The Storm of Echoes

 

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I started to read the final book in this series. I WANTED everything tied up in a nice bow, I WANTED to know exactly how every character I loved in the first 2 books ended up, I WANTED to love this book. What did I get? Not what I wanted, but sometimes that's ok! The majority of this book was Ophelia trying to figure out what the heck is going on, which makes me feel better since I wasn't sure what the heck was going on, either. Who exactly was destroying the arks and why? What turned God into God? Were Ophelia and Thorn going to get their happily ever after?? There were so many complexities in the story line, so many questions to be answered, I understand that the author had to let some things go.  But really, I wanted more about Ophelia's not so merry band of friends from the previous books.  

I also struggled with the vast amount of detail and side adventures that turned out to be completely not needed.  A good pruning would have made the story easier to follow.  I'm sad the series is finished, I feel like there could have been two books instead of this one cramming everything together.  Not perfect, but still a completely original fascinating concept and characters that I cared about.   

 

I've been reading this series from the very beginning, so my opinions are a blend of what I think about this particular book and how I feel it fits into the overall Pendergast world. I've missed the partnership between Pendergast and D'Agosta, his old friend from New York.  Pendergast needs someone from the "normal" world to play off of and to keep him from going too far off the deep end. Agent Coldmoon is a good substitute, I think his character adds to the dynamics of the story. I'm enjoying the discreet mysteries, there were so many books tied to the arc of Pendergast's past, his wife, that I missed the smaller cases where there was resolution. That being said, this mystery is a doozy! Mild spoilers here... having the antagonist be a vampire would have been less outlandish than what was really going on!

I was truly surprised and confounded by this mystery. Preston and Child really went out there this time. It's impossible to talk about what truly happened to the bloodless bodies without ruining it, but summer in the South has a whole new meaning! I'm going to be honest about what eventually happens to Constance, she has never been a character I liked or enjoyed having in the books. If she never comes back, I'd be just fine.  This was a great addition the world of weird, I'm so happy these books keep coming out year after year!

 

Something is seriously wrong with the world, but who's going to believe a part time day trader, game obsessed man with a penchant for seeing patterns in the world? Me, that's who. The main character, known simply as K, knows he's an unreliable narrator. He isn't sure he can believe his memories or even if they are memories. He's been on the periphery of an underground game nearly his whole life, his obsession has caused mental and physical breakdowns. When K is approached by a man who he believes has won the game in the past, who tells him the game is broken and the world is coming to an end, what is he supposed to do?

I really enjoyed the teasing out of clues and the "trust no one" vibe of the story. You may think you've already done the follow the clues, save the world game thing, but this is truly a new spin. I haven't listened to the pod cast the book is based on, so don't think you have to either to enjoy the story. Engrossing and fun, it was the perfect kick off to the summer read!