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Avery Cates #5
The Final Evolution
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2011)The world is dying. With avatars replacing humans and the birth rate non-existent, the human race is almost extinct. In the end, it comes down to Canny Orel; Avery's long sought after nemesis -- transformed now into something other than human.
Orel might hold the secret to humanity's salvation, if he can be convinced -- or forced -- to relinquish it. And when Cates chances on a way to trick his old master, he suddenly has a choice to get his long-delayed revenge, or save the world.
Orel might hold the secret to humanity's salvation, if he can be convinced -- or forced -- to relinquish it. And when Cates chances on a way to trick his old master, he suddenly has a choice to get his long-delayed revenge, or save the world.
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 2011
19 people are currently reading
767 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Somers
69 books350 followersJeff Somers (www.jeffreysomers.com) began writing by court order as an attempt to steer his creative impulses away from engineering genetic grotesqueries. He has published nine novels, including the Avery Cates Series of noir-science fiction novels from Orbit Books (www.avery-cates.com) and the Ustari Cycle series of urban fantasy novels. His short story “Ringing the Changes” was selected for inclusion in Best American Mystery Stories 2006, his story “Sift, Almost Invisible, Through” appeared in the anthology Crimes by Moonlight edited by Charlaine Harris, and his story “Three Cups of Tea” appeared in the anthology Hanzai Japan. He also writes about books for Barnes and Noble and About.com and about the craft of writing for Writer’s Digest, which will publish his book on the craft of writing Writing Without Rules in 2018. He lives in Hoboken with his wife, The Duchess, and their cats. He considers pants to always be optional.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
July 28, 2011
Good sci fi (in my opinion) should be inventive without being random, should be suspenseful without resorting to deus ex machina, should have compelling character development without resorting to stock archetypes. The Avery Cates series, and this final volume in particular, achieves all that. Somers manages to up the ante in his own game, bringing to full fruition the potential and the nightmare of the cyborg "monks" he introduced in book one. The irony of inventing immortal machines that will be the death of us all is not lost on Cates, but if there's on thing he refuses to do, it's give up. Cates finds a way, once again, to use his opponents' arrogance against them, and if Cates is himself the victim of hubris, his saving grace is not that he's trying to win-- he's just trying to stay alive.
Having lain the groundwork in four previous novels, Somers expertly plucks from them the characters and elements he needs to stitch together a satisfying climax. With characters coming back from the dead, assuming disguises, taking on one another's persona, there's a real danger of losing control and just haphazardly throwing in any-old-thing to get the story finished. But Somers writes that fine line between chaos and convenience, never allowing one or the other to mire down his narrative. One can assume the good guys will win in the end, but one has to wonder, for all the beatings Avery takes, if he himself even qualifies as a "good guy."
"Evolution" would seem to be the keyword here, for if there's one thing that Avery has done, it's evolve, which is just another way of saying he's survived. Which is not say he changes all that much. He's an asshole in the first book, and an asshole here in book five. But he's a well-rounded asshole now. Whereas before his motto might have been "shit happens, get over it," by the end of the series he's changed it to just "shit happens."
But maybe you don't care about all that literary crap. Maybe you just like guns and explosions and feats of daring and robots and impossible situations. Well go read 'em all of the Avery Cates novels then. Somers delivers. If you like your cyberpunk packed with noir, your sci-fi packed with grit, your shoot-em-up packed with western justice, these are your novels. And The Final Evolution will be your favorite read of them all.
Having lain the groundwork in four previous novels, Somers expertly plucks from them the characters and elements he needs to stitch together a satisfying climax. With characters coming back from the dead, assuming disguises, taking on one another's persona, there's a real danger of losing control and just haphazardly throwing in any-old-thing to get the story finished. But Somers writes that fine line between chaos and convenience, never allowing one or the other to mire down his narrative. One can assume the good guys will win in the end, but one has to wonder, for all the beatings Avery takes, if he himself even qualifies as a "good guy."
"Evolution" would seem to be the keyword here, for if there's one thing that Avery has done, it's evolve, which is just another way of saying he's survived. Which is not say he changes all that much. He's an asshole in the first book, and an asshole here in book five. But he's a well-rounded asshole now. Whereas before his motto might have been "shit happens, get over it," by the end of the series he's changed it to just "shit happens."
But maybe you don't care about all that literary crap. Maybe you just like guns and explosions and feats of daring and robots and impossible situations. Well go read 'em all of the Avery Cates novels then. Somers delivers. If you like your cyberpunk packed with noir, your sci-fi packed with grit, your shoot-em-up packed with western justice, these are your novels. And The Final Evolution will be your favorite read of them all.
March 18, 2016
It was O.K. mostly, but weaker than previous books in the series and definitely not worth a second reading.
