Somewhat unsatisfying conclusion to the trilogy. 80% of the plotlines are unfinished and I really wonder what happened there. Also, the potential of the mythology hasn't really been used, instead the book just focuses on it's vast array of present-realm plotlines and places. The characters hop around the world so much that it's really hard to keep track of.

Though it's disappointing as a final volume, it's probably still an interesting trilogy for fans of human rights, privacy and 1984/Big Brother paranoiacs. ( )

A big let down for me. I loved the Traveler and was really looking forward to this but it really didn't read like the climax of a trilogy -especially one that ha taken so long to be published. I have been reading a lot of epic fantasy recently and perhaps I was expecting too much for a contemporary thriller like this but there was no real progression of plot or characters from previous novels.

I have been patiently waiting for for a big climax and loads of travelling between the various realms but we barely spend any time there (again perhaps I am looking for the extensive world building from the fantasy epics I have become used to).

This really should have been the climax to book one and have moved forward from the point the true battle with the Bretheren begins.

This installment also seemed to be missing the trademark matrix style hand to hand combat scenes that were another reasons I loved the Traveler. You could argue he series has moved on emotionally from that to explore the deeper themes of the vast machine and the compromise of personal freedoms but that is not really explored any more deeply. There was also the opportunity to reinforce the osmosis of the cultures of the other realms into our own and whilst some references are made to the origins of some legendary creatures these could have been done much more subtly and pervasively - again to accentuate the depth and breadth of the influence of the other realms.

For a modern thriller about surveillance culture and the "vast machine" Dean Koontz's Dark River does a better job and for that matter so does the Will Smith Film Enemy of the State.

For the theme of travelling between different versions of out world/alternative reality/different "realms" etc see Stephen King's Dark Tower series, The Talisman - also King with Peter Straub and ultimately Clive Barker's mind blowing Imajica.

In short this read like the "trailer to the golden city but was unfortunately all we have been given.Disappointing. ( )

Twelve Hawks , John (2005). The Traveller. London: Corgi Books. 2006. ISBN 9781407071886. Pagine 498. 12,86 $

Twelve Hawks , John (2007). The Dark River. London: Corgi Books. 2008. ISBN 9781407038032. Pagine 515. 11,55 $

Twelve Hawks , John (2009). The Golden City. London: Transworld. 2010. ISBN 9781407056746. Pagine 370. 17,69 $

The Fourth Realm Trilogy

Un’altra recensione tardiva. Sono 3 libri che ho letto nell’estate del 2010, dopo essermi imbattuto nel primo della serie perché incuriosito da una citazione di Albert-László Barabási nel suo Bursts: The Hidden Pattern Behind Everything We Do (un altro libro letto e non recensito).

L’intera saga – che naturalmente t’acchiappa, ma non vale realmente la pena di leggere – è dominata dalla paranoia del Grande Fratello attraverso i secoli, e soprattutto nella nostra era di sorveglianza totale (dal Big Brother al Big Data). I membri di una società segreta vivono off-the-grid. Come l’autore dei tre romanzi, di cui in realtà non si sa nulla.

E persino io, di cui non si può certo affermare che non sia compulsivamente curioso, posso vivere benissimo senza.

* * *

Qualche citazione (riferimento come sempre alle posizioni sul Kindle).

Cominciamo da The Traveller.

At that moment, she was trying to control her anger and find the calm place within her heart. Think of a stone, her father used to tell her. A smooth black stone. Pull it out of a cold mountain stream and hold it in your hand. [2289]

Privacy had become a convenient fiction. [2856]

«Love is just another means of manipulation […]» [2923]

«Freedom is the biggest myth ever created. It’s a destructive, unachievable goal that has caused a great deal of pain. Very few people can handle freedom. A society is healthy and productive when it’s under control.» [3731]

«[…] History is a puppet show for childish minds.» [3927]

He wanted a road map, not philosophy. [4742]

«Every new experience is unusual. The rest of life is just sleep and committee meetings. […]» [5376]

«[…] The realms are dominated by a particular quality. In the Sixth Realm of the gods, the sin is pride. In the Fifth Realm of the half gods, the sin is jealousy. You need to understand that we’re not talking about God, the power that created the universe. According to the Tibetans, the gods and half gods are like human beings from another reality.»
«And we’re living in the Fourth Realm ….»
«Where the sin is desire.» Sophia turned and watched a king snake moving slowly down a conduit pipe. «The animals of the Third Realm are ignorant of all others. The Second Realm is inhabited by the hungry ghosts who can never be satisfied. The First Realm is a city of hate and anger, ruled by people without compassion. There are other names for this place: Sheol, Hades, Hell.» [5430]

[…] the appearance of freedom with the reality of control. [5910]

Passiamo a The Dark River.

Maya had watched the growing attraction between Hollis and Vicki. It was the first time she had ever noticed the evolution of two people who were falling in love. At first, their eyes followed each other when one of them got up from the table. Then they leaned forward slightly when the other person was talking. When they were apart, they spoke about the other person in a bubbly, foolish manner. [833]

Infine The Golden City.

«Even crazy people have enemies …» [1573]

«If the gods have left the stage, then it’s just the two of us.» Matthew stepped toward his son. «So who are you, Gabriel? And what kind of world do you want to live in? I’m not going to tell you what to believe. All I can do is guide you forward, and make sure you don’t turn away from your own vision.» [4588]

They were Styrofoam words — light and unsubstantial, packing materials to blunt the sharp edges. [4667]

«As ideas lose their power, stories and visual images become more and more important. Leaders offer competing stories, and this is what passes for political debate. […]» [5497]

«We can regret the past, but we can’t change what happened. We can anticipate the future, but we can’t control it. All we have is this moment—here in this room.» [5888]

«Privacy is the ability to control access to information about one’s Self. It’s easy to see that this invisible, all-pervasive system will destroy any sort of privacy. We’ll lose the power to protect our Self from the scrutiny of unknown groups or individuals. […]» [6700] ( )

As good an ending as you can get for a series in which the author believes in the depravity of man without the redemptive power of God. The problems are all pushed into the nebulous future" and the battle between Tabula and Traveler are shown for the Dualistic philosophy they truly are.

That being said, I really enjoyed this book. Not as "cool" as the first book, but tighter and more engaging than the second. As soon as it was revealed that Maya was pregnant, I knew that Gabriel had to go. The only thing I don't understand is why Michael went so ballistic at the end. What happened to the calm, collected schemer?" ( )

Book 3 of a strong fantasy/futuristic series. Solid entertainment. ( )