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The Books of the Raksura #5
The Harbors of the Sun
Nominated for the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Series
"Breathtakingly surprising and fun. For readers who missed earlier entry points to this delightful series, now is the time to get on board."
—The New York Times
A former friend has betrayed the Raksura and their groundling companions, and now the survivors must race across the Three Worlds to rescue their kidnapped family members. When Moon and Stone are sent ahead to scout, they quickly encounter an unexpected and potentially deadly ally, and decide to disobey the queens and continue the search alone. Following in a wind-ship, Jade and Malachite make an unlikely alliance of their own, until word reaches them that the Fell are massing for an attack on the Reaches, and that forces of the powerful Empire of Kish are turning against the Raksura and their groundling comrades.
But there may be no time to stage a rescue, as the kidnapped Raksura discover that their captors are heading toward a mysterious destination with a stolen magical artifact that will cause more devastation for the Reaches than anything the lethal Fell can imagine. To stop them, the Raksura will have to take the ultimate risk and follow them into forbidden territory.
The Harbors of the Sun, from celebrated fantasy author Martha Wells, is the thrilling follow-up to The Edge of Worlds, and the conclusion of a new Three Worlds duology of strange lands, uncanny beings, dead cities, and ancient danger.
"Breathtakingly surprising and fun. For readers who missed earlier entry points to this delightful series, now is the time to get on board."
—The New York Times
A former friend has betrayed the Raksura and their groundling companions, and now the survivors must race across the Three Worlds to rescue their kidnapped family members. When Moon and Stone are sent ahead to scout, they quickly encounter an unexpected and potentially deadly ally, and decide to disobey the queens and continue the search alone. Following in a wind-ship, Jade and Malachite make an unlikely alliance of their own, until word reaches them that the Fell are massing for an attack on the Reaches, and that forces of the powerful Empire of Kish are turning against the Raksura and their groundling comrades.
But there may be no time to stage a rescue, as the kidnapped Raksura discover that their captors are heading toward a mysterious destination with a stolen magical artifact that will cause more devastation for the Reaches than anything the lethal Fell can imagine. To stop them, the Raksura will have to take the ultimate risk and follow them into forbidden territory.
The Harbors of the Sun, from celebrated fantasy author Martha Wells, is the thrilling follow-up to The Edge of Worlds, and the conclusion of a new Three Worlds duology of strange lands, uncanny beings, dead cities, and ancient danger.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 4, 2017
226 people are currently reading
3093 people want to read
About the author
Martha Wells
109 books24.7k followersMartha Wells has been an SF/F writer since her first fantasy novel was published in 1993, and her work includes The Books of the Raksura series, the Ile-Rien series, The Murderbot Diaries series, and other fantasy novels, most recently Witch King (Tordotcom, 2023). She has also written media tie-in fiction for Star Wars, Stargate: Atlantis, and Magic: the Gathering, as well as short fiction, YA novels, and non-fiction. She has won Nebula Awards, Hugo Awards, Locus Awards, and a Dragon Award, and her work has appeared on the Philip K. Dick Award ballot, the British Science Fiction Association Award ballot, the USA Today Bestseller List, the Sunday Times Bestseller List, and the New York Times Bestseller List. She is a member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame, and her books have been published in twenty-five languages.
She is also a consulting producer on The Murderbot Diaries series for Apple TV+.
She is also a consulting producer on The Murderbot Diaries series for Apple TV+.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 381 reviews
July 10, 2024
2.8⭐
The conclusion, so far, of Martha Wells' Raksura series. It's a decent adventure story with a "saving the world in the nick of time" ending.
I like the author's fantasy tales, just fine, although admittedly not as much as her science fiction i.e. The Murderbot Diaries. Moon, Jade, Stone and the rest of her Raksura are fine characters but just not as well developed or nuanced as Murderbot, the cynical antihero we all need for the 2020's. I guess it's to Wells' credit as a writer that her flying, shape-shifting, lizard people are just a little less relatable and more alien than a killer cyborg with cloned human neural tissue. I liked the series, sad it's over (so far) and to answer Russell Crowe's question- "Yes, I was entertained." -30-
The conclusion, so far, of Martha Wells' Raksura series. It's a decent adventure story with a "saving the world in the nick of time" ending.
I like the author's fantasy tales, just fine, although admittedly not as much as her science fiction i.e. The Murderbot Diaries. Moon, Jade, Stone and the rest of her Raksura are fine characters but just not as well developed or nuanced as Murderbot, the cynical antihero we all need for the 2020's. I guess it's to Wells' credit as a writer that her flying, shape-shifting, lizard people are just a little less relatable and more alien than a killer cyborg with cloned human neural tissue. I liked the series, sad it's over (so far) and to answer Russell Crowe's question- "Yes, I was entertained." -30-
January 27, 2019
“I can’t stop you from going. And I admit it’s exactly the sort of mad exploit you excel at.”
These were not Harbors of the Sun. It was more like Pearl Harbor. Except it took 416 pages to destroy me and my love for the Raksura.
If you really want to read this book, it is best to be read back to back with the predecessor as the novel picks up halfway through the story. Although the Author provides a (tedious) roundup of the previous events, still plunging into the book at this point might be disconcerting.
In a *supposed* (I will come back to this) finale of a five-book-long series, recapitulating where we are, is somewhat pointless, so all the prospective reader needs to know is that in Harbors of the Sun both the personal (Moon-related) and the general (Raksura-related) arcs reach their pinnacles gathering all the threads we remember from previous books: loneliness and belonging, conformity to certain social order while retaining one’s identity, crossing the borders, both geographic and biological, and at the same time staying on the true course, so to speak.
The tale in which these threads are weaved is split into a distinct plot lines with the action running simultaneously in different places with several POVs narrating the events. What has begun in the previous book, i.e. shifting the main focus off Moon, is even more pronounced here. Some of these narrators are purely functional, so I couldn’t care less who did the talking. There was not enough or too late to build distinctive Raksura personality, especially that the Raksura culture is not an individualist but a collective one and thus all these creatures, as endearing as they might be, blend into one homogenous crowd. There were, however, POVs I was waiting for to no avail
My working hypothesis is that somebody (the publisher?) told Ms Wells that the series needs to be more adult and so she fumbled with the formula that worked so brilliantly in the first three instalments. The adult means added profanities and casual group sex. That was a bad, bad idea.
The desire to make the books more complex resulted only in incomprehensible. The rather straightforward story that should be exciting, turned meandering instead, and the rationale for this meandering is nowhere near plausible. The worst thing is that this book has a zero added value in the context of the overarching tale. As exciting as the builders and forerunners (and their cities!) are, we have learnt virtually nothing about them . This indifference on the Author’s part with regard to her own world, meant that I cared not a whit about the stakes in this duology (even though the implications were more far-reaching and dire).
Not only were crucial details glossed over but also the ending was atrocious. I have heard people complaining about the previous book ending. I didn’t have an issue with the fact that it was inconclusive, but the way Ms Wells concluded the supposedly final act in her series had me checking whether I had a corrupted file: the ending proper occurred about 3/4 into the book and then the carcass of the story was dragged on for no reason whatsoever only to end up so abruptly and without a warning (or solutions/answers) that when the “About the Author” page appeared on my iPad I thought I inadvertently skipped part of the book.
I am dead positive Harbors is not going to be the last book and that the whole series will turn into 3+3. Originally, the Raksura was meant to be a trilogy. There was a huge time gap between book 3 and book 4 and the latter reads like something that Ms Wells has kept in the sock drawer. Like something she has written for pleasure, without a clear indication where she is going and without knowing where or how to stop. Given the inconclusive, lousy ending of book 5 I really think book 6 is in the making even if we will have to wait four or five years for it to be published.
I really hope so, because the way the most interesting thread has been treated here is beyond redemption especially that it was the only interesting, fresh idea in the whole book - whereas all Moon had to offer was a sad regurgitation of his earlier fears, doubts, and emotional dramas.
In other words: Goodbye Moon! Welcome Consolation! If I ever read another Raksura book, it will be only for you.
___
Also in the series:
1. The Cloud Roads ★★★★☆
2. The Serpent Sea ★★★★☆
3. The Siren Depths ★★★☆☆
4. The Edge of Worlds ★★☆☆☆
These were not Harbors of the Sun. It was more like Pearl Harbor. Except it took 416 pages to destroy me and my love for the Raksura.
If you really want to read this book, it is best to be read back to back with the predecessor as the novel picks up halfway through the story. Although the Author provides a (tedious) roundup of the previous events, still plunging into the book at this point might be disconcerting.
In a *supposed* (I will come back to this) finale of a five-book-long series, recapitulating where we are, is somewhat pointless, so all the prospective reader needs to know is that in Harbors of the Sun both the personal (Moon-related) and the general (Raksura-related) arcs reach their pinnacles gathering all the threads we remember from previous books: loneliness and belonging, conformity to certain social order while retaining one’s identity, crossing the borders, both geographic and biological, and at the same time staying on the true course, so to speak.
The tale in which these threads are weaved is split into a distinct plot lines with the action running simultaneously in different places with several POVs narrating the events. What has begun in the previous book, i.e. shifting the main focus off Moon, is even more pronounced here. Some of these narrators are purely functional, so I couldn’t care less who did the talking. There was not enough or too late to build distinctive Raksura personality, especially that the Raksura culture is not an individualist but a collective one and thus all these creatures, as endearing as they might be, blend into one homogenous crowd. There were, however, POVs I was waiting for to no avail
My working hypothesis is that somebody (the publisher?) told Ms Wells that the series needs to be more adult and so she fumbled with the formula that worked so brilliantly in the first three instalments. The adult means added profanities and casual group sex. That was a bad, bad idea.
The desire to make the books more complex resulted only in incomprehensible. The rather straightforward story that should be exciting, turned meandering instead, and the rationale for this meandering is nowhere near plausible. The worst thing is that this book has a zero added value in the context of the overarching tale. As exciting as the builders and forerunners (and their cities!) are, we have learnt virtually nothing about them . This indifference on the Author’s part with regard to her own world, meant that I cared not a whit about the stakes in this duology (even though the implications were more far-reaching and dire).
Not only were crucial details glossed over but also the ending was atrocious. I have heard people complaining about the previous book ending. I didn’t have an issue with the fact that it was inconclusive, but the way Ms Wells concluded the supposedly final act in her series had me checking whether I had a corrupted file: the ending proper occurred about 3/4 into the book and then the carcass of the story was dragged on for no reason whatsoever only to end up so abruptly and without a warning (or solutions/answers) that when the “About the Author” page appeared on my iPad I thought I inadvertently skipped part of the book.
