesting characters, tough moral choices, travel to distance and exciting places, technology driven change with dubious social impacts, existential questions, and mysteries with galaxy-shaking consequences.  And I loved the end.  I highly recommend the entire series.
2854787
Rage of the Assassin is a well-done conclusion  to  Russell Blake's series. It satisfies the desire that closure provides in the numerous sub-plots contained in each  chapter of this suspenseful saga and its cast of characters while allowing the inquisitive reader's mind to wonder 'what's next?"
4352386
Night without Stars is a solid, neatly fitting, and mostly satisfying conclusion to the Chronicle of Fallers saga and (potentially) the entire Void storyline.  I believe it shares most of the fundamental strengths of its opening act, Abyss beyond Dreams: well-constructed and well-paced plot, great action, some interesting characters, and another great example of a non-science fiction genre in a science fiction setting.  Whereas Abyss stands pretty well on its own, in terms of the readers ability to appreciate its plot twists and slate of characters, the Night has a greater reliance on the lore of the Void trilogy and the larger Commonwealth universe.  To be fair, this reliance may be unavoidable, given the requirements of a closing chapter for a long series.

As it stands, Night without Stars is, in my opinion, an enjoyable read.  Just as most of Hamiltons work, it is a great fusion of genres.  This time, his meticulously built Commonwealth Void universe plays host to the many elements of a Cold War spy thriller, one told from the eastern side of the Iron Curtain.

I have seen other reviewers characterize the novels settings as the pre-70s  America, with its father knows best attitudes, commie invasion and hippie commune clich&eacute;s.  Makes sense, as these are the patterns most familiar to an American reader. Except that Peter Hamilton is very much a European writer.  So the template is not the 50s  or 60s America, but the Cold War Soviet Union, with a dialed down, but still brutal equivalent of KGB searching for enemies within and without, in the name of fighting an existential external threat.  The urban scenery, the characters and their behaviors greatly reminded me of the places and people within the second world.  The space technology is explicitly borrowed from the Soviet Soyuz program.  Most importantly, the characters exist in a recognizable environment of oppression by an authoritarian state, reminiscent of the Brezhnev and Andropov-era USSR.

All these elements come together to create a distinctive atmosphere, through which the reader gets to navigate towards the end gambit, which is built on the Void trilogys apparent loose end.  Its been in the background all along, referenced in the Commonwealth timeline and discussed early on in the Abyss, so its re-emergence was not random and impossible to anticipate (a pet peeve of mine).  Hamilton brings the stories full circle, which I found gratifying.  Another thing I really liked about the series (and Hamiltons work in general) is that there are no glaring "orphans", i.e. useless, throw-away characters, places, events.  He generally introduces those elements for a reason and they eventually come to play some significant role, large or small.  I like that in a story, especially when it is as voluminous, as most of Hamilton's work tends to be.

In summary  just like its opening act, Night without Stars is a well-written, well-plotted story with engaging characters, and elements of another genre mixed in.  I found it a mostly satisfying conclusion for the Chronicle of Fallers and I really liked it.  Not as much, though, as I loved the Abyss beyond Stars, but I would argue that is more of a testament to what Peter Hamilton did with that story than anything he failed to do with this one.
3767492
This is a quickly placed read that satisfied its two predecessors and wrapped up the series nicely.  A worthy read.
1582859
After getting burned by "Allegiant," I felt some trepidation at checking out the finale to Ann Aguirre's Razorland trilogy. A good final book is hard to pull off.

Fortunately, "Horde" is a magnificent ending to a solid dystopian/post-apocalyptic trilogy -- a gory, action-packed sci-fi story that never bogs itself down in contrived drama, and brings the overall story arc to a smooth ending. The biggest source of bitterness is the fact that it's all over, and we shall ne'er again see more of these dynamic characters.

The Freaks have changed -- they're acting with intelligence and cunning, and this may give them the advantage over the humans. They're forming a horde (title!), which is swarming over human outposts, and can only be countered by a human army. It sounds a lot easier than it is, since humans are both unwilling and ignorant of battle.

But Deuce knows that this is what humanity needs to survive. So she begins building the army -- known as Company D -- herself, with the help of the mentally-scarred Fade. They tear a bloody swathe through the Horde, but their greatest battle is still ahead of them: the battle to eradicate the Freaks from the world completely.

The Razorland trilogy is in a world of grime, blood and terror, and Aguirre doesn't soft-pedal the ending -- it would simply lessen the impact of the ending, and all that the characters do. Mistakes are made. Lives are lost. Blood is shed. There is a segment of the plot -- mostly in the middle -- where it slows down and spins its wheels, but soon it picks up again.

Aguirre's prose is muscular and no-nonsense ("Her eyes were bright but sunken in her swollen face"), and she never shies away from the ugly or grotesque. But she also has a talent for finding the little poetic moments woven into all the ugliness ("his skin washed red by the sunset"), which seem to shine out like beacons. It makes you want the heroes to win just so those moments will become the norm rather than the exception.

And the Huntress is one of the rare heroines with the strength to pull that off. Deuce is not perfect -- she makes mistakes, but not stupid ones that make you dislike her. It's her fierce will and passionate determination that make her such a vibrant heroine; she won't give up, no matter what is thrown at her. And while the focus is ultimately on winning the war against the Freaks, her relationship with Fade is a truly exquisite one, especially since he is working past his traumas while also trying to help her lead more effectively. This is a true partnership as well as a love story.

And the ending has a quality that reminds me of J.R.R. Tolkien -- the appreciation of simple, ordinary lives, with love and peace as the ultimate goal rather than glory and power. It makes a beautiful capstone to this trilogy.

