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A Tale of the Fairypocalypse #3
Drowning Fergus
Fergus grew up believing he would never see the world beyond New Peiling... until he found the map to Tír na nÓg. But sometimes adventures don't take us to the place we want to be, but where we need to go. The Knights of Evalach have rounded up the hybrids and sent them away. Those who remain struggle to keep the towering plates of New Peiling upright. Time is short, and there are many wrongs to be righted. But what will Fergus have to give up to put things straight?
311 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2013
168 people want to read
About the author
Addison Lane
13 books18 followersAddison Lane is the author of the Blackpines and Fairypocalypse series.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 21, 2013
This novel was a fitting end for a series that focuses on the growing up of Fergus Irving as well as his inner struggles to understand what he believes is a form of justice. It also felt like it was the end of childhood and the start of adulthood, especially with how it ended but I will not give any spoilers. XD
One of this series strengths is that there is an inner logic that makes sense that motivates people like the Harriets and other hybrid-haters and the government of New Peiling. I am not saying I agree with it but it makes sense how they arrive to their conclusions. This has been a weakness of many dystopian stories as of late. I had to stop reading Divergent (because not just the personalityless female lead) partly because the inner workings of the government and the revolution does not make sense. The logic in FP flows and the antagonists feel more realistic as a result. In a fantasy setting you do need to keep your characters realistic with motivations that the reader could at least see where it is coming from.
That is another aspect I like about Fergus is how he believes that Hybrids hating on humans is just as counter-productive as humans hating on hybrids. Oddly enough, that is a conversation I think people should be having more often. But then again, FP has always settled neatly in Grey to Black Morality. Not even Fergus settles neatly in white but he is genuinely a good person even though his kelpie self drags him into the grey.
Another aspect I liked is the evolution of Ashton Harriet in this book and it was written in such a way that you didn't know exactly which way he'd end up leaning. The scenes with Fergus and Ashton were fascinating to watch.
While there were many aspects of this book I did like, I still felt Stealing Terry was the strongest book in the series. However, even saying that, the story of Fergus ended well. He stuck true to his beliefs which is an admirable trait. And I loved to see Fergus constantly struggle over morality, over growing up, and over self-discovery.
One of this series strengths is that there is an inner logic that makes sense that motivates people like the Harriets and other hybrid-haters and the government of New Peiling. I am not saying I agree with it but it makes sense how they arrive to their conclusions. This has been a weakness of many dystopian stories as of late. I had to stop reading Divergent (because not just the personalityless female lead) partly because the inner workings of the government and the revolution does not make sense. The logic in FP flows and the antagonists feel more realistic as a result. In a fantasy setting you do need to keep your characters realistic with motivations that the reader could at least see where it is coming from.
That is another aspect I like about Fergus is how he believes that Hybrids hating on humans is just as counter-productive as humans hating on hybrids. Oddly enough, that is a conversation I think people should be having more often. But then again, FP has always settled neatly in Grey to Black Morality. Not even Fergus settles neatly in white but he is genuinely a good person even though his kelpie self drags him into the grey.
Another aspect I liked is the evolution of Ashton Harriet in this book and it was written in such a way that you didn't know exactly which way he'd end up leaning. The scenes with Fergus and Ashton were fascinating to watch.
While there were many aspects of this book I did like, I still felt Stealing Terry was the strongest book in the series. However, even saying that, the story of Fergus ended well. He stuck true to his beliefs which is an admirable trait. And I loved to see Fergus constantly struggle over morality, over growing up, and over self-discovery.
August 31, 2014
New Peiling! New Peiling! New Peiling! I must confess, I have fallen in love with this strange, gritty, beautiful mess of a city. I enjoyed being able to go abroad with Fergus and company in the last book--the world of this series is so expansive and every nook of every foreign city is so richly textured as to deserve a novel or two of its own--but it's good to finally come home. As if I had been born and raised in the slums of the lower city myself, I now take a weird pride in this city. For all its degradation and turmoil, it's like home. Because it's a city we can all recognize, with all its majesty and its dirt and its painful socioeconomic divisions. In many ways, I was even overjoyed to return to the disgusting familiarity of the hybrid struggle. I had become so attached to this place, and I was invested, not just in Fergus and Terry's lives, but in the future of the city itself.
And that's the magic of Addison Lane. She has taken a world that is so wildly imaginative, filled with fairies and witches and airships, and made it into something very real. Her characters and their struggles are all so relatable, and her city, so strange and unbelievable with its towering plates, really is home. She writes about reality through the lens of fantasy. And while this is certainly nothing usual for fantasy writers, the way Lane does it is somehow different; in the end, it's the reality that will stick with you most.
Without spoiling anything, there are some very emotionally raw moments in this novel, woven expertly into some of the most exciting action of the series. But Lane has a particular way of handling poignancy, too, which you can see throughout the trilogy, but which is especially notable here. Some writers will beat you over the head with angst and emotional backstory, but Lane will not. Her art is subtle and cleverly restrained. She will, instead, hand you these moments of brutal human vulnerability like a small keepsake, perhaps wrapped in a scrap of worn flannel. It's just there, honest as a stone in the palm of your hand, and the choice to unwrap this precious gift is yours.
Having now finished with the series, I feel a little lonely. I'm going to miss this weird, politically turbulent, layer cake of a city. Just as much as I'm genuinely going to miss this colorful, lovable, detestable cast of characters. I've come to think of Fergus, Terry, Guillory, Jane, Ursula, and all the rest as a part of my life now. Not quite friends (that's probably too generous for some of these scoundrels), but certainly like real people that I know and even love. It will be strange to move on, knowing that their story has come to an end. It will be strange to leave New Peiling behind.
I've written about these books at length already, so I will just conclude by saying they are wonderful. Addison Lane is an exciting writer, who has given me a real treat this summer. I feel the doors of fantasy have been blown wide open for me, and like I have maybe had a small adventure of my own. Something that hasn't happened in a long, long time.
Really, though: airships. What more do you need?
And that's the magic of Addison Lane. She has taken a world that is so wildly imaginative, filled with fairies and witches and airships, and made it into something very real. Her characters and their struggles are all so relatable, and her city, so strange and unbelievable with its towering plates, really is home. She writes about reality through the lens of fantasy. And while this is certainly nothing usual for fantasy writers, the way Lane does it is somehow different; in the end, it's the reality that will stick with you most.
Without spoiling anything, there are some very emotionally raw moments in this novel, woven expertly into some of the most exciting action of the series. But Lane has a particular way of handling poignancy, too, which you can see throughout the trilogy, but which is especially notable here. Some writers will beat you over the head with angst and emotional backstory, but Lane will not. Her art is subtle and cleverly restrained. She will, instead, hand you these moments of brutal human vulnerability like a small keepsake, perhaps wrapped in a scrap of worn flannel. It's just there, honest as a stone in the palm of your hand, and the choice to unwrap this precious gift is yours.
Having now finished with the series, I feel a little lonely. I'm going to miss this weird, politically turbulent, layer cake of a city. Just as much as I'm genuinely going to miss this colorful, lovable, detestable cast of characters. I've come to think of Fergus, Terry, Guillory, Jane, Ursula, and all the rest as a part of my life now. Not quite friends (that's probably too generous for some of these scoundrels), but certainly like real people that I know and even love. It will be strange to move on, knowing that their story has come to an end. It will be strange to leave New Peiling behind.
I've written about these books at length already, so I will just conclude by saying they are wonderful. Addison Lane is an exciting writer, who has given me a real treat this summer. I feel the doors of fantasy have been blown wide open for me, and like I have maybe had a small adventure of my own. Something that hasn't happened in a long, long time.
Really, though: airships. What more do you need?
October 15, 2015
I think this series has been one of the best faerie series I've had the pleasure of reading. It also managed to combine faerie lore with dystopian/Armageddon stories. I also appreciated that this book kept a lot of the romance to a minimum, but what there was of romance was really well done. Not only that, these books feature main characters that are bisexual and homosexual and the faeries stay true to their inhuman natures.
These books also deal with themes of prejudice and segregation.
This is my second read through and for some reason I seem to remember scenes that weren't actually there! I guess that's a testament to how good I thought this series was, that I imagined whole scenes that weren't actually written.
These books also deal with themes of prejudice and segregation.
This is my second read through and for some reason I seem to remember scenes that weren't actually there! I guess that's a testament to how good I thought this series was, that I imagined whole scenes that weren't actually written.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews