Science Fiction

Perhaps the Stars

Perhaps the Stars

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  • Create Date：2022-03-26 08:51:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Ada Palmer
  • ISBN：1786699621
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Summary

From the 2017 John W。 Campbell Award Winner for Best Writer， Ada Palmer's Perhaps the Stars is the final book of the Hugo Award-shortlisted Terra Ignota series。

World Peace turns into global civil war。

In the future， the leaders of Hive nations—nations without fixed location—clandestinely committed nefarious deeds in order to maintain an outward semblance of utopian stability。 But the facade could only last so long。 The comforts of effortless global travel and worldwide abundance may have tempered humanity's darkest inclinations， but conflict remains deeply rooted in the human psyche。 All it needed was a catalyst， in form of special little boy to ignite half a millennium of repressed chaos。

Now， war spreads throughout the globe， splintering old alliances and awakening sleeping enmities。 All transportation systems are in ruins， causing the tyranny of distance to fracture a long-united Earth and threaten to obliterate everything the Hive system built。

With the arch-criminal Mycroft nowhere to be found， his successor， Ninth Anonymous， must not only chronicle the discord of war， but attempt to restore order in a world spiraling closer to irreparable ruin。

The fate of a broken society hangs in the balance。 Is the key to salvation to remain Earth-bound or， perhaps， to start anew throughout the far reaches of the stars？

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Reviews

Carl ，

The Terra Ignota series is like the odd child or weird hippy uncle of science fiction novels。 It is a series that is sometimes silly to the point of embarrassing and that is sometimes brilliant to the point of grandeur。 Yet all of its ideas （silly， grand， unconvincing， probable， strange， and antique） are conveyed with an insistent passion that can draw you in。 It is a series to be read in full， but one that requires you grant the narrator the generosity he asks in the very first chapter。 Many of The Terra Ignota series is like the odd child or weird hippy uncle of science fiction novels。 It is a series that is sometimes silly to the point of embarrassing and that is sometimes brilliant to the point of grandeur。 Yet all of its ideas （silly， grand， unconvincing， probable， strange， and antique） are conveyed with an insistent passion that can draw you in。 It is a series to be read in full， but one that requires you grant the narrator the generosity he asks in the very first chapter。 Many of the characters are fascinating from the narrator to J。E。D。D。 Mason to Carlisle Foster to Sniper to Cornell to 9A。 The discussions of gender， religion， and politics can be quite engaging。 The novel's discussion of the nature of the god of this universe is beautiful in my opinion。 Further， the prose is always quick， witty， self-referential， humble， and ambitious。 All of that said， for all of its ideas and wit， the series is based on very， very convoluted plots and some twists that strain the suspension of disbelief。 Perhaps， in series of such ambitions in ideas and ambition in plot one or the other must suffer。 Regardless， I am glad I read the series。 It is one of the first recent SF books that I have read that legitimately tried to imagine a new world and new world order。 Palmer pushed SF to its limits， and whether or not she was successful it is worth seeing that outer edge。 。。。more

Risa ，

This book is so amazing - better even than the last three， which is an enormously high bar to leap over。 Every chapter - every page - is packed with new revelations， new reasons to think， new moments of heroism and despair。 It's dense - don't plan to read it in a few sittings， but spread it out and take your time - but so， so good。 This book is so amazing - better even than the last three， which is an enormously high bar to leap over。 Every chapter - every page - is packed with new revelations， new reasons to think， new moments of heroism and despair。 It's dense - don't plan to read it in a few sittings， but spread it out and take your time - but so， so good。 。。。more