"Horde" is a brilliant and very final ending to the Razorland trilogy, and while it's a bittersweet farewell, it's one that doesn't fail to satisfy in any way.
2239320
This fourth installment was a well crafted plot succeeding in tying the past and present together. I felt like the final disposition of the main evil character was somewhat lacking as it was by no means final. Levac having a new girlfriend was a nice twist however I felt changing the sexual orientation of a well known character was a bad move and certainly did not work for me. Unlike Ashan Rayne which worked very well. The relationship did not seem natural between Raven and Aspen, and seemed to be more of following the current trend in books to write characters in this manner. It certainly dampened an otherwise excellent tale. I would like to see Raven take the FBI posting however that most likely won't happen as it would leave her mother without a protector. The epilogue explains who it was Raven saw looking down at her when she was shot and at some point she might actually put it together in her head. We have seen this ending before it will be up to Skye to take it somewhere we have not been. There is great potential to move forward with this series although the new relationship of Ravens is not going to sit well for some fans.
1319971
(very small spoiler alert!) Tad Williams' Otherland series is one of the best sci-fi/fantasy series out there. He is an elegant writer; a master of character development; and he excels at unexpected (though not unwelcome) plot twists and story resolutions. My one complaint about this final book is that the author wraps up the series a bit too optimistically--for an epic of well over 3000 pages, with so many characters who face so many life-threatening challenges, one doesn't expect such a "happy ending." Nevertheless, it is a satisfying final book that left me missing the characters for weeks.
2939312
An excellent closure to a good series, probably the best of the three. This novel wove together many of strands from the prior two books while not attempting to tie off every loose end. The implications of Green's prior involvement with gods and politics is again well handled and the insights into her decision making adds an additional dimension to the book.
3838377
Ironside is a good conclusion to the Modern Faerie Tales trilogy. The series returns to the story of Kaye and Roiben, picking up at the time around Roiben's coronation. Of course, not everything goes as planned, or we wouldn't have the dark story we have come to expect. I like how the novel explores the gritty thoughts and feelings of Corny, Kaye, Roiben, and others as the story unfolds. I like that Ironside brings back some characters from Valiant to help tie up loose ends, although I would have really liked to see more of Val and Ravus. Overall, I liked it and would recommend it to anyone who has read and liked the other two.
95755
FAERIE AFTER is the concluding volume in the BONES OF FAERIE trilogy, and if you haven't read the first two books (BONES OF FAERIE & FAERIE WINTER), you should definitely check them out before tackling this one, because your reading experience will be all the richer from knowing the history of the characters and their backgrounds and relationships.

Liza is anticipating the birth of her sister, when she is confronted with a mysterious crumbling that erases the world bit by bit. Liza suspects it is tied somehow to the Faerie realm. After the War between the humans and the fey, both camps have long been in survival mode. The Fey suffer from "Fire Fever," a kind of radiation sickness, and their magical weapons have left plants and trees seeking human blood and bone, while wild things like owls and hawks carry poison in their talons. It is a harsh world that Liza inhabits, where magic is distrusted, and yet all children born after the War carry the seeds of magic.

This new threat will test Liza's loyalties and stretch her to the limit. Liza has always distrusted the Faerie folk, with good reason. And yet, to mend both worlds, Liza will have to set aside that distrust, and use her summoning magic in new ways.

Some of the themes Janni Lee Simner explores are how far you would go to save a friend, even if he or she doesn't want to be saved; the realities of the aftermath of war; the price of love; sacrifice and the harsh reality of loss.

If you like your heroines strong and your fantasies dark, with no easy solutions, you will enjoy the satisfying conclusion to this post-apocalyptic series.
1877288
Deaths End is the final novel in the trilogy, Remembrance of Earths Past, written by Cixin Liu in Chinese and translated into English by Ken Liu. This finale starts off by jumping around the Deterrence Era, during which a seemingly easy peace has developed between the Earth and the Trisolarans through the threat of mutually assured annihilation, and back to the Crisis Era. This novel follows the story of Cheng Xin, who is an aerospace engineer from the Crisis Era when the Trisolaran threat first materialized. Cheng Xin awakes from hibernation at a critical time to be a part of a world-changing event. As the novel progresses, she wakes from hibernation over the years at critical junctions make decisions and to bear witness to major events in the changing relationship between the Trisolarans, Earth, and the Universe at large.

As with the first two books, this novel is a sweeping drama about how humanity fits into the universe, which must be full of alien races. One caveat for this novel, like the previous ones in this trilogy, the story is filled with heavy scientific theory and explanation. Unfortunately, I found a really difficult time understanding and visualizing the science driving the story. Its explained thoroughly, but it can be difficult to pay attention to. However, the action filled parts are thrilling and it takes the reader all over the solar system and even the universe. The theories presented in this novel, and in the series, about the universe and the relationships between different beings are unique and thought-provoking. It is also nice that this novel points back to the first two demonstrating how far the saga and humanity have come. Throughout the actions of Cheng Xin and her interactions with different characters, such as the Trisolarans, her boss, her deputy, Luo Ji, and her long lost and unrealized love, make her so perfectly human and a great focus for the closure of this epic storyline.

The narration by PJ Ochlan was good. There is the issue of how it was difficult to stay focused, but that is likely due to the content. Ochlan did a good job with all the different characters voices and have them life and overall I think that hes an excellent narrator. The production quality was good as well. I would recommend this novel and the entire series to anyone who likes classic science fiction novels full of space science theory and sweeping space drama.

Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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1884206
It was a very good conclusion to the series of 5 books written by Michael Wallace. Some of the plots twists were predictable, but some were not. Overall, it was a fitting end to a good series of stories, and left the door open for future installments based off of the characters introduced in this tome.