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Theirs Not to Reason Why #5
Damnation
It began with a terrible vision of the future. Compelled by her precognitive abilities, Ia must somehow save her home galaxy long after she’s gone. Now Jean Johnson presents the long-awaited epic conclusion to her national bestselling military science fiction series… With their new ship claimed and new crewmembers being collected, Ia’s Damned are ready and willing to re-enter the fight against the vicious, hungry forces of their Salik foes. But shortly after they board the Damnation to return to battle, a new threat emerges. After several centuries of silence, the Greys are back, and the Alliance must now combat both a rapacious, sadistic enemy, and a terrifying, technologically superior foe.Ia has asked nothing of her crew that she herself has not been willing to give. But with two wars to bring to an end—and time running out—Ia must make and execute the most terrible choice of all…
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 25, 2014
45 people are currently reading
723 people want to read
About the author
Jean Johnson
51 books818 followersBerkley/Jove Authors Bio
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)romance author, science fiction author
Jean Johnson currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, has played in the SCA for 25 years, sings a lot, and argues with her cat about territorial rights to her office chair. She loves hearing from her readers, and has a distinct sense of humor. Right now she's living in a home with zone heating & decent plumbing, but hopes to some day put turrets and ramparts on it so that it looks like a castle.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)romance author, science fiction author
Jean Johnson currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, has played in the SCA for 25 years, sings a lot, and argues with her cat about territorial rights to her office chair. She loves hearing from her readers, and has a distinct sense of humor. Right now she's living in a home with zone heating & decent plumbing, but hopes to some day put turrets and ramparts on it so that it looks like a castle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
November 5, 2020
So much crying. Every time I stopped, I soon started back up again. It's now been 6 years since I first read this and I still obsess over the ending.
December 6, 2014
Damnation isn't a separate, individual story, it's 371 pages of ending.
When I started Ia's journey in A Soldier's Duty I liked it. I thought it had promise. I borrowed the book from a friend who had An Officer's Duty and Hellfire immediately available. I read both but they were only okay. A mix of sometimes interesting world building with storytelling that falls behind. A year passed and I got a copy of Hardship. It was somewhere between a like and okay but I was optimistic about Damnation while being slightly concerned about the abrupt split book end. I guess I should have been more worried.
This book is abrupt at the best of times. Many loose threads are being tugged at simultaneously in an effort to wrap up Ia's journey and it doesn't work. Meanwhile many threads introduced and explored before Hellfire never reemerge. Secondary characters, most of whom were never really developed, fall by the wayside (I think the Admiral-General of TUPSF has the second most dialogue and appearances) and many feel forgotten. Conflicts and events are presented in a detached methodical way. Sanctuary has to become isolated behind Grey lines, so it's isolated behind Grey lines. The Salik must die, so they die. The Grey war must be fought, so it's fought. But the main problem is that Damnation doesn't tell a story. You could read any of the other four books in the series get a story albeit a story with muddled and confusing elements. Damnation is all ending preceded by a small recap.
I imagine there are other stories that will be set in this universe and published at a later date. If there isn't then a lot of the setup in this series is odd. Theirs Not to Reason Why is Ia's story but Ia's story was always the foundation for someone else's.
When I started Ia's journey in A Soldier's Duty I liked it. I thought it had promise. I borrowed the book from a friend who had An Officer's Duty and Hellfire immediately available. I read both but they were only okay. A mix of sometimes interesting world building with storytelling that falls behind. A year passed and I got a copy of Hardship. It was somewhere between a like and okay but I was optimistic about Damnation while being slightly concerned about the abrupt split book end. I guess I should have been more worried.
This book is abrupt at the best of times. Many loose threads are being tugged at simultaneously in an effort to wrap up Ia's journey and it doesn't work. Meanwhile many threads introduced and explored before Hellfire never reemerge. Secondary characters, most of whom were never really developed, fall by the wayside (I think the Admiral-General of TUPSF has the second most dialogue and appearances) and many feel forgotten. Conflicts and events are presented in a detached methodical way. Sanctuary has to become isolated behind Grey lines, so it's isolated behind Grey lines. The Salik must die, so they die. The Grey war must be fought, so it's fought. But the main problem is that Damnation doesn't tell a story. You could read any of the other four books in the series get a story albeit a story with muddled and confusing elements. Damnation is all ending preceded by a small recap.
I imagine there are other stories that will be set in this universe and published at a later date. If there isn't then a lot of the setup in this series is odd. Theirs Not to Reason Why is Ia's story but Ia's story was always the foundation for someone else's.
October 15, 2022
This book was so good - emotional, frustrating, action filled and yet, extraordinarily sad in the end. I can't believe that this series is over, I really loved Ia as a character. What am I gonna read now? Who is going to be my favourite military sf heroine?
I still have so many questions about the famous Saviour, the Redemeer, the Fire Girl prophecies, if this is really where everything ends, it would be such a shame. This universe is so rich, nuanced and complex, so beautifully built it's quite impossible not to want more. Ia was a such a driven character and, as a person who loves stories with an element of 'seers or foretelling or precognition', this series was a delightful treat.
I still have so many questions about the famous Saviour, the Redemeer, the Fire Girl prophecies, if this is really where everything ends, it would be such a shame. This universe is so rich, nuanced and complex, so beautifully built it's quite impossible not to want more. Ia was a such a driven character and, as a person who loves stories with an element of 'seers or foretelling or precognition', this series was a delightful treat.
January 25, 2022
**Being vague is a pain - spoilers ahead.**
That ending..... was fucked. And beyond selfish. The scene that Johnson created to make everyone go with Ia at the end was also fucked. It made me hard cringe. Everyone threw an (unbelievable) temper-tantrum because Ia had manipulated them into a better position..... which she had done her entire life, and was fairly open about that. She manipulates everything she can and gets shitty when things don't go her way, but now they call her a two fisting bitch for it????
She had openly told them to their faces that she would let ppl and their families (or planet) die if it suited her plans more, and yet this one thing was the straw that broke the camel? 🧐 That makes zero sense.
Plus Ia was quite capable of controlling that ship by herself (she's been a one woman army all series, why stop now?) or if she had to take the minimum with her 5 people would have sufficed. Why kill off essentially the whole crew when it wasn't necessary? 🤷♀️
The only saving grace was that it might be an open ending. I read someone else's review who pointed out that a meddler was caught in the blast and might have gone through the hole with them, potentially saving them in the process. However it's been years since this series was completed & I haven't seen any sneaky novellas or books hinting at an escape so I guess we'll never know.
