Biesele ramps up the action and intrigue for the second to last installment of the Saeshell Book of Time. We left the previous book with a few new characters and a sense of new plots and plans developing. They begin to surface in Paradise Lost, bringing the tension to a head.
This book begins to zoom outwards from Book 2, focusing more on the world of the Sophistans, and their strained relations with the bureaucratic Federation of the Twenty. There are also more detailed allusions to the mysterious Atreyeu, who was introduced briefly in Book 2. A new Earth-based military group shows up in the main characters' lives to cause some trouble, and Professor Kettil makes a reappearance. All throughout the book, there's a sense of things being tied together by slipping the last details into place. The plot moves at an enjoyably fast clip, which works very well to carry the story forward from the first two installments.
I particularly liked how this book has a running theme of redemption. The Sophistans have made amends for what they have done to humans many centuries ago, but in order to be trusted by the Federation they have to make themselves humble and ask forgiveness. Elof2 is pitted against his father in his new role as a Sophistan human (although this conflict has not been resolved yet). Stefan and Tova2 continue to mature and open themselves up to the greater wisdom and love surrounding them on Sophista.
This book has less worldbuilding and description than its predecessors, something I mentioned I appreciated in previous reviews for this series. Still, the descriptive prose is there, and if the strength of Book 1 was its world development, and the strength of Book 2 was the characters' development, Biesele has anchored Book 3 in a rich and intriguing plot. The book throws you for a lot of loops, which I like, because it allows the reader to not be bound to his or her expectations, and to let the book deliver on its own. Without giving away too much, the ending will be a source of much emotion for many readers. This book has prepared the series to reach its conclusion, and I am eager to see that conclusion, as I know it will be glorious.