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Worldbreaker Saga #3
The Broken Heavens
The bloodsoaked concluding volume of Kameron Hurley’s epic fantasy, the Worldbreaker Saga, is unleashed.
The Dhai nation has broken apart under the onslaught of the Tai Kao, invaders from a parallel world. With the Dhai in retreat, Kirana, leader of the Tai Kao, establishes a base in Oma’s temple and instructs her astrologers to discover how they can use the ancient holy place to close the way between worlds. With all the connected worlds ravaged by war and Oma failing, only one world can survive. Who will be sacrificed, and what will the desperate people of these worlds do to protect themselves?
The Dhai nation has broken apart under the onslaught of the Tai Kao, invaders from a parallel world. With the Dhai in retreat, Kirana, leader of the Tai Kao, establishes a base in Oma’s temple and instructs her astrologers to discover how they can use the ancient holy place to close the way between worlds. With all the connected worlds ravaged by war and Oma failing, only one world can survive. Who will be sacrificed, and what will the desperate people of these worlds do to protect themselves?
464 pages, Nook
First published January 14, 2020
81 people are currently reading
1626 people want to read
About the author
Kameron Hurley
94 books2,465 followersKameron Hurley is the author of the upcoming science ficition thriller These Savage Stars (2026), The Light Brigade, and The Stars are Legion, as well as the award-winning God’s War Trilogy and The Worldbreaker Saga. Hurley has won the Hugo Award, Locus Award, Kitschy Award, and Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer. She was a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Nebula Award, and the Gemmell Morningstar Award. Her short fiction has appeared in Popular Science Magazine, Lightspeed and numerous anthologies, and appears in two collections: Future Artifacts and Meet Me in the Future. Hurley has also written for The Atlantic, Writers Digest, Entertainment Weekly, The Village Voice, LA Weekly, Bitch Magazine, and Locus Magazine. Her most popular essays, including the viral hit "We Have Always Fought" are collected in The Geek Feminist Revolution. She posts regularly at KameronHurley.com. Get a short story from Kameron each month via: patreon.com/kameronhurley
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
January 31, 2020
The Broken Heavens is the third book in the Worldbreaker Saga (be warned, possible spoilers for book two ahead). I enjoyed it even more than the previous two installments. All the issues I’ve had with the previous two books, the chaotic POV shifts, the occasional lack of clarity, the excessive description, were trimmed away neatly and left me with just the story. Of course, it could also be that by the time we reach the last book in any series there’s simply not much extra left to tell.
The Broken Heavens takes place about one year after the events of Empire Ascendant, in which the Tai Mora successfully invaded the Dhai territory and left most of our main characters scrambling in the wilderness. If you’ve been following the trilogy up to this point, you know that we said goodbye to some characters in book two, and the improved focus and amount of quality time we were able to spend with each character in book three made me appreciate them all that much more. (I also noticed that Hurley took the time to start each first line of every chapter with a character name, which was one of my main complaints about book one.)
The action is almost non-stop from the very first page and the story didn’t feel at all bloated. Every chapter left me wanting to know what happened next. Perhaps most importantly, at no point in this book did I ever feel like I could guess what was coming next. I genuinely had no idea how it would end or which characters would survive. This series had already surprised me so much. It’s refreshing and feels completely unique.
If I have one complaint- it’s that this book occasionally felt like it had everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. I don’t always mind this, but in a series that feels so gritty, a fantasy that feels like it’s meant to be taken a little more seriously, I found myself occasionally rolling my eyes. I think it would have been fine if there had seemed to be some more rules governing these things, or references to them happening in the past, but at some point I just had to shrug my shoulders and accept that this was a fantasy world in which anything goes.
Overall- I’m glad I finished out the trilogy. I don’t think it changes drastically enough to make it worth reading if you didn’t enjoy book one, but if, like me, you felt a little ‘meh’ about it, I can say that each book is better than the next.
Thank you to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
The Broken Heavens takes place about one year after the events of Empire Ascendant, in which the Tai Mora successfully invaded the Dhai territory and left most of our main characters scrambling in the wilderness. If you’ve been following the trilogy up to this point, you know that we said goodbye to some characters in book two, and the improved focus and amount of quality time we were able to spend with each character in book three made me appreciate them all that much more. (I also noticed that Hurley took the time to start each first line of every chapter with a character name, which was one of my main complaints about book one.)
The action is almost non-stop from the very first page and the story didn’t feel at all bloated. Every chapter left me wanting to know what happened next. Perhaps most importantly, at no point in this book did I ever feel like I could guess what was coming next. I genuinely had no idea how it would end or which characters would survive. This series had already surprised me so much. It’s refreshing and feels completely unique.
If I have one complaint- it’s that this book occasionally felt like it had everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. I don’t always mind this, but in a series that feels so gritty, a fantasy that feels like it’s meant to be taken a little more seriously, I found myself occasionally rolling my eyes. I think it would have been fine if there had seemed to be some more rules governing these things, or references to them happening in the past, but at some point I just had to shrug my shoulders and accept that this was a fantasy world in which anything goes.
Overall- I’m glad I finished out the trilogy. I don’t think it changes drastically enough to make it worth reading if you didn’t enjoy book one, but if, like me, you felt a little ‘meh’ about it, I can say that each book is better than the next.
Thank you to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
February 9, 2020
2020 Pop Sugar Challenge
A book published in 2020
A book with a 3 word title
A book with at least a 4 star rating
Previous categories I completed but that still apply
A book with a map
A book that passes the bechdel test
It also passes the Mako-Mori test and the Vito Russo test.
This also satisfies my personal challenge of reading more LGBTQIA+ books this year.
Short Review:
This is one of my favorite authors and this series has been amazing. However, I feel like this book was a little disappointing compared to the previous books. The last 100 pages or so and the conclusion were amazing but the lead up to that, while mostly interesting, was VERY slow. The pacing of this book did not feel at all like the pacing of a conclusion book. I think it's due to the threat of the invasion being over.
Some of the character arcs did not go where I wanted them to go (especially Taigan, Lilia and Anavha) which would have been ok except it felt like the characters potential was lost by the end of their arcs. Their character arcs just felt anticlimactic.
There was more magic usage in this book than I can remember being in the last books, but that was literally all crammed into like the last 200 pages.
Overall I loved the characters and some of the bold choices Hurley made (which is par for the course for a Hurley book) as well as the world and the conclusion. While some things fell flat for me it was definitely worth the read.
A book published in 2020
A book with a 3 word title
A book with at least a 4 star rating
Previous categories I completed but that still apply
A book with a map
A book that passes the bechdel test
It also passes the Mako-Mori test and the Vito Russo test.
This also satisfies my personal challenge of reading more LGBTQIA+ books this year.
Short Review:
This is one of my favorite authors and this series has been amazing. However, I feel like this book was a little disappointing compared to the previous books. The last 100 pages or so and the conclusion were amazing but the lead up to that, while mostly interesting, was VERY slow. The pacing of this book did not feel at all like the pacing of a conclusion book. I think it's due to the threat of the invasion being over.
Some of the character arcs did not go where I wanted them to go (especially Taigan, Lilia and Anavha) which would have been ok except it felt like the characters potential was lost by the end of their arcs. Their character arcs just felt anticlimactic.
There was more magic usage in this book than I can remember being in the last books, but that was literally all crammed into like the last 200 pages.
Overall I loved the characters and some of the bold choices Hurley made (which is par for the course for a Hurley book) as well as the world and the conclusion. While some things fell flat for me it was definitely worth the read.
