ATBITS: Book 4

[Julian]

So, I finished it yesterday. I have to say that I really enjoyed it... but somehow Book 4 seems... off? The pace feels different, the characters act in odd ways, the end is kind of anti-climactic... it feels rushed.

Almost as if (I mean no disrespect) there wasn't a real plan and how to end it, and it was ended in anyway possible. Anyone feels the same way? Or what are your thoughts on the ending

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I felt overall (view spoiler)[ that we were skimming through the major events of their lives and I would have put up with a longer book just to feel like there was more connection between the parts. Especially since there are other relationships that change - we only hear about Siberia as a memory, not as it's happening, and this was core to Patricia's journey as a witch! We only know Roberta has changed later but why not show us. This is a minor quibble but I think these things lend to the end feeling very fast. I think I'll have to reread it before writing my review, actually. And I already had taken a break before reading it just to not finish too quickly.

I think the other part that confused me a bit was the science. I didn't quite grasp the differences between the two big machines that Laurence's group worked on. I got the Caddy tech. (hide spoiler)]

[Iain]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I felt overall that we were skimming through the major events of their lives and I would have put up with a longer book just to feel like there was more connection between the parts. Especially si..."

The machines were based on the same principles just one was more designs and elegant, the sand was cobbled together. Easier to make a bomb than a etc tor.

I appreciated that it was a Short book. To often you end up with a 10 book series with very thing dragged out.

[William]

I loved the book. The only negative was that I felt that Ms Anders was too good a writer.

I'll explain: Each section of the novel is written in a different style, that is perfect for the age of the characters, so we see Patricia's early childhood in a fairy tale style of writing, her schooling in a YA style etc.

The problem is that it is done so well I sort of feel cheated, like I was given one bite of a delicious meal, then had it whisked away.

I would have been delighted to read an entire novel of little Patricia's adventures with the woodland animals (always trying to get home for bedtime!). Then an entire novel of a young witch's trials with her hyper-nerd buddy Lawrence (view spoiler)[as they amusingly avoid the plotting of the evil guidance councilor (hide spoiler)] in Middle School...and so on.

If Book 4 had been given more time to play out I think it would have been so much better. I did feel that it was chopping and changing far too much. I loved each bit of it, but a scene would just get going when the characters would have to rush off somewhere else. It felt a bit forced, given more space the excellent ideas could have had time to play out to the full.

Sigh... still it seems that whatever Ms Anders sets her hand to turns out well, so I look forward to reading more of her work in future.

[Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth]

Julián wrote: "Almost as if (I mean no disrespect) there wasn't a real plan and how to end it, and it was ended in anyway possible. Anyone feels the same way? Or what are your thoughts on the ending "

I know what you mean. It kind of fizzled out, like it had run out of energy. Actually, I came onto the forum with a 'must avoid spoilers' mind-frame, then remembered that I had finished the book last night. It just didn't make any impact.

[Tia]

I agree. It felt to me that she got through writing 2/3 of the book and realized, "Oh, crap - I have to wrap this up!" Then she just rushed to the ending, which didn't seem thought out at all. (view spoiler)[All of these characters have had their family members and friends killed/murdered, the world is ending, and both solutions to this problem have been destroyed. Then at the last second, Laurence shoves a tablet into a tree and everything is solved as they walk away holding hands? I love the idea of merging the two solutions, but it was just so rushed and so poorly developed in my eyes. (hide spoiler)] Plenty of potential, but a little bit of fumbling on the execution.

[Alan]

I know I'm months late to the discussion of this book so this is like putting a message in a bottle but ... did anyone else think that part of the reason of the speed of the ending was that Ms. Anders chose such parallelism between the science and magic sides of her world that any ending was doomed to be a little pat so she felt it best not to linger over it?