March 22, 2016
Avery Cates is a bad ass. A major bad ass. And he knows it. And so does half the world. What's left of it, anyway. It's a futuristic dystopia Jeff Somers gives us in this five book series and it's incredibly depressing, with death and destruction waiting just around the corner for practically everyone. Some go sooner than others though.
Cates is a Gunner. He's a hired gun, a mercenary. He sells his services to the highest bidder and he's one of the very best in the world. He has survived so much in this series and is still alive. It's truly amazing. In this book, we see Cates and his apprentice and friend, Remy, in a South American country, ready to take out a small time dictator. They take care of his guards and kill him ruthlessly. When they go to collect their pay, the idiot who hired them claims to be broke and offers them jobs with him. Cates pulls his gun and is about to blow him away when an Angel appears. Angels are psionics with tremendous powers who go around passing judgment on people and killing them. One has come for him. And so it begins.
The book follows the two, with a beautiful female companion, up to Mexico City, where they encounter an old enemy of Avery's. He's been waiting to kill him for years. When he meets him, the man is in a hospital and shows him the stumps of where his hands have been cut off. Then he tells him that he's bait for Cates. Avery starts to understand. Avery's biggest nemesis and the greatest Gunner of them all, Canny Orel, is stalking Cates all the while while Cates has been after him. He has a score to settle. But Cates sort of blanks out and wakes up to find the guy in the hospital bed shot dead and Remy having done it. What the hell? He wanted to do it. Before this happened, Cates heard that Canny might be in Croatia, so that's where he heads next, with Remy in tow. Remy acts strangely the whole trip and when they are on board a boat, where the three of them are stowaways, the crew finds them and sells them to some unknown party. Cates is ticked. Turns out it's a group of Techies, people who are trying to preserve technology in a world where technological advances no longer exist, where manufacturing no longer exists.
First things first. Cates is knocked out. When he regains consciousness, his female friend has beaten it out of there and Remy is in a cage. Grisha, the leader of the Techies, explains that Remy is dead, Cates had killed him in the hospital, and this Remy is a powerful psionic who has been controlling Cates ever since. The psionic is killed and Cates can't believe that Remy is gone.
Grisha tells him that the system cops left over from when there was a system are now avatars, dead people who have been uploaded into metal chassis' and who are heavily armed. But while they have the capacity to keep order, they are about to run out of time in three weeks unless he can get the override codes. And he needs Avery to do it. See, Canny has the codes. And needs to be captured alive. But he's the most powerful psionic avatar on earth and is holed up in a castle in Croatia, where he will be able to defend himself against nearly any attack. Cates agrees to do it, provided he gets Canny back when Grisha's done with him. So he can kill him.
They take a Techie team and head to Germany, where they pick up some avatar system cops who will help out on the raid. Cates will lead a small team through a drainage pipe tunnel while the cops storm the castle. Well, shit happens. A lot of shit. People die. They come across zombies Canny is controlling, who are attempting to shoot them. Canny's being is injected, partially, into a doll-like girl in the tunnel, whom Cates and the others capture. But they're ultimately driven away.
They head to Spain. Cates is convinced Canny will come for them. He wants the head of the girl Cates took with them. It contains too much of his information and personality for him to be comfortable letting them have it. There are about twenty armed Techies and Avery. Then about ten psionics join them for the purpose of helping to defeat Canny. They set up trip wires, security, alarms, everything, and prepare.
Canny comes at night. They can tell by gunfire and the sound of someone yelling as they die. More people die. Canny's getting closer. The thing about psionics is they have to see you to throw you up in the air or "push" you inside your head or anything like that. So Avery's told Grisha and some others to always be on the move and don't let yourselves be seen. One of their psionics spots Canny and throws him up into the air and a good ten Techies rush together to go shoot at him while he is aloft. But they don't. He's stopping them. Avery grabs one of the rifles and starts shooting, but Canny causes a buried hovercraft to come up out of the ground and land on the group, minus Avery, killing them all. Avery takes off down into the cellars. It's an old prison that he had actually been in, with Canny, some years ago. And Canny appears before him. And they get it on. Canny tosses him around like a rag doll. Cates gets a few shots off. They do nothing. Canny pushes Avery's mind and it's horrible, but he's able to withstand it ultimately because his brain was screwed up by the system several years before and is impenetrable. Canny flies through the air. Canny lands on Cates. He's hurting everywhere. Avery gets him to go down an elevator shaft, where he drops some grenades and it does some good. Canny returns on fire and everything on top of his chassis is burned off. But then he bull rushes Cates and knocks into him hard. Cates knows he's going to die. Somehow though, he's able to get on top and pull his gun. He sticks it in an eye socket and pulls the trigger repeatedly. Tough luck Grisha. Not getting him alive. Cates wins in the end. Final scene: Cates walking a deserted street in Toledo, going into a deserted bar and getting some alcohol. Great ending to a great book and a great series. However, there is an appendix, which is really an epilogue, and it's completely perplexing. It's purportedly a diary of someone, a woman, somewhere in Croatia, probably back at the beginning of the troubles. People around her are disappearing. People around her are turning into zombies. And that's it. What does it have to do with the book or the series? Perhaps I'm just stupid, but I didn't get it and don't know why it was included. Nonetheless, if you like uber violent dystopian cyberpunk, this is definitely the series for you. Strongly recommended.
