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The Pillars of Reality #6
The Wrath of the Great Guilds
New York Times best-selling author Jack Campbell's epic series, The Pillars of Reality, reaches its exciting conclusion.
The Great Guilds, fearing the loss of their control of the world of Dematr, have gathered their power and joined it with the relentless legions of the Empire. The full might of that host will fall upon the fortress city of Dorcastle. If Dorcastle falls, the revolt led by Master Mechanic Mari and Mage Alain will fail, and their world will soon descend into chaos.
Only Mari, believed to be the daughter of an ancient prophecy, can inspire the people and lead the defense of Dorcastle. The prophecy says she has a chance to win, but it doesn't say she will survive. Alain will stand by her, both willing to die for the other, but neither one knows if their sacrifices will mean victory.
As they battle the Imperial legions and see friends fall, Mari and Alain face their greatest challenges. And if they somehow win in the face of impossible odds, neither one can be certain what sort of world that victory will produce.
The Great Guilds, fearing the loss of their control of the world of Dematr, have gathered their power and joined it with the relentless legions of the Empire. The full might of that host will fall upon the fortress city of Dorcastle. If Dorcastle falls, the revolt led by Master Mechanic Mari and Mage Alain will fail, and their world will soon descend into chaos.
Only Mari, believed to be the daughter of an ancient prophecy, can inspire the people and lead the defense of Dorcastle. The prophecy says she has a chance to win, but it doesn't say she will survive. Alain will stand by her, both willing to die for the other, but neither one knows if their sacrifices will mean victory.
As they battle the Imperial legions and see friends fall, Mari and Alain face their greatest challenges. And if they somehow win in the face of impossible odds, neither one can be certain what sort of world that victory will produce.
245 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2016
80 people are currently reading
625 people want to read
About the author
Jack Campbell
115 books3,036 followersJack Campbell is a pseudonym for American science fiction author John G. Hemry.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
John G. Hemry is an American author of military science fiction novels. Drawing on his experience as a retired United States Navy officer, he has written the Stark's War and Paul Sinclair series. Under the name Jack Campbell, he has written four volumes of the Lost Fleet series, and on his website names two more forthcoming volumes. He has also written over a dozen short stories, many published in Analog magazine, and a number of non-fiction works.
John G Hemry is a retired United States Navy officer. His father, Jack M. Hemry, also served in the navy and as John points out was a mustang. John grew up living in several places including Pensacola, San Diego, and Midway Island.
John graduated from Lyons High School in Lyons in 1974 then attended the US Naval Academy (Class of '78) where he was labeled 'the un-midshipman' by his roommates.
He lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids. His two eldest children are diagnosed as autistic and suffer from Neuro immune dysfunction syndrome (NIDS), an auto-immune ailment which causes their illness, but are progressing under treatment.
John is a member of the SFWA Musketeers whose motto reads: 'The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword, but the Wise Person Carries Both'.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
John G. Hemry is an American author of military science fiction novels. Drawing on his experience as a retired United States Navy officer, he has written the Stark's War and Paul Sinclair series. Under the name Jack Campbell, he has written four volumes of the Lost Fleet series, and on his website names two more forthcoming volumes. He has also written over a dozen short stories, many published in Analog magazine, and a number of non-fiction works.
John G Hemry is a retired United States Navy officer. His father, Jack M. Hemry, also served in the navy and as John points out was a mustang. John grew up living in several places including Pensacola, San Diego, and Midway Island.
John graduated from Lyons High School in Lyons in 1974 then attended the US Naval Academy (Class of '78) where he was labeled 'the un-midshipman' by his roommates.
He lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids. His two eldest children are diagnosed as autistic and suffer from Neuro immune dysfunction syndrome (NIDS), an auto-immune ailment which causes their illness, but are progressing under treatment.
John is a member of the SFWA Musketeers whose motto reads: 'The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword, but the Wise Person Carries Both'.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
February 22, 2017
**3.5 stars**
The Wrath of the Great Guilds is probably the worst book in the series (which sucks because it’s the last one) and still left me in a book hangover. I love this series so and I’ll be sad to be leaving the world.
The books had several problems: first, most of the action happens during a siege and sieges ARE BORING! Pretty much the same thing happens over and over. The bad guys attack, you repel them, they attack again. Wash, rinse and repeat. Second, none of the supporting cast was with Mari & Alain. I understand why the author did it – otherwise, somebody would have had to die given all the casualties. But I think the author could have added more excitement by adding General Flynn’s or Ali’s POV while they were defending Pacta Servanda and trying to reach Mari & Alain in Dorcastle.
In addition, the title if a bit of a misnomer as it turns out the Empire was the most difficult enemy of them all! Mari & Alain out-thought the Great Guilds pretty easily and could have beaten them without a trouble if it hadn’t been for the Empire. They were the ones with the experience and the manpower to wage war and they didn’t give up easily. One thing that felt real about the battle was that you could see the cost of it. So much senseless death, so many lives lost.
I confess the way Alain saved Mari seemed too straightforward…I don’t know, I was expecting something more spectacular. I wonder if releasing this book so quickly after the other prevented the author really thinking about the story. There were so many loose ends, people like Bev who weren’t even mentioned again. We never even learned how they will manage to train young mages!
Don’t be afraid the book was terrible, there was still a lot of action and touching moments. Alain’s discovery at Danali and Mari’s despair at the wall were probably the most difficult moments in the series. I think my expectations were just too high.
The way the book ended, the author left the door open for a spin-off series. I really hope he goes for it. I’m not ready to give up this world.
The Wrath of the Great Guilds is probably the worst book in the series (which sucks because it’s the last one) and still left me in a book hangover. I love this series so and I’ll be sad to be leaving the world.
The books had several problems: first, most of the action happens during a siege and sieges ARE BORING! Pretty much the same thing happens over and over. The bad guys attack, you repel them, they attack again. Wash, rinse and repeat. Second, none of the supporting cast was with Mari & Alain. I understand why the author did it – otherwise, somebody would have had to die given all the casualties. But I think the author could have added more excitement by adding General Flynn’s or Ali’s POV while they were defending Pacta Servanda and trying to reach Mari & Alain in Dorcastle.