Rant over, rest of the book was fine. I think the 4th one was potentially the strongest in the series. I'm interested in seeing the prequel series. I'm hoping the MC won't be as annoying. 🤞
3.5-4 ⭐⭐⭐
That ending..... was fucked. And beyond selfish. The scene that Johnson created to make everyone go with Ia at the end was also fucked. It made me hard cringe. Everyone threw an (unbelievable) temper-tantrum because Ia had manipulated them into a better position..... which she had done her entire life, and was fairly open about that. She manipulates everything she can and gets shitty when things don't go her way, but now they call her a two fisting bitch for it????
She had openly told them to their faces that she would let ppl and their families (or planet) die if it suited her plans more, and yet this one thing was the straw that broke the camel? 🧐 That makes zero sense.
Plus Ia was quite capable of controlling that ship by herself (she's been a one woman army all series, why stop now?) or if she had to take the minimum with her 5 people would have sufficed. Why kill off essentially the whole crew when it wasn't necessary? 🤷♀️
The only saving grace was that it might be an open ending. I read someone else's review who pointed out that a meddler was caught in the blast and might have gone through the hole with them, potentially saving them in the process. However it's been years since this series was completed & I haven't seen any sneaky novellas or books hinting at an escape so I guess we'll never know.
Rant over, rest of the book was fine. I think the 4th one was potentially the strongest in the series. I'm interested in seeing the prequel series. I'm hoping the MC won't be as annoying. 🤞
3.5-4 ⭐⭐⭐
October 1, 2018
Being told from the get go that this is the story of “Ia and her Damned” it’s pretty clear that this sweeping epic space opera will be the tale of a martyr. There are so many things that trouble me about these books if I stop to actually think about them: Ia’s Mary Sue qualities, the religiously cult-ish nature of her followers (yet they are the good guys), a person who actually knows all probabilities, the abrupt literary switches between intimacy of character and huge sweeping concepts, and the feeling in the final two books that this is all set up for a different series… and yet. And yet… they are UTTERLY ADDICTING. I struggle to explain why I enjoyed this series so much. Why I sat on the couch for hours sobbing through the final book (30 tissues, I counted, my cat was very worried about me). In the end, I gave up and just accepted my fate (much as Ia accepted hers) and simply read. Some additions cannot be explained.
June 19, 2019
Once again, for the last time: get back to the first book. Read this thing in order, it works best that way.
SPOILERS AHOY
So - you made it. You survived the awful event in book 2, you struggled through the slog that was book 4, you presumably care enough to want to know if Ia pulls off the survival of the universe.
Not without genociding the Salik she ain't, is the answer. Yeah. The dehumanizing she engaged in earlier? Yeah. This is the end of the Salik war, and honestly - for me - the end of the main emotional arc in the series. Ia's spent so many books fighting the Salik and dealing with them that their final defeat was a real tragedy to read.
Because it was all so Ia could nuke their homeplanet with the reluctant sanction of every other alien species in the area.
Because if she doesn't nuke them, they'll contribute to the destruction of the entire universe.
God, what a moral quandary. I don't envy Ia her powers one bit, because this was where a lot of threads paid off: Ia demonstrating that she'll do anything she can to try to save as many people as possible, Ia doing her best to be good even when she's being bad.
This is where it pays off. I spent a lot of the series wondering about Ia's morals and wishing she had more people to actually talk to about her choices (because despite having a therapist, she doesn't talk to her about things) and debate them. It's always Ia getting her way and steamrolling any opposition.
This could have made this book felt like the epitome of that, but somehow it didn't. It felt emotional and heavy and I really enjoyed reading it.
A shame the back half of the book couldn't live up to that, but whatever. It hits the right emotional beats and ends appropriately. I won't spoil how it ends, only that it does.
...
It's been a long journey, and I ultimately enjoyed this series, even if I'd rate the overall thing as a 3/5 stars. The characters fell mostly flat, some of the books had massive problems, but I really enjoyed it and some of it really hit really well. If you read it all, I hope you enjoy it more than I did.
SPOILERS AHOY
So - you made it. You survived the awful event in book 2, you struggled through the slog that was book 4, you presumably care enough to want to know if Ia pulls off the survival of the universe.
Not without genociding the Salik she ain't, is the answer. Yeah. The dehumanizing she engaged in earlier? Yeah. This is the end of the Salik war, and honestly - for me - the end of the main emotional arc in the series. Ia's spent so many books fighting the Salik and dealing with them that their final defeat was a real tragedy to read.
Because it was all so Ia could nuke their homeplanet with the reluctant sanction of every other alien species in the area.
Because if she doesn't nuke them, they'll contribute to the destruction of the entire universe.
God, what a moral quandary. I don't envy Ia her powers one bit, because this was where a lot of threads paid off: Ia demonstrating that she'll do anything she can to try to save as many people as possible, Ia doing her best to be good even when she's being bad.
This is where it pays off. I spent a lot of the series wondering about Ia's morals and wishing she had more people to actually talk to about her choices (because despite having a therapist, she doesn't talk to her about things) and debate them. It's always Ia getting her way and steamrolling any opposition.
This could have made this book felt like the epitome of that, but somehow it didn't. It felt emotional and heavy and I really enjoyed reading it.
A shame the back half of the book couldn't live up to that, but whatever. It hits the right emotional beats and ends appropriately. I won't spoil how it ends, only that it does.
...
It's been a long journey, and I ultimately enjoyed this series, even if I'd rate the overall thing as a 3/5 stars. The characters fell mostly flat, some of the books had massive problems, but I really enjoyed it and some of it really hit really well. If you read it all, I hope you enjoy it more than I did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2015
The last book in the Theirs Not to Reason Why series felt like one giant rush from start to finish--and not necessarily in a good way. In the review I wrote for the last book I said that book 5 either had to be very long or cover a lot of time. Well, it had to cover a lot of time and it wasn't that long, so it felt like the author was hurtling down a mountain and skimming rocks. It just felt rushed. There were large leaps in time, but it didn't feel like all that much time was passing in the book. It just felt like the author was trying to wrap everything up in one book and she succeeded, but it was too much and I remained pretty detached.
Ia's abilities remain ridiculous. The fact that she can communicate with and borrow 'time' from her past/future selves is a little too much to swallow. Never liked that part of the last book or in this book. It's still too convenient.
And the thing is, you have Ia harp about how the future is never quite certain, how things are always changing and that she's doing her best to steer the future on the correct path, but in the end, after all that happens, you realize something rather important. Ia is gone and the future is in the correct path, but even with her future prophecies how is it certain the future will stay on that path? I mean, look at how Ia had to micromanage everything already.