Cates is a Gunner. He's a hired gun, a mercenary. He sells his services to the highest bidder and he's one of the very best in the world. He has survived so much in this series and is still alive. It's truly amazing. In this book, we see Cates and his apprentice and friend, Remy, in a South American country, ready to take out a small time dictator. They take care of his guards and kill him ruthlessly. When they go to collect their pay, the idiot who hired them claims to be broke and offers them jobs with him. Cates pulls his gun and is about to blow him away when an Angel appears. Angels are psionics with tremendous powers who go around passing judgment on people and killing them. One has come for him. And so it begins.
The book follows the two, with a beautiful female companion, up to Mexico City, where they encounter an old enemy of Avery's. He's been waiting to kill him for years. When he meets him, the man is in a hospital and shows him the stumps of where his hands have been cut off. Then he tells him that he's bait for Cates. Avery starts to understand. Avery's biggest nemesis and the greatest Gunner of them all, Canny Orel, is stalking Cates all the while while Cates has been after him. He has a score to settle. But Cates sort of blanks out and wakes up to find the guy in the hospital bed shot dead and Remy having done it. What the hell? He wanted to do it. Before this happened, Cates heard that Canny might be in Croatia, so that's where he heads next, with Remy in tow. Remy acts strangely the whole trip and when they are on board a boat, where the three of them are stowaways, the crew finds them and sells them to some unknown party. Cates is ticked. Turns out it's a group of Techies, people who are trying to preserve technology in a world where technological advances no longer exist, where manufacturing no longer exists.
First things first. Cates is knocked out. When he regains consciousness, his female friend has beaten it out of there and Remy is in a cage. Grisha, the leader of the Techies, explains that Remy is dead, Cates had killed him in the hospital, and this Remy is a powerful psionic who has been controlling Cates ever since. The psionic is killed and Cates can't believe that Remy is gone.
Grisha tells him that the system cops left over from when there was a system are now avatars, dead people who have been uploaded into metal chassis' and who are heavily armed. But while they have the capacity to keep order, they are about to run out of time in three weeks unless he can get the override codes. And he needs Avery to do it. See, Canny has the codes. And needs to be captured alive. But he's the most powerful psionic avatar on earth and is holed up in a castle in Croatia, where he will be able to defend himself against nearly any attack. Cates agrees to do it, provided he gets Canny back when Grisha's done with him. So he can kill him.
They take a Techie team and head to Germany, where they pick up some avatar system cops who will help out on the raid. Cates will lead a small team through a drainage pipe tunnel while the cops storm the castle. Well, shit happens. A lot of shit. People die. They come across zombies Canny is controlling, who are attempting to shoot them. Canny's being is injected, partially, into a doll-like girl in the tunnel, whom Cates and the others capture. But they're ultimately driven away.
They head to Spain. Cates is convinced Canny will come for them. He wants the head of the girl Cates took with them. It contains too much of his information and personality for him to be comfortable letting them have it. There are about twenty armed Techies and Avery. Then about ten psionics join them for the purpose of helping to defeat Canny. They set up trip wires, security, alarms, everything, and prepare.