In addition, the title if a bit of a misnomer as it turns out the Empire was the most difficult enemy of them all! Mari & Alain out-thought the Great Guilds pretty easily and could have beaten them without a trouble if it hadn’t been for the Empire. They were the ones with the experience and the manpower to wage war and they didn’t give up easily. One thing that felt real about the battle was that you could see the cost of it. So much senseless death, so many lives lost.
I confess the way Alain saved Mari seemed too straightforward…I don’t know, I was expecting something more spectacular. I wonder if releasing this book so quickly after the other prevented the author really thinking about the story. There were so many loose ends, people like Bev who weren’t even mentioned again. We never even learned how they will manage to train young mages!
Don’t be afraid the book was terrible, there was still a lot of action and touching moments. Alain’s discovery at Danali and Mari’s despair at the wall were probably the most difficult moments in the series. I think my expectations were just too high.
The way the book ended, the author left the door open for a spin-off series. I really hope he goes for it. I’m not ready to give up this world.
September 16, 2016
Review crossposted from Reanne Reads..
Wow. That was fantastic. I just finished listening to The Wrath of the Great Guilds, final book in this amazing series, and I’m still a little giddy. The Pillars of Reality is now my favorite book series. I absolutely loved it.
This book starts off right where the previous one left off, with Mari and Alain going to Dorcastle to help defend the city from the Empire, which has teamed up with the Great Guilds. Her army can’t go with her, since it’s off elsewhere doing other things, but she and a small group of soldiers go to help. The trip to Dorcastle is mostly fairly uneventful, aside from a stop in one city where we see how bad certain things are getting, and probably a good half of the book is about the siege at Dorcastle.
This is the big battle that Alain saw in his vision in the first book, and it’s weird that it doesn’t quite end up the way that I’d pictured it from the vision. This is mostly because the big army that Mari built up isn’t actually the army fighting at Dorcastle. The defenders with her are mostly people from the city/country being invaded. This also means that, aside from Mari and Alain, most of the other characters that we’ve met up to this point aren’t really in the book very much. They show up again maybe 2/3 of the way through, but they’re missing for the whole big battle scene. Which, actually, totally worked for me.
I’m going to get into a bit of spoilery stuff here, so don’t keep reading if you want to be totally surprised and unspoiled.
Most of the people fighting with Mari and Alain in the battle are ones that we (and they) don’t even meet until this book. Which worked for me because it meant that the people who died were ones that we’d known just long enough for their deaths to have an impact to us and to Mari, but not long enough for me to be really broken up about it. I hate when characters I like die, so I actually quite like that the author found a way to avoid killing any of the characters I like while still having the battle be believably bloody and sad.
I really like that after the battle, there was a good, long resolution period. This wasn’t a Harry Potter ending, where there’s a battle, the bad guy dies, and then it immediately skips to the distant future (I really hated that Deathly Hallows didn’t have a resolution). This book gives a lot of great resolution to the many things that have been touched on over the course of the series. Some things, like Mari’s family and the people in Marandur, were touched on only briefly, and I would have liked to see more of them, but since this book sets up a sequel, I’m hoping some of those will be revisited.
Speaking of which, I was pretty amped during the whole last chapter. I don’t want to spoil it, but I’m so glad the story went back to that important element. It definitely reads like it’s setting up a spin-off series, and I really, really hope we get it. It really takes the story again out of being a straight fantasy and nudges it toward a sci-fi story. I’m really curious to see what will happen from here in the world of this story and what the people they contacted will make of them. (And I really hope the author continues to not kill off any major/likable characters in the spin-off.)
I listened to this on audio, and like the others in this series, I plan to buy the paperback as well. The performance by MacLeod Andrews was fantastic, as usual. He does a great job at capturing the various levels of emotions and lack of emotions from all the variety of characters who show up. The only thing about his performance that I found that didn’t quite seem to match the text was in that last chapter when a person was said to have the same accent as another person and he read them with noticeably different accents. But that’s an incredibly minor quibble, which goes to show how nitpicky I had to be to find any flaw in his narration of this book.
I’ll say it again: Wow. I love this series. I am very eagerly anticipating the spin-off that’s implied by the end of this one. While I wait, I guess I’ll check out some of this author’s other books. Even though military sci-fi isn’t one of my usual genres, if he can write something I love as much as this series, it’s bound to be at least somewhat enjoyable to me.
Wow. That was fantastic. I just finished listening to The Wrath of the Great Guilds, final book in this amazing series, and I’m still a little giddy. The Pillars of Reality is now my favorite book series. I absolutely loved it.
This book starts off right where the previous one left off, with Mari and Alain going to Dorcastle to help defend the city from the Empire, which has teamed up with the Great Guilds. Her army can’t go with her, since it’s off elsewhere doing other things, but she and a small group of soldiers go to help. The trip to Dorcastle is mostly fairly uneventful, aside from a stop in one city where we see how bad certain things are getting, and probably a good half of the book is about the siege at Dorcastle.
This is the big battle that Alain saw in his vision in the first book, and it’s weird that it doesn’t quite end up the way that I’d pictured it from the vision. This is mostly because the big army that Mari built up isn’t actually the army fighting at Dorcastle. The defenders with her are mostly people from the city/country being invaded. This also means that, aside from Mari and Alain, most of the other characters that we’ve met up to this point aren’t really in the book very much. They show up again maybe 2/3 of the way through, but they’re missing for the whole big battle scene. Which, actually, totally worked for me.
I’m going to get into a bit of spoilery stuff here, so don’t keep reading if you want to be totally surprised and unspoiled.
Most of the people fighting with Mari and Alain in the battle are ones that we (and they) don’t even meet until this book. Which worked for me because it meant that the people who died were ones that we’d known just long enough for their deaths to have an impact to us and to Mari, but not long enough for me to be really broken up about it. I hate when characters I like die, so I actually quite like that the author found a way to avoid killing any of the characters I like while still having the battle be believably bloody and sad.
