The Wake

In a way, the author was right with his final parting words, that this is a goodbye of sorts. This final volume is really more of an epilogue, with the real ending in volume 9. I found this volume to be both an ending and a beginning. I feel like it's a nostalgic visit to the stories that have gone by, and also a celebration of a continuation and more to come. As the wake and the funeral draws to a close, we are served up with closure for Hob Gadling, a new plot about an old minister of China sent into exile, and a final arc with William Shapespeare. I can't help but feel like there are deeper meanings in these arcs; like there are things just underneath teasing to be found out. It's difficult to articulate, but I feel that this is a worthy end to the whole series; the final arc provides a rather profound sort of closure. Reviews can't really begin to describe the journey.

The final book in the original run. It ties up a few loose ends, and satisfactorily concludes the story. My only complaint is the order in which they were presented and published. I would have preferred the the vignettes at the end had been moved to before the wake, and the series finished on that last panel of the wake. But I understand why it was done the way it was done. It was a writer saying goodbye to his work, and who am I to fault him for how he chooses do so? so?