Canny comes at night. They can tell by gunfire and the sound of someone yelling as they die. More people die. Canny's getting closer. The thing about psionics is they have to see you to throw you up in the air or "push" you inside your head or anything like that. So Avery's told Grisha and some others to always be on the move and don't let yourselves be seen. One of their psionics spots Canny and throws him up into the air and a good ten Techies rush together to go shoot at him while he is aloft. But they don't. He's stopping them. Avery grabs one of the rifles and starts shooting, but Canny causes a buried hovercraft to come up out of the ground and land on the group, minus Avery, killing them all. Avery takes off down into the cellars. It's an old prison that he had actually been in, with Canny, some years ago. And Canny appears before him. And they get it on. Canny tosses him around like a rag doll. Cates gets a few shots off. They do nothing. Canny pushes Avery's mind and it's horrible, but he's able to withstand it ultimately because his brain was screwed up by the system several years before and is impenetrable. Canny flies through the air. Canny lands on Cates. He's hurting everywhere. Avery gets him to go down an elevator shaft, where he drops some grenades and it does some good. Canny returns on fire and everything on top of his chassis is burned off. But then he bull rushes Cates and knocks into him hard. Cates knows he's going to die. Somehow though, he's able to get on top and pull his gun. He sticks it in an eye socket and pulls the trigger repeatedly. Tough luck Grisha. Not getting him alive. Cates wins in the end. Final scene: Cates walking a deserted street in Toledo, going into a deserted bar and getting some alcohol. Great ending to a great book and a great series. However, there is an appendix, which is really an epilogue, and it's completely perplexing. It's purportedly a diary of someone, a woman, somewhere in Croatia, probably back at the beginning of the troubles. People around her are disappearing. People around her are turning into zombies. And that's it. What does it have to do with the book or the series? Perhaps I'm just stupid, but I didn't get it and don't know why it was included. Nonetheless, if you like uber violent dystopian cyberpunk, this is definitely the series for you. Strongly recommended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2011
I can respect where Jeff Somers is coming from with this installment if the Avery Cates saga. I don't know if it is the best (probably not, the best is still The Electric Church), but it is a respectable addition to what has become a very entertaining series of events. Avery Cates is still the man. I still really like who he is and how he refuses to die or really change. He did get a little weepy about Remi and what happened and his guilt? definitely began to wear on me in regard to his little bouts of sadness and what if's, but I still liked how he didn't give an eff about anyone, and was willing to kill just about anyone to get his revenge. I do have to say that I was happy with the ending and that everything, sort of, turned out okay. Yeah, Cates survives (for a minute I didn't think he was going to make it), yeah the world is still a pisshole, but there a certain satisfaction about the ending that just grooved right with my reading of the novel. I really do hope that there is another one, just so I see what crazy shit Avery gets into next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2017
An unexpected revelation. For two thirds of the book I was rushing to get to the end so that I could read something else more to my taste. Then the magic happened. I began to get drawn into the story, fascinated by the main character, began to understand the brutal fantasy world and accept the brittle strangeness while admiring the writing.
This was the fifth of a series and I won't look for the other four but for anyone who likes dystopian violence this was a great example.
This was the fifth of a series and I won't look for the other four but for anyone who likes dystopian violence this was a great example.
January 5, 2019
Well I finished the series, not much more to say.
November 1, 2024
Cyberpunk isn't my genre, but I started reading The Electric Church because Janet Reid (RIP) quoted 'You screwed up, Mr Cates,' to me as an example of an intriguing first line.
I've recently finished the series and absolutely loved it. Congrats, Mr Somers, and thank you for the gift that is Avery Cates. It's evident you loved your characters (good and bad) like any good writer should, and if Avery returns in any form - past or future, I'm here for him.
I've recently finished the series and absolutely loved it. Congrats, Mr Somers, and thank you for the gift that is Avery Cates. It's evident you loved your characters (good and bad) like any good writer should, and if Avery returns in any form - past or future, I'm here for him.
June 6, 2015
Having reached the end of the Avery Cates saga (sad face), I’m now going to attempt to actually nail down why I love these books so much. I have sort of come up with a few reasons before, but I’ve really been considering the matter, and I think I have a few more:
The extremely black humour. Dude is seriously funny, often in the most morbid way imaginable. Death is not sacred in Somers’ world, and is just as open to mocking as anything else. And while I won’t say that nothing offends me, I’m pretty much fully on board with making sport of death, one own mortality and other failings, and the sheer fucked-upedness of the world.
The extreme violence. No, really. Confession time (although I think I may have admitted this before): I find extreme, over-the-top violence in movies highly entertaining. At least when it’s mixed with humour (see above). Shoot ‘Em Up, Kill Bill, and Repo are all movies that I genuinely love, which really surprises some people. Now, normally, my taste in books is a little more high-brow than my taste in movies, but there are exceptions, and this is one of them. Somers has captured something about those ridiculously violent and hilarious movies that I love and rendered it in book form. If someone ever made these into movies, I would watch the hell out of them, happily buy the special edition boxed set, and binge-watch all five movies in one horrifyingly bloody day. Which I would then follow with a full day of yoga and meditation or something, because I do have my limits. But anyway. Somers writes intense gun fights, ice-cold gun executions, bloody explosions and insane telekinetic battles better than I would have thought possible, and I enjoy every word.
His treatment of women. I’m not saying these books would pass the Bechdel Test. They would not. I’m not sure I can think of an instance where two named women were even in the same room, let alone with time for any sort of meaningful conversation. The male characters vastly outnumber the female ones. But the women who are there are legit people, not one of whom exists solely for the purpose of being rescued and/or seduced by Cates. They range in appearance, in amount of power they have, and in personality. Every one of them has her own thoughts, feelings, and goals (which may or may not align with Cates’), as well as the agency to make decisions and act on them. Although Cates may observe and comment on some of their physical attributes, he respects them (or doesn’t) for their brains and their actions, and treats them the same way he would men. Sometimes that means beating the tar out of them (or at least attempting to), so if you find man-on-woman violence unacceptable no matter what, you might not love this part so much. Ultimately, he neither diminishes them nor makes allowances for them because of their gender, and I really do love that.