I really like that after the battle, there was a good, long resolution period. This wasn’t a Harry Potter ending, where there’s a battle, the bad guy dies, and then it immediately skips to the distant future (I really hated that Deathly Hallows didn’t have a resolution). This book gives a lot of great resolution to the many things that have been touched on over the course of the series. Some things, like Mari’s family and the people in Marandur, were touched on only briefly, and I would have liked to see more of them, but since this book sets up a sequel, I’m hoping some of those will be revisited.
Speaking of which, I was pretty amped during the whole last chapter. I don’t want to spoil it, but I’m so glad the story went back to that important element. It definitely reads like it’s setting up a spin-off series, and I really, really hope we get it. It really takes the story again out of being a straight fantasy and nudges it toward a sci-fi story. I’m really curious to see what will happen from here in the world of this story and what the people they contacted will make of them. (And I really hope the author continues to not kill off any major/likable characters in the spin-off.)
I listened to this on audio, and like the others in this series, I plan to buy the paperback as well. The performance by MacLeod Andrews was fantastic, as usual. He does a great job at capturing the various levels of emotions and lack of emotions from all the variety of characters who show up. The only thing about his performance that I found that didn’t quite seem to match the text was in that last chapter when a person was said to have the same accent as another person and he read them with noticeably different accents. But that’s an incredibly minor quibble, which goes to show how nitpicky I had to be to find any flaw in his narration of this book.
I’ll say it again: Wow. I love this series. I am very eagerly anticipating the spin-off that’s implied by the end of this one. While I wait, I guess I’ll check out some of this author’s other books. Even though military sci-fi isn’t one of my usual genres, if he can write something I love as much as this series, it’s bound to be at least somewhat enjoyable to me.
September 2, 2016
Overall I think this is the weakest book in the series; it's mainly comprised of a bloody war and the resulting political problems that follow. There is some resolution with regard to the history of Demetr, but I wish there had been more. And although this is the end of Mari and Alain's story, I do wish we'd had a glimpse of their future with an epilogue. There was a nod to that, but I wanted more. That's probably because I read so much romance and love a happily ever after. I got the sci-fi-steampunk-written-by-an-author-who-writes-military-fiction version of that, which makes me smile.
MacLeod Andrews on audio is his usual amazing self, giving each of the characters life and personality no matter their importance to the story. I like the way he can do voices shouting out in a crowd. And just the fact that this guy can do a book with a girl as a main character speaks to his talent as a voice actor. Bravo.
MacLeod Andrews on audio is his usual amazing self, giving each of the characters life and personality no matter their importance to the story. I like the way he can do voices shouting out in a crowd. And just the fact that this guy can do a book with a girl as a main character speaks to his talent as a voice actor. Bravo.
August 3, 2017
I noticed a few reviewers were disappointed by this book. I would beg to differ. I think this book was exactly what the series built it up to be. One of the aspects of Campbell's YA series that I enjoyed was each book, while adventurous, had samplings of different types of adventure books. The last book started as a military campaign, the bulk of the book was a covert ops mission, and the conclusion was a political coup undone by a duel to the death.
This one hit the ground running, diving into a siege, through some interesting politicking. I appreciated that Campbell opted to throw Mari and Alain out of their comfort zone, with them having to leave her incredible army and armament behind as they rushed to try and try to defend Dorcastle. I thought the battles were exceptionally laid out and realistic. Campbell maximized what he could do within a YA book. That said, I think he balanced the thrill and terror of battle well with the reality of dealing with it afterwards.
I found myself on the edge of my seat often, not quite sure what was going to happen next...expecting one thing, but not sure when it would come. The post-battle political maneuvering was relatively nice, but needed to be done to tie up loose ends, as did the final chapter which climaxed with Mari using the neglected transmitter to talk to Urth (or its representative).
Mari and Alain don't overwhelm with their "lovey-dovey" talk, gushing over one another, which was appreciated. Campbell's insistence on this narrative element makes me suspect he was aiming this story more at young girls than young boys. That said, I think this book (and series) is appropriate for teens and maybe even mature pre-teens. There are a few sexual references, but compared to modern TV and movies, they would maybe warrant a PG rating.
Worldview is primarily godless, though there were implications with Alain of a developing theology among the Mages, which I'm curious to see if Campbell explores any further.
All in all, an excellent book. Quite enjoyable, and I may actually come back and give it another listen in the future.
This one hit the ground running, diving into a siege, through some interesting politicking. I appreciated that Campbell opted to throw Mari and Alain out of their comfort zone, with them having to leave her incredible army and armament behind as they rushed to try and try to defend Dorcastle. I thought the battles were exceptionally laid out and realistic. Campbell maximized what he could do within a YA book. That said, I think he balanced the thrill and terror of battle well with the reality of dealing with it afterwards.
I found myself on the edge of my seat often, not quite sure what was going to happen next...expecting one thing, but not sure when it would come. The post-battle political maneuvering was relatively nice, but needed to be done to tie up loose ends, as did the final chapter which climaxed with Mari using the neglected transmitter to talk to Urth (or its representative).
Mari and Alain don't overwhelm with their "lovey-dovey" talk, gushing over one another, which was appreciated. Campbell's insistence on this narrative element makes me suspect he was aiming this story more at young girls than young boys. That said, I think this book (and series) is appropriate for teens and maybe even mature pre-teens. There are a few sexual references, but compared to modern TV and movies, they would maybe warrant a PG rating.
Worldview is primarily godless, though there were implications with Alain of a developing theology among the Mages, which I'm curious to see if Campbell explores any further.
All in all, an excellent book. Quite enjoyable, and I may actually come back and give it another listen in the future.
June 7, 2017
The sixth and final book. Spoilers ahead for the earlier ones.
Mari and Alain, with their forces, head to Dorcastle, as she said at the end of the last book. Alain still anxious about his vision of Mari, dying.
On the way, they discover a nasty machination of the Mages Guild, and get some additional equipment. And arrive for the siege.
Which involves the difficulties of using their far-speakers at that place, lightning-wielding mages on rocs, explosive carts, an elder telling Alain something and another Mage realizing exactly what it meant, assassins who are not quite so secret as they thought after their infiltration, a cousin of Alain's, and more.
Mari and Alain, with their forces, head to Dorcastle, as she said at the end of the last book. Alain still anxious about his vision of Mari, dying.
On the way, they discover a nasty machination of the Mages Guild, and get some additional equipment. And arrive for the siege.
Which involves the difficulties of using their far-speakers at that place, lightning-wielding mages on rocs, explosive carts, an elder telling Alain something and another Mage realizing exactly what it meant, assassins who are not quite so secret as they thought after their infiltration, a cousin of Alain's, and more.
August 14, 2023
2.5 stars
I definetly waited too long to finish this series and went into this last book trying having forgotten a lot about what had happened previously. But regardless I stand by my rating. Mostly because I think the series should have been wrapped up in about 4 books, which is why I waited so long to finish it in the first place - it was starting to drag and become too repetitive.
Overall I thought the series was a fun and interesting concept that was very enjoyable. No where near a top sci-fi series for me, but a solid romp with the main negative that it was about 2 books too long.
I definetly waited too long to finish this series and went into this last book trying having forgotten a lot about what had happened previously. But regardless I stand by my rating. Mostly because I think the series should have been wrapped up in about 4 books, which is why I waited so long to finish it in the first place - it was starting to drag and become too repetitive.
Overall I thought the series was a fun and interesting concept that was very enjoyable. No where near a top sci-fi series for me, but a solid romp with the main negative that it was about 2 books too long.
March 13, 2025
At first when you start reading, you are going to be reading about the great war taking place where the main characters are right in the middle of. I was starting to grow weary of reading so much details about the war, but it is necessary in order to make way for how Mari handles the consequences. That part is so very exciting to read! Stay with it...you won't regret it!
August 7, 2019
After book one I listen to this series one after another and so this will be a "series review" to be copied and pasted for each of the following books. I am glad I did it this way because this author has chosen to embrace the cliff hanger approach in this series. Personally I detest cliff hangers in novels- books are supposed to provide a story, including a resolution. In these books the over all story vastly overshadows the stories told in the individual books, so much so that I think it would be fair to say that this entire series should have been condensed into one actually good book. The only counterbalance to that argument is that the author creates some truly moving moments in these books and those moments spring organically from the great deal of character development and world building in this series. That is a great compliment to any author since so few are actually capable of it. Still the author's overall story construction is greatly lacking.
I am also not a fan of naive good guy approach where the MC lets bad guys go and hopes for the best. In one case this proves a big win for the MC since one of the bad guys turns out to be the uncle of her newest friend and eventually an important supporter. Still, it was incredibly stupid at the time since the uncle was actively trying to assassinate the MC and every other time the MC does this they just end up fighting the same people again. Plus this also leads to things like the good guy not attacking first even though they are in a fight to the death for the survival of the planet and it makes perfectly good sense to do so.
The author convincingly sets up a convenient conclusion throughout the books, showing repeatedly how the rulers of the great guilds view themselves as absolutely powerful and treat their rank and file as servants and, in some cases, worse. The leaders of the guilds, so entrenched in their own power, have forgotten that their power is based on what their rank and file can do. Still the conclusion was bizarrely convenient [spoiler follows, but only a small one since the resolution was telegraphed, but not in a bad way]. The MC fights one major battle with the powers that be and ends up getting everything she was fighting for while laying in bed unconscious afterwords.
This paragraph will contain a spoiler but since it is about the worst aspect of the book it is something I would have been fine having spoiled for me so I encourage you to read on. Still you should skip to the next paragraph if you truly hate spoilers: So the mages in this world are told that affection for others will eliminate their ability to do magic. Secondary MC, Alain, discovers this to be false very early on. From that point on it is continually hinted, reasoned and in one case outright predicted, that this will lead to some big magical breakthrough. The break through, however, doesn't come until the MC (Mari) has already won everything and so is arguably meaningless. [SOME REAL SPOILERS HERE] In the context of the book it isn't meaningless because it saves Mari's life and Mari's job, it turns out, wasn't just to overthrow the guilds but ensure the overthrow doesn't result in chaos. Still, the big breakthrough is completely underwhelming and doesn't even make sense in the context of the magic of the book. Mages can only effect the "world illusion" directly, so not themselves or others. Alain's big break though is to essentially become Mari allowing him to heal her, but since Alain can't heal himself, THIS MAKES NO SENSE.
For some unknown reason the author has chosen to make a stupid miscommunication story line central to this series. Mages receive visions of the future but every time Alain tries to tell Mari about THE KEY VISION OF HER FUTURE she mistakes it for him wanting to talk about their relationship so, of course, Mari tells Alain she knows all about what he wants to talk about and that they shouldn't discuss it. This happens repeatedly. In several books. I didn't make a note of when this stupidity is finally resolved but my guess is late in book 3. That would mean that essentially half this series includes a seriously stupid story line. Removing this story line alone would have made this series significantly better.
I truly hate stories where everything depends on one character and yet they stupidly continue to risk their lives by doing things like fighting on the front lines unnecessarily. This series has this problem but it handles it as well as it can be handled. The MC's decisions to take risks are continually challenged and the MC viably defends her choices.
Finally, the whole series felt unnecessarily drawn out although this is a debatable point. The thorough character development and world building lead to some very poignant scenes but I honestly believe this series would have been significantly better at half the length.
Bottom line: The series was worth the read, but with significant flaws (I'm looking at you cliff hangers). Individually these books are probably not worth the read.
I am also not a fan of naive good guy approach where the MC lets bad guys go and hopes for the best. In one case this proves a big win for the MC since one of the bad guys turns out to be the uncle of her newest friend and eventually an important supporter. Still, it was incredibly stupid at the time since the uncle was actively trying to assassinate the MC and every other time the MC does this they just end up fighting the same people again. Plus this also leads to things like the good guy not attacking first even though they are in a fight to the death for the survival of the planet and it makes perfectly good sense to do so.
The author convincingly sets up a convenient conclusion throughout the books, showing repeatedly how the rulers of the great guilds view themselves as absolutely powerful and treat their rank and file as servants and, in some cases, worse. The leaders of the guilds, so entrenched in their own power, have forgotten that their power is based on what their rank and file can do. Still the conclusion was bizarrely convenient [spoiler follows, but only a small one since the resolution was telegraphed, but not in a bad way]. The MC fights one major battle with the powers that be and ends up getting everything she was fighting for while laying in bed unconscious afterwords.
This paragraph will contain a spoiler but since it is about the worst aspect of the book it is something I would have been fine having spoiled for me so I encourage you to read on. Still you should skip to the next paragraph if you truly hate spoilers: So the mages in this world are told that affection for others will eliminate their ability to do magic. Secondary MC, Alain, discovers this to be false very early on. From that point on it is continually hinted, reasoned and in one case outright predicted, that this will lead to some big magical breakthrough. The break through, however, doesn't come until the MC (Mari) has already won everything and so is arguably meaningless. [SOME REAL SPOILERS HERE] In the context of the book it isn't meaningless because it saves Mari's life and Mari's job, it turns out, wasn't just to overthrow the guilds but ensure the overthrow doesn't result in chaos. Still, the big breakthrough is completely underwhelming and doesn't even make sense in the context of the magic of the book. Mages can only effect the "world illusion" directly, so not themselves or others. Alain's big break though is to essentially become Mari allowing him to heal her, but since Alain can't heal himself, THIS MAKES NO SENSE.
For some unknown reason the author has chosen to make a stupid miscommunication story line central to this series. Mages receive visions of the future but every time Alain tries to tell Mari about THE KEY VISION OF HER FUTURE she mistakes it for him wanting to talk about their relationship so, of course, Mari tells Alain she knows all about what he wants to talk about and that they shouldn't discuss it. This happens repeatedly. In several books. I didn't make a note of when this stupidity is finally resolved but my guess is late in book 3. That would mean that essentially half this series includes a seriously stupid story line. Removing this story line alone would have made this series significantly better.
I truly hate stories where everything depends on one character and yet they stupidly continue to risk their lives by doing things like fighting on the front lines unnecessarily. This series has this problem but it handles it as well as it can be handled. The MC's decisions to take risks are continually challenged and the MC viably defends her choices.
Finally, the whole series felt unnecessarily drawn out although this is a debatable point. The thorough character development and world building lead to some very poignant scenes but I honestly believe this series would have been significantly better at half the length.
Bottom line: The series was worth the read, but with significant flaws (I'm looking at you cliff hangers). Individually these books are probably not worth the read.
May 26, 2017
4.5+
That was an excellent close. I love the genre hopping, too.
That was an excellent close. I love the genre hopping, too.
May 26, 2018
This is the last in the series and it is a lot of war and politics and nostalgia.
Overall I liked it, the audiobook was super well done again, however I am happy the story has come to an end.
Overall I liked it, the audiobook was super well done again, however I am happy the story has come to an end.
November 12, 2018
I liked these a lot. Six books is maybe enough but I'm glad it wasn't any fewer.
October 12, 2016
Awesome conclusion to the series.
December 30, 2021
Actual Rating 4.5 Stars
I think my previous review did not save for some reason so, now I need to do this all again.
The conclusion to the story was very satisfying and the Romance that really annoyed me in the beginning of this series actually developed realistically, which was a pleasant surprise.
Some of the plot twists were predictable yes, but still very enjoyable.
The story wrapped-up in a manner that finished off major plot lines in a believeable way and character development was consistent throughout.
The worldbuilding here is really good and is a major plus for the whole Series.
I am already reading the Sequel Trilogy and downloaded all of the Prequels too, so I am not leaving this Universe any time soon ☺
I think my previous review did not save for some reason so, now I need to do this all again.
The conclusion to the story was very satisfying and the Romance that really annoyed me in the beginning of this series actually developed realistically, which was a pleasant surprise.
Some of the plot twists were predictable yes, but still very enjoyable.
The story wrapped-up in a manner that finished off major plot lines in a believeable way and character development was consistent throughout.
The worldbuilding here is really good and is a major plus for the whole Series.
I am already reading the Sequel Trilogy and downloaded all of the Prequels too, so I am not leaving this Universe any time soon ☺
December 3, 2016
I have really enjoy this world and characters so far. But, the writing in "The Wrath of the Great Guilds" was just to much on the nose for me. The dialog was either blatant exposition or the same speech on morality over and over. Dialog also lacked tension and character progression.
It feels like Jack has grown tired of this series and just wants it over and done with.
It feels like Jack has grown tired of this series and just wants it over and done with.
July 11, 2023
Great ending!!
September 6, 2018
This book was still fun, but felt like some of the best parts of the dynamic of the story were left in the past and some of the most frustrating dynamics of the series came to the fore.
Without risking spoiling in any meaningful way, this book is mostly a big battle book (you know this from the first page) and for that it's fairly fun. The dynamics of the battle are entertaining, the attempts to outsmart the enemy are satisfying, and the experience of living it all is kinda cool.
That said, the downsides: First, the melodramaticism of the main characters just takes up an annoying amount of this book. The frequency with which they want the other to promise not to die for them just makes me wish someone would walk up and slap some sense into one of them, or at the least not have us watching so much for the moments when they do this. Seriously, grow up already!
Second, the dynamic of the enemy being stupid and the good guys being practically perfect just gets way more pronounced. Truly main characters basically never die despite taking bizarrely pointlessly needless risks in a battle when they would be the primary targets of the enemy This continues the trend from earlier in the series in which battles or skirmishes happen that leave not a single good guy injured or killed and yet wipe out or capture the entirety of the enemy. Similarly, the perpetual, predictable stupidity of the enemy and their intransigence in remaining as stupid as possible continues despite a meaningful threat to their existence (it's unreasonable to think they'd not have changed more under this degree of threat), and the ability of the good guys to basically always know when a threat is coming continues. Finally, the real overall dynamics of the battle are never understood. The numbers of friendly vs. enemy soldiers are never clear, the amount of resources vague, meaning that sudden extra resources or shortages are always surprises and the reader is left to just kind of follow along waiting for godsends or pitfalls without an understanding of how it's all being managed or what the chances are.
The end result is a degree of predictability and lowered tension that detracts greatly from the book; you basically always know that the main characters will save the day, that help will come in the nick of time, that real threats will come as just the last moment and be overcome at the last possible moment in as dramatic a fashion as possible. It becomes predictable in such a profound way that you rely on it without doubt; I'm not sure I've ever read a book that so faithfully stuck to the formula. It leaves no mystery.
This all then leads to some post-battle scenes that are just kind of annoying because the grief of the main characters seems forced or a tad overdone, and because the final discussion of numbers here showcases a complete misunderstanding of the realities of war (the author would benefit from listening to Brandon Sanderson's classes on the topic).
That said, accepting the predictability, the experience was still at least somewhat entertaining and the near-end negotiations and emotional dynamics were fun and interesting. And the last scene of the book was a kind of cool and interesting twist on a fantasy series.
The end result being that if you've read this far in the series it's probably worth finishing and will be fun enough to do so, but go into it expecting it to be annoyingly teenager-stupid kind of sappy and fairly deeply predictable. Accepting those things, the rest is good for what it is. Disappointing though given the writing skill of the earlier books.
Without risking spoiling in any meaningful way, this book is mostly a big battle book (you know this from the first page) and for that it's fairly fun. The dynamics of the battle are entertaining, the attempts to outsmart the enemy are satisfying, and the experience of living it all is kinda cool.
That said, the downsides: First, the melodramaticism of the main characters just takes up an annoying amount of this book. The frequency with which they want the other to promise not to die for them just makes me wish someone would walk up and slap some sense into one of them, or at the least not have us watching so much for the moments when they do this. Seriously, grow up already!
Second, the dynamic of the enemy being stupid and the good guys being practically perfect just gets way more pronounced. Truly main characters basically never die despite taking bizarrely pointlessly needless risks in a battle when they would be the primary targets of the enemy This continues the trend from earlier in the series in which battles or skirmishes happen that leave not a single good guy injured or killed and yet wipe out or capture the entirety of the enemy. Similarly, the perpetual, predictable stupidity of the enemy and their intransigence in remaining as stupid as possible continues despite a meaningful threat to their existence (it's unreasonable to think they'd not have changed more under this degree of threat), and the ability of the good guys to basically always know when a threat is coming continues. Finally, the real overall dynamics of the battle are never understood. The numbers of friendly vs. enemy soldiers are never clear, the amount of resources vague, meaning that sudden extra resources or shortages are always surprises and the reader is left to just kind of follow along waiting for godsends or pitfalls without an understanding of how it's all being managed or what the chances are.
The end result is a degree of predictability and lowered tension that detracts greatly from the book; you basically always know that the main characters will save the day, that help will come in the nick of time, that real threats will come as just the last moment and be overcome at the last possible moment in as dramatic a fashion as possible. It becomes predictable in such a profound way that you rely on it without doubt; I'm not sure I've ever read a book that so faithfully stuck to the formula. It leaves no mystery.
This all then leads to some post-battle scenes that are just kind of annoying because the grief of the main characters seems forced or a tad overdone, and because the final discussion of numbers here showcases a complete misunderstanding of the realities of war (the author would benefit from listening to Brandon Sanderson's classes on the topic).
That said, accepting the predictability, the experience was still at least somewhat entertaining and the near-end negotiations and emotional dynamics were fun and interesting. And the last scene of the book was a kind of cool and interesting twist on a fantasy series.
The end result being that if you've read this far in the series it's probably worth finishing and will be fun enough to do so, but go into it expecting it to be annoyingly teenager-stupid kind of sappy and fairly deeply predictable. Accepting those things, the rest is good for what it is. Disappointing though given the writing skill of the earlier books.
April 28, 2021
By far one of the best caps to a decent story I've seen done in a while, the final book of the Pillars of Reality series is 99% action based around the battle of Dorcastle and the final war against the Great Guilds and Jack Campbell not only makes the action non-stop (I've not given myself a break in going through this, it's 4 in the morning when writing this and I didn't want to stop!) but the characters are so lovingly and brilliantly built, dealt with and worked upon that I scarcely have the forethought to explain how much I love this book.
The one thing I wish about Audible is a way of seeing maps and building plans, because I think that would help a great deal with the set up of the battle, it wasn't hard to work out, a multi-layered wall defense system that has to be pushed back further and further, but I think being able to reference every now and then a scene and go "oh yeah, that was their route" would work wonders in situations where things are as tense as this.
As I've said throughout all of this series, I WISH I hadn't picked up the sequel trilogy to these before because as soon as I met Sargent Kira I knew her fate and I was holding my breath and feeling my heart break at every moment with her character developing in this book.
Now to the small amount of negatives I have.
The FINAL final part felt a teeny bit rushed, the trip to the Librarians of Altis and the excited explanation of the Earth and Colonies felt like it was only half finished, the story felt like we should've heard at least the beginning of Mari's response to Earth, starting with things like "Master Mechanic is a title given to a technical specialist within a certain type of technology here of Demetr, while a Mage is a person who can affect the natural world around them with only the use of their minds by accepting the illusion of the thing and overlaying a further illusion onto it."
It would've have added to the suspense for the Legacy series that when Jason explains to Kira what Earth is "really" there for, then as readers we could go "oh shit, Mari fucked up." and see she added to the worries rather than leaving it a little ambiguous.
In the end though, this is a FANTASTIC series and I am SO going to love seeing the world of Jules.
and PLEASE!!!! Mr Campbell, I do want there to be more from Kira and Jason, I mean leaving things on a cliffhanger with the threat to Jason is just painful
The one thing I wish about Audible is a way of seeing maps and building plans, because I think that would help a great deal with the set up of the battle, it wasn't hard to work out, a multi-layered wall defense system that has to be pushed back further and further, but I think being able to reference every now and then a scene and go "oh yeah, that was their route" would work wonders in situations where things are as tense as this.
As I've said throughout all of this series, I WISH I hadn't picked up the sequel trilogy to these before because as soon as I met Sargent Kira I knew her fate and I was holding my breath and feeling my heart break at every moment with her character developing in this book.
Now to the small amount of negatives I have.
The FINAL final part felt a teeny bit rushed, the trip to the Librarians of Altis and the excited explanation of the Earth and Colonies felt like it was only half finished, the story felt like we should've heard at least the beginning of Mari's response to Earth, starting with things like "Master Mechanic is a title given to a technical specialist within a certain type of technology here of Demetr, while a Mage is a person who can affect the natural world around them with only the use of their minds by accepting the illusion of the thing and overlaying a further illusion onto it."
It would've have added to the suspense for the Legacy series that when Jason explains to Kira what Earth is "really" there for, then as readers we could go "oh shit, Mari fucked up." and see she added to the worries rather than leaving it a little ambiguous.
In the end though, this is a FANTASTIC series and I am SO going to love seeing the world of Jules.
and PLEASE!!!! Mr Campbell, I do want there to be more from Kira and Jason, I mean leaving things on a cliffhanger with the threat to Jason is just painful
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2019
** Minor spoilers ahead **
The Wrath of the Great Guilds provides a satisfying conclusion to the Pillars of Reality series. We get the epic final battle between the protagonists and their accumulated enemies. Campbell beat the readers over the head with foreshadowing some of the final plot points, so it's gratifying that the foreshadowed events did actually happen. This book loses a star for the repetitive nature of the final battle ("Fall back from the SECOND wall to the THIRD wall and be sad about all the people who died. Now fall back from the THIRD wall to the FOURTH wall and be sad about all the people who died..."). Also, the denouement was very long - maybe appropriate for a six-book series, but still a drag on this individual novel.
Review of the series as a whole:
Overall, this was a decent YA SF/fantasy series. However, it was definitely two books longer than it should have been - #4 and #5 should have been cut out entirely. They barely advanced the plot, and didn't do anything meaningful for Mari and Alain's character arcs. They also illustrate why generals and rulers rarely make good protagonists. It's much less interesting to read about heroes directing their own armies than about rag-tag groups of misfits on the run from much larger forces. The final book is a concession to this truth, as Mari and Alain have to run ahead of their army and effectively just act as individuals within a larger battle.
Language: G
Violence: PG-13
Sexuality: PG
The Wrath of the Great Guilds provides a satisfying conclusion to the Pillars of Reality series. We get the epic final battle between the protagonists and their accumulated enemies. Campbell beat the readers over the head with foreshadowing some of the final plot points, so it's gratifying that the foreshadowed events did actually happen. This book loses a star for the repetitive nature of the final battle ("Fall back from the SECOND wall to the THIRD wall and be sad about all the people who died. Now fall back from the THIRD wall to the FOURTH wall and be sad about all the people who died..."). Also, the denouement was very long - maybe appropriate for a six-book series, but still a drag on this individual novel.
Review of the series as a whole:
Overall, this was a decent YA SF/fantasy series. However, it was definitely two books longer than it should have been - #4 and #5 should have been cut out entirely. They barely advanced the plot, and didn't do anything meaningful for Mari and Alain's character arcs. They also illustrate why generals and rulers rarely make good protagonists. It's much less interesting to read about heroes directing their own armies than about rag-tag groups of misfits on the run from much larger forces. The final book is a concession to this truth, as Mari and Alain have to run ahead of their army and effectively just act as individuals within a larger battle.
Language: G
Violence: PG-13
Sexuality: PG
September 12, 2025
It has been more than 9 years since I read and enjoyed the first two books of this series. Shortly after reading book 2, I found a deal on the rest of the series, but then I got pulled away by newer, shinier things and mostly forgot about these.
That was a mistake.
Three days ago I rediscovered these books in my TBR pile, and since then, I've been consumed by the series.
The characters are three-dimensional and have compelling character arcs. The plot is paced very well, and the story builds tension with every page. And the world that is revealed gradually over the series is unique.
In this volume, we reach the climactic confrontation between the protagonists and the organizations that have been controlling their world for centuries, denying most of the people on the world their birthrights and keeping the vast majority of the population in thrall. The battle at the heart of this book, which has been foreshadowed since the beginning, was impossible to put down, and it did not shrink from showing the randomness of the effects of war, while also still showing the importance of sacrifice.
This has immediately become one of my favorite science-fantasy series, beside the likes of Darkover, Pern, and Andre Norton's space books. Both the book and the series are highly recommended.
That was a mistake.
Three days ago I rediscovered these books in my TBR pile, and since then, I've been consumed by the series.
The characters are three-dimensional and have compelling character arcs. The plot is paced very well, and the story builds tension with every page. And the world that is revealed gradually over the series is unique.
In this volume, we reach the climactic confrontation between the protagonists and the organizations that have been controlling their world for centuries, denying most of the people on the world their birthrights and keeping the vast majority of the population in thrall. The battle at the heart of this book, which has been foreshadowed since the beginning, was impossible to put down, and it did not shrink from showing the randomness of the effects of war, while also still showing the importance of sacrifice.
This has immediately become one of my favorite science-fantasy series, beside the likes of Darkover, Pern, and Andre Norton's space books. Both the book and the series are highly recommended.
January 6, 2019
Action packed, full of sorrow and hope, this is the epic conclusion of this series.
The siege of Dorcastle drives home all the ugliness of war, but also shows determination, how the hope of freedom can give you the strength to overcome everything.
Mari and Alain never give up, they keep fighting to the end.
And I appreciated that the book took the time of handling the aftermath, showing us the first steps of the new day Mari brought.
The ending is an open one, leaving space for future stories, but the book stops in a good place.
The only thing that I didn't appreciate throughout this books was style related: the dialogues felt dry, even when they were full of emotions, especially between Mari and Alain. We were told they are in love but sometimes it felt more like they were best friends than lovers. There was no passion that I could see, but since this is a fantasy series and not a romance one, I didn't expect much in that department. The awesome story more than compensated this flaw!
The siege of Dorcastle drives home all the ugliness of war, but also shows determination, how the hope of freedom can give you the strength to overcome everything.
Mari and Alain never give up, they keep fighting to the end.
