Story Score: 4.5 stars
Audio Score: 4.5 stars
Narrator: Michael Lesley
Size: 11 hours, 16 minutes
Audiobook Purchase Hyperlinks: Amazon/Audible | iBooks
Ebook Purchase Hyperlinks: Amazon | iBooks
This evaluate is for the ultimate guide within the Tinkered Starsong trilogy and the collection should be loved so as. This evaluate will carry some spoilers for guide two, Demigod 12. Once more, as I’m reviewing an audiobook that options alien races and names I’ve by no means learn, please forgive any misspellings.
Divinity is a efficiency artwork kind the Dyesi have created after which shared out throughout the galaxies. This “godsong” includes two Cantors singing, two Graces dancing, and two Dyesi skin-sifters absorbing the facility and tone of the Cantors and casting mild from their pores and skin inside a Dome. Phex and his pantheon of six have been touring alongside Tillem, one of many authentic pantheons–and absolutely essentially the most well-known of them. Performances of godsong recruit extra believers to Divinity, and it’s undoubtedly a very good gig–except you occur to fall in love with one other god/demigod. Or, one of many “mounted” followers tries to homicide you…
Regardless of the Dyesi’s fierce aversion to bodily intimacy–even to the purpose of sterilizing their gods–Phex and Missit have grow to be a pair. Phex struggles to see himself as worthy of Missit’s love, and the remainder of Asterism lives in concern of the Dyesi acolytes discovering this clandestine love affair, as a result of it may trigger the Dyesi to interrupt up the pantheon. They’ve had an amazing run, nevertheless, even performing in a personal viewers for one of many matriarchs on Dyesid Prime. It was right here that Phex actually began to know that Divinity godsong is extra than simply efficiency for leisure. He is aware of that his highly effective voice can entrance Dyesi, an influence enhanced when he and Missit sing collectively. Phex is extraordinarily cautious to not take away the desire of his viewers, however he’s noticing Asterism’s followers exhibiting mounted habits at a fee that’s downright troubling.
Asterism and TIllem are on a closing tour collectively, off to the war-torn system of Agatay, the place Asterism’s excessive Cantor, Kagee, escaped from. The brand new Diarchs of the system have requested the Dyesi to construct a dome there and have Asterism carry out, which may even permit Fortew, low Cantor of Tillem, to obtain what may very well be life-saving therapy for his deteriorating crud-lung. Kagee warns everybody that Agatay is consistently at warfare, and a dome could be an enormous goal for bombing, however the Dyesi and Tillem are decided to unfold godsong and try to avoid wasting Fortew. In the meantime, Phex and Missit’s love affair is found and has disastrous results inside the pantheons. Missit’s grief over Fortew’s declining well being and the lack of Phex’s affection causes acute melancholy. So, everybody’s on edge.
As I’ve talked about in opinions for the 2 earlier books on this trilogy, the audio is superb. There are a mess of characters–12 gods between two pantheons, 3-4 safety, 3+ Dyesi acolytes, the 2 diarchs, folks on totally different ships, Deysi on the homeworld, all with difficult names and voice patterns. Narrator Michael Lesley earned each nickel paid for his voice expertise. I used to be regularly amazed at how seamlessly he shifted between characters and their totally different inflections and tones, even incorporating some machine-sounding timbres for the cyborg and imago characters. I used to be completely desperate to take heed to this guide, and beloved the appearing alongside the pacing of the plot. I used to be actually jazzed how the story introduced so lots of the characters full-circle, extra entire than once they started their journeys.
One factor that this guide actually does nicely is clarify the impact of godsong on its listeners. There have been at all times hints that it was extra than simply leisure, that it affected listeners in ways in which may trigger fugue, or elation, and even manic-panic, like with the mounted. Asterism’s results on the folks of Agatay–individuals who’ve by no means expertise godsong earlier than–are much more troubling than at earlier tour stops at established domes previously. Missit’s concurrently derelict and self-righteous dad and mom callously clarify their theories behind the impact of godsong, giving Phex much more cause to dislike them as folks. Asterism inadvertently creates a scenario on Agatay that might spell the tip of a complete technology, but Phex’s insights assist proper the mistaken in spectacular trend.
The Dyesi have Divinity going robust spreading peaceable godsong all through the galaxies in a deceptively benign method. The themes of acceptance, and of affection being each lovely and therapeutic, are deeply explored alongside energy and its use, the function of leisure in pacifying multitudes, and accountability for the content material one creates. None of those themes is blatant, however we had a very good alternative to witness facets of them all through. Phex is a heck of a personality, and Missit’s much more three-dimensional following this closing installment.
I’m a LITTLE unhappy with the ending decision. Not as a result of it wasn’t superior, however as a result of this phenomenally inventive and fascinating trilogy is now over. The members of Tillem and Asterism have the long run they’d desired. The universe has extra peaceable folks due to godsong, and Phex and Missit get the happiest ending that might have been imagined. Positively suggest!
