The plot was becoming a little convoluted by this part in the series, and there was a little too much going on. There were loops that kind of went off in various directions, like they were going to be very important, but they never really circled back. I can't tell if these were leftovers from early ideas that didn't get used later and weren't taken out in editing, or perhaps these side trails will be used in a spinoff series later, focusing on a different set of characters. It felt like there was a lot of effort put into some of the characters that weren't used all that much, so perhaps they will get their won series later. That's something that Elizabeth Moon does more than Julie Czerneda, that I've seen so far, but that's the best explanation I've heard so far that doesn't reflect poorly on her and her editors. Although the plot kind of got too big for itself a few places, the greatest strength was the characters themselves, particularly Mac. Czerneda does an exceptional job with characters that you can relate to; they seem like real people caught up in extraordinary circumstances, not like superheroes who treat the end of the world like another day at the office. There is a "heroic" character here, to balance Mac, who is the Every(wo)man here. I'd read these again, because even though the plot lost me a couple of times, the characters will keep me coming back for more.
Page 6 of the first volume: "...the western coast of the Pacific, from the Bering Strait to Tierra del Fuego" – I learnt right from left at an early age, but I still occasionally have trouble with east and west, and yet here is one of my favourite authors apparently telling me Tierrra del Fuego on the west coast of the Pacific! I confess this rankled with me and possibly put me off Book 1 (Survival), but it did get better.As a whole, I still think "Species Imperative" is not as good as her other trilogies, but the same believable aliens, each with their individual characters, are there, and Julie's writing would probably hold my interest even if it were about landfill. Oh, and don't forget the many and sometimes shocking twists that seem to be a feature of her stories.
What do You think about Regeneration (2007)?
Regeneration is the concluding book of the Species Imperative trilogy by Julie Czerneda, finishing up where Survival and Migration had left off. We finally get to learn the story behind the evident rampage of the Dhryn across the galaxy--and what the ultimate goals of the Ro are. The nitpicks I had with the first two books still apply here, and I have to admit that towards the ending of the story I started skimming rather than reading in depth... which suggests to me that the book could have
—Angela
A satisfying finish, but it wandered a bit. There were things that happened that *seemed* important to the plot, but really didn't have any impact. Took longer to get going than I thought it would.I find that happens more than I'd like -- author seems to write themselves into a corner and then wanders a bit trying to write themselves out (if you can excuse the mixed metaphors). Unfortunately, after 700 published pages, you've got a commitment to finish the story and probably a publisher wanting to know exactly, ummm, when it's going to be ready to go. Still, I'll read her again.
—Mark
So in the end it all comes down to this. It's unfair to say "I really liked it," but I did like it a little more than average. Probably 6/10.I liked it because it was fun spending some more time with these characters. I liked it because there was a short section about a party that blew me away: It wasn't critical to the plot, but it was deftly written and planted some seeds ... in a very small number of pages. If Czerneda's work was always at that level, I'd count her as one of the best. Unfortunately, as with the previous books, there's a lot of irrelevant setup and slogging. In particular (minor spoiler) we spend a lot of time setting up the expedition to Myriam ... and the author seems to have completely forgotten that expedition by the end. (Either that, or I did.)Would I read more by Czerneda? Perhaps, but probably not. There are other authors whom I like better, other authors who can tell a solid story in a lot fewer pages.
—Raja99