So there it is. There are a few reasons why I love these books, and why you might like them too, even if bleak, post-apocalyptic cyberpunk isn’t usually your thing.
The extremely black humour. Dude is seriously funny, often in the most morbid way imaginable. Death is not sacred in Somers’ world, and is just as open to mocking as anything else. And while I won’t say that nothing offends me, I’m pretty much fully on board with making sport of death, one own mortality and other failings, and the sheer fucked-upedness of the world.
The extreme violence. No, really. Confession time (although I think I may have admitted this before): I find extreme, over-the-top violence in movies highly entertaining. At least when it’s mixed with humour (see above). Shoot ‘Em Up, Kill Bill, and Repo are all movies that I genuinely love, which really surprises some people. Now, normally, my taste in books is a little more high-brow than my taste in movies, but there are exceptions, and this is one of them. Somers has captured something about those ridiculously violent and hilarious movies that I love and rendered it in book form. If someone ever made these into movies, I would watch the hell out of them, happily buy the special edition boxed set, and binge-watch all five movies in one horrifyingly bloody day. Which I would then follow with a full day of yoga and meditation or something, because I do have my limits. But anyway. Somers writes intense gun fights, ice-cold gun executions, bloody explosions and insane telekinetic battles better than I would have thought possible, and I enjoy every word.
His treatment of women. I’m not saying these books would pass the Bechdel Test. They would not. I’m not sure I can think of an instance where two named women were even in the same room, let alone with time for any sort of meaningful conversation. The male characters vastly outnumber the female ones. But the women who are there are legit people, not one of whom exists solely for the purpose of being rescued and/or seduced by Cates. They range in appearance, in amount of power they have, and in personality. Every one of them has her own thoughts, feelings, and goals (which may or may not align with Cates’), as well as the agency to make decisions and act on them. Although Cates may observe and comment on some of their physical attributes, he respects them (or doesn’t) for their brains and their actions, and treats them the same way he would men. Sometimes that means beating the tar out of them (or at least attempting to), so if you find man-on-woman violence unacceptable no matter what, you might not love this part so much. Ultimately, he neither diminishes them nor makes allowances for them because of their gender, and I really do love that.
So there it is. There are a few reasons why I love these books, and why you might like them too, even if bleak, post-apocalyptic cyberpunk isn’t usually your thing.
June 24, 2012
The last of the Avery Cates saga. My personal crack, this series, and I feel that Somers ended it beautifully. A series full of noise, violence, hard knocks, and it ends in beautiful silence and booze, Avery's original personal request of getting rid of the police sadly and beautifully come full circle with him in the bar at the end of civilization.
In this volume Cates, destroyer of worlds, is recruited by old friends to 'save the world' from Marin's looming directive to shut down all the monk units and help Grisha upload everyone to monk bodies to save the human race. Humanity seems to have become sterile and everyone is hell bent on killing each other. Once again Avery is the dancing puppet of Canny Orel, sole recipient of the God Augment and a newly made Monk Psionic who is personally 'pushing' everyone left in the world around him to protect his irradiated home. Cates defies odds, loses at every turn, and double crosses when the opportunity presents itself to finally beat Orel. And what happens when he finally has the choice to save the world or let it die in all it's violent putrefaction? Well read it and see :)
I was going to rate this a 3, as Somers has Cates reminiscing and remorseful every other page over his lost apprentices, but then the last few chapters and his ending to the whole saga bumped it up to 4 stars. I esp loved the appendix with the old lady's journal. It was like the cherry on top of the sundae.
I am sad to see the end to a great character, his world, and his adventures. But it was def time and I can't wait to see what Somers has in store for his next novel.
In this volume Cates, destroyer of worlds, is recruited by old friends to 'save the world' from Marin's looming directive to shut down all the monk units and help Grisha upload everyone to monk bodies to save the human race. Humanity seems to have become sterile and everyone is hell bent on killing each other. Once again Avery is the dancing puppet of Canny Orel, sole recipient of the God Augment and a newly made Monk Psionic who is personally 'pushing' everyone left in the world around him to protect his irradiated home. Cates defies odds, loses at every turn, and double crosses when the opportunity presents itself to finally beat Orel. And what happens when he finally has the choice to save the world or let it die in all it's violent putrefaction? Well read it and see :)
I was going to rate this a 3, as Somers has Cates reminiscing and remorseful every other page over his lost apprentices, but then the last few chapters and his ending to the whole saga bumped it up to 4 stars. I esp loved the appendix with the old lady's journal. It was like the cherry on top of the sundae.
