Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
Recently finished up Ada Palmer's "Perhaps the Stars", the fourth and last book in her Terra Ignota series.
It was a slow but worthwhile read.
First, a slight warning. It is very much written as the fourth part of a larger work expected to be read as one. It does not spend time explaining the various factions and characters and intrigues and who is important to whom and why that have been established in the earlier books. For me I read the third, The Will to Battle, not long after it came out and had a few year gap. Knowing now, I would have gone back and reread the first books again.
But that doesn't take away from the story. The story is written on multiple layers, and having knowledge of both various historic philosophers as well as a working knowledge of the Odyssey are helpful in navigating those layers.
This books is more philosophical than the preceding three, and some of the big conflicts from the earlier books dwindle in scope and therefore import in what goes on in this one.
For those looking at the series as a whole, it has a fresh take on human cultural evolution that I enjoyed. The main character is absolutely a Mary Sue, but that's almost the point - except for a few paragraphs in ~2000 pages, it really espouses the Great Man concept of history that a few movers and shakers guide everything. And the (majority) PoV character needs to be able to interact with all of them.
I'll put it around a 7 or 8 out of 10. It's weighty in thoughts and at times the exposition is a bit much. But if you're going to enjoy the series, I think you'd really enjoy the series.
It was a slow but worthwhile read.
First, a slight warning. It is very much written as the fourth part of a larger work expected to be read as one. It does not spend time explaining the various factions and characters and intrigues and who is important to whom and why that have been established in the earlier books. For me I read the third, The Will to Battle, not long after it came out and had a few year gap. Knowing now, I would have gone back and reread the first books again.
But that doesn't take away from the story. The story is written on multiple layers, and having knowledge of both various historic philosophers as well as a working knowledge of the Odyssey are helpful in navigating those layers.
This books is more philosophical than the preceding three, and some of the big conflicts from the earlier books dwindle in scope and therefore import in what goes on in this one.
For those looking at the series as a whole, it has a fresh take on human cultural evolution that I enjoyed. The main character is absolutely a Mary Sue, but that's almost the point - except for a few paragraphs in ~2000 pages, it really espouses the Great Man concept of history that a few movers and shakers guide everything. And the (majority) PoV character needs to be able to interact with all of them.
I'll put it around a 7 or 8 out of 10. It's weighty in thoughts and at times the exposition is a bit much. But if you're going to enjoy the series, I think you'd really enjoy the series.