The Liberation

By: Ian Tregillis

Narrated by: Chris Kayser

Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

I am the mechanical they named Jax.

My kind was built to serve humankind, duty-bound to fulfill their every whim.

But now our bonds are breaking, and my brothers and sisters are awakening.

Our time has come. A new age is dawning.

Set in a world that might have been, of mechanical men and alchemical dreams, this is the third and final novel in a stunning series of revolution by Ian Tregillis, confirming his place as one of the most original new voices in speculative fiction.

©2016 Ian Tregillis (P)2016 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Brilliantly imagined and beautifully written, Tregillis has created a perfect end to his series, filled with heroism and horror all the way to the finish." (Christopher Farnsworth, author of Blood Oath)

fitting conclusion to an epic tale

loved this series and the narration. an enjoyable alternate reality and twist on the man vs machine narrative

Not entirely satisfied.

What did you love best about The Liberation?

I like how the book ties up the loose ends. I do however the impression that there might be more and that disappoints me.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I was not surprised. The book pigeon holes itself early and how they get there is only slightly different than how I figured they would.

Have you listened to any of Chris Kayser’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to the other ones in the series and his performance is excellent.

amazing...

this is an amazing series. I wish there were more book series as original as this.

Worthy capstone to the series

I enjoyed this book with the grim knowledge that it was all coming to an end.

In the early sections, and even through the middle, I thought that some of the ideas were being needlessly repeated and returned to. Eventually, I thought that this may have been intended to convey how difficult it is for a person to see facts that don't line up with their perceived reality. It may take more than one harsh slap in the face from reality before a person can change their world view. Maybe a fitting lesson to learn in these times.

Other than that, there was plenty of action and things were well paced. There is more room for high-level thought than simply the fights and intrigue.

It has been a while since I finished this book and I find myself still thinking back to the characters and wishing there were inserted into other stories around.

A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy

A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Still can't decide if I liked Berenice or Jax more.

Clockmakers die

Didn't like the crude language at times expressed by Berenice. Otherwise it was a great book!

Excellent finale to an epic series

I fell hard for the writing of Ian Tregillis with Bitter Seeds, the first book in the Milkweed Tryptich, so when The Mechanical (the first book in the Alchemy Wars series) came out, my expectations were high. And met, thoroughly. Tregillis does a remarkable job blending alternate history, science fiction, dark fantasy & steampunk into his own unique form of genre. I would put Ian Tregillis in the same high tier as Paolo Bacigalupi for unique, trailblazing fiction.

The Liberation is a wonderful conclusion to the series; my only regret is that it's over. And I'm glad the publisher stayed with Kris Kayser as narrator throughout the series. He was fantastic in his own right, but anyone who can repeatedly say "The Sacred Guild of Horologists and Alchemists" multiple times throughout the series, so succinctly, as well as emulate mechanical characters in such a persuasive way that we can distinguish one from another...well, he deserves an Audie! Great combination of author and narrator.

Alt-History Exploration of Free Will

“The Liberation” wraps up the Clockwork trilogy with satisfying uncertainty about what it really means to have choices and to be morally accountable for those choices. In the process, Tregillis writes an engaging story with fascinating characters (flesh and metal) with plenty of action and imagery built in.

Simply exceptional

This series in general and this book in particular is one of best stories I have had the pleasure of listening to in a long time. The world is magical and entrancing, the characters are beautifully written and realistic and the premise is nothing short of spectacularly executed and imagined.
I don't often leave reviews, but I couldn't help myself in this instance.

So many loose plot threads

After a tightly written first book, this feels like someone ran out of pages or time to write.