The ending was predictable and kind of made me angry at the same time even knowing it was coming because after all of that that ending still happened. It felt abrupt, it didn't have quite the emotional impact I suspect the author was going for, and it just felt like a giant waste. There are still so many unanswered questions that I suppose that the author can address in other books in the same universe as this one, but it's not the same and won't be the same.
It's just... kind of disappointing. The war with the Greys seemed to mostly have been glossed over. It was sped through really quickly and I just wanted more from that corner. There's a distinct lack of interpersonal relationships as Ia spends most of her time micromanaging the war(s) and she doesn't have time for that, but as a reader it was sorely lacking in that department (and I don't mean romance, I mean friendship and Ia interacting with her crew).
It was just too much to cover in the book and it wasn't pulled off nearly as well as I hoped it would be. It's a shame, really. 2 stars.
Ia's abilities remain ridiculous. The fact that she can communicate with and borrow 'time' from her past/future selves is a little too much to swallow. Never liked that part of the last book or in this book. It's still too convenient.
And the thing is, you have Ia harp about how the future is never quite certain, how things are always changing and that she's doing her best to steer the future on the correct path, but in the end, after all that happens, you realize something rather important. Ia is gone and the future is in the correct path, but even with her future prophecies how is it certain the future will stay on that path? I mean, look at how Ia had to micromanage everything already.
The ending was predictable and kind of made me angry at the same time even knowing it was coming because after all of that that ending still happened. It felt abrupt, it didn't have quite the emotional impact I suspect the author was going for, and it just felt like a giant waste. There are still so many unanswered questions that I suppose that the author can address in other books in the same universe as this one, but it's not the same and won't be the same.
It's just... kind of disappointing. The war with the Greys seemed to mostly have been glossed over. It was sped through really quickly and I just wanted more from that corner. There's a distinct lack of interpersonal relationships as Ia spends most of her time micromanaging the war(s) and she doesn't have time for that, but as a reader it was sorely lacking in that department (and I don't mean romance, I mean friendship and Ia interacting with her crew).
It was just too much to cover in the book and it wasn't pulled off nearly as well as I hoped it would be. It's a shame, really. 2 stars.
July 16, 2015
Despite my lower rating, this is a much better book than the previous two structurally speaking. And what an ending, WOW! I was flabbergasted and couldn't believe it would end in such a way.
At the last stage of her journey Ia is on even tighter schedule, and mentally and physically exhausted. Simply speaking, she is running on fumes. What I enjoyed most of all here is that this book was pretty emotional. Her journey to Sanctuary, her relationship with her team of The Damned, the level of calm acceptance and self-sacrifice, - it was mind-blowing. Brought tears to my eyes.
There are a lot of things happening. Ia gets appointed an Alliance Commander General to lead the war against Salik and then Greys. When Salik are wiped out, she is faced with a mass of civil law suits and has to take steps to make sure her image is exactly how she needs it for future generations. With Greys the resistance tactics of the Alliance are truly complex and mostly rely on Ia's precog skills. Take her out, and the allied forces have no chance to win.
Knowing it all, stretched to the limits, Ia still tries to minimise the amount of bloodshed to a bare minimum. She also tries to spare her Damned. There is even a tiny romantic moment of epicness between her and Harper.
I do not want to give you any spoilers, but I fervently hope we'll have some sort of more cheerful conclusion for Ia in the future. I just can't accept this series finale! Read it, recommended.
At the last stage of her journey Ia is on even tighter schedule, and mentally and physically exhausted. Simply speaking, she is running on fumes. What I enjoyed most of all here is that this book was pretty emotional. Her journey to Sanctuary, her relationship with her team of The Damned, the level of calm acceptance and self-sacrifice, - it was mind-blowing. Brought tears to my eyes.
There are a lot of things happening. Ia gets appointed an Alliance Commander General to lead the war against Salik and then Greys. When Salik are wiped out, she is faced with a mass of civil law suits and has to take steps to make sure her image is exactly how she needs it for future generations. With Greys the resistance tactics of the Alliance are truly complex and mostly rely on Ia's precog skills. Take her out, and the allied forces have no chance to win.
Knowing it all, stretched to the limits, Ia still tries to minimise the amount of bloodshed to a bare minimum. She also tries to spare her Damned. There is even a tiny romantic moment of epicness between her and Harper.
I do not want to give you any spoilers, but I fervently hope we'll have some sort of more cheerful conclusion for Ia in the future. I just can't accept this series finale! Read it, recommended.
July 21, 2015
This was the final book in the series. And it has an epic ending. The kind of ending that is so well written and exciting that it sticks with you for a long time after you've read the book.
Ia is trying to handle everything in this timeline and fix things so humanity will survive 300 years in the future, when evil aliens come to invade. At the same time she's trying to win a war and end another war once and for all. Fighting 2 wars at the same time is exhausting.
A group of soldiers doing the best they can to complete their mission, at the helm of the deadliest spacehship in the galaxy.
When I read the final pages of this book, the ending was so...epic that I was sorry to see the book end.
I know I'll be rereading this series in the future. It's just such a great read.
There are 5 books in this series and the series is complete. The author is going back in time and writing books about the First Salik War.
If you want a good series to binge read, it's complete, no waiting, read this book.
Ia is trying to handle everything in this timeline and fix things so humanity will survive 300 years in the future, when evil aliens come to invade. At the same time she's trying to win a war and end another war once and for all. Fighting 2 wars at the same time is exhausting.
A group of soldiers doing the best they can to complete their mission, at the helm of the deadliest spacehship in the galaxy.
When I read the final pages of this book, the ending was so...epic that I was sorry to see the book end.
I know I'll be rereading this series in the future. It's just such a great read.
There are 5 books in this series and the series is complete. The author is going back in time and writing books about the First Salik War.
If you want a good series to binge read, it's complete, no waiting, read this book.
November 30, 2014
Much of this book was like others in the series with Ia one step ahead to save people and collecting certain ones to help her along. But it was the big revolt of Ia's crew that brought me to tears. I loved that they forced her to admit the final move and loved them all even more that they wouldn't/couldn't let her make it how she planned, that they choose to stand with her even knowing what would happen. The only thing better than this is how Ia honored those that made the choice and how each person left behind a very telling piece of themselves. Even knowing what was coming I wanted this to be the one time that Ia was wrong, sadly that didn't happen, but I can end this series knowing that the war was won and every sacrifice that Ia made time and time again, along of those with her, were worth it.
Want to read
August 25, 2013is this the last book? all this fire girl stuff is driving me nuts in this series. this series makes me sad cos i kinda half get that she wont have real life and i kinda still half hope she gets something more then she will. such a lonely book
November 30, 2014
Ugh. As soon as I found out there was only two more books left in this series, I was worried how the author was going to cover such a large time span in two small books. The answer is, she didn't even try. A whole bunch of threads are simply left hanging.
