The Price of Spring

The Long Price Quartet is a very special series, and I loved this final installment. I myself have never encountered a fantasy series that spans a lifetime focusing on complicated friendships with a history of hurt and resentment. These are not fast-paced books, but their character development is rich and each book has its own story arc and are filled with machinations. I thought the first book was just okay and the other three sublime.

Abraham excels at complex stories with complicated characters. I don't even know who I was supposed to root for in this final installment. It's a great series, and the ending lives up to the rest of the books.

4 stars - Metaphorosis Reviews

The cities of the Khaiem are without andats - the concepts-made-physical that can be controlled by poets and that gave the Empire its strength. The last andat, Sterile, took away the generative powers of the women of the Khaiem, and of the men of Galt. Now, Otah, reluctant Emperor of the Khaiem is trying to form a complex alliance with Galt. Maati, his one-time friend and poet, is trying to bind new andats. Their inevitable clash will bring both nations to their knees.

A Shadow in Summer, the first book of Daniel Abraham's Long Price Quartet, was one of the first e-books I read - a promotional PDF I picked up from Tor along with Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn. It took me a while to get around to reading Shadow, because, after all, who wants to read a PDF? (Something I wish publishers understood today.) Happily for me, and perhaps less so for Mr. Abraham, there was a discount bookstore near my house, and when I saw book two of the series available cheap, I finally took the plunge. I'm glad I did. That first book was the start of an excellent and innovative series that concludes with this book, The Price of Spring.

Shadow was an eye-opener in terms of tone, setting, and concept. While the elements weren't entirely novel, the combination certainly was. Much to my pleasure, Abraham's skill continued across the series. Every book had solid characters, beautiful writing, and intricate but clear plotting. The same is true of this closing volume.

I wish that Abraham had chosen a less traditional “men rule, women support” world for his series. In this final volume, he contracts Heinlein-Jordan syndrome, in which men are blind, and women are wise - but men still make the decisions. Luckily, it's a mild case, and there are also strong, self-willed women playing a part. Some of the gender-related crises feel manufactured, but can be accepted with a little effort.

Abraham ties up the ends of the story with a thoroughness that at times seems trite and slightly mechanical - things wrap around to their beginnings in a way that satisfies but also feels shallow. I didn't feel the depth of emotion that I expected to, and to some extent that's true of the entire book - it feels (somewhat ironically, given the use of steam engines as a theme) as if the series is running out of steam. There's enough here, however, to get us to the end successfully and without lagging.

This final book doesn't have quite the depth that it should have, though Abraham gives it a solid try. As the capstone to a truly excellent series, though, The Price of Spring is extremely strong, and well worth your time. I strongly recommend the series.

Abraham is known these days as the co-author of the Expanse series - the first book of which was unconvincing and overly complex. It's the Long Price Quartet that he should be known for instead. While it may not be easily convert to TV, Long Price is the kind of series that an author might hope to crown a career with. While not all of Abraham's books have turned out so well, this series is proof that he's a writer of extraordinary talent.

Executive Summary: An excellent conclusion to an enjoyable series. 4.5 stars.

Audio book: Another solid, but not remarkable job by Neil Shah.

Full Review
Another book, another time jump. It's not something I normally like, but I think it's worked well for Abraham in this series. It may be problematic some though.

Time changes a person, and that's most dramatic in this book than it has been in any of the previous ones. I found Maati downright unlikeable. He was never my favorite character, but age and the weight of his past mistakes have turned him into an angry bitter (and stupid) old man. In some ways he has good intentions, but as per usual, he just goes about everything wrong.

Otah continues to be the best character, but I really enjoyed both Eiah and Denat as well. My only minor complaint is Vanjit. She's well written, but so grating. I probably shouldn't hold it against Mr. Abraham for evoking frustration and disgust at his characters, but it was just a bit much for me at times.

Beyond that, it's hard to say much without spoiling this or previous books. This series is very much a slow burn, and is not action packed, high fantasy. It won't be for everyone. I've found each book better than the last, and was very happy with the conclusion.

I'm sad that I'm out of books to read. I wouldn't mind another book set in this world at some point in the future, but if we never get one, I'll be perfectly content.