I am dead positive Harbors is not going to be the last book and that the whole series will turn into 3+3. Originally, the Raksura was meant to be a trilogy. There was a huge time gap between book 3 and book 4 and the latter reads like something that Ms Wells has kept in the sock drawer. Like something she has written for pleasure, without a clear indication where she is going and without knowing where or how to stop. Given the inconclusive, lousy ending of book 5 I really think book 6 is in the making even if we will have to wait four or five years for it to be published.
I really hope so, because the way the most interesting thread has been treated here is beyond redemption especially that it was the only interesting, fresh idea in the whole book - whereas all Moon had to offer was a sad regurgitation of his earlier fears, doubts, and emotional dramas.
In other words: Goodbye Moon! Welcome Consolation! If I ever read another Raksura book, it will be only for you.
___
Also in the series:
1. The Cloud Roads ★★★★☆
2. The Serpent Sea ★★★★☆
3. The Siren Depths ★★★☆☆
4. The Edge of Worlds ★★☆☆☆
January 2, 2019
*binge-binge-binge* Series binge BR with the lovely Mayim
Because we love Moon and Malachite rocks!!!
And it's over! I can't believe it's over!! I don't want it to be over!!!
A great end to a fabulous series! I really loved this one. ♥️♥️
Because we love Moon and Malachite rocks!!!
And it's over! I can't believe it's over!! I don't want it to be over!!!
A great end to a fabulous series! I really loved this one. ♥️♥️
August 12, 2025
3.5 stars
The The Harbors of the Sun concludes the lengthy story that most of The Edge of Worlds spent setting up. In many ways, the conclusions were really good, but it was not quite as tightly written as the earlier books were.
That said, there were still so many things to love here. Of course the ongoing relationships between Moon and Jade and Stone, but also all the little descriptions and interactions throughout the book about relationships with other Raksura. The social fabric of the Raksura is complex and multilayered, and gives the whole story a high degree of emotional solidity.
New things to particularly love in this book were any scenes with Malachite and Pearl together. In my mind, Pearl has by this book mostly redeemed herself from the unstable and unlikable character she started out as in The Cloud Roads. Malachite is just plain terrifying and someone I can't get enough of. I would love it if Wells wrote more about the terrible history of Opal Night so we could see how Malachite becomes the peerless queen she is.
Rorra was also a character who I just felt so attached to, more so than any other non-Raksuran character introduced in the series. It was too bad more of what happened off page between Rorra and Stone wasn't included, because that relationship is one I was so interested in reading more about.
Even though I liked the first three books more than these last two, the whole series is completely excellent. I don't remember the last time I felt unready to leave a series on completion, but I really do feel that way about the Books of the Raksura.
The The Harbors of the Sun concludes the lengthy story that most of The Edge of Worlds spent setting up. In many ways, the conclusions were really good, but it was not quite as tightly written as the earlier books were.
That said, there were still so many things to love here. Of course the ongoing relationships between Moon and Jade and Stone, but also all the little descriptions and interactions throughout the book about relationships with other Raksura. The social fabric of the Raksura is complex and multilayered, and gives the whole story a high degree of emotional solidity.
New things to particularly love in this book were any scenes with Malachite and Pearl together. In my mind, Pearl has by this book mostly redeemed herself from the unstable and unlikable character she started out as in The Cloud Roads. Malachite is just plain terrifying and someone I can't get enough of. I would love it if Wells wrote more about the terrible history of Opal Night so we could see how Malachite becomes the peerless queen she is.
Rorra was also a character who I just felt so attached to, more so than any other non-Raksuran character introduced in the series. It was too bad more of what happened off page between Rorra and Stone wasn't included, because that relationship is one I was so interested in reading more about.
Even though I liked the first three books more than these last two, the whole series is completely excellent. I don't remember the last time I felt unready to leave a series on completion, but I really do feel that way about the Books of the Raksura.
June 27, 2017
The fourth Raksura book, The Edge of Worlds, left off on a cliffhanger. The Harbors of the Sun, the fifth and final Raksura book, picked up where it left off. To read The Harbors of the Sun, you need to have at least read The Edge of Worlds, if not have started at the very beginning with The Cloud Roads. But if you’re not familiar with this series, I beg you to look into it. The Raksura books are some of the most imaginative fantasy novels I’ve ever read, and they’ve received too little attention.
Given how closely The Harbors of the Sun is tied to The Edge of Worlds, beware of spoilers for the previous book when reading farther into this review.
The Raksura have been betrayed! The ancient Forerunner artifact has been stolen and two of the Arbora have been kidnapped. Moon and Stone are scouting ahead for the rescue mission, while Jade, Malachite, and the rest follow in the flying boat… while dealing with the Fellborn queen. And if you thought things couldn’t get worse, apparently the ancient artifact has the ability to kill all the Fell and Raksura in the Reaches… and some consider the Raksura an acceptable causality. Also, the Fell are massing to attack the Reaches while Jade and Moon are away. Welcome back to the Three Worlds!
The Harbors of the Sun had more of an epic fantasy feel than the rest of the Raksura books. What with the dreadful powers of this ancient artifact, we’re getting into end of the world type territory. Oh, and the impending Fell invasion is totally a grand Final Battle. The Harbors of the Sun made excellent use of some classic fantasy tropes, and I think enlarging the scale of the conflict was a good move for the last book in the series.
In my review of The Edge of Worlds, I said that the plot felt like it dragged what with all the traveling from A to B. That may have been a bit true of The Harbors of the Sun, especially in the beginning, but overall it felt a lot less draggy. Besides, even when there’s not plot stuff going on, I still love reading about the Raksura. They’re too delightful! I love their dialogue and bickering. Oh, and Pearl and Malachite became friends in this one! It was both wonderful and terrifying! Picture the two of them coming at you in battle.
I’m going to miss these characters so much. I know I can always go back and read the books and short stories again, but I’ll miss having new content on the horizon. I’m not normally into fanfiction, but this series ending might drive me to it. God, I love these characters. They’re all my snarky little lizard babies, and I don’t want to ever let them go.
That said, I’m sure to follow Martha Wells into whatever world or genre she writes next. Pretty much everything she’s written has been excellent. The Harbors of the Sun was no exception.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received an ARC in exchange for a free and honest review.
Given how closely The Harbors of the Sun is tied to The Edge of Worlds, beware of spoilers for the previous book when reading farther into this review.
The Raksura have been betrayed! The ancient Forerunner artifact has been stolen and two of the Arbora have been kidnapped. Moon and Stone are scouting ahead for the rescue mission, while Jade, Malachite, and the rest follow in the flying boat… while dealing with the Fellborn queen. And if you thought things couldn’t get worse, apparently the ancient artifact has the ability to kill all the Fell and Raksura in the Reaches… and some consider the Raksura an acceptable causality. Also, the Fell are massing to attack the Reaches while Jade and Moon are away. Welcome back to the Three Worlds!
The Harbors of the Sun had more of an epic fantasy feel than the rest of the Raksura books. What with the dreadful powers of this ancient artifact, we’re getting into end of the world type territory. Oh, and the impending Fell invasion is totally a grand Final Battle. The Harbors of the Sun made excellent use of some classic fantasy tropes, and I think enlarging the scale of the conflict was a good move for the last book in the series.
In my review of The Edge of Worlds, I said that the plot felt like it dragged what with all the traveling from A to B. That may have been a bit true of The Harbors of the Sun, especially in the beginning, but overall it felt a lot less draggy. Besides, even when there’s not plot stuff going on, I still love reading about the Raksura. They’re too delightful! I love their dialogue and bickering. Oh, and Pearl and Malachite became friends in this one! It was both wonderful and terrifying! Picture the two of them coming at you in battle.
I’m going to miss these characters so much. I know I can always go back and read the books and short stories again, but I’ll miss having new content on the horizon. I’m not normally into fanfiction, but this series ending might drive me to it. God, I love these characters. They’re all my snarky little lizard babies, and I don’t want to ever let them go.
That said, I’m sure to follow Martha Wells into whatever world or genre she writes next. Pretty much everything she’s written has been excellent. The Harbors of the Sun was no exception.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received an ARC in exchange for a free and honest review.
January 9, 2019
This is the conclusion to the story started in The Edge of Worlds.
After the betrayal and kidnapping at the end of the previous book, Moon and his companions are left pursuing their betrayers and the ancient weapon that they've stolen. Back in the Reaches, the Fell are massing for an all-out attack on the Raksura. And on the betrayers airship an argument brews around just how destructive the ancient weapon is going to be.
The first half of this book is as tight as anything else in the series and with some of the emotional heft that I felt was absent in the previous one. However, the second half is a hot mess. The story stumbles through three separate climaxes of which only the first felt earned, and the main emotional payoff that had been teased for the whole of the duology (the fate of the half-Fell) was horribly flubbed. So much promise just not followed through.
Very disappointing.
After the betrayal and kidnapping at the end of the previous book, Moon and his companions are left pursuing their betrayers and the ancient weapon that they've stolen. Back in the Reaches, the Fell are massing for an all-out attack on the Raksura. And on the betrayers airship an argument brews around just how destructive the ancient weapon is going to be.
The first half of this book is as tight as anything else in the series and with some of the emotional heft that I felt was absent in the previous one. However, the second half is a hot mess. The story stumbles through three separate climaxes of which only the first felt earned, and the main emotional payoff that had been teased for the whole of the duology (the fate of the half-Fell) was horribly flubbed. So much promise just not followed through.
Very disappointing.
February 25, 2021
Great book with a fitting conclusion for an inspired series, I truly enjoyed it.
July 18, 2017
Wow. Martha Wells just delivers the goods every single time with her Raksura books, and The Harbors of the Sun is another splendidly written, thrilling, heart-stopping-and-starting, amazingly realized novel. Wells' Raksura series is one of the two or three authors that I pre-purchase in hardcover, and she's never once let me down.
HotS is the second and final book of the second series, if that makes sense - it's the 5th Raksura novel and you must read the others before this, it isn't standalone at all. To get ready for HofS I reread all of the Raksura novels and short stories so I was Ready to Read when it hit my mailbox, and devoured it in a day. I don't think I would've needed to reread the last book, Wells does a good job of gently bringing the story up-to-date in the first few chapters without boring readers to tears.
HofS is even more of a roller-coaster ride than the previous novels. There are perspective shifts, and events unfolding all across the continent. Just when you think you're settling into some gentle reading another plot twist jumps out and whoosh, you're riding the coaster again. It's a very difficult-to-put-down read, but a very satisfying one.