February 19, 2021
Still gathering my thoughts. Not sure I liked the ending but this feels like watching Avengers: Endgame. Fantastic worldbuilding (or worldbreaking).
Want to read
March 31, 2019Will. You. Ever. Finish. This. Book?
March 14, 2022
4.0 Stars
This was a solid conclusion to this epic fantasy trilogy. This series features the brutality of war in a place where parallel worlds collide.
The series features complex and morally gray characters in a matriarchal society. The books address serious themes of oppression and abuse, never flinching away from the dark side of humanity.
I would highly recommend this series which deserves way more attention. If you love deep, complex worldbuilding in the vein of The Broken Earth trilogy, then you should definitely read this one next.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This was a solid conclusion to this epic fantasy trilogy. This series features the brutality of war in a place where parallel worlds collide.
The series features complex and morally gray characters in a matriarchal society. The books address serious themes of oppression and abuse, never flinching away from the dark side of humanity.
I would highly recommend this series which deserves way more attention. If you love deep, complex worldbuilding in the vein of The Broken Earth trilogy, then you should definitely read this one next.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
May 13, 2021
I am bursting with excitement, joy, glee name all the positive feelings you can think of when you just finish a series that you took a chance on & it completely floored you with its greatness.
🌟🌟🌟🌟.5
🖤
World Breaker or World Maker?
Kameron Hurley has proved without room for doubt that she can mold intelligent characters and plot carried over for 3 books without a slump. *EXPLODES IN JOY*
The absolute brilliance of The Broken World Saga comes from the fact that Hurley doesn't do regular or safe. She's continually pushes the boundary for her characters on what it means to be good or bad. Where most fantasy authors are giving you clear cut issues and neat little boxes on where to put choices, Hurley is saying there's more than just 2 choices in life.
"Right and wrong have no meaning here. There are shades of gray. Always more than two choices"
Where fantasy authors are saying women can't make bad ass characters Hurley has written 3 glorious books back to back that show you with the right writer, a female character is just as bad ass and even more so than any male character you can think of writing.
"She is equal parts manic brutality and strategic fuckery" - Monshara
🖤🖤
This is the third and final book in the series so there's really nothing i can truly say without giving up the plot but if you've made it this far into the series go into this book expecting nothing and everything unpredictable along the way.
I will say that i was disappointed in the way some characters' were handled especially as it seemed from the previous books that they had much to offer so that was really pretty disappointing and really the only thing stopping me from giving
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 to this book.
All in all though😊, it was a fitting conclusion to a glorious, bad ass series.
"I fear you and your people are dancing about in circles pretending you can come away from this time in our history utterly clean and without guilt. But you have not and you wont."
August 23, 2021
Wow what a seriessssssss!! It is so fucking ruthless and violent and fullllll of scheming. What a struggling plot full of death and a drive to survive. Holy shit. And still a sparkle of hope keeeeping the characters going. It was so suspenseful 😱. I looooove the violence and gore. There is this grit to this story on one side people are butchering and dominating. And other people are peaceful and loving and fighting to keep that peace and space for themselves. I love how it all came together at the end. Love the ending! The multiverse is done so spectacular and the celestial elemental magic is sooo beautiful. 💚💚💚. I am so hyped by this story, it starts of intimidating with so many cultures and worldbuilding to digest. A lot of characters to get know. But when that settles the ride is bizarre, tense and reaches such epic proportions, mind blowing...I need a minute to catch my breath and I need a tv adaptation asap
April 5, 2020
The Tai Mora, invaders from a parallel universe, have overrun and conquered much of the island-continent of Grania. Their ruler plans to activate the five great temples and use their power to seal the ways between the worlds shut, ending the chaos that has engulfed every world and every timeline. For Lilia, the former scullery maid turned military leader, an opportunity to strike back at the Tai Mora is approaching, one that may hold the key to saving the world, but she must first persuade her reluctant allies (who prefer the idea of flight) to stand with her.
The Broken Heavens is the concluding volume of The Worldbreaker Saga, Kameron Hurley's epic fantasy trilogy set in a world that is being invaded by mirror versions of itself. Following on from The Mirror Empire and Empire Ascendant, the book chronicles the adventures of a number of core characters scattered across Grania as events begin to converge.
The Worldbreaker Saga is, as with much of Hurley's fiction, offbeat and weird but is anchored in believable human characters. The book plays with the "chosen one" trope by pitting these as the people who happen to be in the right place at the right time to deal with the crisis, and they succeed or fail, live or die based on their own strengths and weaknesses, and isn't afraid to have them mess up, sometimes catastrophically. It's unusual for an epic fantasy following a standard three-act trilogy structure (albeit in an original and unusual world) to be so inventive in how it handles its characters and plot.
Particularly interesting, and something much more strongly focused on here than previously, is the idea of the mirror characters being not just different characters with the same face, but different versions of the actual same character: the pacifist in one world and the war-mongering dictator in another could have been the same person if it were not for circumstance. Thematic ideas of nature/nurture, environment and desperation are woven intriguingly into the story and developed as it continues.
Some of the weaknesses of the first two books remain: there are occasional moments of obtuseness and the limits of the magic-wielding characters' powers are not always clear. There's also the feeling of events sometimes being a little rushed. There's easily a more sedate thousand-page story which could have explained things a bit better lying within these sometimes compressed-feeling five hundred pages. On the plus side, it does mean that the book moves like it's on fire, with little time or pages wasted.
The setting, with its living killer trees and seething organic temples, is vividly drawn and Hurley's formidable powers of characterisation are at their peak here, not just in depicting different characters but different versions of the same character, which requires a great deal more nuance. Overall, The Broken Heavens (****½) is a worthy conclusion to an often engrossing and original work of fantasy.
The Broken Heavens is the concluding volume of The Worldbreaker Saga, Kameron Hurley's epic fantasy trilogy set in a world that is being invaded by mirror versions of itself. Following on from The Mirror Empire and Empire Ascendant, the book chronicles the adventures of a number of core characters scattered across Grania as events begin to converge.
The Worldbreaker Saga is, as with much of Hurley's fiction, offbeat and weird but is anchored in believable human characters. The book plays with the "chosen one" trope by pitting these as the people who happen to be in the right place at the right time to deal with the crisis, and they succeed or fail, live or die based on their own strengths and weaknesses, and isn't afraid to have them mess up, sometimes catastrophically. It's unusual for an epic fantasy following a standard three-act trilogy structure (albeit in an original and unusual world) to be so inventive in how it handles its characters and plot.
Particularly interesting, and something much more strongly focused on here than previously, is the idea of the mirror characters being not just different characters with the same face, but different versions of the actual same character: the pacifist in one world and the war-mongering dictator in another could have been the same person if it were not for circumstance. Thematic ideas of nature/nurture, environment and desperation are woven intriguingly into the story and developed as it continues.
Some of the weaknesses of the first two books remain: there are occasional moments of obtuseness and the limits of the magic-wielding characters' powers are not always clear. There's also the feeling of events sometimes being a little rushed. There's easily a more sedate thousand-page story which could have explained things a bit better lying within these sometimes compressed-feeling five hundred pages. On the plus side, it does mean that the book moves like it's on fire, with little time or pages wasted.
The setting, with its living killer trees and seething organic temples, is vividly drawn and Hurley's formidable powers of characterisation are at their peak here, not just in depicting different characters but different versions of the same character, which requires a great deal more nuance. Overall, The Broken Heavens (****½) is a worthy conclusion to an often engrossing and original work of fantasy.
