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wouterk's review against another edition
5.0
This series is a unique masterpiece and The Price of Spring is a worthy ending. There are only brilliant books in this series. Abraham somehow continuously switches perspectives between societal and political issues on the one hand and personal issues surrounding friendship, family and life in general on the other hand. He then masterfully blends them in the stories of Otah, Maati, their lovers, children and rivals, showing the tension. How the best choices of a ruler or poet can be the worst choice personally, or how a personal choice in such a position can highly influence the world. This creates the opportunity for us as readers to both experience incredible geo-political tension and existential dread, while at the same time we go through innumerable very intimate, very relatable personal situations and experiences.
Another thing that makes this series quite a different experience is that each book has a time jump and therefore touches upon different stages of life. We experience young love and hubris, settling in a role or relationship, having children, looking back on life and choices and of course, illness, death and loss. And every experience is so well crafted and the books are so internally consistent, that you really feel like living along these people.
The Andat as a magic system are also very uncommon. An Andat is simply a concept being controlled by the the thoughts of a poet. This means there is no battle. It is one moment and it is done. Stone-made-soft is ordered to make a whole city sink in the ground and it happens. Sterile thinks all Khaiate women cannot bear children, boom, it happened.
And this is where the current book starts after the failed binding of sterile. For 15 years no Khaiate women can bear children and no Galtic men can father them. And there is a moral choice that plays under this. On the one hand Otah accepts the situation and tries to unite the people to be able to bear a new generation, having the conviction that it is a good thing the Andat do not exist anymore. On the other hand there is Maati, Eiah, Otah's daughter, and several other women who are desperately trying to recover the knowledge to bind andat to reject the current situation and help Khaiem women to have chidren again. And although they do not necessarily celebrate andat on principle, they feel that Otah has turned his back on all the women that cannot bear children. Again, this is the tension between what is good for the world (no andat) and a group of suffering individuals (the men and women afflicted by sterile).
This provides a very interesting plot and background to the relationship dynamics between Otah and Maati and the other characters in this book. It is a wonderful and touching book, with blood-chilling tension. It evoked a lot of emotion in me and has a rewarding ending to the series.
I could gush for pages on pages about this series, but I'd rather have you read it. ;)
Another thing that makes this series quite a different experience is that each book has a time jump and therefore touches upon different stages of life. We experience young love and hubris, settling in a role or relationship, having children, looking back on life and choices and of course, illness, death and loss. And every experience is so well crafted and the books are so internally consistent, that you really feel like living along these people.
The Andat as a magic system are also very uncommon. An Andat is simply a concept being controlled by the the thoughts of a poet. This means there is no battle. It is one moment and it is done. Stone-made-soft is ordered to make a whole city sink in the ground and it happens. Sterile thinks all Khaiate women cannot bear children, boom, it happened.
And this is where the current book starts after the failed binding of sterile. For 15 years no Khaiate women can bear children and no Galtic men can father them. And there is a moral choice that plays under this. On the one hand Otah accepts the situation and tries to unite the people to be able to bear a new generation, having the conviction that it is a good thing the Andat do not exist anymore. On the other hand there is Maati, Eiah, Otah's daughter, and several other women who are desperately trying to recover the knowledge to bind andat to reject the current situation and help Khaiem women to have chidren again. And although they do not necessarily celebrate andat on principle, they feel that Otah has turned his back on all the women that cannot bear children. Again, this is the tension between what is good for the world (no andat) and a group of suffering individuals (the men and women afflicted by sterile).
This provides a very interesting plot and background to the relationship dynamics between Otah and Maati and the other characters in this book. It is a wonderful and touching book, with blood-chilling tension. It evoked a lot of emotion in me and has a rewarding ending to the series.
I could gush for pages on pages about this series, but I'd rather have you read it. ;)
lib_britannia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
demosthenes34nz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
retrana2011's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
truthlessofcanada's review against another edition
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
An extremely fitting ending, the series maintains it's strength of very strong, complex character relationships.
The Long Price Quartet definitely sticks the landing. A very unique conflict in this one, following the events of An Autumn War. Very different antagonist than the last 2, and quite well done as well, as generally the antagonists of the series are one of it's main strengths.
I do think book had reaction from society, and people generally to previous events that felt kind of weird to me, especially in combination of a reaction to something later in the book. I guess possible, but to me an entire nation didn't have a certain reaction to past events, that I think a substantial portion of people would have.
This was one of my 5-star predictions, and ultimately did not live up to those lofty expectations, but I can comfortably say that all 4 books in The Long Price Quarter are in my opinion very good. If you want to read a slower paced character driver fantasy series, this should be on the list.
8.6/10
The Long Price Quartet definitely sticks the landing. A very unique conflict in this one, following the events of An Autumn War. Very different antagonist than the last 2, and quite well done as well, as generally the antagonists of the series are one of it's main strengths.
I do think book had reaction from society, and people generally to previous events that felt kind of weird to me, especially in combination of a reaction to something later in the book. I guess possible, but to me an entire nation didn't have a certain reaction to past events, that I think a substantial portion of people would have.
This was one of my 5-star predictions, and ultimately did not live up to those lofty expectations, but I can comfortably say that all 4 books in The Long Price Quarter are in my opinion very good. If you want to read a slower paced character driver fantasy series, this should be on the list.
8.6/10
ianmitchell's review against another edition
5.0
This is the final volume of Daniel Abraham's Long Price Quartet, one of the most original fantasy series in a long time, set in a vaguely oriental world where people called poets can control beings called Andat, who are near-omnipotent ideas made flesh. In some ways this book is a bit of an anti-climax after the earth-shattering events of the third book, An Autumn War, but this book still plays an important role to close out the series and address the consequences of the events in the previous book.
The series is really about two characters, Otah and Maati; one who turned his back on the life of a poet and the other who failed as a poet; that is even more apparent in this book as the chapters alternate between their points of view. This final volume sees both men approaching the ends of their life; fitting since the first volume started with them as children.
Like the rest of this series, the book isn't about mighty heroes and epic battles; it is about people trying to make their way through challenging circumstances. If you enjoy character-driven fantasy, I can't recommend this series highly enough.
The series is really about two characters, Otah and Maati; one who turned his back on the life of a poet and the other who failed as a poet; that is even more apparent in this book as the chapters alternate between their points of view. This final volume sees both men approaching the ends of their life; fitting since the first volume started with them as children.
Like the rest of this series, the book isn't about mighty heroes and epic battles; it is about people trying to make their way through challenging circumstances. If you enjoy character-driven fantasy, I can't recommend this series highly enough.
nicovreeland's review against another edition
3.0
This series is odd. I feel like Abraham was trying so hard to counteract a lot of the typical elements of high fantasy, that he wound up sabotaging the elements that make great fantasy fun to read.
There are a lot of unique ideas in this series, but it was rarely compelling—too often it was just a slog. Maybe some of that is down to the narrator, who was not my favorite.
Abraham’s later series, The Dagger and The Coin is, imo, subverts fantasy tropes while still being fun to read.
There are a lot of unique ideas in this series, but it was rarely compelling—too often it was just a slog. Maybe some of that is down to the narrator, who was not my favorite.
Abraham’s later series, The Dagger and The Coin is, imo, subverts fantasy tropes while still being fun to read.
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
4.0
This is the concluding book in Abraham's "Long Price Quartet." This is a good book: more imaginative, more thoughtful, more thought-provoking, and better written than the great majority of fantasy I've read. And yet not quite as good as I had anticipated, based on the first three books. I found it slightly less convincing than I had hoped, and also slightly less entrancing. Nonetheless I cried, reading it, and I will miss Otah Machi and his world.
sonice's review against another edition
5.0
5.0 stars. I realize that I’ve mostly repeated myself in reviewing the previous 3 books, so I’ll try to be a little more thorough here – since this is the last book and all.
I fail to remember either an individual book OR any series of books where the characters were all so understandable. Like, there really are (almost) no actual bad guys here. Everyone is doing the best they can, making decisions that they believe are for the greater good, and a lot of the conflict is simply based on differences of opinion. This last instalment is again a wonderful example of this. Two people taking two very different approaches to solve the same problem. Who’s to say one is better than the other? Even the characters themselves admit to making mistakes along the way, to not always having taken the right path. Because of this, the plot feels so real. No moustache twirling villains or “Lawful Good” heroes, just people doing the best they can, in the best way they know how. Fucking BRAVO to the author. This was an absolute masterpiece in this regard; some of the best plotting and character work I’ve ever seen.
The magic system at work here was also a breath of fresh air. I love both hard and soft systems, fireballs and Warrens and Allomancy and all that stuff, but what was fairly unique about this was the way that the magic bites back. It’s incredibly dangerous to even attempt to use it, and once you do it correctly it requires a lifetime of struggle and focus to not fuck it up. Again, this opens up all kinds of room to explore what it means to be a magic user (in this series, a Poet). Another layer stacked on to the already wonderful character work that adds even more dimension to our main cast. Loved it.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, but the structure of these books – covering the entire lives of the main cast, at 4 different stages of life, from young to old – was also super cool. Most books will have character growth, but here we literally get a lifetime of it.
I could go on and on, but I really think you just have to read it to see what I’m getting at. If you enjoy slow burn, thoughtful, emotionally evocative, well paced books that are light on action and heavy on intrigue and drama, this series is an absolute MUST.
I fail to remember either an individual book OR any series of books where the characters were all so understandable. Like, there really are (almost) no actual bad guys here. Everyone is doing the best they can, making decisions that they believe are for the greater good, and a lot of the conflict is simply based on differences of opinion. This last instalment is again a wonderful example of this. Two people taking two very different approaches to solve the same problem. Who’s to say one is better than the other? Even the characters themselves admit to making mistakes along the way, to not always having taken the right path. Because of this, the plot feels so real. No moustache twirling villains or “Lawful Good” heroes, just people doing the best they can, in the best way they know how. Fucking BRAVO to the author. This was an absolute masterpiece in this regard; some of the best plotting and character work I’ve ever seen.
The magic system at work here was also a breath of fresh air. I love both hard and soft systems, fireballs and Warrens and Allomancy and all that stuff, but what was fairly unique about this was the way that the magic bites back. It’s incredibly dangerous to even attempt to use it, and once you do it correctly it requires a lifetime of struggle and focus to not fuck it up. Again, this opens up all kinds of room to explore what it means to be a magic user (in this series, a Poet). Another layer stacked on to the already wonderful character work that adds even more dimension to our main cast. Loved it.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, but the structure of these books – covering the entire lives of the main cast, at 4 different stages of life, from young to old – was also super cool. Most books will have character growth, but here we literally get a lifetime of it.
I could go on and on, but I really think you just have to read it to see what I’m getting at. If you enjoy slow burn, thoughtful, emotionally evocative, well paced books that are light on action and heavy on intrigue and drama, this series is an absolute MUST.
ajmarra67's review against another edition
5.0
Accidentally read the 4th book first. It was great, but not sure if I want to read the first 3 now.