And I appreciated that the book took the time of handling the aftermath, showing us the first steps of the new day Mari brought.
The ending is an open one, leaving space for future stories, but the book stops in a good place.
The only thing that I didn't appreciate throughout this books was style related: the dialogues felt dry, even when they were full of emotions, especially between Mari and Alain. We were told they are in love but sometimes it felt more like they were best friends than lovers. There was no passion that I could see, but since this is a fantasy series and not a romance one, I didn't expect much in that department. The awesome story more than compensated this flaw!
January 5, 2018
Shedding a tear for Dematr. It was a rocky start but I came to love this world of Mechanics & Mages, as far fetched as it seemed and now as it is getting good, the story concludes leaving me wanting more from this in terms of the future as well as how they came to be. It was a wonderful journey and I would recommend anyone to this series! I won't go into the details but the expected battle was well written, giving it a great sense of grit. I was happily surprised that it didn't just end with the battle, going into the aftermath and resolution that came after. Drop what you are doing and start this wonderful series. And the Narrator IS the BEST!
February 5, 2022
I loved this conclusion to The Pillars of Reality saga! And it's Promise of more books to come!
This is the final epic story, which Master Machanic Mari and Mage Alain, has been headed towards all along. With the backing of the Rebel Alliance that they themselves have forged, they will clash head to head with both Great Guilds and the Emperor's own forces! In a monumental fight to hold the wall in the city of Dorcastle! And it's a Seige that might actually sate your action-lovin-heart ❤! As this action-driven plot carries the day!
And lastly MacLeod Andrews is such an amazing narrator that surely you'll wanna listen to the entire audiobook series!
This is the final epic story, which Master Machanic Mari and Mage Alain, has been headed towards all along. With the backing of the Rebel Alliance that they themselves have forged, they will clash head to head with both Great Guilds and the Emperor's own forces! In a monumental fight to hold the wall in the city of Dorcastle! And it's a Seige that might actually sate your action-lovin-heart ❤! As this action-driven plot carries the day!
And lastly MacLeod Andrews is such an amazing narrator that surely you'll wanna listen to the entire audiobook series!
August 8, 2022
This entry is for the audio book, which I avoid; but there wasn't one for the actual book. I'm entering my review for that ebook.
The finale. He does a few good emotional scenes, very surprising. However, the usual plot holes appear. For instance, midway through, Alain intentionally uses almost all the magical power in an area so when they retreat the mages can't use it. In the next scene, the mages are creating a dragon in the area that was described as being without power.
The story ends exactly as expected, with the author scurrying around to clean up all the many subplots. All told, a very average series, an ok way to spend time when there's nothing good to read.
The finale. He does a few good emotional scenes, very surprising. However, the usual plot holes appear. For instance, midway through, Alain intentionally uses almost all the magical power in an area so when they retreat the mages can't use it. In the next scene, the mages are creating a dragon in the area that was described as being without power.
The story ends exactly as expected, with the author scurrying around to clean up all the many subplots. All told, a very average series, an ok way to spend time when there's nothing good to read.
October 23, 2024
An excellent conclusion to *The Pillars of Reality* main series. It wraps up the core of the story in a deeply satisfying way, hitting emotional beats that are perfectly timed and genuinely earned. There's profound sorrow and loss, yet it remains hopeful and uplifting throughout. The battles are nothing short of thrilling, and the numerous trials and tribulations leave no room for doubt, as the characters pour their hearts and souls into every moment. Every drop of blood and sweat feels hard-earned and well-deserved. The book skillfully sets up future installments without feeling forced or clichéd. Overall, it's a truly great series.
June 17, 2018
This is the sixth, and final book in the Pillars of Reality series. Campbell did a great job of wrapping up the series. Good guys win, bad guys lose. The battle scenes were done well, with good details, but not too much. Although there was some sadness (not everyone can survive), there was also a lot of happiness. The ending of the book was good at answering any questions, and wrapping up different aspects of the story. Although this was a good ending to the series, the author definitely left room for another series.
June 28, 2017
Fantastic ending, left the door open to a follow up series (which looks like has begun!). The narrator is phenomenal. Great ability to do a huge variety of accents with subtle nuances. And to remember each separate character!
The only small complaint I have is the overwhelming amount of characters and keeping them all straight. If this were to be a written book, it may require a character list and map.
The only small complaint I have is the overwhelming amount of characters and keeping them all straight. If this were to be a written book, it may require a character list and map.
September 1, 2017
I have devoured the 6 books of this series, and my only complaint is how little the characters relationship progressed in the last 2 or 3 books. They went thru more than their fair share yet it felt like their relationship stagnated in book 3. Constancy is important but there should have been more. That being said- great story, good overall arc.
February 5, 2018
Satisfying ending to this series.
***SPOILER***
One of my favorite things about this book is that the story continues after the heroes win the big battle. So many stories end at the victory, forgetting that after the war, the world must be rebuilt. This book shows us how Mari and her mage set up the rebuilding, without becoming tyrants themselves.
***SPOILER***
One of my favorite things about this book is that the story continues after the heroes win the big battle. So many stories end at the victory, forgetting that after the war, the world must be rebuilt. This book shows us how Mari and her mage set up the rebuilding, without becoming tyrants themselves.
September 4, 2019
I appreciated this last installment, though I thought the death of the named side characters in the battle was not handled as well as it could have been. I really liked the dramatic magic scene, and the Librarians at the end. All in all, a satisfactory end to the series.
It lost some of its punchy humor as the series progressed, but that didn't s, I suppose, the way of things.
It lost some of its punchy humor as the series progressed, but that didn't s, I suppose, the way of things.
September 16, 2019
I had an internal debate on this book's rating, afterall - the print copies had some glaring typos and format issues. The plot was also fairly predictable.
However, the characters and their interactions are phenomenal! I adore these characters and greatly enjoy the world that has been built around them.
I recommend this entire series to fantasy, steampunk, and sci-fi fans alike!
However, the characters and their interactions are phenomenal! I adore these characters and greatly enjoy the world that has been built around them.
I recommend this entire series to fantasy, steampunk, and sci-fi fans alike!
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