Beyond Reality discussion

Have you finished reading Salute the Dark by Adrian Tchaikovsky? Please let us know what you thought of it…likes, dislikes, questions, whatever!

Spoilers allowed here (through this book but not for the rest of the series).

I am really enjoying this series. At this point, I'm so invested in the characters and this world that I think I'm more likely to gloss over flaws and really like what sticks out as positive points to me.
Other readers may not enjoy it as much, and that's fine.
This entry seemed to me to have more focus on various Wasps than previous books. I found Drephos and the new Tynan to be especially interesting.
Also, I was surprised by the fate of several key characters. Tisamon's fate made sense but with Salma, I reread one section to make sure what happened to him really did. It was so brief.
My favorite parts were
Drephos' explanation to Totho the need to wipe out the enemy. Totally sensible but so chilling.
The revelation that the Wasps' strategy of having each General fight for his own territory turned into a giant shortcoming as Alvdan tried to realize a total victory.
I do wish there had been a longer section on the Shadow box.
The ending made me curious as to what the various Lowland cities will do now!

Holy cow, what a climax. I just finished this, and the intensity of the ending made me give it 5 stars. It felt like the end of a story, yet there are six more books! I'm really interested to see where this goes next, since this major arc has concluded.

I'd had a hunch earlier in the series that Thalric would end up running the Empire, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon! I am skeptical that this peace will last, but I don't think any resumption of war will be Thalric's doing.

I was saddened but not surprised at the fates of Tisamon and Salma. Tisamon in particular was a favorite character of mine and I'll miss him.

Can't wait to see where this goes in book 5.

I agree Shel: surprising ending for book 4.

10/10
Complex, intriguing, heart-breaking…The author explores the savagery, heroism, horror, and tragedy of war; the bonds of friendship, fellowship, and shared experiences; the power of tradition, of fear, of ambition, and of honor and love. It’s all here. Well-written, although I could do with less detail of battles and duels.

Tchaikovsky, after protecting his major characters to a sometimes almost-unbelievable extent, certainly had no problem doing away with a bunch of them in this book! I was surprised and saddened by some of the losses, but in a perverse way, I was relieved to see the author was willing to take some major pieces off the board. I wish Drephos had been one of them!

The ending feels like a pause for breath in this 10-book series. It will be interesting to see where the story goes next, now that this major arc has concluded.

I was relieved as well, Kathi. A ten-book series in which all of the major characters survive an extensive war would just not sit right with me, I'd have lost respect for the storytelling.

Well, I just finished this. I find each book hard to start, but hard to put down towards the end. This was no exception, what a finish!

I have found the series rather grim so far. There is just so much war, so much death and loss, and very little relief from the struggle. But at least most characters had meaningful ends. I will miss a many of them -- indeed, sometimes it seems that only a few of our key players are left. But I am interested to see how the story continues in the next book.