Enjoyable final part of 5-part series, ( )

First, a kudos remark to one of my favorite authors. Stephen Lawhead was able to wrap up a story that had so many rabbit holes that I began to wonder if it could actually coalesce into an ending that would make sense. Thankfully, it did.

The series, as a whole, was pretty good, but certainly it didn't match up to many of his other works. It was a whirlwind adventure that ended with the main characters having made many friends and enemies, some on each side dying. It wasn't until this final book that we readers find out that Providence may have caused them to enter into the adventure in the first place. Up until this book, the storyline didn't seem to have a point except that there were several people who inadvertently entered into a string-theory maze of events that introduced a lot of chaos into their lives. It would have been better to have some foreshadowing through the first four books that pointed to God's hand being involved to bring about a specific end. Did the author even have a specific end in mind when he began the series? It almost seemed as though he'd come up with his story's conclusion only after writing book 4.

Then there were the personal comments of the author at the end of book 4. As one who holds to a literal interpretation of the Genesis account of creation, they were rather insulting, to the point that I nearly didn't buy the fifth book. I would have respected his stance on the issue if he hadn't deliberately mocked young-earth creationists.

Oh well, at least I can read The Pendragon Cycle and Byzantium again. ( )

I received this copy from the publisher through Netgalley.com and that in no way has influenced my opinion in regards to this review. This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer. Title: The Fatal Tree Series: Bright Empires Author: Stephen Lawhead Rating: 3 of 5 Stars Genre: Urban Fantasy Pages: 360 Synopsis: All the Universes are ending, since Arthur bringing his wife back to life with the Spirit Well pretty much buggered up everything. Now there is a Fatal Tree guarding the Well so the group can't get to it and stop Arthur and set the Universe back on track. Burleigh has a change of heart and tries to help the group. In the end, everything gets back on track and Evolutiongod can continue its plan. My Thoughts: Thankfully, this series ends. It felt VERY fluffy and it was hard to feel connected to any of the characters. My last book by Lawhead. Sometimes you just don't want to review a book and this is one of those times. " ( )

The Fatal Tree by Stephen Lawhead is the fifth and final book in the Bright Empires series. You MUST read books 1-4 before embarking on this final journey. Each book expands on the previous book, and I would have been hopelessly lost if I had not read them sequentially. That being said, the series for me has been a bit uneven. I loved books 1 and 3; books 2 and 4 were ok — I had a bit of difficulty getting into the flow of those books. However, I feel that this last book is the one I have been looking for. I enjoyed it, and if you enjoy epic fantasy with a big dose of inter-dimensional travel, I think you will too.

The Fatal Tree finds our ley travelers (think moving between realities rather than time periods) facing The End of Everything. Strange things are occurring: people and things are appearing and disappearing causing all kinds of havoc. The universe also seems to be slowing down and is in danger of reversing and causing the ultimate destruction. The travelers are scattered around and have trouble meeting up because of the disturbances. So they all race against time and space and place to head off imminent disaster.

There are a number of things I liked about The Fatal Tree. The writing is, of course, wonderful. Lawhead has a way of making his scenes come alive in the reader’s imagination. And while I confess I skip over the science parts, I was engaged from the very first page. Of course the characters, both those I loved and those I loved to hate, are back in all their complexity. But it is the overt faith message that I responded to. God is front and center in this book, something that Lawhead did not do in the previous books in the series. We see the characters acknowledging He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, that He has plans and purposes that are perfect, even if we don’t understand them, and that actions always have consequences. Even a most despicable character is confronted by his need for redemption.

So all in all, I would recommend all 5 books in the Bright Empires series. Complex plots and characters and A LOT to think about are sure to appeal to fans of this genre.

Recommended.

Audience: older teens and adults.

(I received a review copy in conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )