Enjoyable story, short and fast paced, intriguing

I really enjoyed this mini series but I wish they were full size books so there was more story. The characters seem real from the start and you care what happens to all of them. The setting is eastern inspired and really fun to read about. This is also a queer friendly book which just makes sense in the world Yang has created and was nice to discover.

There is an ending but you are left feeling lots has been unsaid however it looks as though there is another book which isn't on audiobook yet.

It's a beautiful story, I wish it was full length so It could answer all my questions but then maybe it would change it for the worse.

Nancy Wu does a great job narrating she has a soft voice and at times I felt she was telling a bedtime story just for me.

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Interesting speculative fiction.

The compilation of the first three books in the Tensorate series work well as an audiobook, with a skilled and listenable narrator. The relative brevity of the books (novellas I suppose) allow a faster flow of narrative than many 30h+ fantasy doorstops in the genre. Unfortunately that comes at a cost, leaving me with a sense of incompleteness, as if I'd read a buffed up submission to an anthology rather than a complete work. This was notably the case with book 3: The Descent of Monsters.
Positively, the world is creative and fresh, a mix of elemental sorcery and a 'force'-like "Slack" clashing with technology (guns, communicators), with an East Asian cultural vibe. It's USP is the gender fluid nature of the characters, which while intriguing can lead to confusing pronoun usage for old brains such as mine. It's woven well into the characters, however, and I found it fresh and interesting to 'read.'
Cynically, one could consider that the accolades heaped on the books relate more to the gender fluid and non-European aspects of the book versus the story. I'd say not, at least for books 1 and 2. They have good character driven plots, intelligent writing, fairly solid dialogue, and engaging stories of the two disparate twins.
I found book 3 a chore. The narrative device didn't work well in audiobook, and the plot was fairly scanty, and uninspiring. It felt like a short story, or even an epilogue, padded out. Perhaps it's a set-up for more work? I'm glad that it wasn't a book I'd purchased stand alone, as I'd feel rather short changed.
In summary, a good compilation of three variable books, in an interesting setting. Worth a listen or a read.

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1 person found this helpful