I was upset during the first half of the book because the writer whom I've grown to love because of her depiction of women, was giving me yet another SciFi premise where men run the world, the same world that originated from a strong female character. It wasn't until Amber became a strong part of the main arc that I started to enjoy this book. For a book written in the 70s, she must have been a character to look forward to.
The Clayarks from Book 3 and the Patternists from Book 2 come face to face in this last book of the series. I thoroughly enjoyed the protagonist, Teray, who was sort of an underdog. The ending seemed a bit stretched and then rushed during the last two pages. But when you have Octavia Butler's smooth prose and a strongly built world, nothing else much matters.
I am sad this series is over.