A worthwhile end to the series.

A very quiet, pretty book, with a story that seemed to flow much like the water that is so much a part of it. Very enjoyable, and it was easy for me to get lost in this one (in a good way). Currently trying to decide whether I'd put this one or Elysium as my top pick for this year's P.K. Dick award...but I have three more books to read, so no decisions yet.

Steampunk generally isn't one of my primary go-to genres, but this was enjoyable adventure incorporating alternate history, government-sanctioned arrested technological and cultural development, traveling carnivals, and survival through cross-dressing to allow a young woman to interact with society in the guise of a man. Not my personal pick for this year's PK Dick award, but a good nominee.

I have something of a fascination with the non-fictional aspects of classic Trek—both the behind-the-scenes show stuff and the general fandom of the time—and it's fun to read accounts that are closer to that time than we are now. This book was originally written in '73, just a few years following the demise of TOS, and a few years prior to the first film. Trek was in syndication and picking up new fans, while existing and new fans were banding together (via letter, 'zine, and telephone) to create the first Trek conventions as the fandom was just starting to grow into the juggernaut it eventually became. A really neat look at a slice of time in Trek history.

This one was a lot of fun, with a really neat blend of American history and Lovecraftian horror. Very pleasantly creepy throughout. My only reservation with its nomination for the PK Dick award is that I'd definitely put this one in the horror genre rather than science fiction (though there are often blends between the two genres, if I'd picked this up on my own, I definitely wouldn't have classified it as SF).