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Ardulum #3
Third Don
The planet wakes.
Atalant is torn between two worlds. In uncharted space, head of a sentient planet, the new eld of Ardulum now leads the religion she once rejected. Emn is by her side but the Mmnnuggl war brewing in the Charted Systems, threatening her homeworld of Neek, cannot be ignored. Atalant must return to the planet that exiled her in order to lead the resistance. She must return home a god, a hypocrite, a liar in gold robes, and decide whether to thrust her unwilling people into the truth of Ardulum, or play the role she has been handed and never see her family, or her world, again.
Atalant is torn between two worlds. In uncharted space, head of a sentient planet, the new eld of Ardulum now leads the religion she once rejected. Emn is by her side but the Mmnnuggl war brewing in the Charted Systems, threatening her homeworld of Neek, cannot be ignored. Atalant must return to the planet that exiled her in order to lead the resistance. She must return home a god, a hypocrite, a liar in gold robes, and decide whether to thrust her unwilling people into the truth of Ardulum, or play the role she has been handed and never see her family, or her world, again.
382 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 17, 2021
Third Don completes the story of Ardulum. The author flips the switch by bringing some old friends front and center, using their pov to continue telling the story, bringing a very funny take on battles and politics. I loved it and it set the tone for the rest of the book. War is brewing between just about everybody now and if it wasn’t for the humor, it might have been too heavy.
Nicholas continues to charm and grow into his adulthood. Atalant rules as if she was born to it. We also get more new species and spend time with many of the secondary characters, flushing them out nicely. But most importantly, Atalant and Emn heighten their connection. There’s no doubt that they are together now but the heat is long overdue and the author fulfills. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
It’s a wonderful ending that both satisfies and leaves the door open for more possibilities.
Kudos to the narrator for another great one.
Nicholas continues to charm and grow into his adulthood. Atalant rules as if she was born to it. We also get more new species and spend time with many of the secondary characters, flushing them out nicely. But most importantly, Atalant and Emn heighten their connection. There’s no doubt that they are together now but the heat is long overdue and the author fulfills. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
It’s a wonderful ending that both satisfies and leaves the door open for more possibilities.
Kudos to the narrator for another great one.
October 1, 2019
[Edit October 1st] The Ardulum trilogy is such a beautiful and also fun series. And I am in awe of what Lynn Norris managed to do with the narration. Even fungi have the best voices. And the tapestry hanging scene… Wow.
This third book brings closure and is the perfect end, even though I wish I could spend more time with Atalant, Emn and the others. I guess I’ll just have to read Tales from Ardulum again.
[Edit: In hindsight, now that I've read the whole trilogy and the anthology [book:Tales from Ardulum|44657299], giving these books 4* wasn't fair so I went up to 5*. I'm happy now.]
In this third book in the Ardulum series, Atalant is an Eld trying to save both her planets, Neek and Ardulum, while Emn struggles to find her place on Ardulum. By their side, still, is Nicholas, growing into a very interesting character.
We also get to see the events from Ardulum: Second Don from Yorden’s point of view, and this side of the story explains a lot. In my review for Second Don, I wrote about how I knew I could no more see the whole picture than the characters. Now I know what happened and wow, I didn’t expect that (I’m not spoiling, read it). My heart was beating so fast at times, this trilogy is so exciting, in many ways. It’s well-paced, the world-building is excellent, the characters, both main and secondary, are fascinating.
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This third book brings closure and is the perfect end, even though I wish I could spend more time with Atalant, Emn and the others. I guess I’ll just have to read Tales from Ardulum again.
[Edit: In hindsight, now that I've read the whole trilogy and the anthology [book:Tales from Ardulum|44657299], giving these books 4* wasn't fair so I went up to 5*. I'm happy now.]
In this third book in the Ardulum series, Atalant is an Eld trying to save both her planets, Neek and Ardulum, while Emn struggles to find her place on Ardulum. By their side, still, is Nicholas, growing into a very interesting character.
We also get to see the events from Ardulum: Second Don from Yorden’s point of view, and this side of the story explains a lot. In my review for Second Don, I wrote about how I knew I could no more see the whole picture than the characters. Now I know what happened and wow, I didn’t expect that (I’m not spoiling, read it). My heart was beating so fast at times, this trilogy is so exciting, in many ways. It’s well-paced, the world-building is excellent, the characters, both main and secondary, are fascinating.
