Revenant Gun

Machineries of Empire, Book 3

By: Yoon Ha Lee

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 14 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's Summary

Machineries of Empire, the most exciting science fiction trilogy of the decade, reaches its astonishing conclusion! 

When Shuos Jedao wakes up for the first time, several things go wrong. His few memories tell him that he's a 17-year-old cadet - but his body belongs to a man decades older. Hexarch Nirai Kujen orders Jedao to reconquer the fractured hexarchate on his behalf, even though Jedao has no memory of ever being a soldier, let alone a general. Surely a knack for video games doesn't qualify you to take charge of an army? 

Soon Jedao learns the situation is even worse. The Kel soldiers under his command may be compelled to obey him, but they hate him thanks to a massacre he can't remember committing. Kujen's friendliness can't hide the fact that he's a tyrant. And what's worse, Jedao and Kujen are being hunted by an enemy who knows more about Jedao and his crimes than he does himself....

©2018 Yoon Ha Lee (P)2018 Recorded Books

Calendrical closure

Revenant Gun is the 3rd installment in Yoon Ha Lee's Machineries of Empire trilogy. The Cheris/Jedao combo has been out of the picture for a while two forces initially vie for control of the new calendar, while a remaining Hexarc with the assistance of a new Jedao clone is attempting to reinstate the old calendar. Ironically, even though Cheris and the Jedao clone are ostensibly in opposition, they are aligned with regards to the barbaric customs that had maintained the original order, which can be traced to a Hexarc that is essentially immortal.

The sci-fi elements are in line with earlier installments with further exploration of both servitors which display rather advanced AI as well as a penchant for soap operas and the moth spaceships which turn out to grown, rather than made and display consciousness.

The narration is first rate with good character distinction with pacing and tone well suited to the pace of the plot.

A great conclusion to a great trilogy

Kel Cheris, with Jedao's memories sharing her brain, is seeking to destroy the greatest threat to the new calendar, which makes exotic effects contingent on the consent of the people targeted. That's the Nerai Hexarch, Kujen, whose immortality depends on maintaining the old calendar. (Yes, third book of a trilogy. Don't start here. Start with Ninefox Gambit; then Raven Strategem. You won't regret it.)

Kujen has created his own Jedao, who doesn't remember anything past age 17, but despite not having his memories, does seem to have the abilities he's told he has. Unfortunately, the fleet and the soldiers he's placed in command have to obey him, but they are free to hate him, because of a shocking massacre he committed but, of course, has no memory of.

Jedao also quickly learns that, outwardly friendly as he seems, Kujen is a brutal tyrant. The more he learns of current conditions, more than four centuries after the last memories he has of his prior life, the more committed he becomes to stopping Kujen, rather than completing the mission Kujen has given him.

Cheris, assorted servitors, and reluctant allies among the Compact forces Cheris is working with, all have a their goal destroying Kujen, also.

The question is, will they wind up working together, or defeating each other, leaving Kujen the victor?

This is an excellent conclusion to the trilogy, and an excellent story in itself.

Unfortunately, I listened to the audiobook.

The narrator has the ability to speak clearly and effectively, in a carrying tone that cuts through background noise, essential in listening to an audiobook in many circumstances. Unfortunately, she does that only with dialog. Much of the book is read very softly, with the result that, in practice, I needed my earpiece in at all times in order to listen to it--which meant I could only listen to it when it was comfortable and convenient to do that. It added a regrettable level of frustration to what was otherwise a very good book.

I bought this audiobook.

Good story, so-so production

I really liked the story, despite the kinda wishywashy calendrical magic stuff. The characters and worldbuildibg was solid.

Though I liked the narator in general, the sound volume was all over the place. Annoying when one second I’m barely able to hear anything and the next, my ears are falling of!

It was okay

The series had some interesting world building ideas, and the writing wasn't bad. The story just didn't suck me and make me care about the characters.

Mixed bag

Good world-building, bad character motivations and development, heavy usage of ex machina to progress the plot. The new Jedao character is boring as hell. Heavily eye-rolled most of the book.

Fun story marred by poor narration

The main female narrator voice was so soft I missed much of the story. What I could decipher was fun.

devastatingly good hard scifi

A beautiful and epic capstone to a soul destroying series. These books are so good. The author is a tiny bit allergic to purely happy endings which is so hard because by now you're devastatingly attached to every single person in the series. It's a beautiful book.

Very rarely does something come along this utterly genre-bending and genuinely hardcore original, and in the Revenant Gun YHL totally sticks his landing.

Strong Sci-Fi needs strong explanations

I want to love these books. I really do. But I fear there just isn't quite enough explanation for how the mechanics of the world's exotic tech actually works. I'm not asking for in depth psuedo science, but for three books we are just expected to go along with the concept that how a calendar is set up and adhered to by the people within a system of government allows for significantly advanced technology to function. There's very little description of what it all actually means and how it all fits together.

The story is solid, and the characters are loads of fun, but for how complicated of a world this is I find those aspects are not enough to get me to consider this an amazing series. It was SO close but I fear it will fade into obscurity for me.

A great finish to a great series.

Yoon Ha Lee delivers an enthralling conclusion to her trilogy. Interesting when viewed through the lens of social commentary.

voice actor is great, but volume changes are not

this is a great book and the voice acting was well done, but there were so many parts where the volume of the voice actor changed so much from line the line that I constantly found myself either unable to hear the quiet parts or blowing out my eardrums for the loud parts

loved both the book and the performance

just reread the entire series and it's still as powerful as it was the first time - and there are many things that read differently in second reading when you know what's going on. Emily Woo Zeller does a stellar job with the narration too.