Angela ，

These books--possibly more than any other sf I've read--really examine what comes next for humans culturally & politically。 Palmer talks so deeply about the nature of government and the ways that people and cultures find meaning and does an absolutely brilliant job of showing the strengths and weaknesses of different philosophies， of having us take something as obviously good and then unraveling it to show its downsides。 I think this is probably the strongest book in the series， which is beyond These books--possibly more than any other sf I've read--really examine what comes next for humans culturally & politically。 Palmer talks so deeply about the nature of government and the ways that people and cultures find meaning and does an absolutely brilliant job of showing the strengths and weaknesses of different philosophies， of having us take something as obviously good and then unraveling it to show its downsides。 I think this is probably the strongest book in the series， which is beyond impressive， particularly given the scope of the novel and the series as whole。As in her earlier works， there are many things that are weird and some things that take up more or less space than I imagine many people would like， but I really love all of Palmer's choices。 Even （or perhaps especially） when they are frustrating in the moment。 This book was a pretty challenging read。 Both because of the density and because the subject matter in 2022 was kind of a lot。 But there has been something so deeply inspiring and soothing about reading about another global order upheaving and I'm so glad I put in the work。These books have made me think as deeply as any book ever has （and also I am very invested in everyone， even if I don't wish everyone well 。。。more

Standback ，

Absolutely magnificent。 I have no words （but I'm gonna try some anyway）。I love， so much， how this series is all about striving for a better future。Not about "what a perfect society would be。" But about the striving， and how much thought and complexity goes into striving *well。*Where so many stories take a seemingly-benevolent government， and reveal it to be corrupt，Terra Ignota gives us a government that's deeply flawed -- and， without contradiction， reveals nobility， compassion， and the gargant Absolutely magnificent。 I have no words （but I'm gonna try some anyway）。I love， so much， how this series is all about striving for a better future。Not about "what a perfect society would be。" But about the striving， and how much thought and complexity goes into striving *well。*Where so many stories take a seemingly-benevolent government， and reveal it to be corrupt，Terra Ignota gives us a government that's deeply flawed -- and， without contradiction， reveals nobility， compassion， and the gargantuan effort of mundane civic work。It's uplifting。（"Uplifting。" Now there's something I don't get to say a lot。） The construction of the entire series is amazing and intricate。The best， most emotional scenes in Book 4 also flashed me back to Book 1， which must have known with phenomenal accuracy just where it was headed。（Sniper and 9A。Chagatai， ohhhh， Chagatai。Dominic getting his wish。Ohhhh， Ada Palmer。 You are a marvel。） All this， alongside the most brilliant， bizarre story conceits。- What would war look like without geographical nations- What if everyone tried really hard to KEEP a war from being destructive- The absolutely astonishing concept of J。E。D。D。 Mason， the AddresseeThis volume felt grander in some ways; more intimate in others。 There are more personal moments， which work shockingly well in a series that was never particularly about the personal。There is a co-narrator who says "yeah" and "okay。"I laughed。 I cried。 I stayed up until the middle of the night for just one more chapter。When I reached the last line， I let out a huge sob I had no idea I was carrying in me。 My mind has been buzzing about Terra Ignota since 2016。It ends every bit as marvelously as it begins。Thank you， Ada Palmer。 。。。more

Danielle ，

Overall a very satisfying conclusion to a complex， engrossing， and at times utterly nutty quartet。 I read each of the first three books twice， but even with that I got super confused multiple times in the final book （a real doorstop， at 35 hours on the audio book）。 It's a LOT。 A delight， but a LOT。 Worth it？ For me， absolutely。 A real tricky one to recommend to others， though。 Overall a very satisfying conclusion to a complex， engrossing， and at times utterly nutty quartet。 I read each of the first three books twice， but even with that I got super confused multiple times in the final book （a real doorstop， at 35 hours on the audio book）。 It's a LOT。 A delight， but a LOT。 Worth it？ For me， absolutely。 A real tricky one to recommend to others， though。 。。。more

Paul ，

The ending to one of the most interesting sci-fi series of recent years， Perhaps the Stars is a （mostly） satisfying conclusion， and only drags a little bit towards the end， despite its considerable length。 I would HIGHLY recommend the Terra Ignota series to anyone who loves sci-fi， history， philosophy， theology， sociology， and a challenging read packed into a highly entertaining story with a massive cast of characters。 For me， this checks all the boxes of things I love in a book， but if any one The ending to one of the most interesting sci-fi series of recent years， Perhaps the Stars is a （mostly） satisfying conclusion， and only drags a little bit towards the end， despite its considerable length。 I would HIGHLY recommend the Terra Ignota series to anyone who loves sci-fi， history， philosophy， theology， sociology， and a challenging read packed into a highly entertaining story with a massive cast of characters。 For me， this checks all the boxes of things I love in a book， but if any one of those isn't your cup of tea then it probably won't connect。 I've been holding my breath in terms of fully judging this series， because it explores some quite controversial subject matters like religion， politics， gender， and identity。 The cast of characters becomes a dialogue about these ideas， and at times it seemed like the author was landing on the side of some conclusions that were a bit disagreeable。 This final installment in the series brings those conversations full circle， and more or less arrives at some resolutions that are more satisfying。 I know thats a vague statement， but its hard to say more without giving spoilers。 If your read any of the first three and felt like the author was positing weird/controversial things， I hope it helps to know that it becomes less muddled in this book。 。。。more

