Ashes of Candesce by Karl Shroeder
Published March 12th 2013
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 384
Source: Bought it
A world of endless sky, with no land, no gravity: this is Virga. Beginning in the seminal science fiction novel Sun of Suns, the saga of this striking world has introduced us to the people of stubborn pride and resilience who have made Virga their home; but also, always lurking beyond the walls of the world, to the mysterious threat known only as Artificial Nature. In The Sunless Countries, history tutor Leal Hieronyma Maspeth became the first human in centuries to learn the true nature of this threat. Her reward was exile, but now, in Ashes of Candesce, Artificial Nature makes its final bid to destroy Virga, and it is up to Leal to unite the quarrelling clans of her world to fight the threat.
Karl Schroeder’s Ashes of Candesce brings together all the heroes of the Virga series, and draws the diverse threads of the previous storylines together into one climactic conflict. Blending steampunk styling with a far-future setting and meditations on the posthuman condition, Ashes of Candesce mixes high adventure and cutting-edge ideas in a fitting climax to one of science fiction’s most innovative series.
Ashes of Candesce is the last book in the Virga series. It continues the story of all the main characters of the other books: Leal, Venera, Chaison, Antaea and Hayden, and it introduces another character, Keir.
The book starts with Leal, continuing her story. I liked her so much more. She stopped being so boring for me and I ended up caring for her. Venera’s still one of my favorite characters. She’s strong and determined, I love her. Chaison didn’t appear much but there was a bit of character development that I enjoyed. Hayden was like Chaison, he didn’t appear much but still showed some depth. Antaea was present in a big part of the novel. At the end of Pirate Sun, I liked her but she wasn’t a big character for me. Now, she has a special place in my heart. There was a lot going on in her head and the reader follows her struggle. I was able to connect with her in this book, specially in the last pages. Keir was the new main character that was introduced. Because he was from outside Virga, it was interesting to read about the different technologies that they had. His story was unraveled slowly throughout the novel and I ended up really liking him. His struggle to adapt to life inside Virga was fun to read and he became one of my favorite characters.
Now, the plot. I felt like the plot was intricate and complex. There was a lot going on in different places with different characters involved. Sometimes, it was hard to keep up. Still, Ashes of Candesce was a perfect finale to this series ans I’m sad to be leaving this world and the characters that I love.
Rating: 4 stars
Sun of Suns (Virga #1) REVIEW
Queen of Candesce (Virga #2) REVIEW
Pirate Sun (Virga #3) REVIEW
The Sunless Countries (Virga #4)REVIEW
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