January 8, 2020
Full disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
If you haven’t read the first two books in this series, let me sell you on them: Hurley has created a world in full of different cultures which break gender binaries, heterosexual norms, patriarchal social systems, and embrace complex (and frequently polygamous) family units. Oh, and the novel takes place on a hostile world (the plant life actively tries to eat people) orbiting a binary star. There are also four satellites orbiting the star which give certain people magic powers for as long as their satellite is visible in the sky. Every 1000 years, all four satellites can be seen in the sky, which signals a massive cataclysm as alternate realities begin to converge and other versions of this planet in other universes begin to die. To escape their dying worlds, the inhabitants of those planets, who are mostly doppelgangers of those in the world on which the series is centered (because these are multiple universes), attempt to cross over. They can only do this, however, if they do not have a living double in the world they want to enter. War and genocide ensues.
It is a year after Lilia’s disastrous defeat at Kuallina, and the surviving Dhai are either slaves of the Tai Mora or refugees hiding in the woodlands. Lilia and her band of believers keep striking back at the Tai Mora where they can, but the surviving leaders of the free Dhai are losing patience with Lilia’s schemes, which they view as futile and dangerous. Meanwhile, the Tai Mora are determined to figure out the secrets of how the temples work–via their captive Luna, who isn’t talking—and close the ways between worlds so that no other versions of their selves can cross over from their dying worlds and attempt to conquer this world the way the Tai Mora have done. Of course, the Tai Mora intend to do this after they track down and kill this world’s Yisaoh and Tasia, who are among the Dhai refugees, so that their Kirana can bring over her versions of Yisaoh and Tasia to join her.
I’ll be honest, it’s been several years since I read The Mirror Empire and Empire Ascendant, so I’d forgotten a lot of details about the plot and how all the characters are connected. This novel doesn’t do a lot of recap of important details from the previous books, so I was about halfway through before I had picked up or finally remembered all the necessary details to fully grasp what was going on. (Really, I should have just stopped to re-read the previous books, but I wouldn’t have had time to do that before this review was due.) It’s a complex plot with a lot of complicated relationships, so a vague recollection of details didn’t serve me well here.
It takes a while to reintroduce the characters and get them to where they need to be for the final conflict, but when the endgame arrives, it’s excellent and it does a fantastic job grappling with Lilia’s burning desire for revenge and the moral and emotional issues raised by the central conflict of the plot, in which people are willing to commit heinous acts in order to save the people they love–even killing other versions of the people they love to save their specific loved ones from certain death.
I highly recommend this series, though you should read (or reread) them all close together because it doesn’t really recap what happened before and you need all the information from the previous novels in order to read this. This series is ambitious and challenges all sorts of reader expectations (as is typical of Hurley’s work), and Hurley pulls it off well. If you like dark and gritty epic fantasy but wish it were more feminist and anti-colonialist, this is for sure the series for you.
Content warning: as is typical of Hurley’s work, there is pretty explicit and horrific violence, but that violence is not gendered against women. (It is, in one case, gendered against men as that society flips our scripts regarding gender roles for men and women and the husband is abused by his much stronger, more powerful wife in the first book.)
If you haven’t read the first two books in this series, let me sell you on them: Hurley has created a world in full of different cultures which break gender binaries, heterosexual norms, patriarchal social systems, and embrace complex (and frequently polygamous) family units. Oh, and the novel takes place on a hostile world (the plant life actively tries to eat people) orbiting a binary star. There are also four satellites orbiting the star which give certain people magic powers for as long as their satellite is visible in the sky. Every 1000 years, all four satellites can be seen in the sky, which signals a massive cataclysm as alternate realities begin to converge and other versions of this planet in other universes begin to die. To escape their dying worlds, the inhabitants of those planets, who are mostly doppelgangers of those in the world on which the series is centered (because these are multiple universes), attempt to cross over. They can only do this, however, if they do not have a living double in the world they want to enter. War and genocide ensues.
It is a year after Lilia’s disastrous defeat at Kuallina, and the surviving Dhai are either slaves of the Tai Mora or refugees hiding in the woodlands. Lilia and her band of believers keep striking back at the Tai Mora where they can, but the surviving leaders of the free Dhai are losing patience with Lilia’s schemes, which they view as futile and dangerous. Meanwhile, the Tai Mora are determined to figure out the secrets of how the temples work–via their captive Luna, who isn’t talking—and close the ways between worlds so that no other versions of their selves can cross over from their dying worlds and attempt to conquer this world the way the Tai Mora have done. Of course, the Tai Mora intend to do this after they track down and kill this world’s Yisaoh and Tasia, who are among the Dhai refugees, so that their Kirana can bring over her versions of Yisaoh and Tasia to join her.
I’ll be honest, it’s been several years since I read The Mirror Empire and Empire Ascendant, so I’d forgotten a lot of details about the plot and how all the characters are connected. This novel doesn’t do a lot of recap of important details from the previous books, so I was about halfway through before I had picked up or finally remembered all the necessary details to fully grasp what was going on. (Really, I should have just stopped to re-read the previous books, but I wouldn’t have had time to do that before this review was due.) It’s a complex plot with a lot of complicated relationships, so a vague recollection of details didn’t serve me well here.
It takes a while to reintroduce the characters and get them to where they need to be for the final conflict, but when the endgame arrives, it’s excellent and it does a fantastic job grappling with Lilia’s burning desire for revenge and the moral and emotional issues raised by the central conflict of the plot, in which people are willing to commit heinous acts in order to save the people they love–even killing other versions of the people they love to save their specific loved ones from certain death.
I highly recommend this series, though you should read (or reread) them all close together because it doesn’t really recap what happened before and you need all the information from the previous novels in order to read this. This series is ambitious and challenges all sorts of reader expectations (as is typical of Hurley’s work), and Hurley pulls it off well. If you like dark and gritty epic fantasy but wish it were more feminist and anti-colonialist, this is for sure the series for you.
Content warning: as is typical of Hurley’s work, there is pretty explicit and horrific violence, but that violence is not gendered against women. (It is, in one case, gendered against men as that society flips our scripts regarding gender roles for men and women and the husband is abused by his much stronger, more powerful wife in the first book.)
January 31, 2020
I must be the first one who complaining about this book here. It looked like the quality of the third book had dropped dramatically in compared of the first two. I don't know if Hurley had to rush because of the deadline or if she just lost interest in writting this series, but this book is so "out of shape", to the point it is unacceptable.
The most disapointment in this book is it character. I must say the main character of this series, Lilia, to me is not a strong lead at all. By strong character I meant someone you feel like you could related to, be sympathized with or simply just root for through out all the books. But Lilia appears to be a really annoying, unforgiving, quickly irritated, keep living in her own head kind of person. She didn't develope much through all the three book, what different is while she was still somewhat comprihend and resonable in the first two books, she was completely inconvincing in the last one. Her plans only worked because of the amount of lucks and illogical situations the author keep generously giving her. Other key characters just conviniently stumble upon her one way or an other. In order to not shadowing such a weak main lead and giving her convinent plot line, Hurley had blantly bend all other characters to the point they are unrecognizable. It was just like she had spent two first book to build up the characters then smash them all to the ground with the last one. Every single one of them was either doing things that horribly out of character or only a shadow of their former self (metapho much?). That was a shame cause at least three of them had so much more potential in term of a rootable character than Lilia ever could. Maybe that why they all were all screwed, to make Lilia looked somewhat more likeable?