July 18, 2017
Damnit, I got teary-eyed at the end and kept hoping for a miracle. Then I wanted to know if she achieved her goal, and what happens in 300 years. Who is the Savior? Who is the Redeemer? What about the Immortal, and the Phoenix? Give me that story!
November 26, 2018
You'd think a massive precognitive heroine would make things boring but the writer has skilfully handled that. Can't wait for the next book!
June 6, 2020
https://delivreenlivres.home.blog/202...
Une fin de série très attendue. Je ne sais pas si on peut vraiment dire que j’ai moins aimé ce tome, mais il y a eu quelques passages ou j’ai un peu décroché. La fin était très forte émotionnellement, mais sans grosse surprise vu qu’elle était amenée depuis quelques tomes donc on se doute bien que ça finira un peu comme ça depuis longtemps.
Je suis contente d’avoir terminer cette série, surtout vu le mal que j’avais à lire les tomes au début. C’est aussi comme ça que je mesure mes progrès « invisibles » en anglais. D’une année sur l’autre (je lisais environ un tome par an) je trouvais la lecture de plus en plus facile, jusqu’à ce dernier tome qui est le seul que j’ai lu a un rythme normal, au même rythme que mes autres lectures.
Pour résumer grossièrement le principe de la série : Nous suivons Ia (ia) une jeune femme qui peut voir dans le futur très lointain. Elle sait donc depuis longtemps que dans environ 500 ans la quasi totalité de la vie dans la galaxie va être anéantie. Elle a longtemps cherché et finalement elle a réussi a trouver un chemin qui sauvera l’humanité (et ses alliés).
Mais ce chemin requiert qu’elle fasse ses preuves et devienne le héros d’une génération pour que sa parole soit toujours vénérée 500 ans dans le futur et que les humains suivent toujours ses instructions même si sur le coup ça pourrait sembler bizarre, illogique ou contre productif. (d’ou le titre de la série « Theirs Not to Reason Why », ils doivent pouvoir suivre ses ordres sans se questionner)
Elle se forge donc au fur et à mesure des tomes une réputation et un surnom « la prophète des temps lointains ».
Mais elle ne peux pas tout contrôler, les humains restent maîtres de leurs décisions quoi qu’elle fasse. Elle doit donc toujours lutter contre des personnes qui ne sont pas convaincues de son pouvoir, ou pour qui ses décisions ne sont pas bonnes, par exemple si ils ont quelque chose à perdre, ou si ça ne leur permet pas de gagner autant d’argent qu’ils aimeraient … (un peu comme les industriels/financiers actuels et le changement climatique actuel, si on devait faire une parallèle).
*****
Cette série est un peu spéciale, je comprend qu’elle ne plaise pas à tout le monde.
Déjà elle n’est pas du tout linéaire. Pas dans le sens ou les passages ne se suivent pas (ils sont bien dans l’ordre chronologique), mais dans le sens ou entre chaque chapitre il peut se passer aussi bien une minute que plusieurs années.
On ne suis que les passages importants dans l’intrigue générale, et du coup on zappe quasiment toute l’action. Ou disons qu’on en a des miettes, juste un passage au milieu, ou juste la fin, ou le début … En gros juste le passage qui a fait basculer la situation, pas l’ensemble.
L’intrigue principale progresse donc par à-coup, sautant les passages ou tout se déroule comme prévu avant, qui ne nous sont que vaguement racontés ou qu’on devine au vu de ce qu’il se passe après.
La structure du livre pendant sa quasi totalité (sauf le final) est en fait basée sur une interview que le personnage principal fait aux reporters. On commence donc chaque chapitre par une partie de la réponse du personnage principal à la question du journaliste, et ensuite on passe à la description de la scène en question.
Dans l’ensemble le ton est très posé, limite clinique. On n’est pas sur un livre basé sur les personnages. Ia(ia) n’est pas une personne sentimentale ou émotionnelle. Au contraire c’est une personne méthodique et obsessionnelle avec son plan. Tout est prévu à l’avance, rien n’est laissé au hasard. Elle prévoit à chaque fois les différentes possibilités et se lance donc à l’avance dans ce qui sera peut être nécessaire pour les différents futurs possibles, en abandonnant à chaque fois ceux qui ne se réalisent pas.
Ia a prévu toutes ses phrases à l’avance, elle connait les résultats possibles de tout ses mouvements, … du coup elle ne se relâche jamais, son temps est chronométré à la seconde et elle ne dévie jamais de son chemin malgré des passages difficile et les personnes stupides qui encombrent son passage.
Dans ce tome on voit bien qu’elle est à bout, ça fait 11 ans qu’elle a commencé son plan, 11 ans ou elle n’est plus vraiment elle-même et ou elle s’est transformée en une machine qui n’a qu’un but unique et qui doit absolument réussir.
Ce tome diffère des précédents, car on est clairement plus sur de la SF politique/diplomatique que sur de la SF militaire. Ce qui est logique vu qu’on entame la dernière partie qui rend les choses plus globales qu’avant ou Ia n’avait qu’a gérer son propre vaisseau. Les passages importants sont ceux ou Ia se retrouve à devoir expliquer ses plans à toute sorte de gouvernements et de peuples. Avec à chaque fois une démonstration de ses capacités …
J’avoue que je suis quand même moins fans de ce genre de passages. Non seulement je suis un peu perdue, parce qu’il y a plein de peuples et autres qu’on n’avait que vaguement entendu parler avant, mais à chaque fois on a un passage de 30 pages à nous raconter la façon dont Ia utilise leurs mœurs pour se faire accepter et les faire rentrer dans son alliance est des fois un peu de trop pour moi.
Du moins disons que j’ai eu du mal des fois à en trouver vraiment l’utilité. Surtout que ça amène pas mal de répétitions au final. Toujours des gens divers et variés qui doutent pour diverses raison, et Ia qui tente de les convaincre.
Heureusement, dans ce tome, une grosse partie de son plan consistera à éliminer les Salik. Du coup on repart un peu plus dans de l’action sur le dernier tiers.
Ce peuple de prédateurs est un ennemi immuable des humains et de leurs alliés. C’est un peu comme des moustiques, on a beau s’en débarrasser chaque année, il en revient toujours. Non pas qu’ils soient particulièrement avancés ou puissant en comparaison des autres, non, mais ils ont un instinct prédateur qui les empêche de se lier et d’imaginer la paix (la paix n’existe pas pour eux, même dans la défaite, c’est pour ça qu’ils reviennent encore et toujours).
Hors pour pouvoir avancer dans son plan et empêcher la destruction de tout lors de l’arrivée des ennemis lointains (500 ans dans le futur), il ne faut pas qu’ils soient en guerre contre un autre ennemi à ce moment la.
