Oh, this is a conflicting one, but I am leaning toward a higher score because for all the issues I had with the book at times, it was engaging, hard to put down, and so wildly imaginative and unique.

When I first picked this up at the bookstore today, I intended only to read a chapter or two to see if I liked it - and I ended up reading 200+ pages. I bought the book, obviously, and finished it this same day. It really is easy to be enthralled by, and the pacing is so swift that it pulls you along whether you like it or not.

The world building is highly imaginative; I can easily say I haven't read anything like this before. There is a lot of Hindu philosophy built into the story as well, and that was a breath of fresh air. There were many moments when the narrative became painful to read through as it had to do a lot of heavy lifting with the world building - especially at the end, when puzzle pieces were being put together during the climax of the whole story. The come down after the climax was also a whole lot of world info dumping, which felt awfully strange. Actually, everything having to do with the climax on to the end of the book felt like a severe let down.

Because this story, with all the heavy world building and incorporation of the philosophy of the mind and of reincarnation, becomes an absolutely frustrating mess of Words being Thrown Around as the characters struggle through the climax. Despite having followed these characters through their investigation and ostensibly understanding the journey they went on, the climax was just...word salad. It was a strange, frustrating experience. Perhaps part of this is because of my aphantasia; when I read, I don't picture anything. At most, I see a black background with gray outlines and shading. If I think of an apple, I know what an apple is supposed to look like, intellectually, but I can't actually picture it in my mind. So this climax, which is almost entirely about a mental, emotional, existential crisis, did absolutely nothing for me. I just felt so frustrated. I wanted to feel what the book wanted me to feel for the characters, but nothing connected. 

Speaking of the main characters, oh boy. Oh man. Oh wow. What a wildly brave thing Rao did here with Ahilya and Iravan. The book starts out with them basically estranged, and Rao really digs into their strengths and weaknesses both as individuals and as a married couple. They hurt each other and allow their insecurities to drive them, and they're not exactly easy to follow. I actually kind of hated one of them at the start, but a lot of what I was getting through the writing felt purposeful; what I disliked about the character was called out in the text, and I felt so validated. I don't think I could ever believe these two people actually loved each other, though. The book kept trying to convince me that they loved each other madly despite how fractured their relationship was, but I just wasn't buying it. They needed therapy, LOADS OF IT. 

I know I've just unloaded quite a bit of my frustrations with the book, but I did really appreciate what The Surviving Sky was doing. Rao created an incredibly interesting and compelling world and story here, centering two characters and a version of a relationship that I don't often see in fantasy. Seeing this story unfold through the lens of their fractured relationship was SO interesting. I think all of the other characters could have used a bit more development, but they all served their narrative purposes very well.

The Surviving Sky, flaws and all, is a deeply imaginative and enthralling novel. 

I highly doubt I am ever going to be able to find the words to explain how much I loved this story. 

I don't think I've ever read a trilogy ending book as audacious and massive in scope as this compared to where the first book started. And yet, it never felt like things were too out of left field. Every interesting world building route that Bennett took in the time jump here made sense, and it led to some wildly imaginative and exhilarating set pieces.

I read City of Stairs many years ago, and thought Bennett had an incredibly imaginative mind. The Founders Trilogy only increased my impression of him as a world builder and overall author. The world within these pages is just so impressive, blending fantasy and magic in a way that their growth together starts to morph into a steampunk fever dream of wild shit. Just great. 

While I think overall Bennett's character work was the weak point of the trilogy (the time jump did the character work a disservice here, a bit), I still felt enough and knew enough about the few main characters that my heartstrings were well and truly tugged as this series came to a close. 

If you're looking for some new and imaginative in the fantasy space, absolutely give this trilogy a try. 

There ain’t no second book slump here, holy SHIT. What an absolute rollercoaster ride of thrills and horror and emotional damage from start to finish.

sad girl lit is 100% not for me

Glad I didn't start the Vorkosigan saga in chronological order, because this didn't live up to the love I had for the Cordelia books. A solid story, but it doesn't quite seem to go anywhere. Maybe events in this will pop up in future books and my view on it will change as I read more.

DNF @ 11%. Not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't a transcript of dialogue between the author and her therapist. It felt incredibly dry. I can see how it has resonated with many people, though.