What do you think?
Rate this book
Convergence Saga #3
A Ruin, Great and Free
From bestselling and award-winning author Cadwell Turnbull comes A Ruin, Great and Free, the stunning conclusion to the popular Convergence Saga.
It has been nearly two years since the anti-monster riots. The inhabitants of Moon have been very fortunate in the intervening months. Inside their hidden monster settlement, they’ve found peace, even as the world outside slips into increasing unrest. Monsters are being hunted everywhere, forced back into the shadows they once tried to escape from. Other secret settlements have offered a place to hide, but how long can this half-measure against fear and hatred last?
Over the course of three days, the inhabitants of Moon are tested. The Black Hand continues to search for them and the Cult of the Zsouvox wants to make Moon the last stand in their war against the Order of Asha. This is more than enough to reckon with, but the gods have also placed their sights on Moon—and they bring with them a conflict that may either save or unravel the universe itself.
It has been nearly two years since the anti-monster riots. The inhabitants of Moon have been very fortunate in the intervening months. Inside their hidden monster settlement, they’ve found peace, even as the world outside slips into increasing unrest. Monsters are being hunted everywhere, forced back into the shadows they once tried to escape from. Other secret settlements have offered a place to hide, but how long can this half-measure against fear and hatred last?
Over the course of three days, the inhabitants of Moon are tested. The Black Hand continues to search for them and the Cult of the Zsouvox wants to make Moon the last stand in their war against the Order of Asha. This is more than enough to reckon with, but the gods have also placed their sights on Moon—and they bring with them a conflict that may either save or unravel the universe itself.
374 pages, Hardcover
First published September 16, 2025
About the author
Cadwell Turnbull
35 books910 followersHello, I'm Cadwell Turnbull, author of the science fiction novel The Lesson and the Convergence Saga.
My short fiction has appeared in The Verge, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Asimov’s Science Fiction and a number of anthologies, including Jordan Peele's Out There Screaming. My short story “Loneliness is in Your Blood” was selected for The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018. My short story "Jump" was selected for the Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019.
The Lesson was the recipient of the 2020 Neukom Institute Literary Award. My novel No Gods, No Monsters was the winner of a Lambda and a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award. We Are the Crisis was a finalist for the Manly Wade Wellman Award and an Ignyte Award.
My short fiction has appeared in The Verge, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Asimov’s Science Fiction and a number of anthologies, including Jordan Peele's Out There Screaming. My short story “Loneliness is in Your Blood” was selected for The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018. My short story "Jump" was selected for the Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019.
The Lesson was the recipient of the 2020 Neukom Institute Literary Award. My novel No Gods, No Monsters was the winner of a Lambda and a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award. We Are the Crisis was a finalist for the Manly Wade Wellman Award and an Ignyte Award.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
April 13, 2024
Cadwell Turnbull has impressed me yet again. This trilogy is such a hidden gem, full of delightful, intense, untethered weirdness.
A monster keeps on living. A monster survives out of spite.
I can't lie to you. I don't think I fully understand this story. And I don't think I have to, not yet at least. It's a dense narrative, switching among characters (including gods and monsters,) alternate realities, even universes. It explores ostracization, suppression, and hate, but also destiny and hope. It's got layers, like anogre onion. Or if you'd like a more aesthetically pleasing comparison, a Matryoshka doll.
I think it's the kind of complex story that is a satisfying first read, but far from easy to comprehend. It needs to sit in my brain and digest for a while.
For now, I am content to have experienced this. Cause damn, it is an experience.
On the outside, a normal scene. On the inside, a storm. She will uphold the fiction for as long as she can.
A Ruin, Great and Free is a culmination of a deeply felt and fantastic story; it's also nearly impossible to describe. What am I reading? Oh, just a high concept queer fantasy about the nature of life and living and what it means to be a monster.
It also features a battle between a giant werebear and a dragon. Yes, that is as awesome as it sounds.
I don't know what else I can say about this series. It's a unique and immersive experience; it's a contradicting mix of modern and timeless, filled with violence and in depth explorations of the motivations and meanings behind the bloodshed. It's hard to understand and by no means an easy read, but I'm happy to have read it.
Big thanks to Edelweiss and Blackstone Publishing for the digital review copy!
All quotes come this version and may appear differently in published version
A monster keeps on living. A monster survives out of spite.
I can't lie to you. I don't think I fully understand this story. And I don't think I have to, not yet at least. It's a dense narrative, switching among characters (including gods and monsters,) alternate realities, even universes. It explores ostracization, suppression, and hate, but also destiny and hope. It's got layers, like an
I think it's the kind of complex story that is a satisfying first read, but far from easy to comprehend. It needs to sit in my brain and digest for a while.
For now, I am content to have experienced this. Cause damn, it is an experience.
On the outside, a normal scene. On the inside, a storm. She will uphold the fiction for as long as she can.
A Ruin, Great and Free is a culmination of a deeply felt and fantastic story; it's also nearly impossible to describe. What am I reading? Oh, just a high concept queer fantasy about the nature of life and living and what it means to be a monster.
It also features a battle between a giant werebear and a dragon. Yes, that is as awesome as it sounds.
I don't know what else I can say about this series. It's a unique and immersive experience; it's a contradicting mix of modern and timeless, filled with violence and in depth explorations of the motivations and meanings behind the bloodshed. It's hard to understand and by no means an easy read, but I'm happy to have read it.
Big thanks to Edelweiss and Blackstone Publishing for the digital review copy!
All quotes come this version and may appear differently in published version
September 23, 2025
Rec. by: Dan T.; monster energy; previous work
Rec. for: All the ones who get things done
A Ruin, Great and Free is the finale to Cadwell Turnbull's "Convergence Saga", a trilogy which I started reading in 2023 with No Gods, No Monsters and continued in 2024, with We Are the Crisis.
Do not start with this one. A Ruin, Great and Free is uncompromising. Turnbull includes very little recapitulation of what has gone before—catch up or not, it's up to you. He's much more interested in moving forward.
He also pulls back quite a lot, widening the scope of this final installment to a literally metacosmic view... universes upon universes, gods within gods, sheaves of multiple timelines. At times, I'll admit, I wasn't even sure that Turnbull had a handle on his own story. A Ruin, Great and Free is that kind of book.
In the end, though, I think Cadwell Turnbull did manage to bring everything (or do I mean Everything?) together, regrounding his narrative by focusing back on the people—for monsters are people, after all—whom he'd left behind, for awhile anyway, on one or another Earth.
Now, I will admit that I have avoided spoilers, and specifics, in this review—perhaps even too assiduously. But know this, anyway: if you've gotten this far, you must continue, through the ruins of everything that has gone before, if you want to find out what it all means (at least according to Trumbull) to be both great, and free.
Rec. for: All the ones who get things done
"One door isn't enough. A million doors aren't enough."
—Patti Smith (1976), as quoted in Spanish singer/songwriter Rosalía's "La Yugular" (from Lux, 2025), as heard on Radio Paradise in March 2026
A Ruin, Great and Free is the finale to Cadwell Turnbull's "Convergence Saga", a trilogy which I started reading in 2023 with No Gods, No Monsters and continued in 2024, with We Are the Crisis.
Do not start with this one. A Ruin, Great and Free is uncompromising. Turnbull includes very little recapitulation of what has gone before—catch up or not, it's up to you. He's much more interested in moving forward.
He also pulls back quite a lot, widening the scope of this final installment to a literally metacosmic view... universes upon universes, gods within gods, sheaves of multiple timelines. At times, I'll admit, I wasn't even sure that Turnbull had a handle on his own story. A Ruin, Great and Free is that kind of book.
In the end, though, I think Cadwell Turnbull did manage to bring everything (or do I mean Everything?) together, regrounding his narrative by focusing back on the people—for monsters are people, after all—whom he'd left behind, for awhile anyway, on one or another Earth.
Now, I will admit that I have avoided spoilers, and specifics, in this review—perhaps even too assiduously. But know this, anyway: if you've gotten this far, you must continue, through the ruins of everything that has gone before, if you want to find out what it all means (at least according to Trumbull) to be both great, and free.
September 17, 2025
In the finale to the Convergence Saga, Cadwell Turnbull lets out all the stops with gods, monsters, politics, identity, and intrigue. We step into the multiverse more deeply in A Ruin, Great and Free, and while many of the characters from No Gods, No Monsters and We are the Crisis are role players here, they pale in comparison to the gods behind the scenes rolling the dice and playing with their lives.
This series is an incredible work of contemporary fantasy, primarily set in Boston and the Virgin Islands, with cutting commentary on those who do and don't belong in society mixed with communal politics and an all too familiar social fear of Other. The queer normativity and diverse cast feel natural to the storytelling, especially with folklore from around the world folded neatly into the character layers. Turnbull uses a variety of perspectives and tenses to tell different parts of the story, which work well from a craft perspective.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Dion Graham, who elevates the story to the next level. I found that he gave a performance balanced between fear and power, and I recommend the audio. That said there are a lot of characters and multiple timelines, so be wary if that's something you prefer to read with your eyes.