Ia a tout tenté, étudié des millions de possibilités. Mais quoi qu’on fasse si les Salik survivent, la galaxie ne résistera pas aux ennemis qui arriveront. Les Salik doivent donc disparaître, définitivement.
C’est donc une guerre totale d’anéantissement dans laquelle se lancent les humains et leurs alliés.
Si je devais avoir un petit regret sur la fin, je dirais que je l’ai peut etre trouvé un peu trop courte. Elle est à l’image du personnage principal : sans chichi, efficace, et très peu sentimentale.
D’ailleurs la série se termine sur la dernière action de cette guerre. Il n’y a pas « d’après », pas de vue du futur ensuite, donc finalement on ne sait même pas si ça a vraiment réussi comme elle l’avait vu, même si on se doute que oui.
Au final j’ai bien aimé cette série dans son ensemble, elle change de mes habitudes. Je n’avais jamais lu une série aussi peu basé sur les personnages, aussi clinique dans l’avancement de l’intrigue et dans son ton sans que ça ne gâche l’intérêt de l’ensemble.
Une fin de série très attendue. Je ne sais pas si on peut vraiment dire que j’ai moins aimé ce tome, mais il y a eu quelques passages ou j’ai un peu décroché. La fin était très forte émotionnellement, mais sans grosse surprise vu qu’elle était amenée depuis quelques tomes donc on se doute bien que ça finira un peu comme ça depuis longtemps.
Je suis contente d’avoir terminer cette série, surtout vu le mal que j’avais à lire les tomes au début. C’est aussi comme ça que je mesure mes progrès « invisibles » en anglais. D’une année sur l’autre (je lisais environ un tome par an) je trouvais la lecture de plus en plus facile, jusqu’à ce dernier tome qui est le seul que j’ai lu a un rythme normal, au même rythme que mes autres lectures.
Pour résumer grossièrement le principe de la série : Nous suivons Ia (ia) une jeune femme qui peut voir dans le futur très lointain. Elle sait donc depuis longtemps que dans environ 500 ans la quasi totalité de la vie dans la galaxie va être anéantie. Elle a longtemps cherché et finalement elle a réussi a trouver un chemin qui sauvera l’humanité (et ses alliés).
Mais ce chemin requiert qu’elle fasse ses preuves et devienne le héros d’une génération pour que sa parole soit toujours vénérée 500 ans dans le futur et que les humains suivent toujours ses instructions même si sur le coup ça pourrait sembler bizarre, illogique ou contre productif. (d’ou le titre de la série « Theirs Not to Reason Why », ils doivent pouvoir suivre ses ordres sans se questionner)
Elle se forge donc au fur et à mesure des tomes une réputation et un surnom « la prophète des temps lointains ».
Mais elle ne peux pas tout contrôler, les humains restent maîtres de leurs décisions quoi qu’elle fasse. Elle doit donc toujours lutter contre des personnes qui ne sont pas convaincues de son pouvoir, ou pour qui ses décisions ne sont pas bonnes, par exemple si ils ont quelque chose à perdre, ou si ça ne leur permet pas de gagner autant d’argent qu’ils aimeraient … (un peu comme les industriels/financiers actuels et le changement climatique actuel, si on devait faire une parallèle).
*****
Cette série est un peu spéciale, je comprend qu’elle ne plaise pas à tout le monde.
Déjà elle n’est pas du tout linéaire. Pas dans le sens ou les passages ne se suivent pas (ils sont bien dans l’ordre chronologique), mais dans le sens ou entre chaque chapitre il peut se passer aussi bien une minute que plusieurs années.
On ne suis que les passages importants dans l’intrigue générale, et du coup on zappe quasiment toute l’action. Ou disons qu’on en a des miettes, juste un passage au milieu, ou juste la fin, ou le début … En gros juste le passage qui a fait basculer la situation, pas l’ensemble.
L’intrigue principale progresse donc par à-coup, sautant les passages ou tout se déroule comme prévu avant, qui ne nous sont que vaguement racontés ou qu’on devine au vu de ce qu’il se passe après.
La structure du livre pendant sa quasi totalité (sauf le final) est en fait basée sur une interview que le personnage principal fait aux reporters. On commence donc chaque chapitre par une partie de la réponse du personnage principal à la question du journaliste, et ensuite on passe à la description de la scène en question.
Dans l’ensemble le ton est très posé, limite clinique. On n’est pas sur un livre basé sur les personnages. Ia(ia) n’est pas une personne sentimentale ou émotionnelle. Au contraire c’est une personne méthodique et obsessionnelle avec son plan. Tout est prévu à l’avance, rien n’est laissé au hasard. Elle prévoit à chaque fois les différentes possibilités et se lance donc à l’avance dans ce qui sera peut être nécessaire pour les différents futurs possibles, en abandonnant à chaque fois ceux qui ne se réalisent pas.
Ia a prévu toutes ses phrases à l’avance, elle connait les résultats possibles de tout ses mouvements, … du coup elle ne se relâche jamais, son temps est chronométré à la seconde et elle ne dévie jamais de son chemin malgré des passages difficile et les personnes stupides qui encombrent son passage.
Dans ce tome on voit bien qu’elle est à bout, ça fait 11 ans qu’elle a commencé son plan, 11 ans ou elle n’est plus vraiment elle-même et ou elle s’est transformée en une machine qui n’a qu’un but unique et qui doit absolument réussir.
Ce tome diffère des précédents, car on est clairement plus sur de la SF politique/diplomatique que sur de la SF militaire. Ce qui est logique vu qu’on entame la dernière partie qui rend les choses plus globales qu’avant ou Ia n’avait qu’a gérer son propre vaisseau. Les passages importants sont ceux ou Ia se retrouve à devoir expliquer ses plans à toute sorte de gouvernements et de peuples. Avec à chaque fois une démonstration de ses capacités …
J’avoue que je suis quand même moins fans de ce genre de passages. Non seulement je suis un peu perdue, parce qu’il y a plein de peuples et autres qu’on n’avait que vaguement entendu parler avant, mais à chaque fois on a un passage de 30 pages à nous raconter la façon dont Ia utilise leurs mœurs pour se faire accepter et les faire rentrer dans son alliance est des fois un peu de trop pour moi.
Du moins disons que j’ai eu du mal des fois à en trouver vraiment l’utilité. Surtout que ça amène pas mal de répétitions au final. Toujours des gens divers et variés qui doutent pour diverses raison, et Ia qui tente de les convaincre.
Heureusement, dans ce tome, une grosse partie de son plan consistera à éliminer les Salik. Du coup on repart un peu plus dans de l’action sur le dernier tiers.