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
January 4, 2023
I love this series. It’s great to have the relationship between Atalant and Emn continue to grow and deepen. It’s was also an excellent conclusion to the conflict between the Mmnnuggls and the Ardulums.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2019
Fast action, sloooowwww burn!
This is the third book in the Ardulum series and while the Crippling War is over, the fallout continues to rage on across the Chartered Systems. While Ardulum rebuilds, the planet Neek is under attack. A sacrificial pawn in the Ardulans’ attempt to assuage the Mmnnuggl need for revenge. Eskimet and Miketh, the Ardulan ambassadors try desperately to protect the Neek with meager resources. But the Mmnnuggls, with their new strategist (a great twist!), aren’t interested in the Neek. They want Ardulum and if it means destroying a planet to get their attention, they will.
Atalant is now an Eld, spiritual leader of a sentient planet her people worship as gods and a religion she was exiled for rejecting. Ehm is trying to belong in a society that fears everything she represents.
With the stresses of rebuilding the Eld temple, the politics of healing a divided civilization and the demands of an intergalactic war, Atalant and Emn are struggling to find the time and the energy to further explore their relationship. I don’t require romance in my science fiction, but having spent the last 2 books enjoying the growing connection between them, the intensifying love and desire they feel for each other, I was desperately yearning for them to take the plunge. Each potential encounter is weighted with so much expectation. The tension is so palpable, and I LOVED every minute of it! I was completely sucked in to the galaxy’s slowest burn and felt each agonizing spark as the fuse slowly sizzled on before finally igniting an explosive flame. There was such a wonderful combination of tenderness and tentative exploration with the fierceness generated by pent up love and desire finally released. It was well worth the wait!
This book is perfectly paced, seamlessly moving between action sequences and romance with just the right amount of humour. Shout out to the sentient fungi here, incredible! There are SO many engaging themes throughout this series. The layers of exploitation throughout the different species, the ambiguity of morality, sentience, religion, science, the interconnectivity of everything. I can’t stop thinking about it!
I can’t recommend this series enough. It is bursting with representation, science, intrigue, action, and romance hitting every possible button hard. Do yourself a favour and check it out!
This is the third book in the Ardulum series and while the Crippling War is over, the fallout continues to rage on across the Chartered Systems. While Ardulum rebuilds, the planet Neek is under attack. A sacrificial pawn in the Ardulans’ attempt to assuage the Mmnnuggl need for revenge. Eskimet and Miketh, the Ardulan ambassadors try desperately to protect the Neek with meager resources. But the Mmnnuggls, with their new strategist (a great twist!), aren’t interested in the Neek. They want Ardulum and if it means destroying a planet to get their attention, they will.
Atalant is now an Eld, spiritual leader of a sentient planet her people worship as gods and a religion she was exiled for rejecting. Ehm is trying to belong in a society that fears everything she represents.
With the stresses of rebuilding the Eld temple, the politics of healing a divided civilization and the demands of an intergalactic war, Atalant and Emn are struggling to find the time and the energy to further explore their relationship. I don’t require romance in my science fiction, but having spent the last 2 books enjoying the growing connection between them, the intensifying love and desire they feel for each other, I was desperately yearning for them to take the plunge. Each potential encounter is weighted with so much expectation. The tension is so palpable, and I LOVED every minute of it! I was completely sucked in to the galaxy’s slowest burn and felt each agonizing spark as the fuse slowly sizzled on before finally igniting an explosive flame. There was such a wonderful combination of tenderness and tentative exploration with the fierceness generated by pent up love and desire finally released. It was well worth the wait!
This book is perfectly paced, seamlessly moving between action sequences and romance with just the right amount of humour. Shout out to the sentient fungi here, incredible! There are SO many engaging themes throughout this series. The layers of exploitation throughout the different species, the ambiguity of morality, sentience, religion, science, the interconnectivity of everything. I can’t stop thinking about it!
I can’t recommend this series enough. It is bursting with representation, science, intrigue, action, and romance hitting every possible button hard. Do yourself a favour and check it out!
May 21, 2018
Review coming soon4.5 Stars
Ardulum Third Don was the perfect ending to the trilogy. I can’t comment too much on why without spoiling it, so I’ll just that it came full circle and took Neek aka Atalant in a direction she never expected her life would go.
While the characters are entertaining with fulfilling arcs, my favorite part of this series is the science and how it intersects with a touch of the unknown -- of something greater and more spiritual that is just beyond the reach of hard science. I love the idea of spaceships made out of cellulose, of highly intelligent fungi capable of taking down a fleet of spaceships and the sheer biodiversity of the beings in this galaxy.