As this is the third book in a now-finished trilogy, you must read these in order. I highly recommend reading all three fairly close together to watch the character arcs and see the groundwork Turnbull lays throughout. And see above: there are a lot of characters, which means the longer the time between reading the less likely you are to remember the nuance of each.
Thank you to Blackstone for an eARC and ALC. A Ruin, Great and Free is out 9/16.
This series is an incredible work of contemporary fantasy, primarily set in Boston and the Virgin Islands, with cutting commentary on those who do and don't belong in society mixed with communal politics and an all too familiar social fear of Other. The queer normativity and diverse cast feel natural to the storytelling, especially with folklore from around the world folded neatly into the character layers. Turnbull uses a variety of perspectives and tenses to tell different parts of the story, which work well from a craft perspective.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Dion Graham, who elevates the story to the next level. I found that he gave a performance balanced between fear and power, and I recommend the audio. That said there are a lot of characters and multiple timelines, so be wary if that's something you prefer to read with your eyes.
As this is the third book in a now-finished trilogy, you must read these in order. I highly recommend reading all three fairly close together to watch the character arcs and see the groundwork Turnbull lays throughout. And see above: there are a lot of characters, which means the longer the time between reading the less likely you are to remember the nuance of each.
Thank you to Blackstone for an eARC and ALC. A Ruin, Great and Free is out 9/16.
September 16, 2025
Dec 10, 2025
“What is quantum mechanics? Quantum mechanics is our theory of almost everything that we observe, but it mostly matters on very small scales.” - Andrew H. Jaffe, author of "The Random Universe: How Models and Probability Help Us Make Sense of the Cosmos" on the New Books in Mathematics podcast
At the end of this journey, I'd state that Cadwell Turnbull took that basic concept of quantum mechanics and turned into a beating heart. This is a placeholder for a fuller review after I post on IG.
Sept 2025
The stars don't mean anything except perhaps that I am hyped for the re-read. I finished it and it feels as if it's left me at the beginning staring into a void perilously transfixed. P Djèlí Clark once stated in an interview that when books seem to predict the present it isn't that the authors are prophets they just know history. With this Saga, Turnbull speculates with the idea that it is something mor.
“What is quantum mechanics? Quantum mechanics is our theory of almost everything that we observe, but it mostly matters on very small scales.” - Andrew H. Jaffe, author of "The Random Universe: How Models and Probability Help Us Make Sense of the Cosmos" on the New Books in Mathematics podcast
At the end of this journey, I'd state that Cadwell Turnbull took that basic concept of quantum mechanics and turned into a beating heart. This is a placeholder for a fuller review after I post on IG.
Sept 2025
The stars don't mean anything except perhaps that I am hyped for the re-read. I finished it and it feels as if it's left me at the beginning staring into a void perilously transfixed. P Djèlí Clark once stated in an interview that when books seem to predict the present it isn't that the authors are prophets they just know history. With this Saga, Turnbull speculates with the idea that it is something mor.
December 15, 2025
4.5 stars
ABSOLUTE CINEMA.
"'value is in the heart and the hands. I know what I’m doing and why I’m doing it, and it has meaning to me… i’ve untrapped myself. I am as wide as the universe.'"
It's hard to put into the words my thoughts on this series and this book in particular. Turnbull does a fantastic job of creating a multi layered plot with dynamic characters, worlds, and universes. A multiverse story that deserves its place in Science Fiction pantheon of fame.
I think I'll have to do a re-read of the entire trilogy with notes to full explain it all.
ABSOLUTE CINEMA.
"'value is in the heart and the hands. I know what I’m doing and why I’m doing it, and it has meaning to me… i’ve untrapped myself. I am as wide as the universe.'"
It's hard to put into the words my thoughts on this series and this book in particular. Turnbull does a fantastic job of creating a multi layered plot with dynamic characters, worlds, and universes. A multiverse story that deserves its place in Science Fiction pantheon of fame.
I think I'll have to do a re-read of the entire trilogy with notes to full explain it all.
December 1, 2025
4 ⭐️
I fee like this is one of those series that is truly a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. The way it toyed with familiar urban fantasy and X-men type characters, but kept it simultaneously personal and focused on the community despite literal god shenanigans was truly fascinating. If you are looking for a very unique trilogy, especially if you are someone who loves a feeling in interconnected stories that all come together by the end, this is a series for you.
I fee like this is one of those series that is truly a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. The way it toyed with familiar urban fantasy and X-men type characters, but kept it simultaneously personal and focused on the community despite literal god shenanigans was truly fascinating. If you are looking for a very unique trilogy, especially if you are someone who loves a feeling in interconnected stories that all come together by the end, this is a series for you.
April 17, 2026
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
"A monster keeps on living. A monster survives out of spite."
The trilogy has a serious rereading potential between the multiverse and various characters (and the Historians). I'm itching for some markers already. (I'm sure the rating will climb higher when I'll read it for the second time.)
We finally have answers (and more questions), the character arcs met with a satisfying thud and there was a delicious battle sequence between a certain Dragon and a shifter werebear. Also aliens of a sorts.
It seems that The Lesson is a prequel, so I'll be sure to read that as well and everything else Turnbull will dream up.
"A monster keeps on living. A monster survives out of spite."
The trilogy has a serious rereading potential between the multiverse and various characters (and the Historians). I'm itching for some markers already. (I'm sure the rating will climb higher when I'll read it for the second time.)
We finally have answers (and more questions), the character arcs met with a satisfying thud and there was a delicious battle sequence between a certain Dragon and a shifter werebear. Also aliens of a sorts.
It seems that The Lesson is a prequel, so I'll be sure to read that as well and everything else Turnbull will dream up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2025
Loved this. OK, here's my quick summary of this trilogy (now tetralogy — see below):
No Gods, No Monsters: 5 stars. Lots of characters and ideas — maybe more than ideal, but still coherent enough, and just beautifully written, with several of those truly gobsmacking moments that only the best science fiction can offer.
We Are the Crisis: 3 stars. What the trilogy needed was more focus on the characters we already had, not more characters and less focus. It felt like Turnbull was being rushed by his publisher, and ended up packing a bunch of stuff haphazardly into this book. Still beautifully written, and at least one of the new characters was compelling. Nevertheless, I kinda feel like new readers of this trilogy would be better served by skimming this, or just reading a summary. (Side note.... I have to admit that I asked Google Gemini to provide a summary of this book for me, to help refresh my memory before I started A Ruin, Great and Free, and my reaction to reading the summary was: "Did I actually read this book? Is Gemini summarizing the right book?" A bunch of the characters and plot points didn't even ring a bell.)
A Ruin, Great and Free: 4 stars. Still packed with characters and ideas, but more focused and readable, with a more definable narrative arc, than its predecessors. In some ways, this is my favorite of the three. The conclusion is quite satisfying, and I have to say, that is something that I'm finding less often in trilogies these days.
Two caveats here.
First, this book brings in the events of Turnbull's debut sci-fi novel, The Lesson, as important backstory for part of the Convergence series. Ergo, the Convergence series isn't really a trilogy after all, but rather a tetralogy. I haven't read The Lesson and I don't think it is necessary to have read it to understand and enjoy A Ruin, Great and Free; however, I do think it would be helpful. But actually I enjoyed how Turnbull made this link, so I don't consider this a negative. It makes me wonder if his entire oeuvre will take place in an Akashaverse, just like Sanderson has his Cosmere. The Lesson is now on my TBR.
Second, A Ruin, Great and Free ties all the loose ends, as you would expect. Which means it carries forward the arcs of the proliferation of characters we met in the previous two books... and that drags on the reading experience. Quite often in reading this novel, I struggled to remember who a particular character was — especially those characters introduced in We Are the Crisis. I frequently found myself wishing that there was a dramatis personae glossary and maybe even a brief summary at the beginning of the book. (There is actually a summary in this book, but it's part of the heroes' preparations for the final conflict.) This caveat is the main reason I held back a star.
Turnbull's talent is undeniable. I am really curious to see what he does next, because with the Convergence series, he has already swung for the fences — in fact, if he's at the plate in Dodger Stadium, he just swung for the fences at Fenway. In some ways, this is the most ambitiously epic series I've ever read. The novels are not long, but they tackle the Biggest questions and they stretch the imagination to its limits. The Convergence series is Lovecraftian — not just because it contains monsters and horror elements, but because it dares to try to imagine and convey places and things the comprehension of which simply cannot fit inside a puny primate's skull.
Surely not for everyone, but absolutely worth a go, if you are into having your mind blown by a sci-fi novel about werewolves and vampires and aliens and gods and tech mages and shadow mages and multiverses and the Beast Under the World and narrators who become part of the story in surprising ways.
P.S. Dion Graham is my favorite audiobook voice actor, bar none. No, he can't match the ability of a Jeff Hays to emulate a multitude of different voices. But his ability to emote with pitch-perfect nuance is unparalleled. You have to hear him to understand how compelling he truly is.
