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Disappointing and did not live up to the rest

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-02-25

I finished this book just feeling…Nothing. It did not have the buildup and conclusion I have come to expect from Brandon and There was just too much happening. I feel like 50% could have been trimmed and the other 50% could have been better vetted out. There are some important characters that need to be fleshed out and some that just didn’t need to do anything.
The emphasis on every single person in this book being broken and needing therapy got kind of beaten to death. Characters like Kaladin and Shallan have had a lot of time through the series to progress and improve and it really made their successes meaningful. Where everyone who got “Help” in this book felt rushed and not very believable.

The spiritual Realm felt like a convenient plot device to do huge Lore dumps, which were often interesting, but it was way too much and felt like a slog. There were too many times a main character was beaten down and left in in impossible situation but “Overcomes it” though nothing but plot armor and will power sometimes multiple times to the same character. So when the ending happens it felt like there was no pay off.
The ending felt rushed and honestly was confusing and did not feel like anything was resolved truly. The bits that got “Resolved” felt kind of half baked. The entire state of the world is flipped upside down leaving so many questions and destroys any understanding we had of Roshar and now the series is effectively over for the foreseeable future…
I have read all of Brandon Sandersons books and this is the first time where I finished it and rather than wishing I had more was glad there isn’t any and want to go read something completely different to cleanse my pallet. It was not what I had come to expect from these books.

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1 person found this helpful

the originality is there

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-11-23

I started off not sure about this book and wondering if this was heavily influenced by FallOut. but as I kept going I think I like this version of "Vault-Tech" bunkers and they mystery involved. the sense of progression and resourcefulness was believable and refreshing. It had good beats and always left me me wanting to be part of the story.

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misleading title, still a fun book.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 03-21-23

I had a good time but only picked up this book because I was expecting it to be focused on interactions with the Tau. it was a tyranids story more then Tau. Tau we're practical a footnote I. comparison

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1 person found this helpful

Loved this book

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-12-22

Was really not expecting a book like this but it was great and I loved every minute of it.

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mixed feelings

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-15-21

I liked the start and the first half of this one and the narration by Nathan Fillion was fun but the last half just kinda felt meh. and the end was kinda depressing.

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2 people found this helpful

Brovo Jeremy Robinson you got me good.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-15-21

This is a book I had no expectations going into and man did he get me good. Just when I thought I understood where things were going and I started accepting thing it would change and go somewhere else. It never made be annoyed or disinterested but kept me curious. so many twists that were impossible to see coming. But I loved it.

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top notch!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-18-20

loved it. such a great book. im already on to the next one. Mistborn rocks.

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Pretty disappointed with this book.

Overall
1 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Story
1 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-14-19

I had read several of Cixin Liu's other books and loved Three Body Problem. I recommend it to everyone. This book however really misses the mark in so many ways. The style is very much like his other books. A mixture or third-person and historical like accounts which work really well for books that cover a huge period of time like Three Body. This book takes place over the span of 2 years and the constant flip to quotes from supposed history books just feels dull and adds very little.

The setup had my attention. The reveal of the driving conflict and humanity's struggle to prepare a transition of the world to the children. And that leads into how the children solve their different problems. That's where everything falls apart for me.

I would be very curious what actual child psychologists would say about this book. I myself found the entire events completely unbelievable to the point that this drifted from being a published novel to some wacky fan-fiction on the internet. Children would not behave this way on the scale that the author describes. I am a Father and know from first hand experience that children are caring, kind and generally non-violent. The Idea that the author puts forward that children left unsupervised turn into wild destructive idiots that can only think about having fun is just ridiculous. According to the author children don't value life and are indifferent about killing. Such a hard sell! The idea that these kids would have actual war battles and kill each other for months for the sake of fun is just insane. In reality they would wise up real quick as soon as people started dying. Its almost like the author doesn't realize that children have feelings and emotions. The extreme reaction by children aside, any parts involving the U.S.A feels like blatant Chinese Anti-America propaganda. Apparently in China, unsupervised kids will just play with all the toys. But in America they all become Violent remorseless heathens who think murder is fun.... What? No kid would think that way!

There were so many realistic and possible challenges the children could have been faced with that would have still been interesting to see. Like solving production issues, negotiating Trade routes, dealing with split off factions, or just staying alive. You get a taste of that at first but then it all just becomes this absurd journey for kids to find "Thrills and fun" at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives.

As far as the Plot, You keep expecting a twist or a revelation which is common in Cixin Liu's other books. It never really comes. There are a few but they always turn out to be inconsequential. Things like the children realize they have an AI super computer that can do essential anything or that they have a secret nuke left them from the adults. In both cases you are like "wow, this is going to change things and going to get good". Wrong. They only use the computer for a minute to be a robocaller and to act as an auto moderator on an an online forum. Then we learn about the nuke which they use to retaliate against the nuke launched at them by the Americans. Mass Death. but there is literally no repercussions or even hard feelings towards each other afterwards.... What? What kind of world is this? How are all of these children not suffering extreme mental health issues and PTSD after all the horrors they have been through. Through out the entire book there is only a single instance of a kid showing an emotional break down from the violence.

The books conclusion is also very dull and by this point I was just waiting it out. More stuff happens that just makes no sense. Apparently its fun to swap counties? And then there is an abrupt end. No real resolution or satisfying conclusion. The epilogue is just a lack luster account by the supposed narrator of this historical account.and it insinuates he lives on Mars.
The End.

Honestly I just don't know what to say more other then I think the author had a lot of good ideas and tried to shove them all into a single book and that left everything that happens in the book to feel half baked. So may good starts or plot lines that had promise and then they just drop off and may as well not had happened at all.
I can honestly say I wish I had skipped this one.

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6 people found this helpful

A solid ending

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-23-19

The finale to this trilogy was very good and while it did leave me wanting a bit more I think it was perfect. I don't think it could have been better. I was tearful saying goodbye to a series I have been so invested in the last 3 months.
The writing style is some of the best I have read. Cixin Liu is amazing at establishing metaphors and really helping you understand his characters and what they are like and what they are feeling. I have never felt so connected to a book series before.
I loved how long the books are too.

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My favorite Book in a while

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-23-19

This book is my favorite of the series. I was fully invested from the start and enjoyed every minute of it.
The amount of scientific detail that goes into these books is amazing. The writing style is some of the best I have read. Cixin Liu is amazing at establishing metaphors and really helping you understand his characters and what they are like and what they are feeling. I have never felt so connected to a book series before.
I loved how long the books are too.

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