I am sad to see the end to a great character, his world, and his adventures. But it was def time and I can't wait to see what Somers has in store for his next novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2015
The final book in the Avery Cates saga. Cates is back to being a full time Gunner in a post-post apocalyptic world when he finally gets a lead on one of the two men he most wants to kill, Wallace Benning. It's naturally a trap. But this leads hin to the man he most wants to kill, Canny Orel. Orel now has the "God Augment", so he has every psionic power there is AND he's placed his brain inside an android "Monk" body. So Cates is going against the single most powerful man ever to live.
Cates picks up some old friends from previous novels and again finds himself working with enemies from the previous novels. Everyone is trying in their own way to save the human race, except Avery Cates who just wants to kill people. The whole world is ending for humans and androids alike and Cates is at the happiest point in his life because he is on what he is sure is a suicide mission.
This book wraps up everything. Anybody still alive from previous books is met again, and Cates gets his showdown with both Benning and Orel. Cates continues to degenerate physically and mentally and this is mirrored by the world he lives in. The System has collapsed, there is no more law, there is no power and little food. Everyone is putting everything they have into one last push to save it all for themselves, while Cates just wants to get close enough to Canny Orel to put a bullet in his face. The way it all works out in the end is a surprise, but a satisfying surprise in its own strange way because it just seems right.
The whole series was much fun, with loads of humor, clever writing, and tons of needless violence. Sad to see it end.
Cates picks up some old friends from previous novels and again finds himself working with enemies from the previous novels. Everyone is trying in their own way to save the human race, except Avery Cates who just wants to kill people. The whole world is ending for humans and androids alike and Cates is at the happiest point in his life because he is on what he is sure is a suicide mission.
This book wraps up everything. Anybody still alive from previous books is met again, and Cates gets his showdown with both Benning and Orel. Cates continues to degenerate physically and mentally and this is mirrored by the world he lives in. The System has collapsed, there is no more law, there is no power and little food. Everyone is putting everything they have into one last push to save it all for themselves, while Cates just wants to get close enough to Canny Orel to put a bullet in his face. The way it all works out in the end is a surprise, but a satisfying surprise in its own strange way because it just seems right.
The whole series was much fun, with loads of humor, clever writing, and tons of needless violence. Sad to see it end.
May 30, 2011
The Final Evolution is the fifth book in the Avery Cates sci-fi series by Jeff Somers however this is the first I've read.
Avery Cates is your average hard-ass tough guy. There are lots of guns, augmented brains, avatars with downloaded artificial intelligence, psychics that can control your actions and did I mention guns? It's certainly action packed and has some good themes going on but I think I have missed out by starting this far in. It takes a while for any sort of plot to form and I think if you don't like action based fiction, you won't enjoy this. Whilst I would much rather have the back story of the plague (I still have no idea what it was) and Avery's history with Orel. I'm sure these won't be a problem for the seasoned fan.
There were moments that shined amongst the gunfire. After the civil war, many cities are left radioactive and Avery and co enter such a place. The way that humans are used is frightening and it's one of the few moments that we see a chink in Avery's armour. The appendix actually made me want to read more and I would have liked that style to have been more prevalent throughout. Avery also hears voices of dead men and women in his head after he had been connected up to other consciences (I'm guessing this was in a previous book) and they guide the way to some degree.
I think Avery would translate well onto the screen; I'm much more inclined to watch men running around with guns than reading about them. A bit long and probably not my cup of tea, but one for the action sci-fi fan.
Avery Cates is your average hard-ass tough guy. There are lots of guns, augmented brains, avatars with downloaded artificial intelligence, psychics that can control your actions and did I mention guns? It's certainly action packed and has some good themes going on but I think I have missed out by starting this far in. It takes a while for any sort of plot to form and I think if you don't like action based fiction, you won't enjoy this. Whilst I would much rather have the back story of the plague (I still have no idea what it was) and Avery's history with Orel. I'm sure these won't be a problem for the seasoned fan.
There were moments that shined amongst the gunfire. After the civil war, many cities are left radioactive and Avery and co enter such a place. The way that humans are used is frightening and it's one of the few moments that we see a chink in Avery's armour. The appendix actually made me want to read more and I would have liked that style to have been more prevalent throughout. Avery also hears voices of dead men and women in his head after he had been connected up to other consciences (I'm guessing this was in a previous book) and they guide the way to some degree.
I think Avery would translate well onto the screen; I'm much more inclined to watch men running around with guns than reading about them. A bit long and probably not my cup of tea, but one for the action sci-fi fan.
July 9, 2011
I was traveling the week this book was released and wasn't just disappointed when I arrived home to find it NOT here, I was outraged. A quick complaint to Amazon got me the book a few days after my return home.
I finished it the day after it arrived.
Judging by back cover copy, I expected a simple revenge tale - Avery Cates finally - after four books - gets even with Canny Orel, the legendary gunner who set him up.
