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The Saga of Seven Suns #7
The Ashes of Worlds
The culminating volume in Kevin J. Anderson's Saga of Seven Suns weaves together the myriad storylines into a spectacular grand finale.
Galactic empires clash, elemental beings devastate whole planetary systems, and the factions of humanity are pitted against each other. Heroes rise and enemies make their last stands in the climax of an epic tale seven years in the making. The Saga of Seven Suns is one of the most colorful and spectacular science fiction epics of the last decade.
Galactic empires clash, elemental beings devastate whole planetary systems, and the factions of humanity are pitted against each other. Heroes rise and enemies make their last stands in the climax of an epic tale seven years in the making. The Saga of Seven Suns is one of the most colorful and spectacular science fiction epics of the last decade.
491 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2008
79 people are currently reading
1562 people want to read
About the author
Kevin J. Anderson
1,033 books3,112 followersYes, I have a lot of books, and if this is your first visit to my amazon author page, it can be a little overwhelming. If you are new to my work, let me recommend a few titles as good places to start. I love my Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series, humorous horror/mysteries, which begin with DEATH WARMED OVER. My steampunk fantasy adventures, CLOCKWORK ANGELS and CLOCKWORK LIVES, written with Neil Peart, legendary drummer from Rush, are two of my very favorite novels ever. And my magnum opus, the science fiction epic The Saga of Seven Suns, begins with HIDDEN EMPIRE. After you've tried those, I hope you'll check out some of my other series.
I have written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and I'm the co-author of the Dune prequels. My original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. I have also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Predator titles (also for Dark Horse), and X-Files titles for Topps.
I serve as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest.
My wife is author Rebecca Moesta. We currently reside near Monument, Colorado.
I have written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and I'm the co-author of the Dune prequels. My original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. I have also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Predator titles (also for Dark Horse), and X-Files titles for Topps.
I serve as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest.
My wife is author Rebecca Moesta. We currently reside near Monument, Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
January 1, 2022
3.0 Stars
This was a very underwhelming finale. This series was not worth my time. No payoff in the ending.
This was a very underwhelming finale. This series was not worth my time. No payoff in the ending.
September 5, 2010
When reading a series if the Thank Goodness its over becomes the predominant thought, then it is clear something has been wrong with the series. That this series suffers from so many things and that the author handled it so poorly makes this a never again. Ever.
That others feel the same way shows that these opinions are not wrong. As always. Time scale. Sometimes you can from one spot to another in a few hours, traveling in space. Then later it takes weeks.
Further, that pregnancy that lasted for many books, now in relation to other storylines, must have been years again. We have an Alien threat that the entire known galaxy, 2 sentient races that are alive, wants to deal with. Then we discover a second all powerful race, stronger than our 2 sentients. Then a third and then a fourth. The dead race comes back, their robots are more powerful again then are heroes.
Throughout, there is one guy who can make new weapons to kill the evil races... Only one. Not a team of scientists. Just one.
With all those destructive races, why not have one leader who no one can stop decided that we should have the good guys fight amongst themselves. A government with no checks and balances. Total tyranny that evolved as long as it was benevolent before.
Even if you buy into that world view, you know that this meglomaniac would have been killed by another tyrant wanting power.
So the final showdown has come. But let us have 2 on the same time and day to make it dramatic. Our 2 sentient races dealing with life threatening ends or salvation and victory. Totally not believable. Let us look to human history for such examples, can't find any.
So we finally get resolved. We end. Then every person who was on stage needs their four pages of time in the sun. Wrapping this tale up consumes 100 pages.
Lousy Book, Lousy Series, Anderson disappoints.
That others feel the same way shows that these opinions are not wrong. As always. Time scale. Sometimes you can from one spot to another in a few hours, traveling in space. Then later it takes weeks.
Further, that pregnancy that lasted for many books, now in relation to other storylines, must have been years again. We have an Alien threat that the entire known galaxy, 2 sentient races that are alive, wants to deal with. Then we discover a second all powerful race, stronger than our 2 sentients. Then a third and then a fourth. The dead race comes back, their robots are more powerful again then are heroes.
Throughout, there is one guy who can make new weapons to kill the evil races... Only one. Not a team of scientists. Just one.
With all those destructive races, why not have one leader who no one can stop decided that we should have the good guys fight amongst themselves. A government with no checks and balances. Total tyranny that evolved as long as it was benevolent before.
Even if you buy into that world view, you know that this meglomaniac would have been killed by another tyrant wanting power.
So the final showdown has come. But let us have 2 on the same time and day to make it dramatic. Our 2 sentient races dealing with life threatening ends or salvation and victory. Totally not believable. Let us look to human history for such examples, can't find any.
So we finally get resolved. We end. Then every person who was on stage needs their four pages of time in the sun. Wrapping this tale up consumes 100 pages.
Lousy Book, Lousy Series, Anderson disappoints.
January 29, 2019
It was bad.
It's really sad when you read a book series and watch it go downhill. For the first five books in the series, I read with rapt attention as new events unfolded and mysteries were unraveled. But with the last two books (this being the final volume), I had to put up with over-explanation, horrible dialogue, unbelievably stupid events, boring segments of loquacity, Swifties, grammatical errors, predictable conclusions, really stupid characters, rocky plot devices, too many deus ex machina, and a "they lives happily ever after" ending.
Do I need to go on?
The biggest thing is that KJA doesn't tell the truth when he writes. Everything happens the way he plotted it out without any leeway for the story. Because of that, characters are really two-dimensional and the story gets washed out. The other thing is that this series could've been condensed into 5 books maximum and it would've been stronger. There was too much that could've been taken out. As a story, I really hated that the first five books centered on one common enemy that was defeated in the fifth book, and then the next two books made new bad guys that were "even worse," and one of them was a quasi-ally. Then, he even brings back the bad guys from the the first five books to briefly ally themselves with the protagonists. Ugh. It's bad.
It's really sad when you read a book series and watch it go downhill. For the first five books in the series, I read with rapt attention as new events unfolded and mysteries were unraveled. But with the last two books (this being the final volume), I had to put up with over-explanation, horrible dialogue, unbelievably stupid events, boring segments of loquacity, Swifties, grammatical errors, predictable conclusions, really stupid characters, rocky plot devices, too many deus ex machina, and a "they lives happily ever after" ending.
Do I need to go on?
The biggest thing is that KJA doesn't tell the truth when he writes. Everything happens the way he plotted it out without any leeway for the story. Because of that, characters are really two-dimensional and the story gets washed out. The other thing is that this series could've been condensed into 5 books maximum and it would've been stronger. There was too much that could've been taken out. As a story, I really hated that the first five books centered on one common enemy that was defeated in the fifth book, and then the next two books made new bad guys that were "even worse," and one of them was a quasi-ally. Then, he even brings back the bad guys from the the first five books to briefly ally themselves with the protagonists. Ugh. It's bad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2022
Wow. The conclusion to the 7 book series is here, and it is jam-packed full of action and intrigue. Kevin J. Anderson had a tall order for how he was going to wrap up the Saga of Seven Suns, and boy did he exceed expectations.
A lot of people might expect Anderson to go around killing characters left and right. That really isn't Kevin's style and hasn't been throughout the series. As a result, the lack of character deaths here works, because the ending is more about where the characters end up now.
This book is impeccably paced, and Anderson really does wrap up all of the big plotlines. There are many minor characters who really don't get a big wrap up, but its actually ok, because they aren't the main characters.
There are a few things this book had to get right. 1. The finale with Chairman Winsceslas. 2. The Faeroes and the Ildirans. 3. The Klikiss and the Klikiss Robots. Fortunately, it wraps them all up really nicely. I was happy with the results in all of these plotlines.
I think it was an interesting choice in this series to make the main character the villain, and to have most of his scenes from other people's perspectives. However, it really comes to fruition here and works for the story.
I cannot reveal too much else, and thus I have to cut my review much shorter than ordinary. Suffice it to say that I loved this book and loved the series as a whole. This book really is the best in the sense that it pays everything off really well! 9.5 out of 10!
A lot of people might expect Anderson to go around killing characters left and right. That really isn't Kevin's style and hasn't been throughout the series. As a result, the lack of character deaths here works, because the ending is more about where the characters end up now.
This book is impeccably paced, and Anderson really does wrap up all of the big plotlines. There are many minor characters who really don't get a big wrap up, but its actually ok, because they aren't the main characters.
There are a few things this book had to get right. 1. The finale with Chairman Winsceslas. 2. The Faeroes and the Ildirans. 3. The Klikiss and the Klikiss Robots. Fortunately, it wraps them all up really nicely. I was happy with the results in all of these plotlines.
I think it was an interesting choice in this series to make the main character the villain, and to have most of his scenes from other people's perspectives. However, it really comes to fruition here and works for the story.
I cannot reveal too much else, and thus I have to cut my review much shorter than ordinary. Suffice it to say that I loved this book and loved the series as a whole. This book really is the best in the sense that it pays everything off really well! 9.5 out of 10!
August 24, 2010
Why do I feel like I have to finish a series if I start it? This one was not worth it.
July 31, 2011
As a huge fan of Mr Anderson's work, i must say I thorougly enjoyed this series from start to finish. As i was reading them as they were published, I had about a years wait in between books.
I'd have them pre-ordered six months in advance and read them the second the showed up in the mail.
I must disagree with the majority of the reviewers here and say that I didn't find the story drawn out in the slightest. I though it was well paced, each chapter being a convenient lenght that you could read quite a few during a lunch break.
i found the characters engaging and very real. i found the various cultures throughout the series very well realised and the Illdrian culture and society in particular very interesting.
I loved the whole concept of elemental aliens fighting an eons old war with humans and aliens caught int he middle. The constant shifting allainces and plots within plots kept my attention and kept me entertained. Bravo!
I'd have them pre-ordered six months in advance and read them the second the showed up in the mail.
I must disagree with the majority of the reviewers here and say that I didn't find the story drawn out in the slightest. I though it was well paced, each chapter being a convenient lenght that you could read quite a few during a lunch break.
i found the characters engaging and very real. i found the various cultures throughout the series very well realised and the Illdrian culture and society in particular very interesting.
I loved the whole concept of elemental aliens fighting an eons old war with humans and aliens caught int he middle. The constant shifting allainces and plots within plots kept my attention and kept me entertained. Bravo!
May 16, 2015
I was a little disappointed with this last book, since the series start was so promising. This just became a little predicatable, I stopped caring for the characters in the end and couldn't wait for the end. Shame.
August 23, 2008
This was so awful I couldn't stop listening to it.
June 21, 2010
A decent space opera, but could've been much better if it wasn't so long & the characters weren't so one dimensional.
May 31, 2023
Really enjoyed this series which had all the traditional elements of classic space opera's and some own unique elements that made it a worthwhile ride. Recommended if you like space opera stories with a big scope.
January 10, 2019
Brilliant ending... Loved every moment of the book and the series as a whole. This last one really had me at the tip of my couch and kept me out of sleep for hours. Have been a while since a story had that effect on me. Really excellent
September 7, 2013
It's over. After a long seven book slog I am very happy to see the Saga of Seven Suns come to a close. The main thoughts I have about this is not how much I enjoyed the ride, or how I loved how the story came to a close. It's my relief that I don't have to pick up the next book. I know what you're thinking. If I didn't like the series then why didn't I simply stop reading after the first book, or after I stopped enjoying the series? Good question.
As a whole, there are probably more things I dislike about this series than I ended up liking, and even I am surprised I persisted with reading until the end. The main problem is the writing. It's dull, lifeless and failed to immerse me into each character's plight. There's something wrong with a book when you don't feel anything when several characters are killed - and there are a fair few along the way. It concerns me even more when I am more excited about reaching the end of the book and moving closer to the end of the series rather than being interested in how I got there. It just feels like Kevin J. Anderson provided the shell of the novel but forgot to fill in the gaps. I have to wonder if Anderson himself felt invested in the world and characters he created if I, and I am not entirely alone in my perception, judging by some of the other reviews here, failed to ever lose myself in the story.
On the plus side, the world he has created is perhaps the strongest aspect of the novel. There are countless planets and species in the world of the Saga of the Seven Suns, and Anderson has given us a great insight into each part of the universe by separating each chapter in a George R.R. Martin style - by character. But therein lies another fault. The cast is absolutely massive and you never really feel like you fully get to know each character, let alone become emotionally attached to them. Each chapter is only a handful of pages long, which I do think tends to work well for some novels, but the constant switching between the many characters is somewhat jarring, particularly in the latter section of Ashes of Worlds, where two different wars on two different planets are being fought. Sure, each of the characters have individual traits, and every now and again you almost feel like you care enough about what they are doing, but they all feel like ghosts. Each of them are missing their hearts.
As I write this, I have come to realise that perhaps the main reason I kept reading was just to see how it ended. There is an interesting and very expansive story that continues to become more vast as each book goes by, and despite Anderson's flaws you can't help but want to know how it winds up finishing. Ashes of Worlds is perhaps the strongest novel of the series, as the plot progresses far more quickly, perhaps because the end was actually in sight, and it is filled with much more action. It's really too little, too late though. It takes a very long time for the ball to get rolling in the Saga of the Seven Suns, and it wasn't till Of Fire and Night that I felt like Anderson picked up enough steam to chug along to the end.
That being said, Ashes of Worlds was a fitting conclusion to the story, and it was satisfying watching all of the plot lines tied up neatly, something which Anderson should be commended for. I can't honestly recommend this series to anyone unless you are really desperate for some science fiction, but I can say that to anyone who does pick it up you may just find enough in it to want to reach the end. If there's anything I've learnt from this series, and that I am thankful to Kevin J. Anderson for, it's that life is too short to waste my time reading books I don't love.
As a whole, there are probably more things I dislike about this series than I ended up liking, and even I am surprised I persisted with reading until the end. The main problem is the writing. It's dull, lifeless and failed to immerse me into each character's plight. There's something wrong with a book when you don't feel anything when several characters are killed - and there are a fair few along the way. It concerns me even more when I am more excited about reaching the end of the book and moving closer to the end of the series rather than being interested in how I got there. It just feels like Kevin J. Anderson provided the shell of the novel but forgot to fill in the gaps. I have to wonder if Anderson himself felt invested in the world and characters he created if I, and I am not entirely alone in my perception, judging by some of the other reviews here, failed to ever lose myself in the story.
On the plus side, the world he has created is perhaps the strongest aspect of the novel. There are countless planets and species in the world of the Saga of the Seven Suns, and Anderson has given us a great insight into each part of the universe by separating each chapter in a George R.R. Martin style - by character. But therein lies another fault. The cast is absolutely massive and you never really feel like you fully get to know each character, let alone become emotionally attached to them. Each chapter is only a handful of pages long, which I do think tends to work well for some novels, but the constant switching between the many characters is somewhat jarring, particularly in the latter section of Ashes of Worlds, where two different wars on two different planets are being fought. Sure, each of the characters have individual traits, and every now and again you almost feel like you care enough about what they are doing, but they all feel like ghosts. Each of them are missing their hearts.
As I write this, I have come to realise that perhaps the main reason I kept reading was just to see how it ended. There is an interesting and very expansive story that continues to become more vast as each book goes by, and despite Anderson's flaws you can't help but want to know how it winds up finishing. Ashes of Worlds is perhaps the strongest novel of the series, as the plot progresses far more quickly, perhaps because the end was actually in sight, and it is filled with much more action. It's really too little, too late though. It takes a very long time for the ball to get rolling in the Saga of the Seven Suns, and it wasn't till Of Fire and Night that I felt like Anderson picked up enough steam to chug along to the end.
That being said, Ashes of Worlds was a fitting conclusion to the story, and it was satisfying watching all of the plot lines tied up neatly, something which Anderson should be commended for. I can't honestly recommend this series to anyone unless you are really desperate for some science fiction, but I can say that to anyone who does pick it up you may just find enough in it to want to reach the end. If there's anything I've learnt from this series, and that I am thankful to Kevin J. Anderson for, it's that life is too short to waste my time reading books I don't love.
July 20, 2010
This is an interesting series but does take a little work to read. Also, I judge a book on how it is to reread and I found myself skipping many pages and sections due to it being a little too tediuos.
March 2, 2011
Finally finished! Enjoyed aspects, but got a little sick of the continued introduction of newer, bigger, more formidable enemies. Got a little silly rather than epic.
March 10, 2017
End of the first series
Mediocre series that wasn't worth the time but I'm going to see this through. Not without merit but Anderson attempted something that just didn't work.
Mediocre series that wasn't worth the time but I'm going to see this through. Not without merit but Anderson attempted something that just didn't work.
June 15, 2019
Let me just start by saying that this whole series is fucking stupid. The premise behind the overall plot is that every single character is a fucking naive moron, who ignores everything their enemies have ever done and continues to do, refusing to believe they're truly evil, which is why with that selective memory that ignores all facts and common sense they keep repeating the same old mistakes over and over again throughout seven books even though the other side(s) clearly tried and succeeded in killing people on their side. It was barely tolerable for the first half but then I got fed up near the end (as seen from the ratings) because the characters never seem to fucking learn.
This series is barely science fiction other than the bullshit random science-y terminology the author tries to drop every now and then to keep up the pretense that this is even scifi (it's not). There's no sense of time or distance involved with hard rules that you'd get with real scifi. Ships just waltz around everywhere like there's no traveling involved and every planet is right next door. Entire fleets can sneak up on planets or GTFO from battlefields whenever it's convenient. Ships regularly meet and intercept each other in the vastness of space at FTL speeds based on plain sight alone. Whenever it's convenient two separate fleets can see the other but otherwise one sneaks up on the other at sub-FTL speeds from the edge of the system and rapes them. The fucking ruler of a huge space empire decides to travel alone instead of with his typical fleet of hundreds of warships just because it's convenient for the shitty plot that needs him to be captured. That same fleet decides to not save him because apparently with their thousand or so remaining battleships, thinks that the Hansa still has a navy that rivals them - even though they were almost completed annihilated or taken over a book or two back by the Klikiss robots. The former was at the decisive battle near Earth so there's no reason for them to think that. They should have had nearly perfect intel about the latter because they were fucking there.
It's actually fantasy in space and not the good kind (even compared to the space fantasy bolter-porn that is Warhammer 40K). The fucking aliens are Fantasy Elementals (i.e. Fire, Earth, Water and whatever the fuck the Hydrogues represent) that for pretty much the entire series are almost entirely immune to the weapons of the Humans and Illdirans. I'd advise you to avoid it entirely if you dislike overly stupid characters and plot because holy shit it's in every single book in this series...I'm not even fucking kidding.
This series is barely science fiction other than the bullshit random science-y terminology the author tries to drop every now and then to keep up the pretense that this is even scifi (it's not). There's no sense of time or distance involved with hard rules that you'd get with real scifi. Ships just waltz around everywhere like there's no traveling involved and every planet is right next door. Entire fleets can sneak up on planets or GTFO from battlefields whenever it's convenient. Ships regularly meet and intercept each other in the vastness of space at FTL speeds based on plain sight alone. Whenever it's convenient two separate fleets can see the other but otherwise one sneaks up on the other at sub-FTL speeds from the edge of the system and rapes them. The fucking ruler of a huge space empire decides to travel alone instead of with his typical fleet of hundreds of warships just because it's convenient for the shitty plot that needs him to be captured. That same fleet decides to not save him because apparently with their thousand or so remaining battleships, thinks that the Hansa still has a navy that rivals them - even though they were almost completed annihilated or taken over a book or two back by the Klikiss robots. The former was at the decisive battle near Earth so there's no reason for them to think that. They should have had nearly perfect intel about the latter because they were fucking there.
It's actually fantasy in space and not the good kind (even compared to the space fantasy bolter-porn that is Warhammer 40K). The fucking aliens are Fantasy Elementals (i.e. Fire, Earth, Water and whatever the fuck the Hydrogues represent) that for pretty much the entire series are almost entirely immune to the weapons of the Humans and Illdirans. I'd advise you to avoid it entirely if you dislike overly stupid characters and plot because holy shit it's in every single book in this series...I'm not even fucking kidding.
March 27, 2021
I recently listened to The Ashes of Worlds written by Kevin J. Anderson and narrated by David Colacci.
This is the seventh and final book in the Saga of Seven Suns. It's impossible to review books in a series without offering some spoilers to what came before. If this is an issue for you, I suggest you stop reading now.
This last book starts prepped for the final battle between multiple factions. The Klikiss hive breedex's have been conquering each other and the process is almost finished. The hive that assimilated Davlin Lotze is conquering most others, but what will be left of his imprinting on the breedex remains to be seen.
Basil Wenceslas continues to hold the Mage-Imperatur Jor'ah hostage on earth's moon, however, the Ildiran Solar Navy is en route to perform a daring rescue to free Jor'ah.
The Faeros continue their burning of Ildirans on their home planet, as well as their attacks on Theroc and the world forest, however, their ire is turned against Jor'ah and they seek to hunt him down wherever he hides.
The Wentils and the World forest seek to join in new ways in order to combat the aggression of the Faeros. If they don't succeed the galaxy could burn.
David Colacci continued to do a great job with the narration. Considering the amount of characters he had to voice it was a stellar effort.
Conclusion: I think, since this is the last book in the series, it's time to not only review this book, but the series as a whole. This book was a welcome conclusion to the series. It, in an ending reminiscent of Hollywood, wraps up everything with a bow. I was quite happy with the overall conclusion.
The series as a whole runs a bit long in the tooth. I honestly felt it could have ended after about the fifth book and been just fine. To be fair, I do understand why the author continued. There was, legitimately, more story to be told and he wanted to tell it.
This series is not a 'hard' scifi series but it's rather reminiscent of the early days of scifi. In early sci-fi books you could meet strange alien races with mind warping abilities and it was viewed as good sci-fi, even if no explanation was forthcoming for these abilities.
I suspect, because it hews towards this earlier view of the scifi genre, there will be many who won't enjoy the Saga of the Seven Suns. I, being a strange bloke that doesn't think the universe comes with handy explanations appended to everything, quite enjoyed it. While the series did go a bit long, it left me appreciating the Saga as a whole. T'was a long journey, but a worthwhile one.
This is the seventh and final book in the Saga of Seven Suns. It's impossible to review books in a series without offering some spoilers to what came before. If this is an issue for you, I suggest you stop reading now.
This last book starts prepped for the final battle between multiple factions. The Klikiss hive breedex's have been conquering each other and the process is almost finished. The hive that assimilated Davlin Lotze is conquering most others, but what will be left of his imprinting on the breedex remains to be seen.
Basil Wenceslas continues to hold the Mage-Imperatur Jor'ah hostage on earth's moon, however, the Ildiran Solar Navy is en route to perform a daring rescue to free Jor'ah.
The Faeros continue their burning of Ildirans on their home planet, as well as their attacks on Theroc and the world forest, however, their ire is turned against Jor'ah and they seek to hunt him down wherever he hides.
The Wentils and the World forest seek to join in new ways in order to combat the aggression of the Faeros. If they don't succeed the galaxy could burn.
David Colacci continued to do a great job with the narration. Considering the amount of characters he had to voice it was a stellar effort.
Conclusion: I think, since this is the last book in the series, it's time to not only review this book, but the series as a whole. This book was a welcome conclusion to the series. It, in an ending reminiscent of Hollywood, wraps up everything with a bow. I was quite happy with the overall conclusion.
The series as a whole runs a bit long in the tooth. I honestly felt it could have ended after about the fifth book and been just fine. To be fair, I do understand why the author continued. There was, legitimately, more story to be told and he wanted to tell it.
This series is not a 'hard' scifi series but it's rather reminiscent of the early days of scifi. In early sci-fi books you could meet strange alien races with mind warping abilities and it was viewed as good sci-fi, even if no explanation was forthcoming for these abilities.
I suspect, because it hews towards this earlier view of the scifi genre, there will be many who won't enjoy the Saga of the Seven Suns. I, being a strange bloke that doesn't think the universe comes with handy explanations appended to everything, quite enjoyed it. While the series did go a bit long, it left me appreciating the Saga as a whole. T'was a long journey, but a worthwhile one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2017
Well, I've finally finished The Saga of Seven Suns! It's been a long ride, and a good one too. I like that each character was given a final chapter (a few final chapters in a couple of cases) at the end during the denouement for final closure. Some authors like to end as soon as possible, but with there being so many character in the Saga, that would have been a huge disappointment, and I admit, I was a little concerned, but was ultimately pleasantly surprised.
I think the end, the final battles, were slightly less dramatic than they were in Metal Swarm, but I suppose that's okay. The Saga has never really been a super high tension/conflict series to begin with, so I'm not disappointed, though I would have liked to have seen a little bit more character development with this series as a whole, as in entire chapters devoted to the character's personal lives. In fact, I think this series could have probably done well with another book's worth of pages on that count. That's really my one beef with the series is that it's so plot centered. The characters do get development and such, but as soon as those plots are done and over with, all development for them seems to drop, leaving them to be plot pieces rather than living, breathing people. Take Patrick Fitzpatrick's character for instance. In the beginning I loathed this guy. But his arc going from Hansa military zealot to voice for the Confederation, and of course, the wonderful moments between him and Zhett leading up to their marriage were great, making him one of my favorite characters of the series. Afterwards he's simply a plot mechanic, along with many other characters.
I'm not complaining. I'm simply being objective. The Saga of Seven Suns is a good series, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys epic space opera. The scope of this series is enormous, what with 34 viewpoint characters spread across the galaxy and all!
I think the end, the final battles, were slightly less dramatic than they were in Metal Swarm, but I suppose that's okay. The Saga has never really been a super high tension/conflict series to begin with, so I'm not disappointed, though I would have liked to have seen a little bit more character development with this series as a whole, as in entire chapters devoted to the character's personal lives. In fact, I think this series could have probably done well with another book's worth of pages on that count. That's really my one beef with the series is that it's so plot centered. The characters do get development and such, but as soon as those plots are done and over with, all development for them seems to drop, leaving them to be plot pieces rather than living, breathing people. Take Patrick Fitzpatrick's character for instance. In the beginning I loathed this guy. But his arc going from Hansa military zealot to voice for the Confederation, and of course, the wonderful moments between him and Zhett leading up to their marriage were great, making him one of my favorite characters of the series. Afterwards he's simply a plot mechanic, along with many other characters.
I'm not complaining. I'm simply being objective. The Saga of Seven Suns is a good series, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys epic space opera. The scope of this series is enormous, what with 34 viewpoint characters spread across the galaxy and all!
May 17, 2017
A fitting end to the entire series. It wraps up all the loose threads and (as expected) looks to a bright future for Mankind and the Ildiran race. At the outset, there are four threats to this future: the Klikiss race, the black (Klikiss) robots, the Faeros, and Hansa Chairman Basil Wenceslas. The novel seemed a tad rushed in places to overcome all of these "enemies." However, all ended logically. As Miss Prism says in "The Importance of Being Earnest" about her own three-volume novel: The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily.
It would have been great to see a whole novel devoted to Humans attempting to understand the Klikiss race's goals and attempt to negotiate peace. I was hoping that explorations of Man's first contact with a truly alien species where we have nothing in common might be part of the story. There were the "chaos" races of Hydrogues and Faeros, but there wasn't much direct interaction with them. The Ildirans seemed to be just 'humans' categorized by their function in society.
All in all, the series reminded me of a comic book plot. (I'd said "soap opera" in my previous volume review; but what is a comic book but a soap opera where fights break out while people wear tights?) I like comic book plots and this also had great characters to follow and root for and mourn when they died, as well as good character development throughout.
It would have been great to see a whole novel devoted to Humans attempting to understand the Klikiss race's goals and attempt to negotiate peace. I was hoping that explorations of Man's first contact with a truly alien species where we have nothing in common might be part of the story. There were the "chaos" races of Hydrogues and Faeros, but there wasn't much direct interaction with them. The Ildirans seemed to be just 'humans' categorized by their function in society.
All in all, the series reminded me of a comic book plot. (I'd said "soap opera" in my previous volume review; but what is a comic book but a soap opera where fights break out while people wear tights?) I like comic book plots and this also had great characters to follow and root for and mourn when they died, as well as good character development throughout.
June 8, 2023
All things considered, I think this was a pretty good ending for the series. The pacing was a bit off, but it did tie things up nicely for all involved, with no ominous cliffhangers or 'interpret it in your own way'.
I remember thinking about halfway through, how can so much be tied up in such a short pace count? The result was a bit of a rollercoaster ride that didn't make a huge amount of sense, logic-wise. But it was fun and satisfying to read.
Lots of cliches in the 'happily ever after' epilogues for every major character, but I think we were going for a feel-good aftermath, which was somewhat nice.
Overall, I think the series was pretty good. While I don't tend to need my Scifi to make perfect sense, especially in the second half logic often went out the window to make the plot happen.
But saying that, I was really impressed by the authentic feeling of the different factions, their ingenuity and their differences. In a lot of series, I find that different factions (or races) only have superficial differences and don't have much guiding vision. The characters themselves were OK, but I think it was the world-building that I really found fantastic.
I remember thinking about halfway through, how can so much be tied up in such a short pace count? The result was a bit of a rollercoaster ride that didn't make a huge amount of sense, logic-wise. But it was fun and satisfying to read.
Lots of cliches in the 'happily ever after' epilogues for every major character, but I think we were going for a feel-good aftermath, which was somewhat nice.
Overall, I think the series was pretty good. While I don't tend to need my Scifi to make perfect sense, especially in the second half logic often went out the window to make the plot happen.
But saying that, I was really impressed by the authentic feeling of the different factions, their ingenuity and their differences. In a lot of series, I find that different factions (or races) only have superficial differences and don't have much guiding vision. The characters themselves were OK, but I think it was the world-building that I really found fantastic.
January 28, 2019
A struggle to read
After a rather large gap finally read the last book Of the seven suns series. During my time away from the series I have obviously been spoilt by the likes of Peter F Hamilton, Mark Lawrence and Steven Eriksen to name just a few. Unlike in the others works, the characters in this were very one dimensional and doggedly stuck to their main character trait, to the point of ridiculousness. Because of this when any of the characters die, the best responses they got was an "oh" though invariably a "meh" was more appropriate.
The scale of everything also seems so very small for something that is supposed to be galaxy spanning, there is no sense that this is being played out across lightyears with billions of lives affected.
Of all the battles in the book, the real battle was the one to keep turning the page and get to the end. I have seen there are further books in this universe, however I do not think I will be revisiting ig.
After a rather large gap finally read the last book Of the seven suns series. During my time away from the series I have obviously been spoilt by the likes of Peter F Hamilton, Mark Lawrence and Steven Eriksen to name just a few. Unlike in the others works, the characters in this were very one dimensional and doggedly stuck to their main character trait, to the point of ridiculousness. Because of this when any of the characters die, the best responses they got was an "oh" though invariably a "meh" was more appropriate.
The scale of everything also seems so very small for something that is supposed to be galaxy spanning, there is no sense that this is being played out across lightyears with billions of lives affected.
Of all the battles in the book, the real battle was the one to keep turning the page and get to the end. I have seen there are further books in this universe, however I do not think I will be revisiting ig.
September 14, 2017
As the final installment of the saga, I was hoping for a grand finale with all the threads that were coming together. Instead most were closed with quite boring sequences: the Klikiss and the robots, the chairman, Rusa'h... all of them meh.
In retrospect, I shouldn't have read this fantasy saga, but the big picture has some memorable quality that kept me going. Unfortunately, neither the writing nor the plot evolution was up my alley. I have never skipped so much text while reading a novel, even in the final, closing chapters of some characters! And without regrets... that says something.
I'm particularly affronted by the plot totally throwing away the idea of human thism. That alone would change the history of humanity, and should have been the major crossroad for the remainder of the story.
In retrospect, I shouldn't have read this fantasy saga, but the big picture has some memorable quality that kept me going. Unfortunately, neither the writing nor the plot evolution was up my alley. I have never skipped so much text while reading a novel, even in the final, closing chapters of some characters! And without regrets... that says something.
I'm particularly affronted by the plot totally throwing away the idea of human thism. That alone would change the history of humanity, and should have been the major crossroad for the remainder of the story.