No Gods, No Monsters: 5 stars. Lots of characters and ideas — maybe more than ideal, but still coherent enough, and just beautifully written, with several of those truly gobsmacking moments that only the best science fiction can offer.
We Are the Crisis: 3 stars. What the trilogy needed was more focus on the characters we already had, not more characters and less focus. It felt like Turnbull was being rushed by his publisher, and ended up packing a bunch of stuff haphazardly into this book. Still beautifully written, and at least one of the new characters was compelling. Nevertheless, I kinda feel like new readers of this trilogy would be better served by skimming this, or just reading a summary. (Side note.... I have to admit that I asked Google Gemini to provide a summary of this book for me, to help refresh my memory before I started A Ruin, Great and Free, and my reaction to reading the summary was: "Did I actually read this book? Is Gemini summarizing the right book?" A bunch of the characters and plot points didn't even ring a bell.)
A Ruin, Great and Free: 4 stars. Still packed with characters and ideas, but more focused and readable, with a more definable narrative arc, than its predecessors. In some ways, this is my favorite of the three. The conclusion is quite satisfying, and I have to say, that is something that I'm finding less often in trilogies these days.
Two caveats here.
First, this book brings in the events of Turnbull's debut sci-fi novel, The Lesson, as important backstory for part of the Convergence series. Ergo, the Convergence series isn't really a trilogy after all, but rather a tetralogy. I haven't read The Lesson and I don't think it is necessary to have read it to understand and enjoy A Ruin, Great and Free; however, I do think it would be helpful. But actually I enjoyed how Turnbull made this link, so I don't consider this a negative. It makes me wonder if his entire oeuvre will take place in an Akashaverse, just like Sanderson has his Cosmere. The Lesson is now on my TBR.
Second, A Ruin, Great and Free ties all the loose ends, as you would expect. Which means it carries forward the arcs of the proliferation of characters we met in the previous two books... and that drags on the reading experience. Quite often in reading this novel, I struggled to remember who a particular character was — especially those characters introduced in We Are the Crisis. I frequently found myself wishing that there was a dramatis personae glossary and maybe even a brief summary at the beginning of the book. (There is actually a summary in this book, but it's part of the heroes' preparations for the final conflict.) This caveat is the main reason I held back a star.
Turnbull's talent is undeniable. I am really curious to see what he does next, because with the Convergence series, he has already swung for the fences — in fact, if he's at the plate in Dodger Stadium, he just swung for the fences at Fenway. In some ways, this is the most ambitiously epic series I've ever read. The novels are not long, but they tackle the Biggest questions and they stretch the imagination to its limits. The Convergence series is Lovecraftian — not just because it contains monsters and horror elements, but because it dares to try to imagine and convey places and things the comprehension of which simply cannot fit inside a puny primate's skull.
Surely not for everyone, but absolutely worth a go, if you are into having your mind blown by a sci-fi novel about werewolves and vampires and aliens and gods and tech mages and shadow mages and multiverses and the Beast Under the World and narrators who become part of the story in surprising ways.
P.S. Dion Graham is my favorite audiobook voice actor, bar none. No, he can't match the ability of a Jeff Hays to emulate a multitude of different voices. But his ability to emote with pitch-perfect nuance is unparalleled. You have to hear him to understand how compelling he truly is.
May 28, 2025
A Ruin Great and Free is the third book in the Convergence Saga trilogy by author Cadwell Turnbull. (I’ve read and reviewed the first two books as well — here and here). The title appears more than halfway through the book in the in the midst of a monster fight as Alex (also known as Amethyst) squares off to fight her mother / not mother. Alex is crying and has blood on her face. “She is a canvas dripping with wet paint”, Turnbull writes, “a ruin, great and free.”
That scene is indicative of the whole series. Turnbull writes with great skill and knows how to turn a phrase. He knows how to build a story and people it with characters who draw you right in. And this story - the monster fight - is one of many across multiple universes that are woven together in this series.
I wrote about the first book that it was “beautifully written and keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens next - and to figure out what the heck is going on.” The same held true for the second book. The beautiful writing and interest to see how this all turns out carry through this third book too.
The mix of human stories, monster stories, god stories, and the combinations between them, across the multiverse, can be hard to keep track of for a reader. But the great writing and intriguing ideas has kept me coming back.
The books in this series are concerned with a lot of notions but how to build community seems to emerge across the series as chief among them. In A Ruin Great and Free the monsters have separated themselves from humans for safety and are building community in a rebuilt ghost town they call Moon.
The community supports itself through banding together into cooperatives to produce products they are able to magically transport into human society, hoping to keep humans from finding them. Humans don’t like monsters and there are humans who would bring violence to Moon.
Later in the book we observe a legal proceeding among the gods. It’s hard to convey what’s at stake there in a short review but suffice it to say that we learn more about the community of gods in this book than we have so far throughout the series.
The book did not end the way I thought it might, but it was a satisfying conclusion. And with that end comes the end to this series of books that is challenging to read but really well written. The series raises issues and explores concepts that really make you think.
I raised mild criticism of the second book for its dense plotting, and if anything, it’s gotten denser with this third book. But this book benefits from building a conclusion from the characters introduced in books 1 and 2. So, even though the stories come fast and furious, you aren’t trying to understand who all the characters are (though I did have to go back and skim books 1 and 2 a couple of times to jog my memory).
That scene is indicative of the whole series. Turnbull writes with great skill and knows how to turn a phrase. He knows how to build a story and people it with characters who draw you right in. And this story - the monster fight - is one of many across multiple universes that are woven together in this series.
I wrote about the first book that it was “beautifully written and keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens next - and to figure out what the heck is going on.” The same held true for the second book. The beautiful writing and interest to see how this all turns out carry through this third book too.
The mix of human stories, monster stories, god stories, and the combinations between them, across the multiverse, can be hard to keep track of for a reader. But the great writing and intriguing ideas has kept me coming back.
The books in this series are concerned with a lot of notions but how to build community seems to emerge across the series as chief among them. In A Ruin Great and Free the monsters have separated themselves from humans for safety and are building community in a rebuilt ghost town they call Moon.
The community supports itself through banding together into cooperatives to produce products they are able to magically transport into human society, hoping to keep humans from finding them. Humans don’t like monsters and there are humans who would bring violence to Moon.
Later in the book we observe a legal proceeding among the gods. It’s hard to convey what’s at stake there in a short review but suffice it to say that we learn more about the community of gods in this book than we have so far throughout the series.
The book did not end the way I thought it might, but it was a satisfying conclusion. And with that end comes the end to this series of books that is challenging to read but really well written. The series raises issues and explores concepts that really make you think.
I raised mild criticism of the second book for its dense plotting, and if anything, it’s gotten denser with this third book. But this book benefits from building a conclusion from the characters introduced in books 1 and 2. So, even though the stories come fast and furious, you aren’t trying to understand who all the characters are (though I did have to go back and skim books 1 and 2 a couple of times to jog my memory).
October 26, 2025
In the first book of the trilogy, the reality of monsters was revealed to the world; the book follows monsters coming to self-understanding, organizing, and forming communities. In the second, the world grapples with this reality, and human supremacist forces challenge pro-monster solidarity efforts. This third installment is, of course, where it all converges: the multiple POVs here include those of monsters but also mages and gods, and the stakes of the conflicts are the highest they could be. Compared to the first two, this novel is just as complex and dense as the others, but does provide a satisfying conclusion and reads as a bit more continuous (in that POVs / contexts are revisited more frequently). With this series, Turnbull has somehow simultaneously explored complex themes – community, otherness, and belonging, implications of multiverse cosmologies – with a high energy plot where a dragon battles giants, competing forces aim to influence policy-making (by carrot, stick, and combinations thereof), and the fate of the not just the universe but existence itself hangs in the balance. What a series!
This is a really complicated series with a lot of moving parts, and this third installment really seems to zoom out and give a wider sense of the interconnections between different characters and events in the first two. I think I may re-read this series at some point, without taking years-long breaks between while waiting for the next installment; as much as I really enjoyed this, I know that I didn’t quite ‘get’ everything.
Content warnings: violence, murder, body horror, blood, gore, grief
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing, the author, & NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review.
This is a really complicated series with a lot of moving parts, and this third installment really seems to zoom out and give a wider sense of the interconnections between different characters and events in the first two. I think I may re-read this series at some point, without taking years-long breaks between while waiting for the next installment; as much as I really enjoyed this, I know that I didn’t quite ‘get’ everything.
Content warnings: violence, murder, body horror, blood, gore, grief
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing, the author, & NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review.
September 27, 2025
There are a lot of threads to pull together in this third book in the series (fourth if you count his first novel 'The Lesson', thematically related). I'm not sure I made all the connections and accounted for all the characters. There's a lot.
Without giving away spoilers, I'll say that gods and monsters have a universe-expanding conclusion. It gets pretty metaphysical at the end (not to mention metaphorical), right after the epic battle that things have been building towards.
Without giving away spoilers, I'll say that gods and monsters have a universe-expanding conclusion. It gets pretty metaphysical at the end (not to mention metaphorical), right after the epic battle that things have been building towards.
