Fade
Finished the whole series yesterday, took 7 days. Didn't expect to get sucked into another world so completely like that. Overall I loved the series from a storytelling perspective. That said, the problems as many others have commented, were also readily apparent and sometimes really distracting. A bottle or three of wine really helps with that. ;-) Now about Fade specifically....I loved parts of it but I was disappointed in it overall. If a book could have DID (dissociative identity disorder) this one certainly did. The best way I can convey my thoughts now that it's over is to summarize my final assessments of the characters.
Hsin: Not enough of you in the last book, the best written character. That absence is what lowered the overall quality of the book for me.
Boyd: You've matured a bit but still I want to slap you upside the head so many times...*sigh* Still so naive after six years in the agency.
Emelio: Ok I know you're damaged emotionally but you need to get over these self-esteem issues you have. You deserve to be treated so much better. That said, the *ick* moment that I'm sure everyone saw coming a mile away was so not cool.
Zachary: I don't like you anymore. The way you behaved in this book was despicable. You are selfish, weak and cruel. And apparently not nearly as intelligent as we were led to believe based on your actions near the end of the book.
Vivienne: You are still a horrible excuse for a parent and human being.
Ryan: Expected more from you. Not much character growth or maturity. Hopefully you'll grow up emotionally before you die from your lung disease. Peter Pan syndrome does not become you.
Kassian: You haven't changed much over the last six years either. You've opened up and bonded with some fellow agents but you still have serious self esteem issues dude. You are a good person despite the things you've had to do to survive. Grow up already.
Yes I know there is an anthology novella that picks up two years after the end of Fade to give us brief glimpses of life after the agency for our favorite characters. I've read it. Still didn't mitigate the disappointing way Fade ended. The book felt literally unfinished. Too many plot lines and characters were left hanging at the end of Fade for even a potential sequel set years in the future to wrap up satisfactorily.