The second disapointment would be the story itselft. I had been defending Hurley's writting before, because to scale such an enomous world and various amount of character point was a massive jobs, I can totally understand if she made few mistake, as long as the what she was trying to tell made sense. Now the story line had become very lazy and uncreative, which like I said before serveing nothing but to make a very weak lead character become something resemble the "chosen" one. Characters is shallow and quick to change mind, stumbling upon each other in a too convinient ways, story is overcomplicated in unimpotant details and rushed in maijor plots. Those mistakes she made in the first two book was made even more blatant: adding character point without considering its necessarily, inconsistent information to cover up plothole, long a** conversation which don't even have a point to it, etc. etc. The more I read the less it looked like a book and more like a unedited drap, or worse a fanfiction, because sometimes I feel like the person who write this book was not the person who wrote these other two at all, if not for their bad traits was the same as ever.
Hurley had lost touch not only of her character but her entire story as well, she tried to save some meaning to it at last, but not so sucessful.
This just some of my thoughts about this book, some might want aggue with me about this and that, but no doubt the quality of the series had declined. Overall, it's desevered its 3 star rating, I wanted to give it 2 star for my dissapoimet and wasted time waiting for this book, but decided it's not worth any of my emotions any more. Have fun reading this, but don't hold your hope too high.
The most disapointment in this book is it character. I must say the main character of this series, Lilia, to me is not a strong lead at all. By strong character I meant someone you feel like you could related to, be sympathized with or simply just root for through out all the books. But Lilia appears to be a really annoying, unforgiving, quickly irritated, keep living in her own head kind of person. She didn't develope much through all the three book, what different is while she was still somewhat comprihend and resonable in the first two books, she was completely inconvincing in the last one. Her plans only worked because of the amount of lucks and illogical situations the author keep generously giving her. Other key characters just conviniently stumble upon her one way or an other. In order to not shadowing such a weak main lead and giving her convinent plot line, Hurley had blantly bend all other characters to the point they are unrecognizable. It was just like she had spent two first book to build up the characters then smash them all to the ground with the last one. Every single one of them was either doing things that horribly out of character or only a shadow of their former self (metapho much?). That was a shame cause at least three of them had so much more potential in term of a rootable character than Lilia ever could. Maybe that why they all were all screwed, to make Lilia looked somewhat more likeable?
The second disapointment would be the story itselft. I had been defending Hurley's writting before, because to scale such an enomous world and various amount of character point was a massive jobs, I can totally understand if she made few mistake, as long as the what she was trying to tell made sense. Now the story line had become very lazy and uncreative, which like I said before serveing nothing but to make a very weak lead character become something resemble the "chosen" one. Characters is shallow and quick to change mind, stumbling upon each other in a too convinient ways, story is overcomplicated in unimpotant details and rushed in maijor plots. Those mistakes she made in the first two book was made even more blatant: adding character point without considering its necessarily, inconsistent information to cover up plothole, long a** conversation which don't even have a point to it, etc. etc. The more I read the less it looked like a book and more like a unedited drap, or worse a fanfiction, because sometimes I feel like the person who write this book was not the person who wrote these other two at all, if not for their bad traits was the same as ever.
Hurley had lost touch not only of her character but her entire story as well, she tried to save some meaning to it at last, but not so sucessful.
This just some of my thoughts about this book, some might want aggue with me about this and that, but no doubt the quality of the series had declined. Overall, it's desevered its 3 star rating, I wanted to give it 2 star for my dissapoimet and wasted time waiting for this book, but decided it's not worth any of my emotions any more. Have fun reading this, but don't hold your hope too high.
January 23, 2020
This is the final book in the Worldbreaker Saga trilogy. I have to admit I didn't remember much about the first two books. Not too surprising since they were published five and six years ago and I didn't do a reread. Perhaps I should have. This was pretty good regardless, though I do think I preferred the first book, if only because it set up this really fascinating world. This one did feel like Hurley had written a bunch of it only to put it aside for a while because it reads much like the first two books then there's a determined push to the climax. Someday I'll have to do a reread of the whole trilogy in one go.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
December 30, 2024
She considered writing a memoir of this time. Perhaps she could call it: Pretty Little Cannibals: My Life Among the Dhai. That made her laugh out oud. A good laugh that shook her chest and made it ache.
Because of personal reasons it took me a few months to finally finish this book, but once I finally picked it up again, it took me less than a day to finish it. I think the previous two books were better than this one, the trope gets a bit... too much here, but overall a very solid ending to this trilogy! I will miss those characters so much! Especially Taigan, the snark was just the food for my soul.
Being the critical and demanding self that I am... I will say that I'm disappointed by the way the pronouns and genderbuilding groundwork that Hurley lay was SO underutilized! We for example know that Dhai have five genders, but since the first book this didn't really make much of an appearance - aside from Taigan complaining about it. I thought that was a lost opportunity. And some things were just never satisfactorily addressed. From Empire Ascendant we know that Luna is a (trans) guy, but the narative never uses masculine pronouns for him, it uses ataisa pronouns, a gender that was "chosen" for him by Saiduan system. Some people are clearly confused by his gender (if I got it right ataisa people are actually intersex) and feminine pronouns are sometimes used but I really hoped there would be a moment where he would get a chance to stand up for who he is, but... no. I really should stop talking about this because it's such a small part of the book, but... I have feelings about it!
Let's just say that... I thought that the groundwork of the genderbuilding in this series was amazing, but the execution was very imperfect. I also think it's important to say that none of the systems is clearly supposed to be perfect and I do love what Hurley did in that regard, but... yeah, there were a lot of things that I thought were mistakes that could be easily fixed.
One thing that this series does excellently - I think - is the treatment of disability. Because you know, war and genocide are disabling, people are getting injured and it affects them. Some of those injuries can be healed and some not and in the end it's all about people and priorities, right?
She and Namia descended below ground to their settlement via a painful ladder that Lilia had argued against from the first day, because it meant the old and infirm, like her, suffered needlessly going up and down it when they could have used a ramp. But she was overruled, as the ladders were easier to remove than a ramp. Mohrai and Meyna had focused more on keeping out invaders, without a care for creating a prison for many of their own people.
I did like this book as a closing piece to this trilogy. I don't think the way it ended was particularly surprising, but it was certainly fitting. I think that I would have liked a bit more.... of the after stories of the characters. You know, just seeing them . But I guess I get it...
I would absolutely recommend this series. I think Kameron Hurley is a great writer and there is so much to love here even though it isn't always perfect and often questionable. I would urge you to seek out content warnings though, because this world is really dark and violent, which was the reason I had to put it down for a few months. Can't wait to pick up my next Kameron Hurley book! I had made plans to read The Light Brigade later this year and I am excited for that!
BRed at WBtM: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
February 11, 2020
Well, that was a helluva thing. Truly epic fantasy with wild worldbuilding, high stakes, a great cast, loads of magical action and political intrigue...a stunning conclusion to an amazing series.
April 6, 2020
Disclaimer: This is disorganized word vomit disguised as a book review in which I repeatedly wonder why I didn’t just reread the first two books before starting this one. Anyway, onward …
At last, Book 3 !
Bodies raining from the sky, dismemberment, and pulsing flesh-temples! And that’s just the beginning.
After being tortured by several publishing delays, finally getting my hands on this book was amazing and I dived right in.
Several chapters in … I was less enthusiastic.
This isn’t to say the book was utterly unenjoyable – the ending was epic, and there were entertaining moments throughout, and as always I adored Kameron Hurley's worldbuilding – but large parts of this book consisted of characters being essentially moved into position so the finale could play out as it did. so while it might be justified by the plot, couldn’t the characters have been taken to their destination in a less boring way? There was also some rushed dialogue that gave the sense of fast-forwarding through certain character interactions in order to move the plot along. This really bothered me during reunion; I happened to like their subplot in the previous books, and in this book their relevance didn’t really extend beyond ; a lot of the characters seemed to be reduced to plot devices. There were also some interactions I thought were rushed between Maybe a reread of the trilogy will make their “relationship” in Book 3 seem less out-of-nowhere … and also give the numerous reunions taking place throughout the book a little more emotional impact.
Tangent 1: I honestly should have just taken the time to reread Books 1 & 2 before starting this one; especially seeing as a lot of the characters were, albeit entertaining, annoying and/or assholes, so I was always more invested in the story overall than in the individuals.
Characters aside, the idea is a very enjoyable premise if you’re a cynic. Soooo, the message is that change is hard, but if you fuck up enough you might eventually learn to do better … ? Or, perhaps more eloquently, what Roh said:
“There are more than two choices. It’s not all good or evil, this or that. We have the power to find other choices.”
Tangent 2: I can’t be the only one who thought the whole process of using the transference engines was convoluted AF, right? I mean, it kind of makes sense: you don’t want the machine capable of splintering reality to turn on with the push of a button. But, wow, did they seriously figure out how to use this thing and get all the plot devices successfully into position every time the world broke again? Because that’s a hell of a thing to figure out from ancient encrypted texts as the multiverse collapses in on itself. But, oh, right, the plot devices are magically drawn to where they need to be -_-
There was a sense throughout much of the book that the author was just trying to move the story along without much enthusiasm, and given the four-year gap between Book 2 and this one (vs the one-year gap between the first two), I theorize based on no further evidence whatsoever that the author had some trouble concluding the cataclysmic events she had set in motion and eventually just decided, “Fuck it. I want to work on other books, lets just finish it in the quickest way that makes sense.” Basically me frantically trying to finish a paper I haven’t given a damn about since it was assigned.
This might explain the parts where characters/plotlines just … ended and/or disappeared. A few examples (to be taken with a grain of salt because, again, I need to reread. I’m sure it’ll all make sense after a reread … Right … ?) :
(1) What happened to Mey-Mey and Hasao? What happened to them? WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN?
(2) Did anyone else think the creepy insect ladies would be more important than they ended up being?
(3) Same with Maralah.
Also, I was left confused about the purpose of Taigan’s quest for the Worldbreaker. If for no other reason, I need to reread the trilogy to know whether I misunderstood something, or the author just forgot about Taigan’s plotline from Books 1 & 2.
Honestly, I feel like more than three books were needed to properly wrap up this story. The trilogy is even called the Worldbreaker Saga … so I do wonder based on no concrete information whatsoever if maybe more books were planned at some point? Because there just wasn’t enough room in even three fairly large books to resolve all the plotlines and give all the characters satisfying arcs. Or maybe the author was overly optimistic about what could be accomplished in just a trilogy. Personally, I wouldn’t have minded a Book 4. But it’s understandable if the author was just tired of writing about this world; she’s even published other books in the years between Books 2 & 3, so she might have just been ready to be done.
The ending, in my opinion, was perfect, and I got the sense that the author might have enjoyed writing that more than the rest of the book. So the conclusion we got in the end was the best possible one.
This is a great series for anyone looking for some very cool and original world-building, for anyone bored with gender stereotypes, for anyone who likes their fiction with a pinch (or a bucket-full) of social commentary, and for anyone who enjoys cringing at descriptive carnage and body horror. All of the books I’ve read by Kameron Hurley provide these things, and I look forward to more of her work.
May 13, 2020
The Worldbreaker Saga is a brutal, brilliant series. It is emphatically queer: it examines gender and sexuality from multiple angles, polyamorous configurations of genders are the norm for relationships, there are multiple non-binary point of view characters, and the main character is attracted to women. It boasts a huge cast of point of view characters and an ever-expanding setting made up of distinct, detailed cultures. It is complex and ambitious, and it challenged me at every turn. This is grimdark epic fantasy, so it’s far from a comfortable read–but it’s so very worth it.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
Full review at the Lesbrary.
October 30, 2021
Same issues with this as with the other two in the series. It's not bad, in fact it remains ambitious AF until its very end, but Hurley has put so much thought and detail into this world that it remains a burden on its characters. Its emotionless with sadly flat characters, most of who feel the same, and much of the action itself is... light, as if void of weight or gravity or threat. It's just empty, mostly bland description, and a far, far cry from the lived-in worlds of the Bel Dame Apocrypha.
I do want to take a moment to show respect for two chapters near the end, however, detailing Roh and Karina's experiences as their other selves and lives come crashing together, flooding them with sensations of who they've been, atrocities done, etc. These two incredibly short chapters offer more a sense of emotional heft and consequence than anything else in all three books. Which almost makes this more frustrating—to see what these books could have been had they been allowed to breathe. Because my feeling remains as it has since finishing the first book: that these are rare titles that, even at ~500 pages each, could've used more space, more pages, to really dive into character personality and a sense of physical space/place that is just not there in the existing products. In the end, these feel like expertly executed drafts, but drafts all the same—highly detailed, very well plotted and structured, but totally absent emotional investment.
I guess if hard fantasy is more your thing, this will appeal, but I find myself, on the other side of this series, really wishing it had been something more personal.
I do want to take a moment to show respect for two chapters near the end, however, detailing Roh and Karina's experiences as their other selves and lives come crashing together, flooding them with sensations of who they've been, atrocities done, etc. These two incredibly short chapters offer more a sense of emotional heft and consequence than anything else in all three books. Which almost makes this more frustrating—to see what these books could have been had they been allowed to breathe. Because my feeling remains as it has since finishing the first book: that these are rare titles that, even at ~500 pages each, could've used more space, more pages, to really dive into character personality and a sense of physical space/place that is just not there in the existing products. In the end, these feel like expertly executed drafts, but drafts all the same—highly detailed, very well plotted and structured, but totally absent emotional investment.
I guess if hard fantasy is more your thing, this will appeal, but I find myself, on the other side of this series, really wishing it had been something more personal.
July 8, 2021
3.5 stars, rounded down.
Sometimes I kind of struggle with Kameron Hurley. She's undoubtedly incredibly inventive, and able to translate that onto paper with the rich and layered worlds she creates. She's also adept at building ensembles of characters who all have opposing goals. In that sense, this trilogy reminds me a little of Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders trilogy. And like Hobb, Hurley isn't afraid to include unlikeable characters. HOWEVER. In this trilogy, for me, there just wasn't anyone I really wanted to root for. All the characters, though finely drawn, were all just a little too unlikeable. With all these semi-terrible people moving through a hostile and difficult world, it got a little tough to care.
And I wish it was different! Because the idea of parallel worlds, and those worlds being invaded by doppelgangers is really cool! I wouldn't not dissaude anyone from reading these books, but I'd only recommend them for people who have a high tolerance for gore and darkness, and who aren't concerned about engaging emotionally with the books they read.
Sometimes I kind of struggle with Kameron Hurley. She's undoubtedly incredibly inventive, and able to translate that onto paper with the rich and layered worlds she creates. She's also adept at building ensembles of characters who all have opposing goals. In that sense, this trilogy reminds me a little of Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders trilogy. And like Hobb, Hurley isn't afraid to include unlikeable characters. HOWEVER. In this trilogy, for me, there just wasn't anyone I really wanted to root for. All the characters, though finely drawn, were all just a little too unlikeable. With all these semi-terrible people moving through a hostile and difficult world, it got a little tough to care.
And I wish it was different! Because the idea of parallel worlds, and those worlds being invaded by doppelgangers is really cool! I wouldn't not dissaude anyone from reading these books, but I'd only recommend them for people who have a high tolerance for gore and darkness, and who aren't concerned about engaging emotionally with the books they read.
February 2, 2020
Sometimes I suffer from end of series anxiety. I find myself reading the last book in trepidation, anticipating some blunder by the author that would disappoint me.
I have come to trust Kameron Hurley to deliver. This is especially true of the World Breaker Saga , where each book is stronger and clearer than the previous ones.
I think I'll need to reread The Mirror Empire now that I have a better understanding of this universe.
I have come to trust Kameron Hurley to deliver. This is especially true of the World Breaker Saga , where each book is stronger and clearer than the previous ones.
I think I'll need to reread The Mirror Empire now that I have a better understanding of this universe.
February 1, 2020
Before reading The Worldbreaker Saga, I’d already read one trilogy and two standalones by Kameron Hurley, so I knew the series would be great. And yet my expectations were completely blown out of the water. I’m in awe of Hurley’s worldbuilding, of the fascinating magic system she’s created, of her effortless inclusion of diversity, and of her ability to write so many complex characters.
There are quite a few POVs in this trilogy, and Hurley pulls it off flawlessly. This is a series about parallel worlds, and each POV both adds to the overall picture and makes it impossible to say “those are the good guys and those are the bad guys.” Characters you see in the first book only through another character’s eyes have their own POV in the next book, and suddenly their motivations become clear. Every single character does horrible things, and yet I was still able to sympathize with and understand them. Hurley takes morally gray to the next level, and I love it.
This series is #ownvoices for queer representation and is set in a queernorm world. There’s bisexual rep, gender-fluid rep, poly rep, multiple recognized genders, and so much more. One of the main characters also has a chronic illness and a physical disability. I appreciate the fact that Hurley doesn’t gloss over the character’s struggles. Her problems are real, and they make it so she often has to work harder, but still she keeps fighting.
The Broken Heavens, the last book in the trilogy, is my favorite. I couldn’t have asked for more from a series finale. I honestly had no idea what to expect from the ending. I didn’t even know what I should hope for, with all the conflicting POVs. It made for a thrilling read, and I both didn’t want it to end and could hardly put it down. This series is made for binging, and I’m so glad I didn’t have to wait for book three. Do yourself a favorite and give this epic fantasy series a chance!
There are quite a few POVs in this trilogy, and Hurley pulls it off flawlessly. This is a series about parallel worlds, and each POV both adds to the overall picture and makes it impossible to say “those are the good guys and those are the bad guys.” Characters you see in the first book only through another character’s eyes have their own POV in the next book, and suddenly their motivations become clear. Every single character does horrible things, and yet I was still able to sympathize with and understand them. Hurley takes morally gray to the next level, and I love it.
This series is #ownvoices for queer representation and is set in a queernorm world. There’s bisexual rep, gender-fluid rep, poly rep, multiple recognized genders, and so much more. One of the main characters also has a chronic illness and a physical disability. I appreciate the fact that Hurley doesn’t gloss over the character’s struggles. Her problems are real, and they make it so she often has to work harder, but still she keeps fighting.
The Broken Heavens, the last book in the trilogy, is my favorite. I couldn’t have asked for more from a series finale. I honestly had no idea what to expect from the ending. I didn’t even know what I should hope for, with all the conflicting POVs. It made for a thrilling read, and I both didn’t want it to end and could hardly put it down. This series is made for binging, and I’m so glad I didn’t have to wait for book three. Do yourself a favorite and give this epic fantasy series a chance!
January 23, 2022
That end was one of the best I have read. Lilia and Zezili are such unique and interesting characters and I love the experience.
The best part of this series though is the world building and how it continues to surprise. It has vibes of The Broken Earth yet uniquely building its own world, its own special magic system and a great goal of the trilogy overall.
It is really one of the different series out there and if you enjoy world building this is a series for you!
The best part of this series though is the world building and how it continues to surprise. It has vibes of The Broken Earth yet uniquely building its own world, its own special magic system and a great goal of the trilogy overall.
It is really one of the different series out there and if you enjoy world building this is a series for you!
July 17, 2020
I still can't believe Ria finished reading before I did...
April 17, 2020
I started the series in 2017 (along with everything else Kameron Hurley had written at the time) and didn't reread to prepare, which may have helped with plot points and characters, but ultimately I made it through mostly coherent.
Hurley has written about having messages about creating a better world in her fiction, and this came through in ways I was not expecting at the close of the series (a lot about choices and the multitudes we contain). I agree with other reviews that draw a similarity to Avengers: Endgame (I also thought this about The Light Brigade) just because the stories have a similar climax/conflict. Although the book started slow for me (perhaps because I didn't totally remember what happened before) by the halfway point I couldn't put it down and the final chapters were an emotional whirlwind. For me and this moment in time, this was a perfect end for the trilogy.
Hurley has written about having messages about creating a better world in her fiction, and this came through in ways I was not expecting at the close of the series (a lot about choices and the multitudes we contain). I agree with other reviews that draw a similarity to Avengers: Endgame (I also thought this about The Light Brigade) just because the stories have a similar climax/conflict. Although the book started slow for me (perhaps because I didn't totally remember what happened before) by the halfway point I couldn't put it down and the final chapters were an emotional whirlwind. For me and this moment in time, this was a perfect end for the trilogy.
April 2, 2020
I'll admit, I had forgotten most of the events and names from the previous book by this point, so it took me a long time to properly get back "into it" whenever the focus shifted to characters who weren't Lilia, Roh, or Luna. I know this book had a troubled birth and took much longer than expected to finish, but there's a reason why TV series have a "previously on..."
This book also barrels down towards a finale and is mostly plot plot plot accidents plot. Worldbuilding is limited to essentials and reminders of things we've been told in previous books, so I can see why some people feel like it's less fleshed out than the first two. Someone compared it to Avengers: Endgame and, while they're two very different beasts, the comparison is not completely wrong, since it's the culmination of a long story with a lot of moving pieces which are all being dragged, willingly or less so, to the same spot at the same time to make good use of their one chance at fixing things.
One thing where I think it wasn't entirely successful was at showing the effects of some major events on the characters, mostly because they don't really have time to react to it. The book starts one year after the end of the previous one, but everything in it happens in a little under two weeks. That's a really accelerated timeline compared to the months and years of the other two.
I think that (spoilers for the ending)
Still, it's a good book and a solid ending to the saga. 4/5
This book also barrels down towards a finale and is mostly plot plot plot accidents plot. Worldbuilding is limited to essentials and reminders of things we've been told in previous books, so I can see why some people feel like it's less fleshed out than the first two. Someone compared it to Avengers: Endgame and, while they're two very different beasts, the comparison is not completely wrong, since it's the culmination of a long story with a lot of moving pieces which are all being dragged, willingly or less so, to the same spot at the same time to make good use of their one chance at fixing things.
One thing where I think it wasn't entirely successful was at showing the effects of some major events on the characters, mostly because they don't really have time to react to it. The book starts one year after the end of the previous one, but everything in it happens in a little under two weeks. That's a really accelerated timeline compared to the months and years of the other two.
I think that (spoilers for the ending)
Still, it's a good book and a solid ending to the saga. 4/5
January 15, 2020
The Dhai people are left reeling after the invasion of the aggressive Tai Kao, fleeing from their disintegrating world. Now Tai Kao leader, Kirana, seeks to close the rift between worlds before the power of the dark star Oma, fails. But in the process, there will continue to be a life and death struggle with the invaders and the Dhai still prepared to resist them.
Kameron Hurley has created a fantasy not in one world but many, since the rifts allow passage from one alternate reality to another.
As always in Hurley’s stories, it is about people and nothing is straightforward. This time there is a big question over morality. Who really are the bad people?
As the story shifts from one side to another you are constantly left asking yourself who is evil and who is good. Who has the right to live and die, given that if your doppelgänger or that of someone you love exists in the reality you are fleeing to for safety, and do you have the right to have them killed to make way for the person who means so much to you?
I enjoyed the constant shuttle back and forth through the warring factions. Ultimately the story is probably best to be observed from a position of everyone is trying to survive in the best way they know how. At the same time the author allows you, the reader, to form attachments to characters who might not survive in one world, but in another. Do you have to prepare to mourn the potential demise of one version of a character that you prefer and make room for another? On what do you base your judgment, because each of their perspectives and consequent actions might be valid given the predicament they find themselves in.
This is the third and final book in the series, however I had not read the previous two books and was coming to the world, or worlds, for the first time. It did not take me long to catch up, and given the depth of character development (yes there is still room for that, even in a final book), and breadth (in terms of people and their interactions) of the well thought through plot. I found there was a great deal to hold my interest.
It is clear from The Broken Heavens that the series will easily take several re-reads to fully appreciate all the nuances of the whole story.
The Broken Heavens was courtesy of Angry Robot.
Kameron Hurley has created a fantasy not in one world but many, since the rifts allow passage from one alternate reality to another.
As always in Hurley’s stories, it is about people and nothing is straightforward. This time there is a big question over morality. Who really are the bad people?
As the story shifts from one side to another you are constantly left asking yourself who is evil and who is good. Who has the right to live and die, given that if your doppelgänger or that of someone you love exists in the reality you are fleeing to for safety, and do you have the right to have them killed to make way for the person who means so much to you?
I enjoyed the constant shuttle back and forth through the warring factions. Ultimately the story is probably best to be observed from a position of everyone is trying to survive in the best way they know how. At the same time the author allows you, the reader, to form attachments to characters who might not survive in one world, but in another. Do you have to prepare to mourn the potential demise of one version of a character that you prefer and make room for another? On what do you base your judgment, because each of their perspectives and consequent actions might be valid given the predicament they find themselves in.
This is the third and final book in the series, however I had not read the previous two books and was coming to the world, or worlds, for the first time. It did not take me long to catch up, and given the depth of character development (yes there is still room for that, even in a final book), and breadth (in terms of people and their interactions) of the well thought through plot. I found there was a great deal to hold my interest.
It is clear from The Broken Heavens that the series will easily take several re-reads to fully appreciate all the nuances of the whole story.
The Broken Heavens was courtesy of Angry Robot.
December 4, 2019
*copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review*
*I don't actually think I left any spoilers here, but approach at your own risk*
The Broken Heavens is the third and final book in Kameron Hurley’s Worldbreaker saga. The previous two books were complicated, deeply weird, incisively fierce work. I’m more than happy to report that the conclusion follows in their footsteps.
Worldbreaker is set in a world surrounded by parallel universes. Quite literally. It’s possible to rip holes between parallel realities, leap through, and find yourself in a world where your double made different choices, or their friends did, or their politicians did. To stride from a space where someone is your lover, to one where they’re your worst enemy. But to cross those boundaries, your duplicate needs to be dead.
That drove the central concern of the previous book, as an invading army overwhelmed the pacifist Dhal nation, engaging in genocide in order to save the population of its own ruined world. Now the Dhal are intruders in their own space, occupied by a people who have become a bit more blasé about mass-murder than is good for them. The story explores that occupation, and the conflict that preceded it, with a forensic care, but also with real humanity. There are members of the surviving Dhal who want to rise up and fight. There are members that just want to run, to go somewhere else, to get away from the scene of their catastrophe. Both make excellent arguments, both feel like people trying to do their best by the people behind them. Of course, “their best” is debatable. Nobody here really has clean hands. Those few who appear to are also those with seemingly the least impact on the world. If they’re not willing to get dirty, they’re also not going to get anything done – and will bear the costs of their inaction in any event. The story explores this dichotomy between moral clarity and the personal cost of action – and it does so in an engaging way, using characters that we care about, even as we watch them stand on different sides.
This is a book that really reaches, that is grounding big ideas in its world and in its characters. The world is centred on constantly shifting parallels, but it’s also defined by its magic, itself driven by a complex, shifting pattern of celestial satellites. It’s a complex, detailed, richly imagined universe. But there are enough unanswered questions to make the reader wonder how it all hangs together, and why. The big ideas, the big questions, are the bones of this narrative. Looking at consent, at morality, at what people are willing to do, what costs they’re willing to bear, and why. Examining ideas of love and of understanding, of betrayal for the sake of power, or for the sake of advancement, or for that very love. Of seeing people stand up for what they believe in, and be beaten down over and over, and still fighting. Or acquiescing and working within a system. Or both. This is a text that peels back the human experience, flensing to the heart of the lived shared experience, showing that everyone is as much the same as they are different, that monsters are heroes of their own story – and that you can flip a coin between those seen as monsters and heroes.
So yes, this is a big ideas book.
It’s also an intimate one. While we’re tracking the characters through woods filled wit carnivorous plants, or through disturbingly organic temple-strutures teeming with magic, they’re having heartfelt, genuine discussions. There’s an openness there, a front-faing truth which makes the dialogue feel genuine and heartfelt. That the dialogue includes more than a few sharp words, and the occasional verbal assassination makes no odds – they feel equally real. There’s a sense here of real people, who love and live and hurt and die, and invite the reader to experience that alongside them. Some of these people are, incidentally, not very nice people. But they’re people nonetheless, ones you can empathise – if not sympathise – with. In a world populated by doubles, not everyone is who they seem to be, and truth isn’t always what it appears either. But the people, the people are real. And the way they speak to each other lays aside illusions, and has a sort of emotional honesty which gives the words a serious punch – even if (especially if) the words are a horror, or a lie.
So yes.
A broken, strange world, one that carries a weight of history, and is screaming from the changes imposed upon it by its own paradigm.
Characters who feel real, who you’ll care about, who will make you laugh and cry alongside them, who will make you cheer their failure and fear their success. Who are brave, or not, heroes, or not, terrified, or not, magical, or not. Who are, when it comes down to it, people – with all the behavioural spectrum that entails. But they’re real, and you’ll feel for them, and with them.
There’s the story too I mean, I’m in love with the weird world, and the horrendous, compelling, wonderful characters. But there’s the story too. And it kicks arse. I won’t spoil it. But it has all the explosive, strange, unbelievable magic you’ve been looking for. All the unexpected tragedies. All the moments of soaring triumph and sour defeat (possibly in the same paragraph). It’s complex, with tales interweaving as they build to that climatic conclusion we’ve been waiting for. And that conclusion is painful and glorious and fierce and bloody and wonderful. This one has serious emotional energy, and the kind of compelling prose that leaves you turning just one more page before bed – and then suddenly it’s five in the morning and you’re not entirely sure how that happened, but know you loved getting there. This is a story that makes no apologies, that sears the reader as much as it delights, that wants you to think, and will pull you heart and soul into its story.
This is a damn fine conclusion to a damn fine trilogy, and if you’re here trying to decide if it’s worth finishing the series – yes! If you’re trying to decide if the series is worth reading – also yes!
*I don't actually think I left any spoilers here, but approach at your own risk*
The Broken Heavens is the third and final book in Kameron Hurley’s Worldbreaker saga. The previous two books were complicated, deeply weird, incisively fierce work. I’m more than happy to report that the conclusion follows in their footsteps.
Worldbreaker is set in a world surrounded by parallel universes. Quite literally. It’s possible to rip holes between parallel realities, leap through, and find yourself in a world where your double made different choices, or their friends did, or their politicians did. To stride from a space where someone is your lover, to one where they’re your worst enemy. But to cross those boundaries, your duplicate needs to be dead.
That drove the central concern of the previous book, as an invading army overwhelmed the pacifist Dhal nation, engaging in genocide in order to save the population of its own ruined world. Now the Dhal are intruders in their own space, occupied by a people who have become a bit more blasé about mass-murder than is good for them. The story explores that occupation, and the conflict that preceded it, with a forensic care, but also with real humanity. There are members of the surviving Dhal who want to rise up and fight. There are members that just want to run, to go somewhere else, to get away from the scene of their catastrophe. Both make excellent arguments, both feel like people trying to do their best by the people behind them. Of course, “their best” is debatable. Nobody here really has clean hands. Those few who appear to are also those with seemingly the least impact on the world. If they’re not willing to get dirty, they’re also not going to get anything done – and will bear the costs of their inaction in any event. The story explores this dichotomy between moral clarity and the personal cost of action – and it does so in an engaging way, using characters that we care about, even as we watch them stand on different sides.
This is a book that really reaches, that is grounding big ideas in its world and in its characters. The world is centred on constantly shifting parallels, but it’s also defined by its magic, itself driven by a complex, shifting pattern of celestial satellites. It’s a complex, detailed, richly imagined universe. But there are enough unanswered questions to make the reader wonder how it all hangs together, and why. The big ideas, the big questions, are the bones of this narrative. Looking at consent, at morality, at what people are willing to do, what costs they’re willing to bear, and why. Examining ideas of love and of understanding, of betrayal for the sake of power, or for the sake of advancement, or for that very love. Of seeing people stand up for what they believe in, and be beaten down over and over, and still fighting. Or acquiescing and working within a system. Or both. This is a text that peels back the human experience, flensing to the heart of the lived shared experience, showing that everyone is as much the same as they are different, that monsters are heroes of their own story – and that you can flip a coin between those seen as monsters and heroes.
So yes, this is a big ideas book.
It’s also an intimate one. While we’re tracking the characters through woods filled wit carnivorous plants, or through disturbingly organic temple-strutures teeming with magic, they’re having heartfelt, genuine discussions. There’s an openness there, a front-faing truth which makes the dialogue feel genuine and heartfelt. That the dialogue includes more than a few sharp words, and the occasional verbal assassination makes no odds – they feel equally real. There’s a sense here of real people, who love and live and hurt and die, and invite the reader to experience that alongside them. Some of these people are, incidentally, not very nice people. But they’re people nonetheless, ones you can empathise – if not sympathise – with. In a world populated by doubles, not everyone is who they seem to be, and truth isn’t always what it appears either. But the people, the people are real. And the way they speak to each other lays aside illusions, and has a sort of emotional honesty which gives the words a serious punch – even if (especially if) the words are a horror, or a lie.
So yes.
A broken, strange world, one that carries a weight of history, and is screaming from the changes imposed upon it by its own paradigm.
Characters who feel real, who you’ll care about, who will make you laugh and cry alongside them, who will make you cheer their failure and fear their success. Who are brave, or not, heroes, or not, terrified, or not, magical, or not. Who are, when it comes down to it, people – with all the behavioural spectrum that entails. But they’re real, and you’ll feel for them, and with them.
There’s the story too I mean, I’m in love with the weird world, and the horrendous, compelling, wonderful characters. But there’s the story too. And it kicks arse. I won’t spoil it. But it has all the explosive, strange, unbelievable magic you’ve been looking for. All the unexpected tragedies. All the moments of soaring triumph and sour defeat (possibly in the same paragraph). It’s complex, with tales interweaving as they build to that climatic conclusion we’ve been waiting for. And that conclusion is painful and glorious and fierce and bloody and wonderful. This one has serious emotional energy, and the kind of compelling prose that leaves you turning just one more page before bed – and then suddenly it’s five in the morning and you’re not entirely sure how that happened, but know you loved getting there. This is a story that makes no apologies, that sears the reader as much as it delights, that wants you to think, and will pull you heart and soul into its story.
This is a damn fine conclusion to a damn fine trilogy, and if you’re here trying to decide if it’s worth finishing the series – yes! If you’re trying to decide if the series is worth reading – also yes!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2023
I think I enjoyed this more than the previous books, but still not really my favorite series. Very violent and gory and confusing. Plus I didn't remember the first 2 books well and didn't care to reread them. All in all, an interesting premise and the writing itself was good, but the plot was a number and the characters never clicked with me.
March 22, 2020
3 stars cause ITS OVER. O-V-U-R
July 25, 2022
A very good read. Quite a world Kameron created . Enjoyed it.
September 19, 2023
Kameron Hurley's grim, dark, bloody, ruthless science fiction fantasy trilogy with a shit-ton of action and some plot moves in directions that I wasn't too satisfied. I'm not sure how I felt about many of the main characters being resurrected - the return of Akhio was a shock at first, and one I didn't quite like. But Zezili's return - as an even more ruthless, literally bloodthirsty warrior - this I could get in to. The increase of worlds colliding and people crossing over through winks became almost insane, and I truly felt for many of the characters, including Lilia and even Kirana and her insane quest to save her family. These themes and ideas of morally grey characters - the monsters in all of us - who do bad things in order to save a loved one, or go on a vengeance quest - these themes are much more fully developed in the first and second book. Here, in the grand finale, it almost started to feel like I would find a kitchen sink thrown into the mix. I wouldn't have been surprised, actually.
In all, however, in ending an epically grim and complex series about fractured worlds trying to reunite and caught in a seemingly endless time loop - I was satisfied with the ending. Many kudos to the author for an incredible series!
In all, however, in ending an epically grim and complex series about fractured worlds trying to reunite and caught in a seemingly endless time loop - I was satisfied with the ending. Many kudos to the author for an incredible series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2020
I love reading Kameron Hurley’s books! They each show the amazing creativity she has as a writer. I was introduced to Hurley’s writing when i was given a copy of the first book of the God’s War trilogy - I loved it and then proceeded to consume each book she has ever written. Her style of writing, the various characters in each story, the detailed world-building that she painstakingly creates in her series is unique and always exciting. I can think of no one to compare. She is a stand alone author in the genre. When i began the next book series,”Worldbreaker”, I was once again pulled back into her works. I completed them always wanting more. Book one and two were finished and when I learned i had to wait for the release of the third installment, I was not happy. It was frustrating having to wait for the release date. Of course, anyone who is a fan of scifi & fantasy know that waiting for the next book in a series is part of the deal when you involve yourself in one of these epics. So wait I did. In time, I finally had it in my hands. Once I opened the “The Broken Heavens”, third book in the Workdbreaker saga, I stopped everything. It contained everything i look for in a successfully written story- emotional ties with different characters, sharing their feelings on everything up to that point. I experienced a clear and detailed image of each scene Hurley described, nothing was left to chance. Every part of the story brought together everything from book one. I was not disappointed. So i highly recommend this book. It will be one of your favorites. I am ready for whatever comes next from Hurley..
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