Ratings36
Average rating4.2
Machineries Of Empire, the most exciting science fiction trilogy of the decade, reaches its astonishing conclusion! When Shuos Jedao wakes up for the first time, several things go wrong. His few memories tell him that he's a seventeen-year-old cadet--but his body belongs to a man decades older. Hexarch Nirai Kujen orders Jedao to reconquer the fractured hexarchate on his behalf even though Jedao has no memory of ever being a soldier, let alone a general. Surely a knack for video games doesn't qualify you to take charge of an army? Soon Jedao learns the situation is even worse. The Kel soldiers under his command may be compelled to obey him, but they hate him thanks to a massacre he can't remember committing. Kujen's friendliness can't hide the fact that he's a tyrant. And what's worse, Jedao and Kujen are being hunted by an enemy who knows more about Jedao and his crimes than he does himself...
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3 primary books6 released booksThe Machineries of Empire is a 6-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2015 with contributions by Yoon Ha Lee.
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These three books were great, set in a strange universe of calendrical warfare. I still can't explain what that is, but that doesn't matter. Just remember Clarke's Law. What made this book extra challenging was the fact that the protagonist exists twice, and at least at the start, is referred to by the same name, no matter which one of them the story currently focuses on. Once again, it all netaly comes together in the end, and makes for a good “final” book.
“You're not supposed to spend on frivolous shit, but what good is life without some frivolous shit?”
Here we are, the end of a trilogy I greatly enjoyed. It's a testament to how intriguing I found the series that I finished all three books within a span of six months, because I never read series books back-to-back. This was a wild ride, and on the other side I'm still not sure I could explain some of the concepts going on, but I still really enjoyed it.
I won't go into story details, because basically anything I can say about the plot would be spoilers for this book and the series as a whole. Suffice it to say that things get a bit weird(er?), there's new POVs introduced for this book, and some are more endearing than others. If Hemiola could get her own spinoff series, I'd be super happy, thanks. I'm slightly disappointed in the ending, but I guess I can see how things wrapped up.
I do feel like, as tight and clean as the second book felt in terms of plot and progression, this third book felt like a bit of a regression. The story is a bit fragmented for large chunks of the book, and it's hard to see initially how things are supposed to fit. The ending felt a bit rushed and blended together to get everything to work, which felt a bit different than the endings of the other two books.
I still would recommend this series to anyone willing to take on a bit of a challenge in terms of sci-fi terminology and concepts. Jedao is a delight and a treasure.