Against the apocalyptic backdrop of a post-Unification/Plague/War System, Jeff Somers delivers a wild west-like shoot-out that not only settles the Cates-Orel vendetta, it answers a few hundred questions formed since the series began with The Electric Church, but never ties up all the ends in a neat little bow. It delivers all the action I've come to expect but adds an element of fatigue or even decay - so appropriate for the aging Cates.
I highly recommend it. Though Jeff provides ample content to allow you read this book without first reading the previous four, I recommend against that. To truly appreciate the depth of Cates' hatred for Canny Orel, you need to experience the entire series and my use of the word 'experience' is not accidental. The Telegraph calls these books 'action movies in print' and truer words were never spoken. The stories have left me breathless, twisted, tortured and screaming for more.
I'm sad to see the series concluded but look forward to what's next from Jeff Somers. Maybe Avery Cates: The Video Game?
I finished it the day after it arrived.
Judging by back cover copy, I expected a simple revenge tale - Avery Cates finally - after four books - gets even with Canny Orel, the legendary gunner who set him up.
Against the apocalyptic backdrop of a post-Unification/Plague/War System, Jeff Somers delivers a wild west-like shoot-out that not only settles the Cates-Orel vendetta, it answers a few hundred questions formed since the series began with The Electric Church, but never ties up all the ends in a neat little bow. It delivers all the action I've come to expect but adds an element of fatigue or even decay - so appropriate for the aging Cates.
I highly recommend it. Though Jeff provides ample content to allow you read this book without first reading the previous four, I recommend against that. To truly appreciate the depth of Cates' hatred for Canny Orel, you need to experience the entire series and my use of the word 'experience' is not accidental. The Telegraph calls these books 'action movies in print' and truer words were never spoken. The stories have left me breathless, twisted, tortured and screaming for more.
I'm sad to see the series concluded but look forward to what's next from Jeff Somers. Maybe Avery Cates: The Video Game?
December 17, 2015
Roughly 2000 pages to complete the entire journey of Avery Cates, from one hellhole to another, and this is what the payoff is?!
Actually, at the very end, I found myself praising Somers for having the guts to go the route he did. The entire series, Cates has been harping on about how he is an unlikely survivor who has lived far beyond the expected lifespan of the typical denizen of the decayed, squalid, insipid, greedy, ramsh…(thesaurus error) future world of Somers’ imagination.
Don’t expect to find ethical characters in the series, as Somers tends to infuse selfish motivations for the entire cast, and the series can be thought of as a never-ending battle between conflicting motivations. In many ways, the dog-eat-dog approach to the series smacks of realism you wouldn’t typically expect. Thus the characterizations, while not all that deep beyond the eponymous anti-hero himself, are at least understandable and can be followed with ease.
Somers prose is very easy to absorb; you can fly between the pages, regardless of whether the scene is action-oriented or conversational. The stark emotions of the players is almost palpable, and is why nobody should be surprised at the ultimate ending of the series, where emotion overrides logic in a very believable way.
Props to Somers, whom I hope dives into some more cyberpunk in the future.
Actually, at the very end, I found myself praising Somers for having the guts to go the route he did. The entire series, Cates has been harping on about how he is an unlikely survivor who has lived far beyond the expected lifespan of the typical denizen of the decayed, squalid, insipid, greedy, ramsh…(thesaurus error) future world of Somers’ imagination.
Don’t expect to find ethical characters in the series, as Somers tends to infuse selfish motivations for the entire cast, and the series can be thought of as a never-ending battle between conflicting motivations. In many ways, the dog-eat-dog approach to the series smacks of realism you wouldn’t typically expect. Thus the characterizations, while not all that deep beyond the eponymous anti-hero himself, are at least understandable and can be followed with ease.
Somers prose is very easy to absorb; you can fly between the pages, regardless of whether the scene is action-oriented or conversational. The stark emotions of the players is almost palpable, and is why nobody should be surprised at the ultimate ending of the series, where emotion overrides logic in a very believable way.
Props to Somers, whom I hope dives into some more cyberpunk in the future.
June 27, 2015
The number of times I have got to the end of a set of novels only to be disappointed with the ending is vast. I have enjoyed this series so much that I was bracing myself for a possible let down at the end. after all - how do you end a story which is so cinematic in its description of the fights, the double/triple/quad-crossing between survivors of such different flavours in such a screwed up world? Somehow - Jeff Somers has pulled it off. The action is intense, the twists difficult to predict even in the fifth and final book of the series, and the ending... it's not so much surprising, but satisfying in a way I hadn't thought possible. Hats off to the man. A really solid end to the series - I'm just glad he's written some Avery Cates short stories so I don't have to go full cold turkey.
