The perfect end to the finest fantasy series that I have ever read.
The feeling that I had when I finished the last page of this book is the feeling that I wish I could describe to people who ask "why do you read" - just magnificent!

I didn't finish. Barely began it, really.

I read the previous 5 (or 2 1/2, depending on your version), and was instantly reminded of how annoying the last book had been. For all the author's strengths, he has equal (or worse) weaknesses, and I just can't take it anymore.

The tipping point came when the Bad Guy attacked the poor fragile women, and their designated helpful knight was cut down mercilessly in front of them ... followed by one of the poor fragile women unexpectedly unsheathing a sword and being so unexpectedly brilliant that Bad Guy was dispatched instantly.

Well, nice of your to let your designated knight die, Lady.

And the author doesn't seem to realise this is a problem. There's no wrestling with one's conscience, no internal dialogue where the lady-ninja is desperate to help but (for some valid reason) has to keep hidden, nope, she just watches, waits for the knight to be slaughtered, and then (haha, the author tricked us!) kills the bad guy.

And I just ... can't. I just can't, not anymore. Not when there are so many books that bring a smile to my face or a well-deserved tear to my eye. The Murderbot Diaries. Most of Connie Willis. Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series. Top-notch middle school fiction. Little, by Edward Carey.

If you'd been 150 pages, maybe, Percepliquis, maybe. But at 700 pages, and me already grrrring by page 30, no, it's not going to happen.

Bye bye.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!

10/10 The best fantasy series ending

What a great ending to a series that is way under the radar. I only discovered this series last year and I'm glad I did. Top notch classic fantasy with a modern twist.

Just finished an amazing series

I devoured this book in two sittings, the second of which genuinely kept me up all night reading cause I couldn't set it down for longer than 5 minutes. Possibly the best book in the series, you can tell Michael planned and wrote this series all at once, because all of the planning, foreshadowing, characters, plot threads, etc, are all done so neatly and elegantly. This was amazing, so much payoff, reveals that make so much sense and were foreshadowed so intelligently and slyly, just wow. My only complaint is that a few deaths I'd rather have not happened, but that is my own preference and like of certain characters rather than an issue in the story-telling. A fantastic conclusion and one of my favorite books now, easily one of the best conclusions to an epic fantasy series I've read.

Holy hell. You must read this series!! You will experience every emotion possible. (It was a bit embarrassing at times tearing up on my commute home.) I loved every minute & with this book specifically, I could not put it down. The characters are amazing & the story keeps you on your toes. I'm a little sad it's all over...Maybe I'll read it again!! :)
Congrats Michael! Really spectacular and entertaining series. I can't say enough great things about it. Cheers!

Dit boek is echt geweldig! Alles wordt goed beschreven, en de personen lijken net echt. De zoektocht naar percepliquis is erg spannend, en er zitten een paar romantische stukjes in, niet te veel, niet te weinig. De climax is echt episch! Het slot is zo mooi, ik had het zelf niet kunnen bedenken! Daarom geef ik 5 sterren.

Kurt Michael
and everyone got everything they wanted, except of course a few 'red-shirts" and lived happily ever after...