July 10, 2026
Solid 4.5 stars.
This final book in the Convergence Saga trilogy quickly drops right back into the action. Yes. Read (or re-read) the other two books before this one.
Turnbull delivers a recap of prior events that doesn't feel like a recap at all, more like a gentle nudge, a reminder of where we've been. It's a welcome approach.
Consistent with the previous two installments, the characters reflect wider social patterns, demonstrating that the manipulation of others leads to manipulation of the self. In both cases, justification is the force that perpetuates and reinforces the process.
Turnbull reveals the character of relationships in covert ways, not just in tone or word choices, but also in the level of formality. He doesn't need to tell us if two people are estranged, or if there's a cold remove between them; we can see it in their words. I will say that I couldn't tell you what any of the characters looked like (pre-transformation) but perhaps that's intentional. We know each of them distinctly by voice, behavior, and type of reaction. Maybe the author wants us to focus on what really matters about a person.
One question that comes up early on, has a frightening quality due to its inherent expansiveness and potential for power: Is the Universe alive?
The entire story acts as a philosophical exploration of ideas and concepts as old as time itself. It's a riddle, wrapped in an enigma, and tied up with a mystery bow. It is easier to understand, or at least let it wash over you, than to analyze it, or God help you, explain it. The author names N.K. Jemisin as one of his influences, and it shows. Arguably there's also a detectable nod to Scott Hawkins.
Many names of persons or places in this story are actually rich with meaning. After the end of the book is probably the best time to look up those specifically chosen names, because that's when it's most possible to separate single symbolic elements from the larger allegory.
Readers will also note the obvious parallels to the Book of Revelation, appropriately, near the end of the book. However, it would be much too limiting to narrow the interpretation of symbolic references to just the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions. More expansively, attention should be given to much earlier cosmologies and pantheons, from all over the world, including what we often refer to as "pre-history."
Consider also that duality or multiplicity may share space within a single word, name, or entity. Interpretation of meanings do not just take the reader down a rabbit hole, but also through a series of rifts in the multiverse and the space-time continuum. There's no shortage of imagination here.
This story presents one of the better explanations of matter and antimatter I've seen in a novel, beautiful in its simplicity.
A satisfying conclusion to a very unique trilogy, exploring themes zeroing in on marginalization, othering, what it means to be a "monster," and then also widening out to ask bigger existential questions about our world, the great unknowns, the wider universe, and how we see our place, our purpose in being a part of it.
This final book in the Convergence Saga trilogy quickly drops right back into the action. Yes. Read (or re-read) the other two books before this one.
Turnbull delivers a recap of prior events that doesn't feel like a recap at all, more like a gentle nudge, a reminder of where we've been. It's a welcome approach.
Consistent with the previous two installments, the characters reflect wider social patterns, demonstrating that the manipulation of others leads to manipulation of the self. In both cases, justification is the force that perpetuates and reinforces the process.
Turnbull reveals the character of relationships in covert ways, not just in tone or word choices, but also in the level of formality. He doesn't need to tell us if two people are estranged, or if there's a cold remove between them; we can see it in their words. I will say that I couldn't tell you what any of the characters looked like (pre-transformation) but perhaps that's intentional. We know each of them distinctly by voice, behavior, and type of reaction. Maybe the author wants us to focus on what really matters about a person.
One question that comes up early on, has a frightening quality due to its inherent expansiveness and potential for power: Is the Universe alive?
The entire story acts as a philosophical exploration of ideas and concepts as old as time itself. It's a riddle, wrapped in an enigma, and tied up with a mystery bow. It is easier to understand, or at least let it wash over you, than to analyze it, or God help you, explain it. The author names N.K. Jemisin as one of his influences, and it shows. Arguably there's also a detectable nod to Scott Hawkins.
Many names of persons or places in this story are actually rich with meaning. After the end of the book is probably the best time to look up those specifically chosen names, because that's when it's most possible to separate single symbolic elements from the larger allegory.
Readers will also note the obvious parallels to the Book of Revelation, appropriately, near the end of the book. However, it would be much too limiting to narrow the interpretation of symbolic references to just the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions. More expansively, attention should be given to much earlier cosmologies and pantheons, from all over the world, including what we often refer to as "pre-history."
Consider also that duality or multiplicity may share space within a single word, name, or entity. Interpretation of meanings do not just take the reader down a rabbit hole, but also through a series of rifts in the multiverse and the space-time continuum. There's no shortage of imagination here.
This story presents one of the better explanations of matter and antimatter I've seen in a novel, beautiful in its simplicity.
A satisfying conclusion to a very unique trilogy, exploring themes zeroing in on marginalization, othering, what it means to be a "monster," and then also widening out to ask bigger existential questions about our world, the great unknowns, the wider universe, and how we see our place, our purpose in being a part of it.
October 1, 2025
I don't necessarily know what I read, but it's so beautiful I don't care! I love Cadwell Turnbull's prose. A Ruin, Great and Free is perhaps the most complicated and least linear entry in this trilogy, spanning different characters, timelines and universes. We don't even know who is narrating all the time. This is a complex, atmospheric read, and I'm here for it. The audiobook production is perfect and Dion Graham can read a phone book and I'd listen. This trilogy would definitely benefit from a reread without the gaps between publishing of the volumes.
July 6, 2025
A Ruin, Great and Free is an unexpected culminating installment that both suites its series namesake, Convergence, and is a significant departure from the first two books. This is a series where community is not only a character, but the main protagonist. We've progressed from learning about the players, through the forming of their community, and finally we see a community fight for its existence, and importantly, how a community persists in the aftermath of tragedy.
This starts as a series about humanity in a world with werewolves and tech mages and incomprehensible gods. With this book, things get weird. We dive into ontology and metaphysics of a sprawling pantheon with its own power struggles amongst the gods. Reading it, I could see the lines of how the themes and project of the earlier books leads us to this one, and yet it's not the third and final book that I was expecting, and in some ways wanted, for this series. Cadwell Turnbull is fantastic at capturing small, simple moments that pack such a wallop of humanity, sorrow, and compassion, and this book largely takes a step back from the small and goes big. For a final book, there is so much new introduced that it can be overwhelming and distracting at times. This makes for some mind blowing moments and implications, but also isn't what I originally loved about these books.
Overall, I struggle with writing this review. The first two books are all time favorites for me, and this one is not there (yet), but at the same time I may have even more thoughts after this book than the others. It still has Turnbull's thoughtful, powerful-through-its-simplicity style. It wraps up the many, many threads of this series in a satisfyingly ambiguous way. Despite my internal conflict between what I wanted this book to be and what this book is, it is a good book, and strong ending, to a great series.
Thanks again to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my review!
This starts as a series about humanity in a world with werewolves and tech mages and incomprehensible gods. With this book, things get weird. We dive into ontology and metaphysics of a sprawling pantheon with its own power struggles amongst the gods. Reading it, I could see the lines of how the themes and project of the earlier books leads us to this one, and yet it's not the third and final book that I was expecting, and in some ways wanted, for this series. Cadwell Turnbull is fantastic at capturing small, simple moments that pack such a wallop of humanity, sorrow, and compassion, and this book largely takes a step back from the small and goes big. For a final book, there is so much new introduced that it can be overwhelming and distracting at times. This makes for some mind blowing moments and implications, but also isn't what I originally loved about these books.
Overall, I struggle with writing this review. The first two books are all time favorites for me, and this one is not there (yet), but at the same time I may have even more thoughts after this book than the others. It still has Turnbull's thoughtful, powerful-through-its-simplicity style. It wraps up the many, many threads of this series in a satisfyingly ambiguous way. Despite my internal conflict between what I wanted this book to be and what this book is, it is a good book, and strong ending, to a great series.
Thanks again to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my review!
December 31, 2025
First, this was wow. And second, and third, and as it turns out, fourth. Not always a cohesive wow, but a wow all the same.
It’s also the conclusion to an epic whose whole is DEFINITELY greater than the sum of its parts. But you really need the parts – and if it’s been awhile a refresher on the parts, No Gods, No Monsters and We Are the Crisis – to help you make this ‘fracture’ of the multiverse cohere into something like a single story.
Because the story is considerably larger than the page count of the books would suggest.
From some perspectives – and there are plenty to choose from – this is a story about otherness and equality and justice and activism to bring about the last three for the first. While it uses literal monsters, werewolves and vampires and invisible people and magic users, as metaphors for otherness, it does not shy away from equating ‘being a monster’ with being ‘other’ on any axis that we already use to separate people, including but absolutely not limited to race, gender or gender representation, sexual preference or the lack thereof, socioeconomic class, immigration status, ethnicity, etc., etc., and truly ad nauseum.
Humans seem to actively search for axes on which they can divide themselves (all sharp puns equally intended) so they can class ‘others’ by any definition as ‘less than.’ So that their own group can be ‘more than.’ You might think that’s a digression but it’s NOT. The exploitation of this phenomenon is the heart of the story.
At least one of the hearts. It’s a monster, it has more than one.