As always her characters feel very real, with sensible motivations and generally sensible responses to those motivations. Pearl and Malachite remain somewhat mysterious, as they should, I think, being dominant Queens, but we see more of Pearl as a functional Queen even while all those around her worry about whether she's in the 'mood' to act her role: that seemed very real to me, as she'd been basically in a funk for so long. She can't just start embracing the role of Queen and boom, no one remembers that she's been, basically, neglecting her duties (although no one would ever phrase it like that). There's a wonderful, cranky sisterhood that seems to be developing between the two damaged Queens, Pearl and Malachite, that strikes all the right notes.
There's quite a lot of Arbora perspective in this book which I really enjoyed. The Arbora could be far too easy to stereotype and Wells neatly avoids that trap.
I am SO hoping that a few more short stories might be on offer soon from the world of the Raksura, that would be a wonderful palate cleanser after the depth of details that the novels contain.
HotS is the second and final book of the second series, if that makes sense - it's the 5th Raksura novel and you must read the others before this, it isn't standalone at all. To get ready for HofS I reread all of the Raksura novels and short stories so I was Ready to Read when it hit my mailbox, and devoured it in a day. I don't think I would've needed to reread the last book, Wells does a good job of gently bringing the story up-to-date in the first few chapters without boring readers to tears.
HofS is even more of a roller-coaster ride than the previous novels. There are perspective shifts, and events unfolding all across the continent. Just when you think you're settling into some gentle reading another plot twist jumps out and whoosh, you're riding the coaster again. It's a very difficult-to-put-down read, but a very satisfying one.
As always her characters feel very real, with sensible motivations and generally sensible responses to those motivations. Pearl and Malachite remain somewhat mysterious, as they should, I think, being dominant Queens, but we see more of Pearl as a functional Queen even while all those around her worry about whether she's in the 'mood' to act her role: that seemed very real to me, as she'd been basically in a funk for so long. She can't just start embracing the role of Queen and boom, no one remembers that she's been, basically, neglecting her duties (although no one would ever phrase it like that). There's a wonderful, cranky sisterhood that seems to be developing between the two damaged Queens, Pearl and Malachite, that strikes all the right notes.
There's quite a lot of Arbora perspective in this book which I really enjoyed. The Arbora could be far too easy to stereotype and Wells neatly avoids that trap.
I am SO hoping that a few more short stories might be on offer soon from the world of the Raksura, that would be a wonderful palate cleanser after the depth of details that the novels contain.
March 15, 2022
2022: 5 flying and growling stars
2017: 5 stars
“At the moment Moon’s experience is far more valuable than his ability to breed, and we do not have the luxury of pretending that he is anything other than what he is.”
--------------
This can't be the end!!! : wails: I'll miss them so much!!
Esta es la quinta entrega de los Raksura, unos cambiaformas alados que viven en clanes de linajes familiares con una reina y sus hermanas, consortes, guerreros y los arbora (que no tienen alas y son los maestros, sanadores, artesanos y cazadores).
Esta es la conclusión del libro anterior, cuando los Raksura y sus amigos van en un barco volador en rescate de varios de los suyos que fueron capturados con traiciones y engaños en busca de un aparato destructor muy poderoso. En tanto que las visiones presentan un funesto escenario.
El worldbuilding representa un mundo postapocaliptico, con grandes construcciones ahora en ruinas, de una civilización tecnológicamente más avanzada, antepasados de las razas que viven en tierra y de los cambiaformas que son los Raksura y los otros cambiaformas enemigos depredadores de todas las otras razas: los Fell. Las razas de los groundlings que viven abajo vienen en todas formas y colores, azules, rojos , grises, con huesos y crestas, narices o no, plumas, pétalos, como se te ocurra. Es una sociedad pre-industrial, con carromatos y naves que vuelan usando líneas magnéticas o sistemas flotadores. La única animosidad que existe entre ellos parece ser la división con los grandes depredadores; especialmente el terror hacia los Fell.
En cuanto a geografia, es como si todos vivieran en tierra de gigantes, con bosques y flores y animales mastodónicos.
Una de las cosas más interesantes de esta serie es que las mujeres son el género 'fuerte' en esta historia, las reinas son superpoderosas con poderes especiales y muy mala leche que apenas se toleran entre ellas , muy territoriales, mientras que los consortes viven en una suerte de harem, protegidos y cuidados. Bueno, eso es sino eres Moon el protagonista que se crió fuera de esta estructura y es bastante independiente; o si ya tienes tus añitos y eres un abuelo-pater-familias de varias generaciones que crece más poderoso y más grande con cada año y es un guerrero enorme a quien nadie puede mandar como Stone. Las mujeres guerreras que acompañan a las reinas y cuidan del resto también son más grandes que el resto de su especie, con excepción de las reinas.
También hay sexo -no gráfico- con compañeros de ambos sexos por compañia.
Continuo intrigada por saber que pasó antes, aunque con esos aparatos creo que cada vez queda más claro...
-------------
The city spread out below was massive, the buildings made of golden stone, their domed roofs covered with carvings and painted designs, colorful banners hanging from open galleries and balconies. Broad streets wove between them, though most of the foot traffic was on the bridges that criss-crossed between the upper levels. He blinked and realized the large bridge curving away between distant buildings was actually an aqueduct, small boats sailing along it. He could spot the tower of a flying boat dock not far past it.
{
He had never seen a groundling city this massive in the east. This was what a city looked like that had never been destroyed by Fell or other predators, that had never had to move and leave half itself behind.
Lo único que me faltó más en este tomo fueron más comentarios sarcásticos e interacciones entre Moon y los de la corte. También, Jade y Moon aqui estuvieron más apartados. Sigue encantando la relación abuelo badass- nieto de Stone y Moon.
A todo esto, me acabo de dar cuenta que Jade, la reina de Moon, no tiene ningun super poder síquico como las otras... el poder de Malaquite es super cool.
Resulta sorprendente, lo bien que se llevan Malaquite y Pearl, y hasta como que... ¿flirtean? Oo Bueno, Opal Night rules.
Todo el rato estaba abogando por el Kethel :)
---I wold like to know what happened next with Consolation, and First, and kethel.
2017: 5 stars
“At the moment Moon’s experience is far more valuable than his ability to breed, and we do not have the luxury of pretending that he is anything other than what he is.”
--------------
This can't be the end!!! : wails: I'll miss them so much!!
Esta es la quinta entrega de los Raksura, unos cambiaformas alados que viven en clanes de linajes familiares con una reina y sus hermanas, consortes, guerreros y los arbora (que no tienen alas y son los maestros, sanadores, artesanos y cazadores).
Esta es la conclusión del libro anterior, cuando los Raksura y sus amigos van en un barco volador en rescate de varios de los suyos que fueron capturados con traiciones y engaños en busca de un aparato destructor muy poderoso. En tanto que las visiones presentan un funesto escenario.
El worldbuilding representa un mundo postapocaliptico, con grandes construcciones ahora en ruinas, de una civilización tecnológicamente más avanzada, antepasados de las razas que viven en tierra y de los cambiaformas que son los Raksura y los otros cambiaformas enemigos depredadores de todas las otras razas: los Fell. Las razas de los groundlings que viven abajo vienen en todas formas y colores, azules, rojos , grises, con huesos y crestas, narices o no, plumas, pétalos, como se te ocurra. Es una sociedad pre-industrial, con carromatos y naves que vuelan usando líneas magnéticas o sistemas flotadores. La única animosidad que existe entre ellos parece ser la división con los grandes depredadores; especialmente el terror hacia los Fell.
En cuanto a geografia, es como si todos vivieran en tierra de gigantes, con bosques y flores y animales mastodónicos.
Una de las cosas más interesantes de esta serie es que las mujeres son el género 'fuerte' en esta historia, las reinas son superpoderosas con poderes especiales y muy mala leche que apenas se toleran entre ellas , muy territoriales, mientras que los consortes viven en una suerte de harem, protegidos y cuidados. Bueno, eso es sino eres Moon el protagonista que se crió fuera de esta estructura y es bastante independiente; o si ya tienes tus añitos y eres un abuelo-pater-familias de varias generaciones que crece más poderoso y más grande con cada año y es un guerrero enorme a quien nadie puede mandar como Stone. Las mujeres guerreras que acompañan a las reinas y cuidan del resto también son más grandes que el resto de su especie, con excepción de las reinas.
También hay sexo -no gráfico- con compañeros de ambos sexos por compañia.
Continuo intrigada por saber que pasó antes, aunque con esos aparatos creo que cada vez queda más claro...
-------------
The city spread out below was massive, the buildings made of golden stone, their domed roofs covered with carvings and painted designs, colorful banners hanging from open galleries and balconies. Broad streets wove between them, though most of the foot traffic was on the bridges that criss-crossed between the upper levels. He blinked and realized the large bridge curving away between distant buildings was actually an aqueduct, small boats sailing along it. He could spot the tower of a flying boat dock not far past it.
{
He had never seen a groundling city this massive in the east. This was what a city looked like that had never been destroyed by Fell or other predators, that had never had to move and leave half itself behind.
Lo único que me faltó más en este tomo fueron más comentarios sarcásticos e interacciones entre Moon y los de la corte. También, Jade y Moon aqui estuvieron más apartados. Sigue encantando la relación abuelo badass- nieto de Stone y Moon.
A todo esto, me acabo de dar cuenta que Jade, la reina de Moon, no tiene ningun super poder síquico como las otras... el poder de Malaquite es super cool.
Resulta sorprendente, lo bien que se llevan Malaquite y Pearl, y hasta como que... ¿flirtean? Oo Bueno, Opal Night rules.
Todo el rato estaba abogando por el Kethel :)
---I wold like to know what happened next with Consolation, and First, and kethel.
January 26, 2019
3.5 stars. Book 5 continues the story shortly after the horrible events in book 4. The action in Harbors makes up most of the book, unlike book 4, which was about 50% set up. The action now concerns three separate groups: Song and Merit on the hian ship, Moon and Stone in pursuit, with Jade and company following days behind them, and Indigo Court, where everyone is planning and preparing, together with many warriors from Opal Night, for the Fell attack.
Moon and Stone are often amusing together, though this time around both are exhausted and furious. Jade's feeling the weight of all the events, while back at home Pearl and Malachite have to work together. Which turns out to be very funny.
I wanted to love this book, but I did not. I liked most of it a lot, though there were a few issues. The big action scene to deal with the big, deadly situation was really confusing. I had no sense of the geography of the location and the placement of the actors in the situation. Also, because of the way the scene was written, I didn't understand part of the resolution to the scene, which meant that I was just as lost as Moon was when it came to the lingering feelings of disquiet in Jade. Additionally, the book's ending was protracted after the big action resolution.
One thing I did love by the end of this book was Pearl's often bemused reaction to Malachite. It's been easy to roll my eyes and dismiss Pearl over the series because of her constant annoyance with everything, but Martha Wells helped me realize why Pearl was the queen of Indigo Cloud. She's actually kind of terrifying when she needs to be, and she and Malachite were wonderful when interacting together. I think that was my fondest part of this book.
I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to the Raksura, so I'll be checking out the two Raksura story collections.
Moon and Stone are often amusing together, though this time around both are exhausted and furious. Jade's feeling the weight of all the events, while back at home Pearl and Malachite have to work together. Which turns out to be very funny.
I wanted to love this book, but I did not. I liked most of it a lot, though there were a few issues. The big action scene to deal with the big, deadly situation was really confusing. I had no sense of the geography of the location and the placement of the actors in the situation. Also, because of the way the scene was written, I didn't understand part of the resolution to the scene, which meant that I was just as lost as Moon was when it came to the lingering feelings of disquiet in Jade. Additionally, the book's ending was protracted after the big action resolution.
One thing I did love by the end of this book was Pearl's often bemused reaction to Malachite. It's been easy to roll my eyes and dismiss Pearl over the series because of her constant annoyance with everything, but Martha Wells helped me realize why Pearl was the queen of Indigo Cloud. She's actually kind of terrifying when she needs to be, and she and Malachite were wonderful when interacting together. I think that was my fondest part of this book.
I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to the Raksura, so I'll be checking out the two Raksura story collections.
June 17, 2020
I'm sorry to say, but this (last?) book in the series couldn't capture me the way the brilliant first ones did.
The worldbuilding in the Raksura books still is up there with the very best I've ever read in Fantasy. The world is richly imagined, filled with diverse species - non of which is human - and the details make me want to go visit there. But the plot meandered more and more in the last books, lots of new names were introduced, parallel plotlines with names upon names. Everybody still alive seems to get their moment in this last book, which makes the narration in parts confusing and sprawling.
The topic of the forerunners would have deserved a heavy emphasis, but it somehow got lost in A to B journeys and fights. I was expecting much more from the story as well as from character development. The 'old' characters seemed to be stagnating on their previous status quo.
I was waiting for a climax, for a wow-moment, but then the book ended - a bit like a burbling rivulet. And I was left with the unsatisfying feeling of "that was it?"
Since I'm a bit grumpy with reading at the moment anyway this would have come up to 2 stars if not for the fantastic world and the characters I came to love in former books of this series.
My hope is that this just wasn't the intended end and that there will be a last after last book that rights some of the disappointments of this one.
The worldbuilding in the Raksura books still is up there with the very best I've ever read in Fantasy. The world is richly imagined, filled with diverse species - non of which is human - and the details make me want to go visit there. But the plot meandered more and more in the last books, lots of new names were introduced, parallel plotlines with names upon names. Everybody still alive seems to get their moment in this last book, which makes the narration in parts confusing and sprawling.
The topic of the forerunners would have deserved a heavy emphasis, but it somehow got lost in A to B journeys and fights. I was expecting much more from the story as well as from character development. The 'old' characters seemed to be stagnating on their previous status quo.
I was waiting for a climax, for a wow-moment, but then the book ended - a bit like a burbling rivulet. And I was left with the unsatisfying feeling of "that was it?"
Since I'm a bit grumpy with reading at the moment anyway this would have come up to 2 stars if not for the fantastic world and the characters I came to love in former books of this series.
My hope is that this just wasn't the intended end and that there will be a last after last book that rights some of the disappointments of this one.
August 22, 2019
I'm really sad to say it, but I just didn't connect to these final two Raksura books like I did the initial trilogy. I think in part this was a me thing; this books and the one before it were just so fast paced. The thing I loved most about the Books of the Raksura was the character stuff; Moon making assumptions and throwing tantrums and sulking about it until Chime would get him to finally say what was wrong, stuff like. The angst and the relationship drama, basically. And while there was a taste of it in the last ten percent of this book, it just wasn't enough and just made me want to reread Cloud Roads. (Which I did, immediately).
Still, I don't think the issue was entirely on me and my general lack of interest in action scenes. I felt like there were no real character arcs or even character growth. There wasn't really anywhere left for Moon to go, unless the book really focused on his new clutch and fatherhood (which, gah, would have been a dream for me), but other characters like Chime or Shade could have been focused on. Chime's strange powers weren't really explored or explained, and Shades general angst about his ancestry wasn't resolved at all.
In many ways I feel like there still should be another book to come? Addressing these things, and also the half-fell queen and her court. Everything just feels so unfinished and unsatisfying to me. I did still enjoy these last two books (which really were one book, split), but it's frustrating at the same time to know how much better they could have been.
Still, I don't think the issue was entirely on me and my general lack of interest in action scenes. I felt like there were no real character arcs or even character growth. There wasn't really anywhere left for Moon to go, unless the book really focused on his new clutch and fatherhood (which, gah, would have been a dream for me), but other characters like Chime or Shade could have been focused on. Chime's strange powers weren't really explored or explained, and Shades general angst about his ancestry wasn't resolved at all.
In many ways I feel like there still should be another book to come? Addressing these things, and also the half-fell queen and her court. Everything just feels so unfinished and unsatisfying to me. I did still enjoy these last two books (which really were one book, split), but it's frustrating at the same time to know how much better they could have been.
May 25, 2022
That was so good! The ending felt diluted, but I guess that´s the meat for next installments.
March 11, 2018
If I have only one thing to say about these Raksura books, it's how aggressively readable it is. Mostly the books I read are out of a sense of obligation to educate myself, or to fill in some waiting time, or to keep myself amused while I do something boring. It's actually rare these days that I take a book and sit down just to devour it, but somehow these books manage it.
Part of it must be how attached I am to the entire cast of characters. I love to see their interactions and hold my breath to know what happens to them. To add to that, their interactions are complexe, governed by etiquette and societal norms completely unfamiliar to our own, and unfamiliar to each other too. It's always fun to see them try to figure out what is rude and what is the normal for the other species. The addition of some new groundling allies, and especially, the half-Fell Raksura just adds more variable to the equations and to make everything delightfully dramatic.
The previous book had been kinda slow, because it was too vague all along, even if Things still Happened. This book is kind of a continuation to that one, and things picked up. There's more urgency now that the stakes are clear and keep climbing, and the tension is sustained until the very end. I especially appreciated how the book took the time to finish - the Raksura being held accountable for their actions by a court of some sort. It makes the world more real and more believable. Even if it's too still too short because I know this will be the last book and I love them too much to let them go. :'(
These books might be the only ones where I might say there is too much "show don't tell". The author is always faithful to the POV of the character. If they don't know a thing, she'd never overextend to describe it in their place. It makes the whole adventure aspect more fun, as the characters try to figure out what some tools made by other species are for. But I have some troubles imagining it. To be honest I can't even imagine the Raksura very well, I identify them in my head by characters more than by appearance. And when it comes to places, I'm completely lost. This is not a failing of the author's, strictly speaking. In fact, considering that she's trying to convey an entire new world, the fact that it's so foreign I have trouble imagining it speaks well for her creativity!!!
Part of it must be how attached I am to the entire cast of characters. I love to see their interactions and hold my breath to know what happens to them. To add to that, their interactions are complexe, governed by etiquette and societal norms completely unfamiliar to our own, and unfamiliar to each other too. It's always fun to see them try to figure out what is rude and what is the normal for the other species. The addition of some new groundling allies, and especially, the half-Fell Raksura just adds more variable to the equations and to make everything delightfully dramatic.
The previous book had been kinda slow, because it was too vague all along, even if Things still Happened. This book is kind of a continuation to that one, and things picked up. There's more urgency now that the stakes are clear and keep climbing, and the tension is sustained until the very end. I especially appreciated how the book took the time to finish - the Raksura being held accountable for their actions by a court of some sort. It makes the world more real and more believable. Even if it's too still too short because I know this will be the last book and I love them too much to let them go. :'(
These books might be the only ones where I might say there is too much "show don't tell". The author is always faithful to the POV of the character. If they don't know a thing, she'd never overextend to describe it in their place. It makes the whole adventure aspect more fun, as the characters try to figure out what some tools made by other species are for. But I have some troubles imagining it. To be honest I can't even imagine the Raksura very well, I identify them in my head by characters more than by appearance. And when it comes to places, I'm completely lost. This is not a failing of the author's, strictly speaking. In fact, considering that she's trying to convey an entire new world, the fact that it's so foreign I have trouble imagining it speaks well for her creativity!!!
July 14, 2017
'Harbors of the Sun' weaves together many different plot threads into a very enjoyable conclusion to the Raksura series. I want to point out one particular scene that I think helps illustrated why I've enjoyed these books so much -- while half the characters are chasing after a dangerous stolen artifact, the others are preparing to fight against an invasion of their homelands, and the viewpoint we get for their council of war is through the eyes of a very young girl who just wants to be included in grown-up talks. And in the middle of this very dire situation, the other queens let her sit in, not because she has anything useful to contribute (she finds most of the negotiations boring and almost falls asleep) but because they know she will be an adult one day and she might as well start participating and learning now. It's this sense of connectedness that I enjoy, that there is a practical daily life beyond the particular adventures, and that raising children and making a home are as important as anything else.
Similarly, what might seem like the major plotlines (stolen artifacts and invasions) are both resolved by the three-quarters mark, giving room not only for a proper extended conclusion to this story, but also for the ongoing growth of the relationship between Moon and Jade that has occupied all the books so far. Both of them have had time to confront what their differences and expectations mean for each other, and here we get their ongoing challenge of maintaining that communication between each other. There's also a number of other relationships that get a bit more of a chance to grow; besides Moon's other lovers, there's a cross-species romance that I didn't see coming, but was adorable once it happened. In general, this is a very positive book; even the spots of prejudice and disdain only serve to highlight how ridiculous such judgement is, and I left this book with a smile on my face.
Similarly, what might seem like the major plotlines (stolen artifacts and invasions) are both resolved by the three-quarters mark, giving room not only for a proper extended conclusion to this story, but also for the ongoing growth of the relationship between Moon and Jade that has occupied all the books so far. Both of them have had time to confront what their differences and expectations mean for each other, and here we get their ongoing challenge of maintaining that communication between each other. There's also a number of other relationships that get a bit more of a chance to grow; besides Moon's other lovers, there's a cross-species romance that I didn't see coming, but was adorable once it happened. In general, this is a very positive book; even the spots of prejudice and disdain only serve to highlight how ridiculous such judgement is, and I left this book with a smile on my face.
July 13, 2017
Was about to give this book 4 stars bc there was some perspectives I didn't care much reading from, but then I thought to myself "who am I trying to fool with rating a Raksuran book only 4 stars when clearly it's 5 stars because these books are the greatest thing that has ever happened to this world"
June 26, 2018
WHAT??! This can't be the end!!!!!?!
September 27, 2022
A perfect ending for a great series (which entered my "Top Favs of all Time" list).
to-read-asap
May 30, 2017Oh i just can't wait for this book to come out. I just can't wait. I'm gonna cry as soon as it comes out.
SOBS
i miss this world, and i miss this series.
The first book and third book were still the greatest ones for me, and the short stories, but damn, such unique world and setting, such great characters. Breaking norms and stereotypes.
I just can't wait!
SOBS
i miss this world, and i miss this series.
The first book and third book were still the greatest ones for me, and the short stories, but damn, such unique world and setting, such great characters. Breaking norms and stereotypes.
I just can't wait!
July 30, 2023
"How did you know that would work?"
Stone glanced at him. "You mean telling the truth?"
Moon nodded. Stone just looked at him. "What?" Moon demanded.
Stone sighed and slung an arm around Moon's shoulders. "Nothing." (p.19)
Now that I've finished The Harbors of the Sun, I have officially finished reading the Books of the Raksura. Since this is the last book in a series, my thoughts may end up being a bit of a retrospective on the series as a whole.
(You can also read this review on my blog)
The Edge of Worlds and The Harbors of the Sun make up kind of a Raksura duology, and as such, they're two parts of one longer overarching story. The first three Raksura books could be considered almost as a trilogy, but with more self-contained plots. You could in theory read the first three books out of order and still make sense of them. The Harbors of the Sun would not make sense without The Edge of Worlds. All of the same characters are here, and most of them aren't re-introduced in great detail for your convenience. Which is fine, I just wouldn't want to read these books too far apart from each other.
Also, for some reason Edge of Worlds and Harbors of the Sun don't have character lists at the back of the book! I'm pretty sure all five of the other Raksura books have these, so I was surprised that they're lacking here, especially when these two books might have the largest cast of characters compared to any of the other books. Maybe it was some weird publisher decision, I don't know.
The Harbors of the Sun picks up right where The Edge of Worlds leaves off, with two characters being held captive by the Hians and the rest of the cast trying to retrieve them as well as the dangerous ancient artifact that the Hians stole. Like The Edge of Worlds, there are quite a few different POV characters. Moon probably still gets the most POV-time but Bramble gets a fair bit too, and we also get chapters from Heart, Jade, Ember, and a very cute interlude from Frost (which was a highlight for me). There are more moving parts to the plot then there were in the early books, so I think this decision makes sense. Near the end, there were a couple of times when I felt like including certain characters' current perspectives decreased the narrative tension slightly, but it wasn't a huge deal.
Compared to the previous book, which was the first half of this story after all, this one feels like it has a bit more of an emotional arc to it. Jade and Moon are still reckoning with reconciling their roles in the court with what happens when there are massive threats to the Reaches. There's also more to do with the Fell, the half-Fell flight we met in The Edge of Worlds, and various groundling civilizations. I think this book has more interaction with different groundling groups than any of the previous ones, which is interesting.
I think my favorite parts of this book were the character interactions and the half-Fell flight. Pearl and Malachite were a possibly-unexpected but totally badass duo, Frost's chapter where she interacts with Ember and Pearl was adorable, and Kethel getting lowkey annoyed about everyone threatening to kill it all the time amused me quite a bit. Consolation was fascinatingly strange and I was very glad that Malachite saw potential in her. Also, Bramble was a fun POV character because she was straightforward and practical and just felt like someone I'd like in real life. Just an ordinary Arbora determined to do her best in the tough situation she's in.
As for what I didn't like as much, I had a bit more trouble visualizing the Creepy Ancient Ruins in this book compared to ruins in previous installments, and the falling action (?) felt really really long. Every time I thought things were about to wrap up and the characters were going to go home, the story kept going. This wasn't bad, per se, but I think it's possible that the end of the book could have been tightened up slightly. Still, it resulted in an open ending without any particularly loose ends, and this is the end of the series, so maybe Martha Wells just wanted to spend enough time on the ending to get all that the way she wanted it.
Also, I struggled a bit with the character names, which has been a recurring theme for me in this series. It's not a huge problem, and it's probably a me thing, but for instance, there were multiple times when I was reading a scene and got Shade mixed up with Stone, because I read fast and their names begin and end with the same letters. Sometimes I had to go back and mentally recontextualize conversations as a result. Briar doesn't have a big role in this book, but in previous books having Briar and Bramble both be part of the supporting cast could be a little challenging to keep straight. Sometimes Martha Wells' supporting characters fall into the category of, "probably very distinct to the author, but a little hard to tell apart as a reader." There are lots of characters that do stand out, but many of the warriors and hunters sort of blend together. Murderbot arguably also has this problem with its supporting cast at times. (But if you reread Murderbot as often as I've been doing, that becomes way less of an issue.)
This is a series-ender, as previously mentioned so let's talk about how it ends. I mean, I think it ends the series pretty well. I think you could potentially stop after The Siren Depths, if you wanted to, but if you don't want to, then here are The Edge of Worlds and The Harbors of the Sun. I think The Siren Depths and The Harbors of the Sun both have good endings. The Siren Depths' ending is a little more about Moon coming to terms with his place in Indigo Cloud and the fact that he is valued and cared for, whereas The Harbors of the Sun ends more on Jade and Moon learning that they can come back together after facing really difficult decisions when there were much bigger things than themselves at risk. So I like them both, in different ways.
If I had to choose a least favorite installment of the Raksura series, I would probably go with the Stories of the Raksura volumes. This is not because they are bad. I just don't particularly care for short stories and anthologies in general, so these were never going to be my favorites. That being said, there are a few stories from the Stories of the Raksura that I really like ("The Tale of Indigo and Cloud" and "The Dark Earth Below" come to mind), so I think both volumes are worth reading at least once. Not sure that I'll purchase them physically, though.
Overall, I've really enjoyed Moon's journey throughout the series and it's also been really fun to see what kinds of strange new settings Martha Wells can come up with. This is definitely a series I would recommend for someone looking to investigate her fantasy back catalogue, or to anyone who's interested in an inventive secondary world with absolutely no humans. Moon is a prickly but lovable main character and the interesting structure and politics of Raksuran courts is like catnip to me, a known political intrigue enjoyer.
Stone glanced at him. "You mean telling the truth?"
Moon nodded. Stone just looked at him. "What?" Moon demanded.
Stone sighed and slung an arm around Moon's shoulders. "Nothing." (p.19)
Now that I've finished The Harbors of the Sun, I have officially finished reading the Books of the Raksura. Since this is the last book in a series, my thoughts may end up being a bit of a retrospective on the series as a whole.
(You can also read this review on my blog)
The Edge of Worlds and The Harbors of the Sun make up kind of a Raksura duology, and as such, they're two parts of one longer overarching story. The first three Raksura books could be considered almost as a trilogy, but with more self-contained plots. You could in theory read the first three books out of order and still make sense of them. The Harbors of the Sun would not make sense without The Edge of Worlds. All of the same characters are here, and most of them aren't re-introduced in great detail for your convenience. Which is fine, I just wouldn't want to read these books too far apart from each other.
Also, for some reason Edge of Worlds and Harbors of the Sun don't have character lists at the back of the book! I'm pretty sure all five of the other Raksura books have these, so I was surprised that they're lacking here, especially when these two books might have the largest cast of characters compared to any of the other books. Maybe it was some weird publisher decision, I don't know.
The Harbors of the Sun picks up right where The Edge of Worlds leaves off, with two characters being held captive by the Hians and the rest of the cast trying to retrieve them as well as the dangerous ancient artifact that the Hians stole. Like The Edge of Worlds, there are quite a few different POV characters. Moon probably still gets the most POV-time but Bramble gets a fair bit too, and we also get chapters from Heart, Jade, Ember, and a very cute interlude from Frost (which was a highlight for me). There are more moving parts to the plot then there were in the early books, so I think this decision makes sense. Near the end, there were a couple of times when I felt like including certain characters' current perspectives decreased the narrative tension slightly, but it wasn't a huge deal.
Compared to the previous book, which was the first half of this story after all, this one feels like it has a bit more of an emotional arc to it. Jade and Moon are still reckoning with reconciling their roles in the court with what happens when there are massive threats to the Reaches. There's also more to do with the Fell, the half-Fell flight we met in The Edge of Worlds, and various groundling civilizations. I think this book has more interaction with different groundling groups than any of the previous ones, which is interesting.
I think my favorite parts of this book were the character interactions and the half-Fell flight. Pearl and Malachite were a possibly-unexpected but totally badass duo, Frost's chapter where she interacts with Ember and Pearl was adorable, and Kethel getting lowkey annoyed about everyone threatening to kill it all the time amused me quite a bit. Consolation was fascinatingly strange and I was very glad that Malachite saw potential in her. Also, Bramble was a fun POV character because she was straightforward and practical and just felt like someone I'd like in real life. Just an ordinary Arbora determined to do her best in the tough situation she's in.
As for what I didn't like as much, I had a bit more trouble visualizing the Creepy Ancient Ruins in this book compared to ruins in previous installments, and the falling action (?) felt really really long. Every time I thought things were about to wrap up and the characters were going to go home, the story kept going. This wasn't bad, per se, but I think it's possible that the end of the book could have been tightened up slightly. Still, it resulted in an open ending without any particularly loose ends, and this is the end of the series, so maybe Martha Wells just wanted to spend enough time on the ending to get all that the way she wanted it.
Also, I struggled a bit with the character names, which has been a recurring theme for me in this series. It's not a huge problem, and it's probably a me thing, but for instance, there were multiple times when I was reading a scene and got Shade mixed up with Stone, because I read fast and their names begin and end with the same letters. Sometimes I had to go back and mentally recontextualize conversations as a result. Briar doesn't have a big role in this book, but in previous books having Briar and Bramble both be part of the supporting cast could be a little challenging to keep straight. Sometimes Martha Wells' supporting characters fall into the category of, "probably very distinct to the author, but a little hard to tell apart as a reader." There are lots of characters that do stand out, but many of the warriors and hunters sort of blend together. Murderbot arguably also has this problem with its supporting cast at times. (But if you reread Murderbot as often as I've been doing, that becomes way less of an issue.)
This is a series-ender, as previously mentioned so let's talk about how it ends. I mean, I think it ends the series pretty well. I think you could potentially stop after The Siren Depths, if you wanted to, but if you don't want to, then here are The Edge of Worlds and The Harbors of the Sun. I think The Siren Depths and The Harbors of the Sun both have good endings. The Siren Depths' ending is a little more about Moon coming to terms with his place in Indigo Cloud and the fact that he is valued and cared for, whereas The Harbors of the Sun ends more on Jade and Moon learning that they can come back together after facing really difficult decisions when there were much bigger things than themselves at risk. So I like them both, in different ways.
If I had to choose a least favorite installment of the Raksura series, I would probably go with the Stories of the Raksura volumes. This is not because they are bad. I just don't particularly care for short stories and anthologies in general, so these were never going to be my favorites. That being said, there are a few stories from the Stories of the Raksura that I really like ("The Tale of Indigo and Cloud" and "The Dark Earth Below" come to mind), so I think both volumes are worth reading at least once. Not sure that I'll purchase them physically, though.
Overall, I've really enjoyed Moon's journey throughout the series and it's also been really fun to see what kinds of strange new settings Martha Wells can come up with. This is definitely a series I would recommend for someone looking to investigate her fantasy back catalogue, or to anyone who's interested in an inventive secondary world with absolutely no humans. Moon is a prickly but lovable main character and the interesting structure and politics of Raksuran courts is like catnip to me, a known political intrigue enjoyer.
September 29, 2017
If this is the end, I'm quite devastated – I want more!
March 6, 2020
It took me forever to read this book. The first three novels in the series I breezed through in about a day and a half each. This one only took me a week and a half, but it felt eternal. The Harbors of the Sun is better than The Edge of Worlds, over all, but much, much less good than the first three novels in Wells's Raksura series. If I hadn't so adored the other books, I would not be keeping these two volumes. I will for now, however, just because when I reread the others, I'm sure I'll want to flip through these two to remember a few tiny moments of continuing character development. Assuming I'm not so discouraged by the badness of these two to never reread the early books I loved, as with so many other serieses whose final books have disappointed me *cough cough* Temeraire *cough* Harry Potter *cough cough*. I am also much less excited about the upcoming Murderbot novel, for fear that like the Raksura books, while Wells did brilliantly on the original, shorter books, she will fall down on the longer form follow-up.
Unlike the first three novels of the series, Edge of Worlds and Harbors of the Sun are really a single volume split into two parts. Two bloated parts where almost nothing interesting happens. Each one is longer than any of the original trilogy, yet together they do far less to develop character or worldbuild. Also, unlike the first three books (although arguably The Cloud Roads is like this too), the titles, though they sound really cool, have absolutely no apparent relation to the content of the books. (Also, and this is not Wells's fault, I hate the covers even more than the previous ones. A lot more in the case of the weirdly porny cover of Harbors.)
There were a lot of missed opportunities in this volume. I didn't like the subplot with Kalam in Edge of Worlds, yet it felt odd to have it be as if none of that had ever happened in Harbors. I think I get what Wells was trying to do with that----but it made that original subplot feel all the more pointless, in a book where far too many things felt pointless. Likewise, Worlds introduced many new characters or new windows into less-familiar characters, that Harbors never followed up on--no clue why Rorra was exiled, no follow-up with River (or Ember), plus lots of new POV scenes that barely added anything to the plot--Heart's and Bramble's made sense to show what was happening, but why Frost? Etc. In many ways these books would have been better if they were taking place ten or even twenty (or more) years later, so we could see a bit of how the court developed and these other characters had settled in to life in the Reaches. For instance, since I privately imagine Shade going to visit Delin in the Golden Isles and exploring with him and contributing illustrations to his books, surely Malachite would be easier about letting him come on dangerous journeys after that, rather than just a mere two years after he was practically still in the nursery and very coddled. Also, it would have been more interesting if Wells could have figured out a way to write the action without relying on Stone being everyone's indestructible battering ram all the time.
Which brings me to my next point. All these books are violent, but Worlds and Harbors are especially graphically violent in a way the others weren't (including more violence between Raksura, which felt really wrong given previous worldbuilding). (TW: graphic violence) Given that the battle scenes are all written exactly the same way, and that the settings are almost never well-enough described to follow along clearly (as well as almost always written in a way as to reduce the suspense rather than build it), it began to feel almost comical. And Moon is some kind of action star with a babe in one arm and a machine gun in the other, and Stone can carry any number of people (though thankfully he isn't invisible any more), while three queens working together barely manage to do the same damage Moon can do alone... ugh. Also, you know, a lot more guns. Like, a lot more.
I had anticipated, after the first three books, that in these volumes we would explore more of the three worlds--I wanted to understand more about what skylings and sealings are. We do get glimpses of the former (and by the way, why does Moon suddenly know everything, except then never encounters any species he's ever seen before in his travels; indeed, there being just too many different "races" in this world all of a sudden felt implausible--some of these species must have only two individuals in them, plus evolution happens WAY faster on this planet than on ours... but that I can accept as "magic".), but not any real understanding of them, and we were set up to learn a lot more about Rorra (especially given ), which we never did. That's it in a nutshell--more than half the action set-pieces were boring, the settings were rarely effectively described (wasting a lot of verbiage in the process), and the characters were essentially interchangeable. Moon talks to Saffron because Balm isn't there and you can't tell the difference. Sometimes in dialogue I even read "Shade" as "Stone," and it didn't change the meaning of the dialogue at all. Also, Chime spends half his time on a fainting couch, and Jade never talks to Moon anymore (and they were so good at talking in Cloud Roads!!). And secondary characters, even ones we had previously known well, were indistinguishable in actions or talking.
I was worried in Worlds about the Unfortunate Implications of the half-Fell. That was never really addressed here, though the writing of the half-Fell was better in Harbors, so it didn't feel like as urgent an issue. Except for a few small things, like when I think Heart tells First (seriously, the characters were all interchangeable in dialogue!) "you're half-Fell," when it would have made more sense to say "you're half-Raksura," but once tainted by Fell, always tainted by Fell I guess. And there's still the "Shade is practically a Forerunner" thing. I mean, it kind of makes sense, genetically, kind of. But a Forerunner isn't just half Raksura and half Fell, but rather a mosaic of the three offspring species (or even four: if the short stories are canon, then the Skin-Hunter in "The Dark Earth Below" really feels like kind of the Fell equivalent of an Arbora... or maybe the Arbora version of a Fell). And we keep getting conflicting hints of the Forerunners without understanding what they really were. (I am reminded of a similar-feeling plot point in a book that was resolved much better in .) Etc.
It wasn't all bad. The whole plot with Consolation and her flight was excellent (except for the way the Raksura always refer to Kethel and First and all as "it", when sterile Raksura Warriors are male or female (and by the way, this was touched on in the short story "Transformation," but Chime in the novels complains all the time about not flying well and losing his magic, but never once mentions his loss of fertility. Oh, and speaking of that, how did everyone suddenly decide that Consolation is sterile? Are Shade and Lithe now too? (especially annoying, given how emotionally powerful Shade's conclusions about his own potential to breed were in Siren Depths))). Pretty much everything with the Hians as well. And, funnily enough, while I thought the subplot with the Conclave was extraneous (and why are the Kish border-patrol magically inexperienced with Fell now?), it was one of the best written parts of the book.
Overall I came away with the feeling that Wells was simply not ready to write these books. I don't know what the problem was: she had a contract and didn't have time to develop the idea as much as she needed to, her favorite beta reader had some kind of personal crisis and couldn't read the first draft for her, she had a personal crisis of her own, something else? She must have been working on All Systems Red at about the same time as this story, so was her heart just simply not quite in it? It was distressing to see an author I had come to rely on for both economical writing and very strong plot fall down in both areas in this duology. As well as feeling like she'd forgotten who her characters were and what made them individuals. And she never felt really in control, language-wise. (Consider page 35, where Moon recalls his last night on the wind ship, and I was like "OMG, twincest, what?". It was later (in Jade's POV) sort of explained, but... uh...) These books just didn't feel as finished as the other work of Wells's I've read. And her habitual problem of choosing the wrong word all the time was worse here as well (and without a strong plot to distract me from it, so I was jarred out of the story every flippin' time), making me think whoever edited the book wasn't into it either. ("She barred her teeth." "That's it, teeth! Consider yourselves barred from my life for good!" Also, to my embarrassment, I even found myself using the wrong verb tense in something I wrote, and being unable to catch it on proofreading due to having become used to skipping over such things in this book.)
Very little was satisfactorily resolved, which made the dragged-out tedium of Jade and Moon and Stone not talking at the end extra annoying. And by the way,
Overall, I only really recommend these two books to big fans of the previous Raksura books, and even then with a heavy caveat.
Content: Biological weapon of mass destruction, regular instances of graphic violence, terrorists plot to kill everybody including themselves, idiot politicians, bigots who don't believe victims who are telling the truth, racism (sort of) from "good" characters, kidnapping, torture, poisoning, indiscriminate mass death, despicable grammar.
Unlike the first three novels of the series, Edge of Worlds and Harbors of the Sun are really a single volume split into two parts. Two bloated parts where almost nothing interesting happens. Each one is longer than any of the original trilogy, yet together they do far less to develop character or worldbuild. Also, unlike the first three books (although arguably The Cloud Roads is like this too), the titles, though they sound really cool, have absolutely no apparent relation to the content of the books. (Also, and this is not Wells's fault, I hate the covers even more than the previous ones. A lot more in the case of the weirdly porny cover of Harbors.)
There were a lot of missed opportunities in this volume. I didn't like the subplot with Kalam in Edge of Worlds, yet it felt odd to have it be as if none of that had ever happened in Harbors. I think I get what Wells was trying to do with that----but it made that original subplot feel all the more pointless, in a book where far too many things felt pointless. Likewise, Worlds introduced many new characters or new windows into less-familiar characters, that Harbors never followed up on--no clue why Rorra was exiled, no follow-up with River (or Ember), plus lots of new POV scenes that barely added anything to the plot--Heart's and Bramble's made sense to show what was happening, but why Frost? Etc. In many ways these books would have been better if they were taking place ten or even twenty (or more) years later, so we could see a bit of how the court developed and these other characters had settled in to life in the Reaches. For instance, since I privately imagine Shade going to visit Delin in the Golden Isles and exploring with him and contributing illustrations to his books, surely Malachite would be easier about letting him come on dangerous journeys after that, rather than just a mere two years after he was practically still in the nursery and very coddled. Also, it would have been more interesting if Wells could have figured out a way to write the action without relying on Stone being everyone's indestructible battering ram all the time.
Which brings me to my next point. All these books are violent, but Worlds and Harbors are especially graphically violent in a way the others weren't (including more violence between Raksura, which felt really wrong given previous worldbuilding). (TW: graphic violence) Given that the battle scenes are all written exactly the same way, and that the settings are almost never well-enough described to follow along clearly (as well as almost always written in a way as to reduce the suspense rather than build it), it began to feel almost comical. And Moon is some kind of action star with a babe in one arm and a machine gun in the other, and Stone can carry any number of people (though thankfully he isn't invisible any more), while three queens working together barely manage to do the same damage Moon can do alone... ugh. Also, you know, a lot more guns. Like, a lot more.
I had anticipated, after the first three books, that in these volumes we would explore more of the three worlds--I wanted to understand more about what skylings and sealings are. We do get glimpses of the former (and by the way, why does Moon suddenly know everything, except then never encounters any species he's ever seen before in his travels; indeed, there being just too many different "races" in this world all of a sudden felt implausible--some of these species must have only two individuals in them, plus evolution happens WAY faster on this planet than on ours... but that I can accept as "magic".), but not any real understanding of them, and we were set up to learn a lot more about Rorra (especially given ), which we never did. That's it in a nutshell--more than half the action set-pieces were boring, the settings were rarely effectively described (wasting a lot of verbiage in the process), and the characters were essentially interchangeable. Moon talks to Saffron because Balm isn't there and you can't tell the difference. Sometimes in dialogue I even read "Shade" as "Stone," and it didn't change the meaning of the dialogue at all. Also, Chime spends half his time on a fainting couch, and Jade never talks to Moon anymore (and they were so good at talking in Cloud Roads!!). And secondary characters, even ones we had previously known well, were indistinguishable in actions or talking.
I was worried in Worlds about the Unfortunate Implications of the half-Fell. That was never really addressed here, though the writing of the half-Fell was better in Harbors, so it didn't feel like as urgent an issue. Except for a few small things, like when I think Heart tells First (seriously, the characters were all interchangeable in dialogue!) "you're half-Fell," when it would have made more sense to say "you're half-Raksura," but once tainted by Fell, always tainted by Fell I guess. And there's still the "Shade is practically a Forerunner" thing. I mean, it kind of makes sense, genetically, kind of. But a Forerunner isn't just half Raksura and half Fell, but rather a mosaic of the three offspring species (or even four: if the short stories are canon, then the Skin-Hunter in "The Dark Earth Below" really feels like kind of the Fell equivalent of an Arbora... or maybe the Arbora version of a Fell). And we keep getting conflicting hints of the Forerunners without understanding what they really were. (I am reminded of a similar-feeling plot point in a book that was resolved much better in .) Etc.
It wasn't all bad. The whole plot with Consolation and her flight was excellent (except for the way the Raksura always refer to Kethel and First and all as "it", when sterile Raksura Warriors are male or female (and by the way, this was touched on in the short story "Transformation," but Chime in the novels complains all the time about not flying well and losing his magic, but never once mentions his loss of fertility. Oh, and speaking of that, how did everyone suddenly decide that Consolation is sterile? Are Shade and Lithe now too? (especially annoying, given how emotionally powerful Shade's conclusions about his own potential to breed were in Siren Depths))). Pretty much everything with the Hians as well. And, funnily enough, while I thought the subplot with the Conclave was extraneous (and why are the Kish border-patrol magically inexperienced with Fell now?), it was one of the best written parts of the book.
Overall I came away with the feeling that Wells was simply not ready to write these books. I don't know what the problem was: she had a contract and didn't have time to develop the idea as much as she needed to, her favorite beta reader had some kind of personal crisis and couldn't read the first draft for her, she had a personal crisis of her own, something else? She must have been working on All Systems Red at about the same time as this story, so was her heart just simply not quite in it? It was distressing to see an author I had come to rely on for both economical writing and very strong plot fall down in both areas in this duology. As well as feeling like she'd forgotten who her characters were and what made them individuals. And she never felt really in control, language-wise. (Consider page 35, where Moon recalls his last night on the wind ship, and I was like "OMG, twincest, what?". It was later (in Jade's POV) sort of explained, but... uh...) These books just didn't feel as finished as the other work of Wells's I've read. And her habitual problem of choosing the wrong word all the time was worse here as well (and without a strong plot to distract me from it, so I was jarred out of the story every flippin' time), making me think whoever edited the book wasn't into it either. ("She barred her teeth." "That's it, teeth! Consider yourselves barred from my life for good!" Also, to my embarrassment, I even found myself using the wrong verb tense in something I wrote, and being unable to catch it on proofreading due to having become used to skipping over such things in this book.)
Very little was satisfactorily resolved, which made the dragged-out tedium of Jade and Moon and Stone not talking at the end extra annoying. And by the way,
Overall, I only really recommend these two books to big fans of the previous Raksura books, and even then with a heavy caveat.
Content: Biological weapon of mass destruction, regular instances of graphic violence, terrorists plot to kill everybody including themselves, idiot politicians, bigots who don't believe victims who are telling the truth, racism (sort of) from "good" characters, kidnapping, torture, poisoning, indiscriminate mass death, despicable grammar.
July 31, 2017
If you have a short memory (like I do) and/or it's been some time since you read The Edge of Worlds then the start of The Harbors of the Sun may be a little confusing. This is because it takes up right as the previous book ended (or, well, part happens at the same time as the very end of the previous book), which may mean a re-read could be in order. If this is where you've picked up, the entire series is well worth a read to fully understand the ties each character has to each other so go back to The Cloud Roads and start there instead.
Unlike most of my reviews, spoilers are ahead for this one because it's just too hard to review without them in this case. Short spoiler-free review is to go read the whole series immediately!
As a refresh, a group from the Kish came and sought the help of the court to assist with exploring a sealed ancient city they believe to hold a great power - perhaps even a way to destroy the Fell, who of course are close on their heels thinking along the same lines, so it's a race to the finish. At the very end they're betrayed, some are killed, and Bramble and Merit have been taken hostage. Moon and Stone are coming after them just ahead of the others - Jade and Malachite (Moon's mother) along with the rest of the court are following close behind.
With that refresh, here we are in possibly the last book of the series. We start with Bramble and Merit who are just waking in their capture and freaking out, though it turns out Delin is close by, so there's hope yet. The rest, as stated, are following, and through use of some moss which allows them to track the flying ships (that are made of the same moss) they're trying not to lose their very faint tracks, whilst also keeping ahead of the Fell and making some hard decisions along the way.
As ever, this series is driven by the characters. The connection of Moon and Jade (but the ability for them to also have multiple partners and find different levels of comfort around) is so refreshing. It's great to see so much of Stone, and get to know Malachite better. In this, because of the perceptions of the outside characters, we get a focus on what the different expectations are for each person (whether or not someone should fetch mugs, or do errands for people and so forth), which I've always loved in this world building.
An interesting factor in this book is the inclusion of the half-breeds. It's an interesting discussion of perceptions and their form of racism - we see how deeply it's bred into them, of course because the majority (or all of them) have experienced some dreadful things from the fell recently, so it would be hard to change minds without immediate evidence to the contrary (along with continued evidence, and even then it would probably take years...)
This feels like a massive book. At 30% I almost felt like if that had been the plot I would have been happy, and then it reaches 50% and so on, and the stakes are only getting higher.
Overall, I adored this book and can't wait to continue reading Wells' backlist. Her book The Death of the Necromancer has quite a Scott Lynch feel to it so fans of his work, get on over there if you haven't already to The Ile-Rien books. And her latest, the Murderbot Diaries, are my absolute favourites!
Unlike most of my reviews, spoilers are ahead for this one because it's just too hard to review without them in this case. Short spoiler-free review is to go read the whole series immediately!
As a refresh, a group from the Kish came and sought the help of the court to assist with exploring a sealed ancient city they believe to hold a great power - perhaps even a way to destroy the Fell, who of course are close on their heels thinking along the same lines, so it's a race to the finish. At the very end they're betrayed, some are killed, and Bramble and Merit have been taken hostage. Moon and Stone are coming after them just ahead of the others - Jade and Malachite (Moon's mother) along with the rest of the court are following close behind.
With that refresh, here we are in possibly the last book of the series. We start with Bramble and Merit who are just waking in their capture and freaking out, though it turns out Delin is close by, so there's hope yet. The rest, as stated, are following, and through use of some moss which allows them to track the flying ships (that are made of the same moss) they're trying not to lose their very faint tracks, whilst also keeping ahead of the Fell and making some hard decisions along the way.
As ever, this series is driven by the characters. The connection of Moon and Jade (but the ability for them to also have multiple partners and find different levels of comfort around) is so refreshing. It's great to see so much of Stone, and get to know Malachite better. In this, because of the perceptions of the outside characters, we get a focus on what the different expectations are for each person (whether or not someone should fetch mugs, or do errands for people and so forth), which I've always loved in this world building.
An interesting factor in this book is the inclusion of the half-breeds. It's an interesting discussion of perceptions and their form of racism - we see how deeply it's bred into them, of course because the majority (or all of them) have experienced some dreadful things from the fell recently, so it would be hard to change minds without immediate evidence to the contrary (along with continued evidence, and even then it would probably take years...)
This feels like a massive book. At 30% I almost felt like if that had been the plot I would have been happy, and then it reaches 50% and so on, and the stakes are only getting higher.
Overall, I adored this book and can't wait to continue reading Wells' backlist. Her book The Death of the Necromancer has quite a Scott Lynch feel to it so fans of his work, get on over there if you haven't already to The Ile-Rien books. And her latest, the Murderbot Diaries, are my absolute favourites!
July 2, 2022
I truly enjoyed the Raksura novels, right until I realized that almost none of the mysteries which had been established would be answered (at all) for the series’ conclusion. I tend to enjoy good world-building, and the way Wells hinted at backstories all along had me convinced that eventually they would pay off. Instead, while the interpersonal drama and color of the world were exceptional, I was left thoroughly disappointed.
Here is a very abbreviated list of my lingering questions:
- This book reveals a very significant technological decline in the time between the forerunners and Raksura, with nothing to explain why that may have happened. The evidence appears as though the world went through some apocalyptic event, but AFAICT the forerunners just somehow bred themselves out of existence while everyone else just… (in)conveniently forgot a bunch of seemingly very important and useful things.
- How were the Raksura created? What “other shapeshifter species” did they interbreed with to create Arbora, etc?
- What made the Fell different in this regard? Did they breed with a different species? It seems from this book that the progenitors are what make the difference, and that all other Fell groups are actually to be pitied — which is a major divergence in tone, leaving me confused about what I’m supposed to feel (and questioning the earlier books).
- Who were the forerunners and foundation builders? We’ve explored their cities and seen things they left behind. We’ve speculated that they built these weapons for some reason. But over the course of the last 3 books, we never get anything close to a coherent picture which connects the different ruins; they just feel like random settings used to advance the plot without regard for how they fit together.
- What’s up with Chime’s powers? For something that was mentioned about every 100 pages for the last 4 books, it just was ignored, except when used as a Deus Ex to get the Raksura out of trouble. And Chime himself felt less like the wise “likely next leader of the mentors” he was supposed to be, and more like a pathetic hanger on that only did anything by accident.
- What’s up with Malachites powers? We get a brief mention of “really needing to want it” and nothing more.
… in retrospect, it feels like these various plot points that hooked me were actually just random insertions to keep things going, rather than a part of a coherent story.
Here is a very abbreviated list of my lingering questions:
- This book reveals a very significant technological decline in the time between the forerunners and Raksura, with nothing to explain why that may have happened. The evidence appears as though the world went through some apocalyptic event, but AFAICT the forerunners just somehow bred themselves out of existence while everyone else just… (in)conveniently forgot a bunch of seemingly very important and useful things.
- How were the Raksura created? What “other shapeshifter species” did they interbreed with to create Arbora, etc?
- What made the Fell different in this regard? Did they breed with a different species? It seems from this book that the progenitors are what make the difference, and that all other Fell groups are actually to be pitied — which is a major divergence in tone, leaving me confused about what I’m supposed to feel (and questioning the earlier books).
- Who were the forerunners and foundation builders? We’ve explored their cities and seen things they left behind. We’ve speculated that they built these weapons for some reason. But over the course of the last 3 books, we never get anything close to a coherent picture which connects the different ruins; they just feel like random settings used to advance the plot without regard for how they fit together.
- What’s up with Chime’s powers? For something that was mentioned about every 100 pages for the last 4 books, it just was ignored, except when used as a Deus Ex to get the Raksura out of trouble. And Chime himself felt less like the wise “likely next leader of the mentors” he was supposed to be, and more like a pathetic hanger on that only did anything by accident.
- What’s up with Malachites powers? We get a brief mention of “really needing to want it” and nothing more.
… in retrospect, it feels like these various plot points that hooked me were actually just random insertions to keep things going, rather than a part of a coherent story.
August 19, 2024
I kind of got tired of the series and finally finished it. Reading it I remembered why. The big problem I have with MWs books it that the worlds she creates feel expansive but are in fact really small. What I mean with that is that the world building and exposition its inner workings is so very limited. When you read something from Tolkien or Martin you have a feeling the world has been around for Millennia with history, traditions, politics, etc. The Raksura world doesn't even have a name and everything feels like it has sprung into existence 5 minutes before our heroes encounter it. Her strong suite, characters and character interaction are still here and quite well done but if your story is about a world ending event I should care about said world, but I don't, I don't know anything about it. This book is like reading about a volcanic eruption in Tuvalu. Tragic sure but I couldn't find that country on a map, it's not tangible (to me). If you have an alien world full of fantastic creatures you need to show me all that humanity in it, to make me care and while she is doing it well with our protagonists it's missing completely with it's world. Sure enough the world got save in the novel but the book series died with it.
February 7, 2019
Moon and his compatriots chase after a weapon of potentially devastating consequences. I settled into Moon's world and character in The Siren Depths, and wanted it to never end--I felt like I could live there forever. The Edge of Worlds and The Harbors of the Sun are not what I meant by that.
They're bigger books, deviating into multiple PoVs and a two-part plot; the scale of the conflict is larger. These changes lose the intimate immersion into Moon's PoV which made the first three books successful, and attempts to recapture that emotional investment are thwarted by a divided cast and a tired miscommunication plot that undermines the book's emotional resolution. The signature series's setpieces are present but by this point feel routine; there's too much narrative redundancy in the many PoVs. I appreciate the textual elaborations on subtextual aspects of Raksuran society, particularly re: sexual politics--the Raksura remain a well-conceived and -built race. But all the other changes actively undermine what made this series work for me, and make for a tedious, sour conclusion. Read the first three books! And stop there.
They're bigger books, deviating into multiple PoVs and a two-part plot; the scale of the conflict is larger. These changes lose the intimate immersion into Moon's PoV which made the first three books successful, and attempts to recapture that emotional investment are thwarted by a divided cast and a tired miscommunication plot that undermines the book's emotional resolution. The signature series's setpieces are present but by this point feel routine; there's too much narrative redundancy in the many PoVs. I appreciate the textual elaborations on subtextual aspects of Raksuran society, particularly re: sexual politics--the Raksura remain a well-conceived and -built race. But all the other changes actively undermine what made this series work for me, and make for a tedious, sour conclusion. Read the first three books! And stop there.
December 14, 2025
In Harbors of the Sun, the Raksura have a number of challenges to contend with: some of their members have been kidnapped, a clash with the Fell looms as a real possibility, and an ancient weapon threatens destruction. The book follows multiple storylines as the Raksura and their allies have split up; the book is almost all action (with much setup having happened in the prior novel) and quickly paced.
While this installment wasn’t my favourite in the Raksura series, I have absolutely loved the series as a whole and Harbors of the Sun is a satisfying conclusion. While I’m giving 4 stars to this title to attempt to reflect my feelings about it, I give 5 stars for the series overall. I not-so-secretly pine for a surprise addition to the series at a later date, though I know it’s highly unlikely.
Note: this is the final installment of the series. It would absolutely not work as a standalone and presumes familiarity with prior events. I would suggest revisiting the ending of the prior novel as this one picks up where it left off.
Content warnings: blood, injury detail, violence, death, grief, forcible confinement, kidnapping
While this installment wasn’t my favourite in the Raksura series, I have absolutely loved the series as a whole and Harbors of the Sun is a satisfying conclusion. While I’m giving 4 stars to this title to attempt to reflect my feelings about it, I give 5 stars for the series overall. I not-so-secretly pine for a surprise addition to the series at a later date, though I know it’s highly unlikely.
Note: this is the final installment of the series. It would absolutely not work as a standalone and presumes familiarity with prior events. I would suggest revisiting the ending of the prior novel as this one picks up where it left off.
Content warnings: blood, injury detail, violence, death, grief, forcible confinement, kidnapping
July 25, 2020
So good! I have loved this whole series and found this one to be incredibly well-paced. I would say the best part of this book was the action and the tension. The character development wasn't as subtle as some of the others, though I enjoyed the interplay between the two older queens. As I have said about earlier volumes, the author does an excellent job with the inner life/thinking of the Raksura, but the groundling races remain rather mysterious. This volume in particular has groundlings with different beliefs and abilities and social structures interacting, but they felt barely sketched in. I would eagerly read more novels set in this world!
June 30, 2024
I’m mostly sad that I’ve now finished the entire series but I guess I can start it from the beginning again. Loved it like usual. Martha wells is the best
December 21, 2022
After the first three quite good books this duology (The Edge of the Worlds and The Harbors of the Sun) was a bit of a letdown. The story seems bloated and, at least for me, doesn't actually concentrate on the parts I'd consider important. There is a lot of chasing, a lot of exploring ancient cities/ships and really not enough explanation of certain story points and exploration of Consolation's flight and how they will survive and integrate themselves within Raksura society. I still think that if Wells would have cut down on the adventure part and actually concentrated even more on the Consolation part and relationships between the characters it would have improved the story quite a bit.
Some select questions still haunt me: Are Forerunners and Progenitors the same? How did Fell and Raksura develop in different directions (just because of the Arbora)? And why the hell would anyone keep the creature that was found in the third book in some random city alive and "just" punish it with life-long solitary confinement? Even Moon hangs a lampshade on it that imprisoning the most likely already mad thing for hundreds of years wouldn't have actually improved its mental state much so why do it and endanger further generations? No idea, and even though these duology had the perfect opportunity to explain it or even hint at a reason it doesn't. Instead, a nearly exact same happens again since our lovely characters find a weapon which has the potential to annihilate large parts of the population and just lies around in another one of this Forerunner cities. It literally just lies around in a random chamber with a compulsion charm to take it on it. Why? For shit and giggles, apparently.
Wells also decides to use quite a few different perspectives in the duology which might have been necessary from a story-telling point but doesn't help to differentiate certain characters. The mass of Arbora and Warriors are still mostly a mass to me and hard to tell apart, their collectivistic society working against them in this point.
I still live for Moon, Chime, Jade and Stone, however. Also Consolation and Kethel. And the nice and surprising, yet perfect friendship between Malachite and Pearl.
Overall, I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the last two books but they could have been so much better.
Some select questions still haunt me: Are Forerunners and Progenitors the same? How did Fell and Raksura develop in different directions (just because of the Arbora)? And why the hell would anyone keep the creature that was found in the third book in some random city alive and "just" punish it with life-long solitary confinement? Even Moon hangs a lampshade on it that imprisoning the most likely already mad thing for hundreds of years wouldn't have actually improved its mental state much so why do it and endanger further generations? No idea, and even though these duology had the perfect opportunity to explain it or even hint at a reason it doesn't. Instead, a nearly exact same happens again since our lovely characters find a weapon which has the potential to annihilate large parts of the population and just lies around in another one of this Forerunner cities. It literally just lies around in a random chamber with a compulsion charm to take it on it. Why? For shit and giggles, apparently.
Wells also decides to use quite a few different perspectives in the duology which might have been necessary from a story-telling point but doesn't help to differentiate certain characters. The mass of Arbora and Warriors are still mostly a mass to me and hard to tell apart, their collectivistic society working against them in this point.
I still live for Moon, Chime, Jade and Stone, however. Also Consolation and Kethel. And the nice and surprising, yet perfect friendship between Malachite and Pearl.
Overall, I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the last two books but they could have been so much better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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