The vastness of it was very well developed, though I will admit that I had a hard time orienting myself when I returned to book three. I read the first two books back to back, and then I had to wait several months for the third installment. This series is one best binge read.
There is so much to keep track of in the galaxy, but readers are gradually introduced to it in the first two books. I didn’t get lost in those at all. However, having forgot some of those details, trying to remember them, or having to look them up in the back of the book, did pull me out of the story. This is my fault as a reader though, not necessarily a flaw of the story.
The real reason I gave this 4.5 instead of 5 stars was because Captain K’s relationship with the Mmnnuggl was confusing. I did have a hard time following his relationship to them and their thoughts of him. I kept thinking there was an inconsistency but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
Otherwise, once I got back into the flow of the world, I was quite pleased with the overall experience, and very happy to see non-binary characters having adventures in space. There was a great balance of seriousness and humor, a touch of romance that didn’t overpower the plot, plenty of ethical questions to stimulate my mind, suspense, space battles, a great plot and characters I want to spend more time with.
This is a fantastic series. If you are starting from book 1, give yourself time to read the whole trilogy straight through.
Ardulum Third Don was the perfect ending to the trilogy. I can’t comment too much on why without spoiling it, so I’ll just that it came full circle and took Neek aka Atalant in a direction she never expected her life would go.
While the characters are entertaining with fulfilling arcs, my favorite part of this series is the science and how it intersects with a touch of the unknown -- of something greater and more spiritual that is just beyond the reach of hard science. I love the idea of spaceships made out of cellulose, of highly intelligent fungi capable of taking down a fleet of spaceships and the sheer biodiversity of the beings in this galaxy.
The vastness of it was very well developed, though I will admit that I had a hard time orienting myself when I returned to book three. I read the first two books back to back, and then I had to wait several months for the third installment. This series is one best binge read.
There is so much to keep track of in the galaxy, but readers are gradually introduced to it in the first two books. I didn’t get lost in those at all. However, having forgot some of those details, trying to remember them, or having to look them up in the back of the book, did pull me out of the story. This is my fault as a reader though, not necessarily a flaw of the story.
The real reason I gave this 4.5 instead of 5 stars was because Captain K’s relationship with the Mmnnuggl was confusing. I did have a hard time following his relationship to them and their thoughts of him. I kept thinking there was an inconsistency but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
Otherwise, once I got back into the flow of the world, I was quite pleased with the overall experience, and very happy to see non-binary characters having adventures in space. There was a great balance of seriousness and humor, a touch of romance that didn’t overpower the plot, plenty of ethical questions to stimulate my mind, suspense, space battles, a great plot and characters I want to spend more time with.
This is a fantastic series. If you are starting from book 1, give yourself time to read the whole trilogy straight through.
August 4, 2018
*Contains spoilers from Book 1 & 2*
By now readers will know about the Andal. A semi-sentient group of trees with intricate root systems and what appears to be a psychic link to Ardulan’s and their distant cousins from planet Neek. For Ardulum this is a symbiotic relationship as Andal is a source of food, shelter, and tech for Ardulan’s and in return, Ardulan’s assist the Andal by finding new planets for it to spread its seeds (children, it calls them children!!).
While I am geeking out on Andal, I’d like to bring attention to a native fig tree in Australia commonly named ‘Morton Bay Fig’ (which can also be found in other subtropical climates around the world). While my imagination modified this while I was reading, this is the link I made. Further to geeking out, here is an excerpt from Wikipedia about the behaviour of how this (real) tree thrives….
“It is best known for its imposing buttress roots. As Ficus macrophylla is a strangler fig, seed germination usually takes place in the canopy of a host tree and the seedling lives as an epiphyte until its roots establish contact with the ground. It then enlarges and strangles its host, eventually becoming a freestanding tree by itself.”
This is similar to how I imagine Andal, native to Ardulum, thriving on other planets. Somewhat insidious in a totally weedlike way but it’s psychic “voice” heard through our main characters makes it seem innocent and somewhat likeable (yes I just wrote that)…..
So now that I’ve bored you all to death with my love for trees, let’s get on with the actual review……
December 1, 2020
Probably my least favorite of the trilogy with much less surprises, but maybe I'm just getting used to the writer style ?
First part was a bit painful with people fearing what they don't know, unexpected duties, and so on This was tiring, probably because I'm liking the characters more and more and just want them to be happy.
Still, the story's a very likable sf with this time, filled with funny characters (the fungus, omg, the fungus), lot of action and space opera and a grandiose finale.