Ce peuple de prédateurs est un ennemi immuable des humains et de leurs alliés. C’est un peu comme des moustiques, on a beau s’en débarrasser chaque année, il en revient toujours. Non pas qu’ils soient particulièrement avancés ou puissant en comparaison des autres, non, mais ils ont un instinct prédateur qui les empêche de se lier et d’imaginer la paix (la paix n’existe pas pour eux, même dans la défaite, c’est pour ça qu’ils reviennent encore et toujours).
Hors pour pouvoir avancer dans son plan et empêcher la destruction de tout lors de l’arrivée des ennemis lointains (500 ans dans le futur), il ne faut pas qu’ils soient en guerre contre un autre ennemi à ce moment la.
Ia a tout tenté, étudié des millions de possibilités. Mais quoi qu’on fasse si les Salik survivent, la galaxie ne résistera pas aux ennemis qui arriveront. Les Salik doivent donc disparaître, définitivement.
C’est donc une guerre totale d’anéantissement dans laquelle se lancent les humains et leurs alliés.
Si je devais avoir un petit regret sur la fin, je dirais que je l’ai peut etre trouvé un peu trop courte. Elle est à l’image du personnage principal : sans chichi, efficace, et très peu sentimentale.
D’ailleurs la série se termine sur la dernière action de cette guerre. Il n’y a pas « d’après », pas de vue du futur ensuite, donc finalement on ne sait même pas si ça a vraiment réussi comme elle l’avait vu, même si on se doute que oui.
Au final j’ai bien aimé cette série dans son ensemble, elle change de mes habitudes. Je n’avais jamais lu une série aussi peu basé sur les personnages, aussi clinique dans l’avancement de l’intrigue et dans son ton sans que ça ne gâche l’intérêt de l’ensemble.
January 12, 2020
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98 points, 5 stars!
Alert: Complete and unabashed gushing ahead
The mess on Dabin is cleared up, and now Ia and her Damned are back on a new ship, Damnation. Ia and her Damned are ready to end the war with the Salik once and for all, but at what cost? The Greys are back and looking to take over Terran and V'Dan worlds to prevent their inevitable species death. And Ia has to plan for the future, faster than before.
My standard warning for this series: Don't read this review if you haven't read read prior books in this series and want to. I cannot guarantee no spoilers for previous books in the series, and I don't want you to spoil yourself.
Hellfire and Damnation, does a lot of stuff happen in Damnation. It just starts and never, ever stops. Even to the end. There is just too much that has to happen.
When I get to the end of Damnation, it is hard to remember just where the book started because so much has happened since the beginning of the book. We have so much left to get done at the start, and all of it is quickly winding up. The added pressure and stress afforded by her unexpected generalship isn't help Ia, either. It just gave her more things to do!
If you're keeping track of things very closely, you'll know that Ia told us a lot of things would happen by the end, even from the very first book. There are a lot of hints and things outright stated but in mysterious terms. Almost none of these have happened so far. They do by the end. That is why I like the foreshadowing in this series so, so much. Even the littlest things that Ia hint at in the beginning come true by the end. Basically everything for the entire series ends up happening in Damnation. I love it, because you couldn't have known that at the start.
Bloody Mary. Oh, Bloody Mary. What exactly is murder? Why hasn't Ia earned the nickname of Blood Mary yet? What will Ia do over the course of Damnation? Will she be able to live with herself after she has done the things she has foreseen have to happen? Read and find out!
We still have two major problems to deal with: the Salik and the Greys. Ia has promised again and again that the Salik would be taken care of before the end. That something would happen and they would cause their own demise. Well, as of the start of this book, this hasn't even begun! How does so much happen in this book?! It has been a long, hard journey to even get to this point. So much has had to happen. Yet it isn't even close to being over. So much will happen and so much will come of it. We're in for a treat.
Plus, we also have the Second Grey War starting up again. Ia had promised it would happen, but they haven't even made their first move at the start of Damnation. Nothing is forgotten, not even the Greys. Even a throwaway line by Ia in the "I hope they don't..." gets addressed. They don't constitute as much of the plot, since it is mostly about the Saliks. I would have liked more time spent with the Greys, even if there wasn't much there.
Ia makes a speech at the end of this book.
I cannot put into words how much that speech hurts me.
Just thinking about it now is bringing me to tears, close to sobbing.
I break down every time at the start and it takes me days to recover.
You need to read this series just for that speech.
I've finish this series yet again. Now all I have to do is finish the sobbing, get over my depression and move on. This happens every time, and I hope it continues to happen with every reread. Next year, Ia. I'll see you again next year.
98 points, 5 stars!
Alert: Complete and unabashed gushing ahead
The mess on Dabin is cleared up, and now Ia and her Damned are back on a new ship, Damnation. Ia and her Damned are ready to end the war with the Salik once and for all, but at what cost? The Greys are back and looking to take over Terran and V'Dan worlds to prevent their inevitable species death. And Ia has to plan for the future, faster than before.
My standard warning for this series: Don't read this review if you haven't read read prior books in this series and want to. I cannot guarantee no spoilers for previous books in the series, and I don't want you to spoil yourself.
Hellfire and Damnation, does a lot of stuff happen in Damnation. It just starts and never, ever stops. Even to the end. There is just too much that has to happen.
When I get to the end of Damnation, it is hard to remember just where the book started because so much has happened since the beginning of the book. We have so much left to get done at the start, and all of it is quickly winding up. The added pressure and stress afforded by her unexpected generalship isn't help Ia, either. It just gave her more things to do!
If you're keeping track of things very closely, you'll know that Ia told us a lot of things would happen by the end, even from the very first book. There are a lot of hints and things outright stated but in mysterious terms. Almost none of these have happened so far. They do by the end. That is why I like the foreshadowing in this series so, so much. Even the littlest things that Ia hint at in the beginning come true by the end. Basically everything for the entire series ends up happening in Damnation. I love it, because you couldn't have known that at the start.
Bloody Mary. Oh, Bloody Mary. What exactly is murder? Why hasn't Ia earned the nickname of Blood Mary yet? What will Ia do over the course of Damnation? Will she be able to live with herself after she has done the things she has foreseen have to happen? Read and find out!
We still have two major problems to deal with: the Salik and the Greys. Ia has promised again and again that the Salik would be taken care of before the end. That something would happen and they would cause their own demise. Well, as of the start of this book, this hasn't even begun! How does so much happen in this book?! It has been a long, hard journey to even get to this point. So much has had to happen. Yet it isn't even close to being over. So much will happen and so much will come of it. We're in for a treat.
