The Premise: Last book in the Cane Trilogy. Really, what else can one say?Other comments: Arg. The first two books were so great it's tragic that this one falls so short. I developed a completely unsubstantiated theory that the book existed in outline form and was hurriedly written to a deadline.This is why we shouldn't whine when books we are waiting for take a long time. Let this be a (hypothetical) example of what we get when the author is rushed.I also suspect that the author was being possessed by the ghost of Victor Hugo insofar that there are all sorts of odd philosophical digressions, which do not seem to be relevant to the immediate text.Right, so I'm disappointed but the series as a whole was excellent. It's just sad that that finale was so much less that the rest. There was something that didn't quite flow in this book. The second in the series (The Last Four Things) had a similarly disjointed feel, but finished in a more satisfying manner to this one.Overall, I did find that at the end Hoffman betrayed Cale as a character, taking him from the very definition of martial excellence to a weakened creature. This book steals the final victory of the series and punishes Cale for his past misdeeds.However, some of the characters themselves still managed to shine. Vague Henri and Cale are more believable as friends here than in any of the previous books. The time given to other characters who were, ultimately, inconsequential to the overall story made for a better level of verisimilitude. IdrisPukke didn't get nearly enough time to be of consequence. The two characters who were certainly not given enough time, in my opinion, were Arbell Materazzi and Kleist, so while their tales do end, they only seem to end to serve the purpose of Cale's own tale.I'm not making a good fist of explaining why I liked this book. Overall, it was the tone maintained throughout that kept me coming back, not just for Cale as a detestable creature that you want to fail, but the style and mood of the writing has such a hold overall, allowing the story to move forwards, if not consistently. The battle scenes as described were horrific, but even so, not so horrific as to drive the reader away. Overall, the politics was believable and paid tribute to Hoffman's investment in research.If anything was to push the boundaries it would be the technological progress made in the course of the book. The leaps were unbelievable and seemed to me to be going in the wrong direction.
What do You think about Tlukot Křídel Smrti (2013)?
Stunning and intelligent series of books. A bit tough to get through but worthwhile at the end.
—Beemoth
Apesar de muito bom, no fim deixou algumas pontas soltas.
—viji
Amazing, kept me guessing till the very end!
—calshubby
