Review: Wanted a Bit More...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 14, 2013
WARNING: THIS REVIEW HAS MULTIPLE POTENTIAL SPOILERS. DON'T READ IT IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK & DON'T WANT ANY HINTS OF ANYTHING. I WARNED YOU!It has been a couple hours since I finished this third and potentially final book in what has been an incredible adventure that often had me feeling as if I was right there on the cusp of actually being in the midst of the characters and the story and I am feeling a tad let down. I am not feeling let down by any of the story that was told as much as I am by what was not. For example after rushing to purchase this third installment, with very little sleep since I had first come across book one, I opened this book only to find that there was an explosion in the mines that they had been heading to and everyone was in the dark, afraid, some panicking, but everyone already all moved in. Everyone had arrived at their destination, supplies were in place, living spaces carved out, even school was already in session! Up until now the books were written in a way that allowed the reader to have followed this story from the first day of freedom that many people experienced after six months of martial law and all public gatherings outlawed so people had been isolated in their homes for so long that they went outside now cautiously, often with much anxiety and we stayed with the characters right up to where everyone who had survived diseases, crime, and simply the toll of such a massive yet necessary quick evacuation were all in the safety of their last stop before they had to make the last leg of the journey. Everyone all together ready to take that last leg of their journey to the mines to hide from the next threat they faced of radiation from the unmanned nuclear plants. Nothing of any real significance had been left out, but now there was a significant gap in time, events, emotions... the entire flow had been disrupted.Sure, some of the blanks were filled in such as to how some of the supplies had gotten there and such but basically nothing about the last leg of their journey to the actual mines where they would live, miles underground, for who knows how long. Nothing about how the people reacted, or adapted, to living in cold, damp, dark tunnels and caverns. How the issues such as electricity, running water, lights, fresh oxygen being pumped in and radiation kept out were all addressed and resolved since every other problem in the other books,from food to toilet paper were all clarified as problems arose and solutions were found. Instead it was an instant home already set up and running two months after everybody has arrived and settled in. Having gotten used to experiencing the reactions of the characters along with them as the faced whatever was before them, good or bad, I was actually very much anticipating how the author would handle the fear and other emotions that must have gone with these weary survivors as they entered into the bowels of the earth as their refuge despite any fears of dark, closed in spaces, and so many other possible reactions. Instead it was skimmed over as if almost everybody had just walked in, making the best of it except for a suicidal few... it just felt like a cop out on what would have obviously been another difficult adaptation on the survivors, but one they would need to make if they hoped to survive.My other issue was with how the book ended. It felt a bit rushed, a bit incomplete, and as if there were a lot of loose ends. There were brief interviews with a select few of the characters, but there were also many, many questions about what happened to so many others who had been constant participants in the first two books, then seldom appeared or were barely mentioned in the third with no real idea with what happened to most of them except for a select few at the end. I would have preferred the extra chapter or whatever it would have taken to include these characters, how they adapted to life in the mines, how they dealt with all that happened in this book, and where they were at the end. Just as examples, how did the ninos adapt? Had those months of death and terror everywhere had any lasting affect on them? What happened to Rini since we only hear her mentioned once or twice, or Mildred and Connie? Did Papa Rose share raising the kids with Falcon or did he take it all on himself and how did he do so... Just a few of many questions about the characters I had come to care about, even if they are fictional. Those are my negatives about this installment in the series...After all that there must be some reading this wondering why I still gave it as high a rating as I did. The answer is easy. The main story deserved it! It was rich in mystery, intrigue, and the people who did remain as focal points continued to grow as always, ever bringing the reader into a more intimate knowledge of their character, feelings, and all the things one wants to learn about another. Relationships grew, as was inevitable while others just began to blossom, life in the cave was described vividly enough to make me know I would not want to have to be there. There was a great deal of the story over the continued mistrust of anyone government, even Mavis after all she had done to save so many of them and how that grew from mistrust to a full blown coup. This book in many ways focused on those dark hearted individuals who will always seek power, believe they deserve more than others, have a sense of entitlement that will lead them to extremes from political uprisings to all out murder to get what they feel they deserve. It was darker as far as the way a large portion of the population is represented, but I believe that is as realistic as plausible as those who will be grateful and want to chip in towards the greater good. Especially at a time when people have lost so many and so much I believe it is very possible that even good men can consider being swayed by evil (remember Stuart almost following Trent in the last book?) when they are weakened, vulnerable, feeling hopeless and are looking for a way to better such a desperate situation, doing things they would never have even considered before the collapse of everything familiar. I really enjoyed the mystery, conspiracies and watching it all unwind. It was fast paced and on the whole kept the reader guessing almost to the very end. In that regard this book held itself up right there with the others. However the human aspect, the emotional openness and vulnerability we were given to grow closer to the characters prior was very limited in the book also until the very end, which is too bad as the way the emotions and overall psychology of the characters was developed, nurtured and grown with each book was a big part of what made the first two books 5 star home runs for me. This book ends the overall story on a four star, barely made it to home, rating, and part of that four instead of a three is largely due to the fact that despite the missing pieces, what was given was still incredibly well written and I felt like the author was really trying to tie things up as well as she had begun them after having brought them as far as she had and just seemed to have run out of steam at the end... uncertain of how to offer some form of closure without a ridiculous happily ever after ending that would have been truly ridiculous.If you are left wondering now if you should or shouldn't get this book, that depends. If you are content with where book two ended you could probably stop there. However, if like myself you would like to find out what life is like in the caves, who the evil entities are that have a serious and well planned agenda, and follow a great mystery/conspiracy theory adventure that will involve many of your favourites, while still allowing you to get to know a few of the characters a bit better, plus a few truly unexpected twists of fate that will both make you smile in some cases and maybe even shrink a bit in horror in others, then I say grab this third book and get ready for one more well written, fast paced adventure. I wanted a bit more out of it, but others may find it gives them all they need from it.