Sometimes taking something in all at once can feel overwhelming—like a long vacation from the “normal” world, or even house arrest. I found this a heavy lift in terms of sustained interest, yet it was also a warm and engaging tale. I was told this was an enjoyable, important work, and the fact that Everyman’s Library included it speaks to its literary significance. I’m not typically drawn to the fantasy genre (sci-fi, speculative, and weird fiction are more my lane), so I tend to avoid anything Tolkien-esque or steeped in medieval tropes. The overt Christian critique felt a bit obvious and could’ve been more nuanced. At nearly 1100 pages, you'd expect deep world-building, character arcs, and thematic weight, but too much minutiae distracted from those strengths. Still, I was genuinely pulled in at times, emotionally invested in characters, and caught up in bursts of action. Few books manage to blur the boundary between reader and story for me, but this one did. The first book stands out as the strongest. The second, the shortest, lacks action but sets crucial elements in motion. The third is the most epic, but its narrative has gaps: the Gnostic allegory is unresolved, key antagonists are dispatched too easily, and the titular device plays a surprisingly minor role. Despite its flaws, it's a good fit for young adults or open-minded readers looking for solid storytelling and thoughtful prose. In many ways, it treads the same ground as Harry Potter, though that series may prove more enduring.
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