Plus, we also have the Second Grey War starting up again. Ia had promised it would happen, but they haven't even made their first move at the start of Damnation. Nothing is forgotten, not even the Greys. Even a throwaway line by Ia in the "I hope they don't..." gets addressed. They don't constitute as much of the plot, since it is mostly about the Saliks. I would have liked more time spent with the Greys, even if there wasn't much there.
Ia makes a speech at the end of this book.
I cannot put into words how much that speech hurts me.
Just thinking about it now is bringing me to tears, close to sobbing.
I break down every time at the start and it takes me days to recover.
You need to read this series just for that speech.
I've finish this series yet again. Now all I have to do is finish the sobbing, get over my depression and move on. This happens every time, and I hope it continues to happen with every reread. Next year, Ia. I'll see you again next year.
June 5, 2023
Nope. I suffered through four books of writing that was at times mediocre, for this?
I can't talk about most of my problems with this book without massive spoilers, which I'll do below, so I will touch on a couple things I did like: the writing was stronger than the first three books, though not as strong as Hardship. I liked that as Ia came to the end of the wars, she loosened up a little bit and wasn't quite as much of a stick in the mud as always. I liked some of the plot points or characters from previous books coming back around to relevance. That's probably it. So on to my problems:
Ugh. I finished this days ago and I'm getting mad again just thinking about it. I should go back to my review of the first one and warn everyone not to read it.
I can't talk about most of my problems with this book without massive spoilers, which I'll do below, so I will touch on a couple things I did like: the writing was stronger than the first three books, though not as strong as Hardship. I liked that as Ia came to the end of the wars, she loosened up a little bit and wasn't quite as much of a stick in the mud as always. I liked some of the plot points or characters from previous books coming back around to relevance. That's probably it. So on to my problems:
Ugh. I finished this days ago and I'm getting mad again just thinking about it. I should go back to my review of the first one and warn everyone not to read it.
December 28, 2014
I can't help it. I really like this series. I'm perfectly well aware that its heroine is larger than life. Ia's powers are humongous and one of them is precognition, so she never has to doubt her decisions. She knows exactly what the consequences of her actions will be. The evil guys are really evil. Well, perhaps not really evil, because in their case its just their particularly flavour of xenopsychology, but still. They don't know when to quit, so there's no reason to feel guilty about wiping out an entire race (and no, that is not a spoiler; anyone reading this series knows that that is what Ia has prophesied from day one). So, there's no need to worry, because everything will happen Ia's way, even if the tasks thrown at her are just as humongous as her powers are. That way Ia has an excuse to almost run herself into the ground several times (a ploy I'm not really fond of; I'd much prefer it if we could start admiring heroines who know how to take care of themselves instead of walking an talking burnouts waiting to happen).
But in the end, I just like Ia. I like her knowing everything. I like the world she creates around herself, the friends she makes, the loyalty she inspires. I'm very glad the book ends the way it does,
There were several bits in the beginning that were too disjointed for me, but then I was in tears in the last quarter of the book, so I think 4 stars is fair. I really have to see what else Mrs. Johnson has written...
But in the end, I just like Ia. I like her knowing everything. I like the world she creates around herself, the friends she makes, the loyalty she inspires. I'm very glad the book ends the way it does,
There were several bits in the beginning that were too disjointed for me, but then I was in tears in the last quarter of the book, so I think 4 stars is fair. I really have to see what else Mrs. Johnson has written...
December 1, 2014
This is another good book in the series although I have to say that, as a series finale, it did not manage to reach the heights that I was hoping for. I like Ia and her telling everyone else what is about to happen and, occasionally, showing off what she is really capable of. I like her a lot. I would say that the book is generally very well written as well.
However, a lot of this book felt like it was “only” telling the conclusion of the story by retelling the events that happened when in reality we knew pretty much where everything was going. After the previous book this one felt like just a wrap up. I know that it would have been a large book if book 4 and 5 would have been one book, as the author originally intended, but there are bigger books around and I think it would have been a better choice.
The ending itself also gave me a bit of a “hey wait, is that it?” feeling. It was rather abrupt and did not give a very satisfying feeling. The only thing we got was pretty much Ia’s prophetic stamp that everything was going to be alright. I felt that to be a bit lacking.
Nevertheless it is a good book and it was enjoyable reading. I do hope the author continues to write these kind of stories. It is tempting to ask for a new series with a continuation of some kind with Ia in it but I am not sure how feasible it would be to do this without making it either disappointing or somehow over the top. After all, Ia had developed to almost God-like powers. Where do you go from there without making it over the top?
However, a lot of this book felt like it was “only” telling the conclusion of the story by retelling the events that happened when in reality we knew pretty much where everything was going. After the previous book this one felt like just a wrap up. I know that it would have been a large book if book 4 and 5 would have been one book, as the author originally intended, but there are bigger books around and I think it would have been a better choice.
The ending itself also gave me a bit of a “hey wait, is that it?” feeling. It was rather abrupt and did not give a very satisfying feeling. The only thing we got was pretty much Ia’s prophetic stamp that everything was going to be alright. I felt that to be a bit lacking.
Nevertheless it is a good book and it was enjoyable reading. I do hope the author continues to write these kind of stories. It is tempting to ask for a new series with a continuation of some kind with Ia in it but I am not sure how feasible it would be to do this without making it either disappointing or somehow over the top. After all, Ia had developed to almost God-like powers. Where do you go from there without making it over the top?
November 27, 2014
Damnation...
That perfectly sums up my feelings as this series has drawn to a close. I have been impressed with Ms. Johnson and her unique vision for the series. I have to admit I didn't think I would ever be so invested in a psychic that can see all futures; but Ia is hard not to like and even understand that with all her power she is constantly struggling to get things right.
The biggest problem I have is just how this series ends so abruptly and with only the "Prophetic Stamp" that it has ended well. God that frustrates me to no end.
We get another Prophetic character the "Redeemer" as well as all the hints for the "Savior", but no knowledge if this is the end of the universe or that we might get to go along for the 3rd human empire.
I had expected to see more of the Grey conflict and was quite disappointed that we essentially see nothing and only a glimpse at their defeat.
Hopefully we will see the "Fire Girl" Savior and the 3rd human empire but is sounds as if another series the "Fire Sea" comes first.
gallandro
That perfectly sums up my feelings as this series has drawn to a close. I have been impressed with Ms. Johnson and her unique vision for the series. I have to admit I didn't think I would ever be so invested in a psychic that can see all futures; but Ia is hard not to like and even understand that with all her power she is constantly struggling to get things right.
The biggest problem I have is just how this series ends so abruptly and with only the "Prophetic Stamp" that it has ended well. God that frustrates me to no end.
