The Fall of Babel
Ratings58
Average rating4.1
The Fall of Babel provides a dramatic finale to the Books of Babel. The cast of characters that had been dispersed are brought back together, the machinations of the Bricklayer, the Sphinx and Luc Marat are all brought to their conclusion. This book does a good job in tying together all of these ends in a mostly satisfying way. There are some occasional miss-steps: I am not sure about the ultimate purpose of Nebos - it feels a bit of a cop out in some ways and the resolution between Marya and Tom is not as satisfying as I had hoped. But on the whole, the characters feel like they get what they deserve. Wrapping it up is an expansive operation though - this is by far the longest book in the series.
The Books of Babel feel like some kind of fever dream, unlike anything else in modern fantasy I have read. Do the later books hold up to the initial promise of the first book? I am not sure - the problem with this type of weird and wonderful pastiche is that the longer you stay in it the less it surprises you. This is not to diminish these works in any shape or form - this is wildly creative genre bending stuff - but perhaps the chonkiness of the series is to its detriment.
More is still to come - there is a short story collection that I will definitely pick up. This is one of the most bonkers fantasy stories you will ever encounter and it is definitely worth the trip down the Carrollesque rabbit hole.
After finishing The Fall of Babel, I've been in a state of unrest. I haven't been able to distinguish the rights and wrongs of the story's conclusion. After The Hod King, it was clear that The Books of Babel has become my favorite series to date, and now that it's over, I'm having difficulties justifying if it was a good payoff. I'd say it gave one hell of a book hangover though.
I usually try my best not to spoil anything in my reviews and because of that, it's almost impossible to explain how this ending is like any other. I was upset, whether I'd be from the book or from the realization of having to give a farewell to the series, but there isn't anything I'd give to relive this entire series with fresh eyes.
Having a few weeks to reflect, The Fall of Babel has barely anything to complain about, because the series has has been held so high in my mind that almost nothing can tear it down, no matter what minor personal issues I might have with it's conclusion.
Sometimes a final reckoning is just swift punch to the gut, one with gusto.
____
The Books of Babel:
Senlin Ascends
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Arm of the Sphinx
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Hod King
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Fall of Babel
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bit of a bummer. What was otherwise a great series the final book didn't quite land for me
EDIT: I am editing this rating to two stars so that Allen gets off my back, and increases the likelihood of him reading Jade War. Also, I gave this book 3/10, so after emotions have cooled, math prevails.
And so ends perhaps the most disappointing read of my life.
Four days later
I was hoping a little bit of time would make me find some positives as I come to grips with disappointment.
But here I am four days after finishing, and two months after starting, Fall of Babel, the final book in Josiah Bancroft's debut series, and I have precious little goodwill to give. This was my most disappointing read of the year, and perhaps ever. I loved the first three books but I wanted to set myself on fire while reading this.
Priming in psychology is when a stimulus unconsciously changes the way you react to something. For example, if you are in a room with smelly garbage, you will be more conservative. If you see a red bench while eating candy, the next time you see a red bench, you may want candy. Stuff like that.
I bring up priming because I think my biggest issue with this book is that it started with 170 page flashback that could have been 50 or, ideally, zero pages. I can't emphasis how little I think this flashback added to the book. And I think it primed me to be uncharitable towards everything else.
Because this is book 4. I know this series is going to be weird. I know the characters are going to be weirdly poetic in situations when they shouldn't. I know there are going to be weird cyborg people. I know there's going to be plot elements that come out of nowhere and that ringdoms are going to be introduced that are too weird to exist. So why did I hate all of it this time?
I don't know. But I really did. I have no positives for this book besides Byron. The two villains set up in the last book become cardboard cut outs in this one and end up vastly unsatisfying. Senlin, our MC, is barely around. His quest to find his wife resolves in the worst way possible. Time travel is introduced in a series that it doesn't fit in. There are 50 fight scenes that are boring and add nothing. An important character is killed off screen for reasons? And nothing comes of it. The ringdoms all act stupid. The characters barely act like themselves and service whatever Bizarro plot is necessarily (the characters were my favorite aspect of the series, so this really bothers me). The ending is terrible in all respects. It is just so unsatisfying and weird and out of nowhere. I can handle lack of total resolution, but not a bunch of random shit that feels unearned. I hate this book.
3/10
CAWPILE SCORE
C-9
A-8
W-9
P-7
I-8
L-9
E-9
TOTAL-8.43/10
What a great story. Quite amazing of an ending. Beautiful prose, great plot.
CAWPILECharacters.Great Characters as always. Everyone has their own plans, ideas, and feelings, even the robots, no one feels like a cardboard cutout. unique motivationsAtmosphereGreat atmosphere. while reading I felt like I really was there. you could feel the changesWritingAmazing writing and prose as always. Beautiful and Short. never feels out of place or overly flowery while still giving great detailsPlotTook a little bit of time for me to get into the plot. but once I was in, I was hooked and dragged straight through to the end. The fact that its a ship through space. CrazyIntrigueThe Intrigue kept me guessing but in a good way, right up to the end. Whether its Senlin and Marya, or what the Nautilus is, Questions about the Brick Layer and the Sphinx, each is answered carefully and creatively while keeping you invested with more questions about each.LogicThe Logic held consistant through the story. everything happened within reason. although parts of the hod king (mech) felt a little too much for me at times, I was easily able to see past thoseEnjoymentMy enjoyment of this book is extreme. Uniquely amazing. beautiful writing, great plot, likeable and unlikeable characters. A satisfying conclusion to an Amazing series. I look forward to future works from Josiah Bancroft
I will be talking about it on Libromancy. https://libromancy.podbean.com/
With the final page turned and the curtain now closed, I'm happy to report that The Books of Babel is one of the greatest fantasy series I've ever read. Bancroft's prose continues to possess a unique flavor with dashes of charm, wit, biting humor, and heart that are unmatched by others in the genre.
Throughout this final book, I cared about certain characters more than others, found some story threads more compelling than others, and preferred the quieter, more contemplative moments to the dizzying action sequences and set pieces. Despite my mileage varying on certain aspects of the novel itself, all of the elements coalesced into something wondrous and satisfying in the end.
We've been taken on a wild ride since Thomas Senlin first set foot in the magnificent and mysterious Tower of Babel. And while I'm sad to leave this world and cast of characters behind, I'm excited to see what else can be plumbed from the depths of Josiah Bancroft's imagination. Frankly, I'd devour whatever he writes next – whether that's a shopping list, appliance manual, esoteric textbook, or (ideally) a new novel!
My thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.