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)

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.

Nothing new here

This final (?) installment in the Alchemy Wars saga didn't seem to me to add anything that hadn't already been covered in the previous novels. The world building is one of the best things about this series, but returning to the same setting as the beginning of the trilogy for the final confrontation felt repetitive (like how in "Return of the Jedi" they are just destroying another Death Star--come on, couldn't you think of something new??) A cardboard villain and a rushed ending didn't help. For a tale that is ostensibly about the liberation of a subjugated people (the clackers), the decision to keep the focus on the human characters was puzzling to me. I wanted more of Daniel and his fellow freedom fighters and so felt a bit cheated by the whole exercise.

Feeling a little disappointed

I felt like this was the weakest book in the series and that the author forgot a little bit who the characters were between books because the characters didn't feel consistent.

satisfying finale

The third book is not as captivating as the Rising and lacks the action of the Rising as well. It also continues to focus less on Jax and more on Anastasia Bell and Bernice. It lands more towards the political intrigue of the Mechanical. The Rising was simply a masterpiece, but the Liberation was a fitting end to the series. The narration is great as well.

What a let down of an ending.

Answers that never come. Endings that close nothing. This book was the weakest of the trilogy.

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.

amazing...

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

Clockmakers die

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

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.

If I hear the word amber one more time

felt repetitive I really wanted to like this but I couldn't get past the writing. this was the hardest one to finish by far and felt that the end was a let down