We get another Prophetic character the "Redeemer" as well as all the hints for the "Savior", but no knowledge if this is the end of the universe or that we might get to go along for the 3rd human empire.
I had expected to see more of the Grey conflict and was quite disappointed that we essentially see nothing and only a glimpse at their defeat.
Hopefully we will see the "Fire Girl" Savior and the 3rd human empire but is sounds as if another series the "Fire Sea" comes first.
gallandro
March 11, 2015
I guess I shouldn't have expected complete closure, and even though it took the entire book to cover a relatively short period of time, everything seemed somewhat rushed and stiched together in the end. Even the battles seemed to be happening in a distant and uninvolved sort of way. In total, I don't feel that the series ever lived up to the promise of the first book. In the end, I was glad that it finally came to a finish.
It almost seems to me that this entire series may have been a setup for other series set in the future. There's the civil war on Ia's home planet that could be a series in itself. There's also the prophet/savior who's going to lead Humanity to victory in the distant future. Both events were spoken about in this series, and both seem to hold opportunities for future books.
I also prophesize that Ia and her remaining crew will be a part of it. The ending was just vague enough to leave the opportunity for this to happen.
It almost seems to me that this entire series may have been a setup for other series set in the future. There's the civil war on Ia's home planet that could be a series in itself. There's also the prophet/savior who's going to lead Humanity to victory in the distant future. Both events were spoken about in this series, and both seem to hold opportunities for future books.
I also prophesize that Ia and her remaining crew will be a part of it. The ending was just vague enough to leave the opportunity for this to happen.
January 25, 2016
A great ending for the series. A bit more of political maneuvering overall than the previous books. But way more morbid, and way more bloodshed, even though it's not by Bloody Mary's "physical" hands so to speak. A couple of things that bothered me about this book.
1- The fact that Ia is too good to be true. She has to act for the good of all at the cost of her own life EVERY TIME. Nobody is that good a person. She kinda fits the bill for a Prophet. And that just doesn't sit well with me, since I don't like my characters this holy.
2- Its ending. After all Ia has endured, she freaking deserved some happiness. But no, she also had to be a bloody martyr. As if her sainthood was not enough.
All in all, still a good book, even if the main character annoyed me to no end.
1- The fact that Ia is too good to be true. She has to act for the good of all at the cost of her own life EVERY TIME. Nobody is that good a person. She kinda fits the bill for a Prophet. And that just doesn't sit well with me, since I don't like my characters this holy.
2- Its ending. After all Ia has endured, she freaking deserved some happiness. But no, she also had to be a bloody martyr. As if her sainthood was not enough.
All in all, still a good book, even if the main character annoyed me to no end.
May 16, 2016
I swear to god, I can't explain why I read all five of these books. Sheer stubbornness? The intense desire to avoid working on my thesis? I do get some amount of guilty pleasure from these books, or I wouldn't have suffered through the rest.
So that's why they all get a three star rating - because I did read them, and enjoy them. But really I should be rating them 1 or 2 stars because they are terrible. This one...repetitive conversations, overpowered heroine, inexplicable 20th and 21st century pop culture references, and a horridly abrupt ending that was obviously intended to make me cry but just came off as self-indulgent.
Actually, I did almost cry - but mostly because I was angry that I'd spent all this time reading five books of setup with no resolution.
So that's why they all get a three star rating - because I did read them, and enjoy them. But really I should be rating them 1 or 2 stars because they are terrible. This one...repetitive conversations, overpowered heroine, inexplicable 20th and 21st century pop culture references, and a horridly abrupt ending that was obviously intended to make me cry but just came off as self-indulgent.
Actually, I did almost cry - but mostly because I was angry that I'd spent all this time reading five books of setup with no resolution.
March 3, 2018
Yowsa! What a rousing finale!! This has been such a highly-satisfying space opera series!
And the final book keeps up the fast action, intrigue, and psi power right until the glorious end!
Hooray! I've just discovered that now I can read the prequel trilogy set, 200 years earlier, which has the story of the First Salik War! I'm so happy to be able to return to this particular universe, even though obviously new characters.
I had seen the listings for the next three titles but I had thought they were only short stories. Instead, Amazon is indicating I have three more full novels to read!
Thank you so much, Ms. Jean Johnson. You rock!!
And the final book keeps up the fast action, intrigue, and psi power right until the glorious end!
Hooray! I've just discovered that now I can read the prequel trilogy set, 200 years earlier, which has the story of the First Salik War! I'm so happy to be able to return to this particular universe, even though obviously new characters.
I had seen the listings for the next three titles but I had thought they were only short stories. Instead, Amazon is indicating I have three more full novels to read!
Thank you so much, Ms. Jean Johnson. You rock!!
November 19, 2014
At Barnes and Noble today, what did I encounter? DAMNATION!!! And it was good XD All's I know is that there will be vengeance!! And it will be... jiggly... I cried at the end!!! There were funny bits. My light is broken, I had to turn on the flashlight on my phone and HOLD IT OVER THE BOOK. Repeatedly bumping it, turning it off, and my phone locking. IT WAS INCREDIBLY ANNNOYING AND, YET, COMPLETELY NECESSARY BECAUSE I NEEDED ME SOME DAMNATION. XD I'm looking forward to reading about the people whose lives she'll ruin... GRRR MORE BOOKS!!! 'Kay I sleep now goodbye
July 31, 2017
Last book in a series I started reading for the Endeavour Award. So you turn 15 years old and come into your powers as among other things a powerful precog who can see basically the whole universe will end in 300 years unless you find a way past it. And that's basically this series in a nutshell. Sure Ia is an absolute Mary Sue. And this the series as a whole has its ups and downs, and in fact really there is no way for this to be anything but a downer. But I thought it clever and interesting and a helluva thought experiment. And a solid ending.
November 30, 2014
I loved this series!!! Plenty humour, action and yeah, Ok! so I'll admit it made me cry in more than one place and that rarely happens lol!!! :O
But be warned ~ this series is full of tech stuff that some people may find boring (not me!!) and also very little or no sex at all in most of the books ... this could never be classed as erotic Sci-Fi, but guess what - I don't care it was awesome :)
I was sad to finish it, but hopefully there will be more books in this world or this future world!! I can't help but wonder at the end ... or was it the end ?
April 26, 2022
The only thing I can say is "WOW". This book... It just left me speachless. Everything that Ia did through the series, every little detail, everything added up to an incredible ending. For now, that's all I can say. Maybe later I'll write a 'real' review.
December 6, 2014
I cried.
January 27, 2015
Excellent... but the end, seriously ? Jean, I want the rest it can be done like this ! Jack the savior knew she would do something like that, it's not finished yet.
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