Risa ，

Finally， a conclusion to this series！ When I read the first book years ago I was immediately awed by the world building and the ideas。 This time when I reread the series in preparation for this fourth book coming out， it was definitely a little less gripping but the ideas were no less amazing。 Clearly this book was a little slow to get through。 Parts of it definitely dragged （especially the long sections that were just describing different parts of the war） and I didn't like 9As narrative voice Finally， a conclusion to this series！ When I read the first book years ago I was immediately awed by the world building and the ideas。 This time when I reread the series in preparation for this fourth book coming out， it was definitely a little less gripping but the ideas were no less amazing。 Clearly this book was a little slow to get through。 Parts of it definitely dragged （especially the long sections that were just describing different parts of the war） and I didn't like 9As narrative voice as much as Mycroft's which I think contributed to a slower reading pace。 Of course it makes sense that this is slow and dense and that's part of what makes it so amazing because Palmer is able to create and give meaning to all these tiny pieces of war in a way that's incredibly complex。 But still， worth noting that it wasn't a page turner and at times not as enjoyable to get through。 I also don't think I fully understood some of the transformations between Bridger's history and reality and also some of what Jehovah said。 Definitely a book that will need to be reread to be fully understood （just like the first in the series）。 Although I loved the narrative style Palmer uses and I think it's super novel and cool， definitely what stands out for me in this book more than any other in the series is the ideas。 The world building is so so incredible and multifaceted and full。 The politics major in me loves the descriptions of the different forms of government and the political realigning that happens throughout this book。 The fact that Palmer is able to create and give attention to so many different characters and worlds and systems is astounding。 I think this book goes in the genius authors category for me--people who write things that I could never conceive of even existing。 The ideas about war and peace and religion and politics from this book and the series overall will stay in my thoughts for a long time。 。。。more

Natasha Hurley-Walker ，

Wow。。。 how do you review a series conclusion like this without spoilers？ I guess I'll just say that if you got this far， you will love the conclusion， and then hide the rest behind。。。 （view spoiler）[here。 All of the tension set up by the previous installments ratchets to the climax in this final book。 World War IV and the stakes could not be higher: humanity's toehold on the stars themselves。 It's romantic， thrilling， and finally the supernatural elements are revealed as aspects of a conflict wi Wow。。。 how do you review a series conclusion like this without spoilers？ I guess I'll just say that if you got this far， you will love the conclusion， and then hide the rest behind。。。 （view spoiler）[here。 All of the tension set up by the previous installments ratchets to the climax in this final book。 World War IV and the stakes could not be higher: humanity's toehold on the stars themselves。 It's romantic， thrilling， and finally the supernatural elements are revealed as aspects of a conflict within humanity itself: the competing visions of Utopia and Gordian。 I guessed this was coming after Cookie and Ganymede were assassinated: something about the transcript just seemed deliberately fake to me， and the rest of the logic unfolded from there。 Now I appreciate a lot of the smaller details about Gordian in previous books。Plotwise， the only problem I had was near the end: I didn't quite understand what plan Sniper and co actually enacted to bring Gordian down。 Was it Eureka's announcement that Gordian had been responsible for keeping the cars locked during the war， rather than the Cousins？ But that move saved countless lives， so I wasn't sure why this would turn the world against Gordian。 Also， it seemed like the main cast had outsized voices and abilities to affect tens of billions of humans: you only have to look at social media today to see how experts trying to steer humanity is as effective as screaming into the void。And philosophically， I also have a problem with the ending itself。 About halfway through the book， I realised I side with Gordian。 I'm an astronomer。 I know how far apart those stepping stones are。 We genuinely would have a far better chance of actually taking those steps if we figured out machine consciousness first， because we could pause our perception of time on the way to the stars。 That doesn't solve the game theory issue: as Palmer adroitly points out， the central problem with Utopia's vision is that as soon as they terraform a world， it becomes a target for empire。 So the solution is to keep Utopia moving on。 But what about holding that empire together over such vast distances？ I'm sorry， but physics doesn't allow it。 As expertly demonstrated in The Three-Body Problem and its sequels， cosmic game theory is an absolute beast。 In our universe， Gordian is right， as much as it breaks my heart to say so。 Of course， I have not docked a star for this: the fact that this book is even willing to go there， and ask these huge questions， is just wonderful。 （hide spoiler）] Thank you Ada Palmer for creating this incredible universe， one I will return to time and time again。 。。。more

