science fiction

Wright's "Golden Age" trilogy is one of the best series I've ever read. It compares favorably to William Gibson, Iain M. Banks, and Frank Herbert ... yes, it's THAT good! It has the big ideas, engrossing plot, and richly crafted universe that evoke the best of sci-fi. The book can be heavy at times as Wright explores the philosphical ramifications of the plot he lays out, but never so much so that the book bogs down. As with the earlier installments, I was so engaged that I read this over the course of a single weekend--and immediately put in my pre-order for Wrigth's next novel!

This book is not a stand-alone; you definately need to read parts 1 and 2 of the trilogy to understand the story. However, the time invested is well worth the pay off here.

Plot Summary: Phaethon has his ship and must now determine who the true enemy is, and what needs to be done about it. The Golden Oecumene is about to enter into its millennial Transcendence celebration where all minds are joined as one to pass judgement on the human and transhuman events of the last millennium and to set a direction of development for the next 1000 years. Also at this time, humanity (encompassing humans and all other recognized mind forms that participate in the Transcendence) is vulnerable to attacks from the recently rediscovered threat of the "lost" Silent Oecumene. The same Silent Oecumene that has been the apparent enemy of Phaethon throughout his trials to get his memory back and reclaim his ship.

Opinion: There is alot of debate to plow through in this book. Philisophical differences as to the nature of reason and morality as well as varying economic systems are covered in this dense conclusion to a great trilogy. I thought the dialog could have been a little more spaced out with more in Phoenix to clear up some room in this book. Other than that, I loved it. As a whole, the series was really good. I was especially engrossed in the universe of this series. I am not usually one to read descriptions of settings and such, but I couldn't get enough of the world and technology of the Golden Oecumene. This book in particular was more character and dialog driven though. There are books that leave questions unanswered, and there are book that answer everything. All of the events in the first 2 books are explained and/or answered in this book (if they haven't been already). There is an appendix that explains the economy and even the naming conventions of the series.

Recommendation: If you like sci-fi in general and hard sci-fi in richy imagined universes in particular, then read this series. The conclusion does not dissappoint. 4.5 out of 5 stars because I thought it was a little too philosophy heavy. I would read future works by Wright whether set in this universe or a completely different one, I like this series that much.

It's a bit of a sin that this book hasn't been nominated while a book like Singularity Sky is, but the Golden Transcendence series really should get wider exposure. It is a truly original series with very memorable characters (especially Atkins, the one-man military force of the Golden Oecumene) and some truly funny scenes, yet also manages to have a sense of grandeur and scope by this, the last volume of the series, My only complaint about the series is that it is obvious in hindsight that it was meant to be two books, as The Phoenix Exultant was a little longer than necessary and felt too drawn out.

The hyper-libertarian future portrayed in these books is an interesting contrast to the quasi-socialist futures seen in books by Ken MacLeod or Charles Stross, quite a cultural commentary on American writers like Wright versus UK writers.