Some elements of this, the second book in Swift’s Osiris trilogy, lived up to its very good predecessor – Osiris (my thoughts on that one here) – whilst others fell behind; overall I would have to say that this second book is weaker, but I am sufficiently invested that I will continue with the last book in the series.
The first book, as I’ve said, was very good, with an interesting and fresh take on the old post-apocalyptic sub-genre and in that this second book successfully matches the first. The environment is radically different – global rather than confined to a single city surrounded by ocean – but she has again created an interesting world in which the action plays out. And that world building is probably one of the strongest points of the book. Along with the whole tone of the book which is somehow very melancholic without being in the least depressing. I enjoyed the whole atmosphere of the writing, which very much complemented that post-apocalyptic world.
This, however, was rather let down by the characters and the plot. The characters were not very appealing and I found myself struggling to really care what happened to them. Vikram was the only character to come across from the first book and yet the reader rarely gets close to him; we only get his point of view towards the very end of the book, so he remains a distant character rather than a major one, which is, I feel a mistake. The other two major characters Taeo and Ramona never interact after the beginning of the book making the whole thing feel like two separate stories with virtual no points of contact. In fact the whole plot of this book meandered quite badly and finally just petered out rather than ended. It is much weaker than that of the first book.
The biggest failing, however, is that ending which was really no ending at all. It feels more like a cliff hanger chapter ending. There were no resolutions and no conclusions; very frustrating.
The world building is excellent, the writing good but the plot and the characters were both weak. I enjoyed the journey but the arrival much less so. However, overall it is a good book and I will continue with the final instalment even though it does feel more like a final instalment than a final book.
3/5 stars
The first book, as I’ve said, was very good, with an interesting and fresh take on the old post-apocalyptic sub-genre and in that this second book successfully matches the first. The environment is radically different – global rather than confined to a single city surrounded by ocean – but she has again created an interesting world in which the action plays out. And that world building is probably one of the strongest points of the book. Along with the whole tone of the book which is somehow very melancholic without being in the least depressing. I enjoyed the whole atmosphere of the writing, which very much complemented that post-apocalyptic world.
This, however, was rather let down by the characters and the plot. The characters were not very appealing and I found myself struggling to really care what happened to them. Vikram was the only character to come across from the first book and yet the reader rarely gets close to him; we only get his point of view towards the very end of the book, so he remains a distant character rather than a major one, which is, I feel a mistake. The other two major characters Taeo and Ramona never interact after the beginning of the book making the whole thing feel like two separate stories with virtual no points of contact. In fact the whole plot of this book meandered quite badly and finally just petered out rather than ended. It is much weaker than that of the first book.
The biggest failing, however, is that ending which was really no ending at all. It feels more like a cliff hanger chapter ending. There were no resolutions and no conclusions; very frustrating.
The world building is excellent, the writing good but the plot and the characters were both weak. I enjoyed the journey but the arrival much less so. However, overall it is a good book and I will continue with the final instalment even though it does feel more like a final instalment than a final book.
3/5 stars
