…great story!…one could make the argument that the story is all prelude to the next installment…that is not negative criticism---pafko at the wall, the prelude of underworld (delillo) is an incredibly good story…and this one is in the same league.

…some great pairings…two characters paired off w/each other, and though we have read (if you read the previous 3 Frankenstein stories) how Jocko and Erika hooked up with each other--they are in this one, as well as the two detectives, Carson and Michael…though Deucalion travels mostly alone…

…this old buck, Mr. Lyss partners-up w/this character goes by the name of Nummy…their scenes are a riot, a hoot, reminiscent of Curtis Hammond/Burt Hooper in One Door Away From Heaven…Nummy calls Mr. Lyss colorful, “that’s what’s to like about him…”……and later on: Mr. Lyss is someone “who seemed to know how to do everything at no cost to himself.” that pairing was a joy to read, listening to those two interact, the way they were getting to know each other, the way each influenced the other, changed even, always a good thing, when change is needed.

..and then there’s Victor…
“to be as a god, one must concede the validity of the concept of God, and Victor Immaculate, unlike the original Victor, makes no such concession. He wishes to create nothing that endures. He desires only to be the transitional manager between the world as it is now and as it will be without a single thinking creature in it. He creates to destroy. His vision is a world without vision, without ideals, without purpose.”

…yeah… a mouthful, that.

…a quote from within: “memories aren’t rags that come clean with enough wringing.”

….this story, book 4, refers to the previous read at times…and I thought the references helped a bit….they could or could not have been in the story…the flow might have been interrupted a bit as I considered what was written and then moved on. No biggy.

…there’s Communitarians….”they pass for humans and are the fifth column that facilitate the Builders.”
…I figure to enjoy pondering the metaphorical implications of the above…

…14 months, Victor figures to the end… I look forward to the next installment.