January 4, 2020
“The Ashes of Worlds” (Saga of Seven Suns #7) by Kevin J Anderson. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Well, it’s finally over. I finished all 7 in the longggggg series. In this last and concluding book, my main thought was ‘Who is he sacrificing next?’ as characters continued to bite the dust. This book finishes the universe-wide saga of the Hanta on Earth, Roamers, Ilarians with their connected minds, Therons with their Worldforest, fiery Faeros, gas planet Hydrogues, buglike Klikiss, watery Wentals, and relentless Black Robots. Luckily, the author provides a long first chapter in which he summarizes the previous six books in the series. He also provides a long glossary at the end so if you forget who someone is, you can look them up. This series is truly fits the Space Opera genre. It takes place all over, with lots of battles and political intrigue. Overall, it’s probably only a 2.5 for me, but I upped it to a 3 for perseverance (the authors’ for writing it, and mine for finishing it)
July 16, 2019
Disappointing
Good storyline. That’s about the best I can offer. Throughout the series, the same information was repeated over and over again. Probably could have reduced series by 2-3 books by removing redundant information. So much of the tech was obviously inconsistent (ie. Water put out the Faeros, which works on fire because it drowns oxygen source, but they didn’t go out in the vacuum of space). Chairman Wenceslas’ reign was extended far too long. No population or government would have tolerated his megalomania—it just wasn’t realistic. Good was too righteous and bad was too evil, no nuance of reality.
Good storyline. That’s about the best I can offer. Throughout the series, the same information was repeated over and over again. Probably could have reduced series by 2-3 books by removing redundant information. So much of the tech was obviously inconsistent (ie. Water put out the Faeros, which works on fire because it drowns oxygen source, but they didn’t go out in the vacuum of space). Chairman Wenceslas’ reign was extended far too long. No population or government would have tolerated his megalomania—it just wasn’t realistic. Good was too righteous and bad was too evil, no nuance of reality.
July 9, 2022
As the conclusion to the Saga, this was a fitting end in the main part. There are the usual issues with the series contained within such as the lack of characterizations for some individuals. The sprawling plotlines did come together in the end mostly. And the cast of characters is still large. Yet the world building is strong and the story does advance, but requires a reasonably strong amount of suspension of disbelief for how ill thought through some of the character's actions are. After all this time dedicated to the series I am still uncertain as to how I would recommend it to others. Its a good sci-fi opera dose, and lots of it for all of the negatives.
March 18, 2023
The Saga of the Seven Suns was a fun read. If you like book series like Dune by Herbert or the Foundation series from Asimov, you will likely enjoy these 7 books. This was the final book in the series and I enjoyed every aspect from start to finish. Great character development and the plot kept a good pace. It is Sci-Fi so you do need to put aside disbelief at times, but that is not unusual. Sad it’s over, but ready for a new series. Purposefully not including any details as I don’t want to spoil anything for new readers. I really appreciated that the entire series was published as I am in the middle of several where the authors seemed to have stalled or never plan to finish.
January 11, 2025
(2 Stars)
Everyone acts like idiots, even including the robots, except debatably for Davlin. Then thanks to basically no one's decisions, there is a mostly happy ending for mostly everyone.
When I read book 5 it felt like the climax of the series, and now having read book 7, I am certain it was. The rest of this was even sillier than that. The moon exploding was kind of funny, though the fact that it didn't actually matter made its impact less (pun intended).
Anyway, I'm glad I'm through this series, so now I can read the book I actually set out to read; I do not have high expectations.
Everyone acts like idiots, even including the robots, except debatably for Davlin. Then thanks to basically no one's decisions, there is a mostly happy ending for mostly everyone.
When I read book 5 it felt like the climax of the series, and now having read book 7, I am certain it was. The rest of this was even sillier than that. The moon exploding was kind of funny, though the fact that it didn't actually matter made its impact less (pun intended).
Anyway, I'm glad I'm through this series, so now I can read the book I actually set out to read; I do not have high expectations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2019
I can understand why people struggled with this EPIC and I have to agree with some of the sentiments, it truly became an Epic with perhaps too many antagonists, characters, and plot twists and also the impression after all the epicness this final book tied up too many loose ends too quickly and too conveniently and too damn nicely!
And yet I enjoyed it immensely and wanted to continue along some of the character development lines
And yet I enjoyed it immensely and wanted to continue along some of the character development lines
December 25, 2017
I lost interest in the series in the previous book at the one-step-forward, two-steps-backwards events. I tried to pick it back up with this book after abandoning #6 to finish the series after investing myself enough to completely read the first 5, but the story just could not pull me back in. Essentially, the story outstayed its welcome for me, and it should have been finished in 5 books.
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