At the same time – and very much the man, wizard, god, whatever behind the curtain – this is a story at the intersection of “God created mankind in his own image,” the reverse, which is that humanity creates gods in its own image, and the Yiddish proverb that goes, “Man plans and God laughs.”
Because this is where the story comes together in the literal sense, as the one and many deus ex machina (dei ex machina?) who have been maneuvering humanity and its monsters and monstrousness from behind the scenes on all the worlds of the multiverse. (We’re only closely observing two and it’s plenty to get the flavor of the mess they’re dealing with.)
If humanity creates gods in its own image, whether to explore the world, explain the world, excuse the way the world works or cope with the things it doesn’t understand, what would a god do with those same questions?
It might, and in this case it did, create gods and god-like beings in its own image to allow it to observe its world from a perspective outside its own. But the beings it creates would also be gods. Who would also want to create, cope with, and control, their own worlds and circumstances and destinies.
With humanity caught in the crossfire. And that is the other heart of this story, that conflict of purpose and explanation between gods. It’s not a conflict between good and evil per se, but a conflict between gods who believe that the universe that created them is a fascinating thing to explore, control and contain as much as they can, vs those that believe that the universe they can’t control is an enemy that must be destroyed.
The story in this concluding book in the trilogy reveals that all the sides of what could be a terrible equation have been manipulated by gods, the agents of the Cult of the Zsouvox who have created both the monsters in the human population and the movement that has demonized them in order to sow chaos and bring about destruction, while the smaller, quieter, Order of Asha opposes the Cult, moving their human agents as more-or-less willing pawns on their giant chessboard, trying to bring about a possibility that the universe, the Order, humanity, and the gods themselves, all survive. Together.
It’s a slim chance, but it’s the only one they’ve got.
Escape Rating B+: I picked this up for the purpose of listening to it. I could listen to Dion Graham read the worst book in the universe. An old phone book. All the grocery lists. Anything. There were points where I got so caught up in the voice that I was mesmerized – a definite danger as I listen while driving.
There are a LOT of threads to, not exactly unravel because things have already thoroughly unraveled, but ‘ravel’ in this concluding book. The two worlds that we are invested in – or rather we’re invested in the characters (AND WE ARE!) on two different versions of Earth are in the midst of trauma after trauma, and the pace hasn’t let up ever.
In the world most like ours, the Earth of No Gods, No Monsters – even though we now know there are PLENTY of both – the monsters who survived their “Boston Massacre” have found a slice of peace in a remote, intentional, sanctuary community supported by the Order of Asha. A sanctuary that is about to be breached by the Black Hand agents of the Cult of the Zsouvox. Their story is wrapped around questions of standing to defend what they’ve built or escaping to hide in yet another protected shadow in the hopes that they can outrun or outlive the Cult. A decision that is made for them by the Order of Asha informing them that they either stand here or lose the whole multiverse.
(This side of the story, about the risks, rewards and costs of constant activism no matter the cause, has a surprising readalike in We Will Rise Again with its collection of stories and essays that reckon with activism through both fiction and nonfiction, because damn but this is a fictional tour-de-force of the same told in a fascinating, multi-threaded story over multiple times and places and corners of the multiverse.)
The story in another corner of the multiverse, twenty-five years after their “Massacre of Men” by invading aliens aligned with the Cult of the Zsouvox whether they know it or not (honestly I’m not sure) is focused on the manipulators of their own world who see the crisis coming but are trying to fend it off in ways that more or less align with the Order of Asha. (This side of the story is directly related to the author’s first book, The Lesson. While I had enough to empathize with the characters and their dilemma from We Are the Crisis, I wasn’t quite as invested because I didn’t have enough background.)
All of that being said, this book, this series, is a lot. It’s beyond compelling because of the way that it’s using fantasy and science fiction to tell a story that’s really, paraphrasing the original, about human’s inhumanity to other humans. Because the real monsters are just us. The story does make me wonder if we can save ourselves without the intervention of one – or more – deus ex machina who can see us for what we are – because humans as a species have clearly got some problems with that.
By putting the story – just as the gods in this story put their own questions – into a scenario outside ourselves, it does what SF does when it’s at the top of its game. It holds up a mirror to society as it is to show both what is and what could be. And that’s what I’m taking away from this read.
However, I’m really glad that I have copies of all three books and audiobooks for this one. Because the way that the end turns itself around and explains or at least informs every single thing that has happened from the very beginning means that this fascinating and fantastic trilogy is going to be even better – and become a more cohesive and comprehensive story – on a second read/listen. Right after I read and/or listen to the author’s first book, The Lesson, now that I know it’s just a bit of a prequel – in other words, this Convergence Saga converges with that universe. I’m looking forward to starting over – at the beginning of the beginning – to see where it all leads now that I think I know all the players. That I’ll probably discover that I don’t is absolutely part of my fascination with this entire saga.
Originally published at Reading Reality
It’s also the conclusion to an epic whose whole is DEFINITELY greater than the sum of its parts. But you really need the parts – and if it’s been awhile a refresher on the parts, No Gods, No Monsters and We Are the Crisis – to help you make this ‘fracture’ of the multiverse cohere into something like a single story.
Because the story is considerably larger than the page count of the books would suggest.
From some perspectives – and there are plenty to choose from – this is a story about otherness and equality and justice and activism to bring about the last three for the first. While it uses literal monsters, werewolves and vampires and invisible people and magic users, as metaphors for otherness, it does not shy away from equating ‘being a monster’ with being ‘other’ on any axis that we already use to separate people, including but absolutely not limited to race, gender or gender representation, sexual preference or the lack thereof, socioeconomic class, immigration status, ethnicity, etc., etc., and truly ad nauseum.
Humans seem to actively search for axes on which they can divide themselves (all sharp puns equally intended) so they can class ‘others’ by any definition as ‘less than.’ So that their own group can be ‘more than.’ You might think that’s a digression but it’s NOT. The exploitation of this phenomenon is the heart of the story.
At least one of the hearts. It’s a monster, it has more than one.
At the same time – and very much the man, wizard, god, whatever behind the curtain – this is a story at the intersection of “God created mankind in his own image,” the reverse, which is that humanity creates gods in its own image, and the Yiddish proverb that goes, “Man plans and God laughs.”
Because this is where the story comes together in the literal sense, as the one and many deus ex machina (dei ex machina?) who have been maneuvering humanity and its monsters and monstrousness from behind the scenes on all the worlds of the multiverse. (We’re only closely observing two and it’s plenty to get the flavor of the mess they’re dealing with.)
If humanity creates gods in its own image, whether to explore the world, explain the world, excuse the way the world works or cope with the things it doesn’t understand, what would a god do with those same questions?
It might, and in this case it did, create gods and god-like beings in its own image to allow it to observe its world from a perspective outside its own. But the beings it creates would also be gods. Who would also want to create, cope with, and control, their own worlds and circumstances and destinies.
With humanity caught in the crossfire. And that is the other heart of this story, that conflict of purpose and explanation between gods. It’s not a conflict between good and evil per se, but a conflict between gods who believe that the universe that created them is a fascinating thing to explore, control and contain as much as they can, vs those that believe that the universe they can’t control is an enemy that must be destroyed.
The story in this concluding book in the trilogy reveals that all the sides of what could be a terrible equation have been manipulated by gods, the agents of the Cult of the Zsouvox who have created both the monsters in the human population and the movement that has demonized them in order to sow chaos and bring about destruction, while the smaller, quieter, Order of Asha opposes the Cult, moving their human agents as more-or-less willing pawns on their giant chessboard, trying to bring about a possibility that the universe, the Order, humanity, and the gods themselves, all survive. Together.
It’s a slim chance, but it’s the only one they’ve got.
Escape Rating B+: I picked this up for the purpose of listening to it. I could listen to Dion Graham read the worst book in the universe. An old phone book. All the grocery lists. Anything. There were points where I got so caught up in the voice that I was mesmerized – a definite danger as I listen while driving.
There are a LOT of threads to, not exactly unravel because things have already thoroughly unraveled, but ‘ravel’ in this concluding book. The two worlds that we are invested in – or rather we’re invested in the characters (AND WE ARE!) on two different versions of Earth are in the midst of trauma after trauma, and the pace hasn’t let up ever.
In the world most like ours, the Earth of No Gods, No Monsters – even though we now know there are PLENTY of both – the monsters who survived their “Boston Massacre” have found a slice of peace in a remote, intentional, sanctuary community supported by the Order of Asha. A sanctuary that is about to be breached by the Black Hand agents of the Cult of the Zsouvox. Their story is wrapped around questions of standing to defend what they’ve built or escaping to hide in yet another protected shadow in the hopes that they can outrun or outlive the Cult. A decision that is made for them by the Order of Asha informing them that they either stand here or lose the whole multiverse.
(This side of the story, about the risks, rewards and costs of constant activism no matter the cause, has a surprising readalike in We Will Rise Again with its collection of stories and essays that reckon with activism through both fiction and nonfiction, because damn but this is a fictional tour-de-force of the same told in a fascinating, multi-threaded story over multiple times and places and corners of the multiverse.)
The story in another corner of the multiverse, twenty-five years after their “Massacre of Men” by invading aliens aligned with the Cult of the Zsouvox whether they know it or not (honestly I’m not sure) is focused on the manipulators of their own world who see the crisis coming but are trying to fend it off in ways that more or less align with the Order of Asha. (This side of the story is directly related to the author’s first book, The Lesson. While I had enough to empathize with the characters and their dilemma from We Are the Crisis, I wasn’t quite as invested because I didn’t have enough background.)
All of that being said, this book, this series, is a lot. It’s beyond compelling because of the way that it’s using fantasy and science fiction to tell a story that’s really, paraphrasing the original, about human’s inhumanity to other humans. Because the real monsters are just us. The story does make me wonder if we can save ourselves without the intervention of one – or more – deus ex machina who can see us for what we are – because humans as a species have clearly got some problems with that.
By putting the story – just as the gods in this story put their own questions – into a scenario outside ourselves, it does what SF does when it’s at the top of its game. It holds up a mirror to society as it is to show both what is and what could be. And that’s what I’m taking away from this read.
However, I’m really glad that I have copies of all three books and audiobooks for this one. Because the way that the end turns itself around and explains or at least informs every single thing that has happened from the very beginning means that this fascinating and fantastic trilogy is going to be even better – and become a more cohesive and comprehensive story – on a second read/listen. Right after I read and/or listen to the author’s first book, The Lesson, now that I know it’s just a bit of a prequel – in other words, this Convergence Saga converges with that universe. I’m looking forward to starting over – at the beginning of the beginning – to see where it all leads now that I think I know all the players. That I’ll probably discover that I don’t is absolutely part of my fascination with this entire saga.
Originally published at Reading Reality
September 3, 2025
Let's put aside the fact that this is a sprawling, huge, and encompassing piece of work that Turnbull has created.
What will always be profound and resonate with me is that this is about community. Whether it is a group that comes together out of love or fear or is formed in search of power, these are beings who want to be a part of something, who want connection. So inspite of all the magical beings that permeate this book and series, it is so very human.
Now to get back to the universe or should I say multiverse. A Ruin Great and Free is the culmination of learning about monsters amongst us, both natural and made monsters, gods, societies, time, space, and the multiverse. One would think it is a difficult read but Turnbull writes it with an ease and if you pay attention, you will not get lost and will thoroughly enjoy the connections being made.
We are going beyond the ones we have become familiar with and gain some insight into the shadowy and intriguing characters introduced peviously and I love that there still remains some mystery to this endeavour. This is a world that I won't mind returning to and you should too. It is fantastic, fun, intricate, intimate, and worth it.
And as always the smooth, deep timbre of Mr. Graham's voice truly makes this a pleasure to listen.
This is a review of the audiobook.
this is how you wrap up a fantastic series. Turnbull kept the core message of community through to the end, and I love that.
What will always be profound and resonate with me is that this is about community. Whether it is a group that comes together out of love or fear or is formed in search of power, these are beings who want to be a part of something, who want connection. So inspite of all the magical beings that permeate this book and series, it is so very human.
Now to get back to the universe or should I say multiverse. A Ruin Great and Free is the culmination of learning about monsters amongst us, both natural and made monsters, gods, societies, time, space, and the multiverse. One would think it is a difficult read but Turnbull writes it with an ease and if you pay attention, you will not get lost and will thoroughly enjoy the connections being made.
We are going beyond the ones we have become familiar with and gain some insight into the shadowy and intriguing characters introduced peviously and I love that there still remains some mystery to this endeavour. This is a world that I won't mind returning to and you should too. It is fantastic, fun, intricate, intimate, and worth it.
And as always the smooth, deep timbre of Mr. Graham's voice truly makes this a pleasure to listen.
This is a review of the audiobook.
this is how you wrap up a fantastic series. Turnbull kept the core message of community through to the end, and I love that.
March 28, 2024
full review to come but damn, what a journey.
-
After No Gods, No Monsters (the People, Revelation) and We Are the Crisis (the Monsters, Reckoning) it's time for the finale, A Ruin, Great and Free (the Gods, Reconciliation)
.
-
After No Gods, No Monsters (the People, Revelation) and We Are the Crisis (the Monsters, Reckoning) it's time for the finale, A Ruin, Great and Free (the Gods, Reconciliation)
.
June 8, 2026
Wow. This was an amazing conclusion to the Convergence Saga. I’ve said this before about this series, but what I love about the Convergence Saga is that the main characters are anarchists. There is an ancient battle being waged in the shadows between secret societies with rigid hierarchies and chains of command, but the characters we follow are navigating their own path. This book is largely about cooperative networks, intentional communities, and the monsters and humans trying to live together, not divided. Different characters have different approaches, like violence in self defense or writing legal protections into law, but they still work together to answer a fascinating question: what does true sovereignty look like?
I am stunned by how important and fleshed out every character from No Gods, No Monsters, as well as The Lesson, is in this book. I only just finished We Are The Crisis a few weeks ago, and I still realized when I opened this book that I had missed all the main characters. Characters who seemed to have one off appearances actually play pivotal roles in the story. All have such emotional depth, and I feel so much for them. I love my pack of friendly neighborhood anarchist werewolves. I love Dragon, and his guardian figures. I love the woo woo family, including Sonya. I was completely blindsided by the role that Mera played in the book. And I of course loved Cal and the people looking out for him.
I will say that I have read all of Cadwell Turnbull’s books in a relatively short time (around the last 6 months), and I still was having a hard time remembering characters by name. It is a really big cast. I did notice that this book in particular went out of its way to summarize the events of the earlier books in the series and The Lesson, which was helpful but still a bit later in the book. I would recommend reading the Convergence Saga back to back, and I would say it is important to read The Lesson before reading A Ruin, Great and Free.
In this book, we finally get answers to the mysteries and eldritch horrors of the series. The scale of this cosmos is stunning, and plenty is left outside of the realm of human comprehension. But I was able to finally understand the machinations at play, and get a satisfying ending for the characters. It makes me want to go back and immediately reread the whole series, now that I actually know what’s going on. In particular, this book is when we finally get to hear from the gods. Some characters are humans, some are monsters, and some are gods, but for some characters these categories are not mutually exclusive. Mortals become gods, and gods are reborn as humans, and humans become monsters without giving up their humanity.
I love this series, and I’m so glad that I read it. I’ll be reading Cadwell Turnbull’s upcoming short story collection All The Hidden Places soon.
I am stunned by how important and fleshed out every character from No Gods, No Monsters, as well as The Lesson, is in this book. I only just finished We Are The Crisis a few weeks ago, and I still realized when I opened this book that I had missed all the main characters. Characters who seemed to have one off appearances actually play pivotal roles in the story. All have such emotional depth, and I feel so much for them. I love my pack of friendly neighborhood anarchist werewolves. I love Dragon, and his guardian figures. I love the woo woo family, including Sonya. I was completely blindsided by the role that Mera played in the book. And I of course loved Cal and the people looking out for him.
I will say that I have read all of Cadwell Turnbull’s books in a relatively short time (around the last 6 months), and I still was having a hard time remembering characters by name. It is a really big cast. I did notice that this book in particular went out of its way to summarize the events of the earlier books in the series and The Lesson, which was helpful but still a bit later in the book. I would recommend reading the Convergence Saga back to back, and I would say it is important to read The Lesson before reading A Ruin, Great and Free.
In this book, we finally get answers to the mysteries and eldritch horrors of the series. The scale of this cosmos is stunning, and plenty is left outside of the realm of human comprehension. But I was able to finally understand the machinations at play, and get a satisfying ending for the characters. It makes me want to go back and immediately reread the whole series, now that I actually know what’s going on. In particular, this book is when we finally get to hear from the gods. Some characters are humans, some are monsters, and some are gods, but for some characters these categories are not mutually exclusive. Mortals become gods, and gods are reborn as humans, and humans become monsters without giving up their humanity.
I love this series, and I’m so glad that I read it. I’ll be reading Cadwell Turnbull’s upcoming short story collection All The Hidden Places soon.
October 18, 2026
No Gods, No Monsters ⭐⭐⭐⭐
We Are the Crisis ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Ruin, Great and Free ⭐⭐.5
I'm so bummed that this finale wasn't a satisfactory conclusion for me. In each of my reviews of the first two books I mentioned that the story feels grounded despite the cosmic scope. In A Ruin, Great and Free, that grounding is abandoned, and the focus moves from the characters to the cosmology. It's not uninteresting or badly written, but the shift left me feeling disconnected. This wasn't helped by the choice to suddenly include characters and plot from the author's previous work (The Lesson, which I haven't read). I don't think the final book in a series is the time to introduce brand new characters and timelines simply for the purpose of tying your works together; finish the story you're currently telling first.
The cast of monsters felt sidelined, especially toward the end, and it doesn't seem like any of their problems were actually solved. In my opinion, this book should have focused on wrapping up the monsters, and leave the gods more mysteriously open-ended. Then, write a future book that ties in The Lesson and peels back the curtain on the gods and the multiverses. Because that aspect also was mostly told through exposition, when it could be a compelling tale told narratively. As it is, I struggled to care about the reveals because it was all so far above the heads of the characters we've been following up to this point. I still admire the ambition and unique style of this series, as well as the themes it explores and the representation it includes.
TW: violence, death, murder, prejudice, captivity, loss of loved ones, nonconsensual cloning
We Are the Crisis ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Ruin, Great and Free ⭐⭐.5
"I've heard others say, 'We're trapped here.' And, yes, that's sort of true. [...]But I think part of the reason we feel trapped is a matter of perspective. [...]Depth of experience isn't only about how far you can roam; it is about how deeply you can live. [...]I know what I am doing and why I am doing it, and it has meaning to me.
"So," she says,[...] "I've untrapped myself. I am as wide as the universe."
I'm so bummed that this finale wasn't a satisfactory conclusion for me. In each of my reviews of the first two books I mentioned that the story feels grounded despite the cosmic scope. In A Ruin, Great and Free, that grounding is abandoned, and the focus moves from the characters to the cosmology. It's not uninteresting or badly written, but the shift left me feeling disconnected. This wasn't helped by the choice to suddenly include characters and plot from the author's previous work (The Lesson, which I haven't read). I don't think the final book in a series is the time to introduce brand new characters and timelines simply for the purpose of tying your works together; finish the story you're currently telling first.
The cast of monsters felt sidelined, especially toward the end, and it doesn't seem like any of their problems were actually solved. In my opinion, this book should have focused on wrapping up the monsters, and leave the gods more mysteriously open-ended. Then, write a future book that ties in The Lesson and peels back the curtain on the gods and the multiverses. Because that aspect also was mostly told through exposition, when it could be a compelling tale told narratively. As it is, I struggled to care about the reveals because it was all so far above the heads of the characters we've been following up to this point. I still admire the ambition and unique style of this series, as well as the themes it explores and the representation it includes.
TW: violence, death, murder, prejudice, captivity, loss of loved ones, nonconsensual cloning
March 19, 2026
Read the third and final book of Cadwell Turnbull's The Convergence Saga for Reddit Fantasy's 2025 Bingo Square Author of Color, qualifying for Hard Mode as it is a horror novel!
A few years after We Are the Crisis humanity now has bigger problems to contend with than just monsters. Aliens came, played nice, told humanity they wanted to study us for a period of 10 years then offered us technological and medical advances. However, after they got what they wanted they also killed a bunch of men before making an exit.
Stung, humiliated and realizing they cannot possibly catch the Aliens or make them pay for the mass murder, humanity goes back to doing what it does best - hate on "factions" they don't like because those are the ones they can take their ire out on. And there are tons of those in existence, namely all the monsters!
Yes folks, the Black Hand is at it again! Clearly they all drank too muchKool-aid
This book was a rough read that I only finished because I am a huge fan of narrator Dion Graham. I always enjoy listening to the various accents done in his smooth, sometimes buttery voice as each character has a different flavor and feel to them. I particularly liked his rendition of the politician and his wife, and all the characters in the sanctuary of Moon even if some of them ended up being stupid and annoying beyond belief, worse yet they didn't really get punished for their actions putting the safety of their entire community at risk.
Why was this a rough read? Well, to be honest, I had high expectations for the book that concludes the trilogy. Expectations that were sadly not fully met. The Gods angle ended up having a nice and rich history but way too many characters and factions to easily keep track of. And I was trying really hard too. Added to which, we end up a multiverse and timeline issues. Which made it messy and hard to understand to the point the ending felt a little bit like a cheat or Deus-ex-machina.
In short, I wanted to like this because it's clear this was an epic work of fantasy and author Cadwell Turnbull really put a lot of thought and work into fleshing out the creation and plot of this novel. But it was all too much. Perhaps some better editing could have streamlined things, sometimes one does not have to throw in everything and the kitchen sink in order to make a book good.
Basically I wish the author or editing team had followed the writing equivalent of Coco Chanel's advice "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory."
A few years after We Are the Crisis humanity now has bigger problems to contend with than just monsters. Aliens came, played nice, told humanity they wanted to study us for a period of 10 years then offered us technological and medical advances. However, after they got what they wanted they also killed a bunch of men before making an exit.
Stung, humiliated and realizing they cannot possibly catch the Aliens or make them pay for the mass murder, humanity goes back to doing what it does best - hate on "factions" they don't like because those are the ones they can take their ire out on. And there are tons of those in existence, namely all the monsters!
Yes folks, the Black Hand is at it again! Clearly they all drank too much
This book was a rough read that I only finished because I am a huge fan of narrator Dion Graham. I always enjoy listening to the various accents done in his smooth, sometimes buttery voice as each character has a different flavor and feel to them. I particularly liked his rendition of the politician and his wife, and all the characters in the sanctuary of Moon even if some of them ended up being stupid and annoying beyond belief, worse yet they didn't really get punished for their actions putting the safety of their entire community at risk.
Why was this a rough read? Well, to be honest, I had high expectations for the book that concludes the trilogy. Expectations that were sadly not fully met. The Gods angle ended up having a nice and rich history but way too many characters and factions to easily keep track of. And I was trying really hard too. Added to which, we end up a multiverse and timeline issues. Which made it messy and hard to understand to the point the ending felt a little bit like a cheat or Deus-ex-machina.
In short, I wanted to like this because it's clear this was an epic work of fantasy and author Cadwell Turnbull really put a lot of thought and work into fleshing out the creation and plot of this novel. But it was all too much. Perhaps some better editing could have streamlined things, sometimes one does not have to throw in everything and the kitchen sink in order to make a book good.
Basically I wish the author or editing team had followed the writing equivalent of Coco Chanel's advice "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory."
September 5, 2025
4.75 stars
This is one of those series that I immediately have trouble writing a synopsis for or even simply describing the premise of. There are just so many layers and complex storylines converging (haha) together. It's like a very delicious (and devastating) piece of baklava.
What I think truly floors me in every book in this series, including this conclusion, is the skill Cadwell Turnbull wields with flowing from one character POV to the next (although technically it's all one character's POV). The ability to write so many diverse characters with complex lives who all feel real and relatable and sympathetic despite their many flaws and bad decisions!! That is a level of skill that so very few authors possess.
This is also a book that forces you to pay attention to every detail. It doesn't hold your hand or underestimate your intelligence but it also isn't deliberately confusing or convoluted. From the very first book it's a rollercoaster ride during which you have to clutch onto the handles and not let go until it's over. In my opinion, the best way to read the series is to binge them all in one go because it's basically just one big book split in three in a way so few trilogies tend to be.
There are so many tropes and genres mixed in here (werewolves, vampires, cosmic gods, secret societies, monsters, aliens and alien technology that grants immortality, alternate realities, prophecies, cults, magic, co-ops and community politics, North American and USVI politics, revenge plots, body hopping, past lives, etc.) but somehow Turnbull makes all of them fit together in one big perfect cosmic horror thing. The ending was also simply perfect and I will be thinking about this story for a long time.
Thank you Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for the eARC.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DOPIgffgS...
This is one of those series that I immediately have trouble writing a synopsis for or even simply describing the premise of. There are just so many layers and complex storylines converging (haha) together. It's like a very delicious (and devastating) piece of baklava.
What I think truly floors me in every book in this series, including this conclusion, is the skill Cadwell Turnbull wields with flowing from one character POV to the next (although technically it's all one character's POV). The ability to write so many diverse characters with complex lives who all feel real and relatable and sympathetic despite their many flaws and bad decisions!! That is a level of skill that so very few authors possess.
This is also a book that forces you to pay attention to every detail. It doesn't hold your hand or underestimate your intelligence but it also isn't deliberately confusing or convoluted. From the very first book it's a rollercoaster ride during which you have to clutch onto the handles and not let go until it's over. In my opinion, the best way to read the series is to binge them all in one go because it's basically just one big book split in three in a way so few trilogies tend to be.
There are so many tropes and genres mixed in here (werewolves, vampires, cosmic gods, secret societies, monsters, aliens and alien technology that grants immortality, alternate realities, prophecies, cults, magic, co-ops and community politics, North American and USVI politics, revenge plots, body hopping, past lives, etc.) but somehow Turnbull makes all of them fit together in one big perfect cosmic horror thing. The ending was also simply perfect and I will be thinking about this story for a long time.
Thank you Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for the eARC.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DOPIgffgS...
March 9, 2026
Well, I have to admit, Turnbull swings for the fences in this final book in the “convergence” trilogy. I didn’t love the second one - the more I think about it, the more I believe it is because other number of perspectives and characters, I never truly felt invested in any one of them that much, and it read almost like short stories that were connected to each other - and I had some similar issues with this book: Turnbull has blended so many perspectives and characters, and even shifts point-of-view from third to first person on occasion, that I found my engagement wondering at times. This is also a book that, in a short 300 pages or so, mixes just about everything one could think of into the plot: werewolves, vampires, teleporting characters, giantesses, geopolitical intrigue, were-dragons, portals, multiple dimensions, aliens, gods, species extinction, time travel, mech suits, secret organizations, massive battles, assassinations, cloning, and so much more. Often, I found myself feeling like I was reading several stories that felt disconnected instead of one cohesive piece. I also still feel like some of the social commentary from the first book has been lost over this trilogy (it is still there, but just not as developed), BUT, I mean, even if it might not have been necessarily a book that I would naturally gravitate to, the effort to attempt to juggle so may ideas in one book was impressive.
January 16, 2026
"A Ruin, Great and Free" is an almost perfect novel, and a perfect summation to Cadwell Turnbull’s epic Convergence Saga. For my money, there was no smarter, more finely written, more probing and powerful work of speculative fiction published in 2025, and as I try to pull my thoughts together to write this review, I find myself simply in awe of Turnbull’s talent and his accomplishment.
"A Ruin" possesses all of the qualities that made the first two books in the series compelling: a dizzying array of characters whose stories intersect in patterns so complex I’m amazed anyone, even the author, could keep all the pieces in mind; a panoply of worlds that entwine in wickedly clever, byzantine synchrony to create a mural far greater than the sum of its parts; and a searching investigation of issues both commonplace and universal, including the politics of alienation, the morality of violence, and, well, the nature of the universe. Add to this the revisiting of Turnbull’s first novel, "The Lesson," whose characters weave their way into his sprawling tapestry, and the climactic battle sequence, which is almost biblical in its scope and intensity, and you’ve got a crowning achievement from a writer who’s not even close to the midpoint of his career. (He debuted in 2019.) I don’t know what his next project will be, but based on this one, I would say the sky’s no limit.
"A Ruin" possesses all of the qualities that made the first two books in the series compelling: a dizzying array of characters whose stories intersect in patterns so complex I’m amazed anyone, even the author, could keep all the pieces in mind; a panoply of worlds that entwine in wickedly clever, byzantine synchrony to create a mural far greater than the sum of its parts; and a searching investigation of issues both commonplace and universal, including the politics of alienation, the morality of violence, and, well, the nature of the universe. Add to this the revisiting of Turnbull’s first novel, "The Lesson," whose characters weave their way into his sprawling tapestry, and the climactic battle sequence, which is almost biblical in its scope and intensity, and you’ve got a crowning achievement from a writer who’s not even close to the midpoint of his career. (He debuted in 2019.) I don’t know what his next project will be, but based on this one, I would say the sky’s no limit.
October 15, 2025
A Ruin Great and Free is the final installment in the Convergence Saga. The stakes in this installment are higher than ever before as the focus shifts onto the involvement of Gods and cosmic forces. The focus and plotting is very much a departure from the previous two novels, however, the strength of this book once again lies in the details and character moments.
Throughout this series we are introduced to a tremendous cast of characters, many of which remain mysterious. My favorite moments, and perhaps a strength of Turnbull's writing style, were the ones where we went on a journey through the backstory of one of the main characters. This installment takes us on many of those journeys, learning more about characters we've been following from the start.
I chose to read this series straight through, which I would recommend as the cast is very large and there are numerous character connections. I will admit that I likely missed details and nuances on the first read through, but I really appreciate the unique and powerful messaging of this series.
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Cadwell Turnbull for the copy of this book I received through Goodreads Giveaways!
Throughout this series we are introduced to a tremendous cast of characters, many of which remain mysterious. My favorite moments, and perhaps a strength of Turnbull's writing style, were the ones where we went on a journey through the backstory of one of the main characters. This installment takes us on many of those journeys, learning more about characters we've been following from the start.
I chose to read this series straight through, which I would recommend as the cast is very large and there are numerous character connections. I will admit that I likely missed details and nuances on the first read through, but I really appreciate the unique and powerful messaging of this series.
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Cadwell Turnbull for the copy of this book I received through Goodreads Giveaways!
November 3, 2025
I have truly enjoyed all the books of the Convergence Saga. I love Turnbull’s prose, his characters, his scope, and his world (universe?) building. This last one was a little hard for me though, entirely my fault to be sure. I could not remember the story so far or many of characters. Thankfully the ones I did remember were the ones largely central to this entry.
Suffice to say there is an absolute metric shit ton going on here and it’s compelling and a fitting end to the series.
For me patience and a willingness to reread passages and to flip back and forth between pages and chapters was essential. I also just let myself go along for the ride and it’s a good ride. I would suggest rereading the previous books to get the full impact of the conclusion. I know I’m going to have to do that myself at some point. I’m not quite ready to abandon these books and characters quite yet.
Overall reading this book reminded me of an interview with Ursula Le Guin where she said (something to the effect of) that science fiction writers aren’t really writing about an imagined future, they are writing about the present. To me, this seems an apt description of this book. It is always illuminating to see what smart, creative people have to say about a fraught present.
Suffice to say there is an absolute metric shit ton going on here and it’s compelling and a fitting end to the series.
For me patience and a willingness to reread passages and to flip back and forth between pages and chapters was essential. I also just let myself go along for the ride and it’s a good ride. I would suggest rereading the previous books to get the full impact of the conclusion. I know I’m going to have to do that myself at some point. I’m not quite ready to abandon these books and characters quite yet.
Overall reading this book reminded me of an interview with Ursula Le Guin where she said (something to the effect of) that science fiction writers aren’t really writing about an imagined future, they are writing about the present. To me, this seems an apt description of this book. It is always illuminating to see what smart, creative people have to say about a fraught present.
March 9, 2026
4.5 stars rounded up. This concludes the three books of the Convergence Saga, and (apparently) provides a conclusion to The Lesson too. This book offers a complicated and rewarding read with multiple viewpoints and overlapping timelines. It's not an easy read keeping the characters separate and clear. It doesn't help that there seem to be overlapping multiverse versions of characters too.
Forgive me if I'm not clear on the details. I read the three books but my brain doesn't feel big enough to contain all the stories and meanings. That's not a criticism. This may be a series worth re-reading.
One thing that makes it hard for me right now is the parallels with the treatment of the "monsters" in the books, as the media and society term those who are other than completely human, and the current hunting down and demonizing of migrants, and of trans people. The diversity of characters in the book makes those parallels only too real.
On the other hand, in the world I'm living in I don't suspect there are aliens or gods pulling strings and running different conspiracies. I don't know if that's good or bad. Probably good.
Forgive me if I'm not clear on the details. I read the three books but my brain doesn't feel big enough to contain all the stories and meanings. That's not a criticism. This may be a series worth re-reading.
One thing that makes it hard for me right now is the parallels with the treatment of the "monsters" in the books, as the media and society term those who are other than completely human, and the current hunting down and demonizing of migrants, and of trans people. The diversity of characters in the book makes those parallels only too real.
On the other hand, in the world I'm living in I don't suspect there are aliens or gods pulling strings and running different conspiracies. I don't know if that's good or bad. Probably good.
April 7, 2025
I don't know what I was expecting from this book, the last instalment in this sprawling, mindbending, multiverse-spanning saga, but I did not expect it to blow my mind in the very first chapter. A bold, audacious opening and from that point on, I could barely put it down.
All these lives and stories intertwining, all the monsters and humans, all the gods and mages, it all comes together for a profoundly moving conclusion I could not have predicted and which brought me to tears several times as I was reading. Turnbull writes about communities, about the way people are, together, the way they can help and destroy each other in equal measure, and he does it without ever losing sight of the power and importance of individual characters. This is a thrilling and profound conclusion to the Convergence Saga.
All these lives and stories intertwining, all the monsters and humans, all the gods and mages, it all comes together for a profoundly moving conclusion I could not have predicted and which brought me to tears several times as I was reading. Turnbull writes about communities, about the way people are, together, the way they can help and destroy each other in equal measure, and he does it without ever losing sight of the power and importance of individual characters. This is a thrilling and profound conclusion to the Convergence Saga.
October 23, 2025
read the lesson first if you haven't already. it's a great story; you won't regret it. while the events of that book are explained in this one, but there's a fair bit of lore, so i could see some readers who were previously unfamiliar getting confused and bored by sections of the book that i found thrilling.
i love the characters and how well they're developed, love the language, love the elegant and illustrative things this book does with pov. i love the contrast of the cosmic scale of the conflict and the finite but fierce community caught in the middle of it all. deeply unwell about ridley gibson. god what a book
i love the characters and how well they're developed, love the language, love the elegant and illustrative things this book does with pov. i love the contrast of the cosmic scale of the conflict and the finite but fierce community caught in the middle of it all. deeply unwell about ridley gibson. god what a book
November 4, 2025
This was a good ending to what has been a pretty unique trilogy. There was a real sense of threat throughout, which I appreciated and some great character moments too, which is always welcome. My only criticism is that the ending felt a little bit lacklustre for me, given the levels of tension built up in the narrative. Other than that, I enjoyed this a lot and would definitely recommend the series as a whole.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews