Well worth the read but the ending was a big let down for me. Loved the world building and especially loved the philosophy and how it was implemented and explored.

Did not care for the old-timey gender essentialism coupled with exploration of masculine and feminine. Displays how woefully incomplete study of that nature, or what was consumed of it by the author, can hinder a theme. The hah evil caricature Baron only underscored this point. The literalization of the transformation to godhood was pretty anti climatic for me, though it was clearly leading there for some time in the last book.

What continued to be interesting was the examination of social structures and constructs. Some of the characters, mostly the men, were well done and served their purpose without being grating. Dialogue was usually good, though ventured into the corny when epic things happened. Important that such a thing is attempted by authors, even with its failings and blind spots, I think this is the kind of ambitious fiction that I prefer to consume. Western sci-fi and fantasy is so much more tropey than this right now and this is quite old now.

Highly enjoyable and would recommend, with the caveats above.

Once again the strongest thing about this fiction is the philosophy being explored and applied to the world. This was set to be more compelling than Messiah, which I think is the strongest book of the trilogy now, but the ending was a let down for me.

The whole becoming a god narrative is less interesting when actualized. And while it plays with the masculine and feminine, it continually proves its gender essentialism misunderstanding and characterizing the feminine. Ironic but perhaps understandable for the time period, yet still a put off, as with the absolute caricature of the gay evil Baron and the ultimate fate of Alia.

I’ll probably continue with the series but with some trepidation. I was very interested in the outcome until it flopped, so we’ll see.

Certainly not a happy or fun read but well written and consumable with a exceptionally worthwhile premise. The narrative explores South Korean society via the viewpoints of a few women whose lives become intertwined. I would say it is prevalent melancholic and most likely held back a little despite it being a fairly brutal condemnation of how women are treated as they struggle to create an attainable framework for what would make them happy within the bounds they are allowed due to societal constructs.

DNF 25% in. To be honest, the authorial voice rubbed me the wrong way and as a result I couldn’t get invested in the story. Didn’t find it funny.