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The Amber Rooms (2012)

by Ian Hocking(Favorite Author)

3.55 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

Science Fiction

publisher

Writer As A Stranger

series

The Saskia Brandt Series

review 1: This book was quite a bit darker in tone than the previous two, and gorier too. though it doesn't feel gratuitous. But Saskia continues to be one of the most engaging characters I've had the pleasure of reading. Her memory issues felt very, very realistic. The technology and timelines was more complex this time around but still followable. One thing that really stands out to me about this series is the way it bucks, without making a big deal of it, heteronormativity. As a queer woman, that means a whole lot to me. I love where the story ended up. If this was all we were getting it would be enough to leave me hopeful for the characters. But Mr. Hocking has said that there will be more and that makes me VERY happy!
review 2: The Amber RoomsThis book was g... moreiven to me as part of a series in exchange for an honest review. Although I had the Omnibus I opted to review each book individually, keeping in mind the fact that it was related to other books that expanded the story. This is not a summary - for that read the description. For a review, read on (no promises it will be good though)!More confusing than first two books, the Amber Rooms still focuses on the same main character, adding a few new ones to help carry a fair portion of the story, and returning to one character who has been present throughout all of the books, yet remained a mystery. In this third book that mystery finally begins to unravel.As with the first two, this book has the story moving in a semi non-linear fashion, and if anything is more confusing with its hopscotching through time than both books before it combined. I say semi non-linear because I feel at heart it struggles to be linear, yet never achieves that goal, at least not in a manner we can see.Russia, 1908, seems to be the time for this book, as we return to it time and again. Of course there is a logic there, tied to the title of the book. For those who know world history well, they will make the connection early on; for those not as well versed in Russian history enough will be explained to make the connection clear. Given the prominence of that era, it interesting to view that part of history through the lens of the characters and their individual and shared stories.As individual books I think I'd rank this lowest due to the confusion, and also because some would make no sense without information from the prior books. It also left some loose ends, which normally is acceptable since that grants the author access to continue the story should they elect to, and gives the reader a chance to creatively add their own mark in the world inside the story. The three books taken as a whole are terrific and get 5 stars from me. This is a stunning work that blends fact and fiction together to create something refreshingly new and completely enjoyable. With these books you aren't just along for the ride, you are actively engaged, and at times laboring right alongside the character(s) to figure out what is going on before time runs out. less

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