Ian Tregillis

I struggled to like this book. It certainly was no Alchemy Wars, which was my first foray into Tregillis' work. It was a bit of a mess, and way too in love with the physics of Heaven to the point that it repeatedly intruded on narrative flow. I'm sure the science is sound, but it got painful.

The book until page 144 to get interesting. After that, we finally got into the swing of things -- possibly because we finally got some more personas to working with that weren't just constructs of the Plemora, heavenly domain of the Angels. After that, it slowly began to accelerate up until we finally hit the dime drop. The conclusion came too fast, with too much exposition, and I was left a little reeling by it.

The good: some of this stuff is amazing. Some of the rules are interesting. Molly is a bitchin' lesbian protagonist, which we don't really get much, and she don't take no shit. Her agency -- which is a huge crux of the plot -- is great, and Tregillis never disappoints with amazing, dynamic women. The near future the story is only hinted at. The penitente, as a concept, is amazing, especially once you know what's at the root of the movement.

The bad: The adherence to crime noir slang and tropes -- to the point where a librarian can piece this shit together with a single literary reference is beyond silly. We never understand why our inevitable con man chooses that mode, why that type of story is the sort of story that must play in, and why.

The middling: That is one hell of an unreliable narrator, and I felt indignant, having been lied to for nearly 300 pages.

So: Did like bits of, super frustrated by other bits, but it definitely ranks a 3 out of 5. Think I'm going to take a break with another author for my next book, though. I've read a lot of Tregillis over the last couple of months, and I need to have a palette cleanser before I take on Milkweed.… (meer)

Impeccably researched alternate historical fiction meets with amazingly built characters to create a fantastic novel. We travel through the world through the eyes of three characters: Jax, a mechanical man, Visser, a secret Catholic, and Berniece, spymaster of New France.

With some of the best character work I've seen -- especially in regards to Berniece, whose a female lead we don't get to see very often -- we go on a wild ride through the politics and passions of the struggle between the power of the Dutch and the dreams of New France with the fate of millions of mechanical souls and not a few human ones in the balance. While we don't finish the overall arc in this volume, as it is a trilogy, it still satisfies.

The detail work is impeccable. The action sequences amazing. The attention paid to every nuance of a character's inner life and outter life is grand. Honestly, I haven't read a book this good in ages, and highly recommend it.… (meer)

originally published at www.csdaley.com

Book three of the Milkweed Triptych (Bitter Seed and The Coldest War being book one and two) starts off with a bang. Takes a sharp left turn and then drives a spike right through your brain. This may be one of my favorite trilogies I have read in the last decade. If you haven't read the first two you are missing out on a treat. I like alternate history books and this series mixed horror, magic, and science like few I have ever seen.

I am going to have to do a clever dance around the plot to keep this spoiler free. At the end of The Coldest War the British Warlocks unleashed the Eidoloens (the best way I can describe them is a nasty Cthulhu like creature) on Nazi Germany and their battery powered super soldiers. The results were truly horrific and devastating. It leads Raybould Marsh, British super spy, to catapult himself back in time to hit the reset button.

What happens next is a thrilling roller coaster ride as Marsh tries to stay one step ahead of both the Germans and the British in a desperate attempt to rewrite history (including his own). Every time I thought I knew where this book was going it would swerve in a different direction. It was a completely satisfying ending to the story (although, I still think The Coldest War was the best book of the trio).

It is a testament to Tregillis' plotting that he was often able to weave the multiple timelines and stories into this final book. I don't think I have had more fun with a time travel story ever. I also loved seeing the older Marsh deal with his younger self and his wife. The older Marsh was a ruthless bastard who would do anything to save his family and country. The younger Marsh was a hero who had not quite become the jaded monster that his alternate timeline persona had become.

This series was a genre bending, alternate history, mash up. It was action packed, thrilling, often horrific and ultimately brilliant. A lot of times when authors throw in everything including the kitchen sink the story can often get bogged down. This one left me stuffed to the brim with goodness. I can't wait to see where Tregillis goes next with his career.… (meer)