Death's End by Liu CixinMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'm surprised this book is only six hundred pages. Seriously,
that's my first takeaway after finishing this book. It might be in part
that I took my time reading it, but it's mostly because of how dense
the story is. Most other writers would have taken the outline of this
one book and expanded it over several novels. It reads more like a
fictionalized history book of the future than typical novelizations.
Each section world building a different era as it uncovers the story of
the last two books straight through to the literal end of time. That's
not a knock against it, but rather something you need to know before
diving in.
If you read the first two novels in the series, and seriously why wouldn't you have, I'm hesitant to say you'll feel right at home in the last installment. It's not so much that it's written in a profoundly different way, but rather that it leans more heavily on its world-building strengths. This is especially true in the latter half of the book where, to be honest, not a lot happens in terms of plot. The characters, more or less, become passive observers to the end of fake history. Again, this isn't a knock against it, but it might be a turn-off to those who are used to lighter reads.
Though one knock against it is, much like the previous book, its main character is the least interesting of the bunch. Not as passive as Luo Ji, but Cheng Xin still feels like more of an observer than a character that drives the plot. Luo Ji got a pass because being passive was part of who he was as a person, but here I'm not so sure about Cheng Xin. In fact, I don't have a strong sense of her at all except when she is being reflected off Yun Tianming. This might be because I'm more of a Sophon/Thomas Wade kind of guy, but others might make the same observations. At least Cheng Xin did two important plot-related things in this book, and it's one more than Luo Ji.
While the characters might add a little color to the mix, I would urge that most readers aren't here for that. Rather they're here for the intense world-building, wonderful prose, and a level of scientific ideas we rarely see in the genre. It's a profound book that caps off a profound series. Probably the biggest knock against it is that there isn't more of it. I honestly believe with a more expansive dive into the world and characters that this could have made it into a twelve-book series. Would I have read twelve books like this? I don't know, but I feel like I already have.
One last reader beware warning: don't read this book if you're easily depressed. Some describe this book as "dark" and/or "grim", but I would disagree. It has more of a nihilist quality to it. The narrative not so much being cruel as it is uncaring in a way that would make Nietzsche proud. If I had to pick one word to describe this book, it would be "sad". Because it isn't sad that everything dies, it's sad that everything ends.
If you read the first two novels in the series, and seriously why wouldn't you have, I'm hesitant to say you'll feel right at home in the last installment. It's not so much that it's written in a profoundly different way, but rather that it leans more heavily on its world-building strengths. This is especially true in the latter half of the book where, to be honest, not a lot happens in terms of plot. The characters, more or less, become passive observers to the end of fake history. Again, this isn't a knock against it, but it might be a turn-off to those who are used to lighter reads.
Though one knock against it is, much like the previous book, its main character is the least interesting of the bunch. Not as passive as Luo Ji, but Cheng Xin still feels like more of an observer than a character that drives the plot. Luo Ji got a pass because being passive was part of who he was as a person, but here I'm not so sure about Cheng Xin. In fact, I don't have a strong sense of her at all except when she is being reflected off Yun Tianming. This might be because I'm more of a Sophon/Thomas Wade kind of guy, but others might make the same observations. At least Cheng Xin did two important plot-related things in this book, and it's one more than Luo Ji.
While the characters might add a little color to the mix, I would urge that most readers aren't here for that. Rather they're here for the intense world-building, wonderful prose, and a level of scientific ideas we rarely see in the genre. It's a profound book that caps off a profound series. Probably the biggest knock against it is that there isn't more of it. I honestly believe with a more expansive dive into the world and characters that this could have made it into a twelve-book series. Would I have read twelve books like this? I don't know, but I feel like I already have.
One last reader beware warning: don't read this book if you're easily depressed. Some describe this book as "dark" and/or "grim", but I would disagree. It has more of a nihilist quality to it. The narrative not so much being cruel as it is uncaring in a way that would make Nietzsche proud. If I had to pick one word to describe this book, it would be "sad". Because it isn't sad that everything dies, it's sad that everything ends.
View all my reviews