First part was a bit painful with people fearing what they don't know, unexpected duties, and so on This was tiring, probably because I'm liking the characters more and more and just want them to be happy.
Still, the story's a very likable sf with this time, filled with funny characters (the fungus, omg, the fungus), lot of action and space opera and a grandiose finale.
September 14, 2018
This was a great ending to the series! A lot of the questions from the first two books got answered, and we get to see the characters in full control of their abilities. As always, it's great fun to read about the different alien species, and see how they interact, especially as we now see the Ardulans as people rather than gods.
Looking forward to further books from J.S. Fields!
Looking forward to further books from J.S. Fields!
November 30, 2024
This was such a fascinating book! I mean, the whole trilogy was interesting, but the moral and religious dilemmas in "Third Don" really captured my interest and kept me turning the pages. The character growth of the main and secondary characters was fantastic and the romance was so sweet and caring; I adored it. I always love found families and this is one of the best I've read. The first book might still be my favourite though, because of the mystery surrounding Ardulum and that epic fight scene at the end. This book also contains an epic fight scene at the end but, for certain reasons, it felt a bit less epic than in First Don. I did enjoy the ending very much though and felt like all the loose ends got wrapped up very nicely.
A spectacular finale.
A spectacular finale.
November 11, 2025
So much of what I like about the Ardulum series is the breadth of aliens, and the wealth of character and society types created by JS Fields (no Star Trek-style “everyone’s a biped, and societal differences are not significant”). The Ardulans and Neek might be related, but there are enough differences to separate them (and the Nugels are pretty funny). Humans exist in this universe, but don’t play a primary role. Wonderful world/universe building and the politics are a good inclusion.
Can the Neek survive the onslaught of Nugels, and how does their society handle their living-gods exist?
Can the Neek survive the onslaught of Nugels, and how does their society handle their living-gods exist?
June 7, 2019
Who doesn't love sentient fungus? I mean, really! J.S. Fields' imagination is completely rampant in this last installment of the Ardulum series, and I loved every second of it. Such a great sci fi series with original ideas and a slow-burn relationship that bursts in to flames (finally!) between Emn and Atalant. I had to re read the series because Tales From Ardulum is coming next week, and I can't wait to revisit my friends from the Scarlet Lucidity.
April 18, 2020
The third book is definitely the strongest in the trilogy. It brings all of the pieces together- religion and faith, love and trust, adventure and battle, revenge and healing. The plotting and pacing were well done, and the epic space battle scenes were unique and well constructed. I felt less connected to Emn in this book than in the others, but our other main characters sang.
I don't love the gratuitous cover, though I know that's not the author's choice.
I don't love the gratuitous cover, though I know that's not the author's choice.
February 21, 2023
Great characters and world building!
I truly enjoyed this series. The Characters are well written. The concept is clever and unique. I liked the relationships between the team members. Liked the plot developments and the way the story came to its timely end. Wish I had not waited so long to read this series.
I truly enjoyed this series. The Characters are well written. The concept is clever and unique. I liked the relationships between the team members. Liked the plot developments and the way the story came to its timely end. Wish I had not waited so long to read this series.
December 15, 2018
This was a great ending to the trilogy. It poses the larger question of religion over science and I think it handled that question great. Emn’s and Atalant’s relationship was very well rounded, and I really liked the ending.
January 20, 2019
I’m unlikely to reread but it wasn’t bad
Interesting characters and cool gender structure in some races, but lots of huh moments where I just didn’t buy it. Especially for one of the more alien races (the “beachballs”).
Interesting characters and cool gender structure in some races, but lots of huh moments where I just didn’t buy it. Especially for one of the more alien races (the “beachballs”).
January 24, 2025
More please
This is definitely an engaging well written journey I'd like to continue reading. The world is interesting and you want to keep learning about the characters. Grab the first and dig in.
This is definitely an engaging well written journey I'd like to continue reading. The world is interesting and you want to keep learning about the characters. Grab the first and dig in.
November 30, 2018
Not as strong as the first book, with perhaps too much trying to happen, but ties the series together nicely.
September 21, 2020
That space fight at the end was so awesome! I could read a whole book about sentient funghi! Lovely character evolution. It was interesting to see them all grow into theur new roles.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2021
Just a great combination! For me it was all about the narration which was just brilliant. Also, I now want a Mmnnuggl.
July 6, 2018
I struggle to find the words for how much I enjoyed this. This series is amazing and reading it feels both like a brand new story that I've never read before, and also like coming home.
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