What was happening when the author wrote this sequel? I listened intently to every word and tried to imagine the characters as they were introduced b..Show More »ut they were not as fully developed as the first set of characters in "Spin". The unresolved issue of the Hypothetical s was, to say the very least, disappointing. I had in my mind's eye foresaw the ending a different way and felt cheated with the ultimate outcome. Why leave the readers with no loose ends tied up? The explanation was like the name suggests...hypothetical. No-one knew, no-one was willing to fully explain and no-one seemed to care after 2 books and a dozen or so characters were possessed with finding an answer. It seemed like a least one would have been given the answer to all the mysteries and held on to the info maybe for another sequel.
I did enjoy listening to Scott Brick read this novel and at times I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation, but not often enough.
Note to writers: please don't ask readers to invest in novels that even you don't know how it should end.

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When I first listened to Spin, the first book in this trilogy, I thought I might very well be onto the best scifi experience of my life. A few years l..Show More »ater, this concluding volume has left me a bit unsatisfied. The core mystery that underlies all three volumes, and is so captivating in Spin, gets "solved" in an almost off-handed way at the end of Vortex. And the solution won't exactly makes you shiver with delight. Or even interest.

But here's the thing: the books are so well-written that it almost doesn't matter. The stories themselves are engaging, the characters are generally worth investing in, the prose is weighty and never silly. (Silly is a concern for me when it comes to time-bending science fiction.) And the narration is, well, Scott Brick. You know exactly what you'll get before you start listening, and it'll be good.

So I'm giving it a decent rating and a big warning: if the middle book felt like a miss to you, this one probably will too. But if you enjoyed it anyway, this is worth a listen. Maybe you can make up a better ending for yourself after it's all done.

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