The Fall of Koli by M.R. Carey

Title: The Fall of Koli.
Series: Rampart Trilogy #3.
Writer(s): M.R. Carey.

Publisher: Orbit.
Format: Paperback.
Release Date: March 25th 2021.
Pages: 528.
Genre(s): Fantasy.
ISBN13:  9780356513508.

My Overall Rating:

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Previously in the Rampart Trilogy:
The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey.
The Trials of Koli by M.R. Carey.

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How does one conclude a trilogy without a faux pas? The sheer weight of presenting the solution to a mystery, the final moments born from a culmination of countless actions and decisions, the fate of beloved characters in a gruesome world. Every little detail goes through a microscope as readers look for a verdict that covers all grounds and offers the cast of characters the future they were meant to witness. For veteran writer M.R. Carey, nothing stands in his way to deliver a memorable and emotional finale that allows fans to say farewell to Koli and his friends. However, the adventure does not end without a couple of more trials, a couple of more challenges, and a couple of more revelations. With this finale, he exposes Koli’s truth (or lie) and brings him to reflect on this journey filled with life-changing lessons.

What is The Fall of Koli about? The story picks up right after the events in The Trials of Koli with Koli and his companions finally arriving at the source of the signal they’ve been hunting down from the beginning, known only as the “Sword of Albion”. Having been exiled from his small village of Mythen Rood, Koli has gone through hell and high water to reach his destination, facing foes and creatures of all kinds, while meeting new allies and friends along the way. Unfortunately for them, their latest discovery hides more terrifying truths about an ancient war. Meanwhile, Spinner engages in her own war as an outside threat reinitializes the political and social landscape of her village. What they are all about to uncover, however, is not within the realm of their understanding and it will take all their heart and willpower to get through this final chapter of their journey.

“You can only be a traitor to what you love.”
— M.R. Carey

Just when you think that Koli and his companions have finally reached the entrance to a kingdom holding the answers to all of their questions, writer M.R. Carey continues his fantastic and masterful story-telling to maintain the intrigue. Nothing can ever be taken at face value with new faces surging from the shadows and hiding far more than they’d dare concede to strangers. Meanwhile, Spinner’s close-knit world sees itself threatened by tyrannical oppressors with only an ideological revolution that can flip things in their favour. With brio, writer M.R. Carey juggles both of these narrative threads and assures equal importance to their resolution. There is enough room throughout the newly-found drama to allow these characters to embrace their roles, to understand the nature of the threats they face, and to embrace their experience having now lost their innocence in the previous books.

Where Koli’s voice was a unique and engaging attraction at first, it is his bond with Monono Aware, the befriended quirky and self-aware artificial intelligence, that now continuously reminds us of their trying and emotional ordeal so far, and why their journey has been so engaging, so hopeful, and so precious. Their relationship also allows for some of the most authentic and always alleviating sequences in the midst of all the chaos and mystery around them, giving them both the opportunity to grow together. The series has also often centered around identity, adventure, and purpose, and there’s no doubt that writer M.R. Carey does a wonderful job in capturing these themes once again as he pushes his characters to the brink of death, inevitably putting them in situations that allow them to better understand who they’ve become and what they want in this post-apocalyptic world.

The Fall of Koli is a bittersweet finale that looks beyond the post-apocalyptic world to cling to hope, change, and humanity.

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Thank you to Orbit Books for sending me a copy for review!

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