January 18, 2012
ok- I bought Final Evolution not realizing it was 5th in series so I kindled the other 4 and read back to back so some of the story is blurry - I can't remember which book parts came from. In the beginning it reminded me a bit of early Richard K Morgan (Altered Carbon) which is a compliment. Avery Cates is a hitman - with a bit of a soft heart ( of course) - people are being turned into avatars - he almost becomes one but it backfires and he has a few brains/persons/systems added to his head. He discovers that he's been the dupe of one Canny Orel - a legendary hitman and his goal in the books is to kill Canny. Oh, and humanity is probably done for. Over all I would give this a 3/4 rating.
July 17, 2011
The final book in this great series was a solid, fitting conclusion to the storyline. The only challenge I had reading it was the setting, tone and numerous other elements made me feel as tired and beat down as the protagonist at times. But a very good ending to a series I've enjoyed for quite some time. Avery Cates is one of my favorite all time characters. Dialogue, action and attitude have been incredibly consistent over the course of five books; no small feat I imagine.
January 27, 2014
Very glad the series is over, this book was a fair bit of recapping what had happened in the past, reunions with past characters and a final series of one-up-manship. In the end I was disappointed with the book and the conclusion. It was left open ended from Cates' side which just seems to reaffirm the notion that he is unkillable. I liked the beginning of the series but the need to read books 3,4 and 5 are increasingly reduced.
August 13, 2011
Well Jeff did it again. Another amazing book with all the twist and a few old friends and foes revisited. Is this truly the end of Avery Cates? well jump on in and read it to find out. Let's just say it ended in a manner suitable for our friend. Thanks Jeff for the hours of entertainment. It's going to be tough to top such an icon as Avery, but patiently waiting to see where you go next.
November 10, 2011
Lets just hope the world does not gets this developed, only to disintegrate into squalor and evil.
Jeff Somers's writing takes you to a world of technology,enhancing humans, destroying the world . At times you are on a roller coaster buckled in or not,he take no prisoners. Warning if you want something warm and fuzzy then leave this book on the shelf.
Jeff Somers's writing takes you to a world of technology,enhancing humans, destroying the world . At times you are on a roller coaster buckled in or not,he take no prisoners. Warning if you want something warm and fuzzy then leave this book on the shelf.
April 10, 2012
I was so excited about this book, you don't even know. And you know what? IT SUCKS! Jeff Somers you fucked me. I even read it three times to make sure I wasn't missing something brilliant. I wasn't. Read the first four in this series, or maybe even only the first three. But leave this one in the trash.
My all-time favorite new series ended with a big CRAP.
My all-time favorite new series ended with a big CRAP.
March 25, 2013
If the whole series had been like this ...
The book probably only deserves three stars, if only because it still has many of the problems that plague the series and has a totally useless epilogue (although it was labelled "Appendix, so I guess its uselessness was known).
Still ... a very satisfying ending to a very hit-or-miss series.
The book probably only deserves three stars, if only because it still has many of the problems that plague the series and has a totally useless epilogue (although it was labelled "Appendix, so I guess its uselessness was known).
Still ... a very satisfying ending to a very hit-or-miss series.
October 14, 2014
I'm giving this book a five. It might not rate a five on its own, but the series as a whole does.
There is not a boring moment across all five books. I would probably rate each book a bit over four by themselves.
I actually won this book as part of the Goodreads giveaways about a year ago, so yes regular people actually do win. Highly recommended series.
There is not a boring moment across all five books. I would probably rate each book a bit over four by themselves.
I actually won this book as part of the Goodreads giveaways about a year ago, so yes regular people actually do win. Highly recommended series.
December 5, 2012
(Supposedly) The last book in the series, this is a wonderful ending to a great story. Great characters, lots of action, and some nail biting situations. Let us just hope we have not seen the end of Jeff Somers.
July 23, 2011
I love the Avery Cates novels. They are the perfect dystopian world, gritty and tough. The world is dead and everyone is just trying to survive. I am sad that the story is over, but I was just happy to be along for the ride.
July 5, 2011
Excellent conclusion (?) to the Avery Cates series. Resolution of the primary narrative arc, but still enough left open to justify another book in the future. Full of action, deep concepts, and excellent characterization. Recommended.
February 25, 2017
I read this without realising that it was part of a series, without realising that it was the last book in a series. However, this didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying it. It's a proper apocalypse story with lots of guns and killing.
July 5, 2011
A great book full of gun fights, psychic abilities, action and a very interesting group of characters. A nice end to the Avery Cates series.
August 23, 2012
Amazing finale to the Avery Cates series. Bravo. Mr Somers. Bravo.
July 6, 2011
Wow..
Non-stop kick ass rock and roll face-smashing funny as hell action.
God bless Avery..
Non-stop kick ass rock and roll face-smashing funny as hell action.
God bless Avery..
August 23, 2011
I was hoping Final Solution meant Avery Cates dies. Looks like this could go on some more...wish I could scrape this crap off my mental shoe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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