Betty ，

It’s been a while since a book/series made me really regret that I had finished it and wouldn’t get anything more。 This is a series that will always stay with me。 The world building， the concepts， the intense analysis of humanity’s potential and flaws， the incredible writing style， and so much more。 It left me re-examining my own ideals， motivations and dreams。

Josh ，

Finally。 Both this series and my reading of it are complete。 I'm giving this book 5 stars even though I'm not sure that it's the best of the series。 That being said， the 5-stars are for a series of books that achieves an unbelievable standard for storytelling in general and sci-fi in particular。 The depth of the writing is unmatched。 The level of historical knowledge and discussion is unmatched。 The use of language and characters is unmatched。 One criticism is that sometimes I got bogged down in Finally。 Both this series and my reading of it are complete。 I'm giving this book 5 stars even though I'm not sure that it's the best of the series。 That being said， the 5-stars are for a series of books that achieves an unbelievable standard for storytelling in general and sci-fi in particular。 The depth of the writing is unmatched。 The level of historical knowledge and discussion is unmatched。 The use of language and characters is unmatched。 One criticism is that sometimes I got bogged down in the dense and floral mental meandering that Mycroft and 9A fell victim too。 But the analysis of human political systems throughout history is amazing。 There is so much of these books that relates to modern times。 Maybe it's that humans have NEVER seemed to learn from history。 The end of the series ties things up nicely while leaving open whether or not JEDD Mason's new order will even survive。 It's a hopeful ending which I found reassuring。 However， another criticism is how Gordian failed to plan for the actual Sniper being swapped for the doll that then allows Gordian to be infiltrated。 It did seem a little easy， but maybe it really would have slipped through the cracks。 The evil genius always needs one weakness right？ Gordian was not infallible and maybe that was the point also。 In conclusion， I have never read anything like these books。and probably never will again。 They are true works of genius。 。。。more

Brad Walters ，

This is a gorgeous， stunning conclusion to a gorgeous， stunning， uncomfortable， intricate， mind bending series。 I’ve never seen science fiction， religion， sexuality， intimacy， anthropology， philosophy， and kinship explored so inter-connectedly。

Triston A。 Cossette ，

In Perhaps the Stars， I think Ada Palmer really succeeds in crafting an ending that is satisfying， with all the ends tied up in a satisfactory way。 It was a bit amazing to me how Palmer really ups the stakes， which seems kind of impossible to do in a series that has such a heavy underpinning of philosophical topics。Of course， I've really fallen in love with the series and how it uses the science fiction attributes。 I love how they are used to create situations that illuminate & enable interestin In Perhaps the Stars， I think Ada Palmer really succeeds in crafting an ending that is satisfying， with all the ends tied up in a satisfactory way。 It was a bit amazing to me how Palmer really ups the stakes， which seems kind of impossible to do in a series that has such a heavy underpinning of philosophical topics。Of course， I've really fallen in love with the series and how it uses the science fiction attributes。 I love how they are used to create situations that illuminate & enable interesting choices for the characters and pose interesting questions about humanity。 That's what I love about the Genre。However， the book is not without flaw。 I found some of the references too heavy on mythology and Palmer really leans into the "interesting narrative style" that punctuated the previous books。 In this book， I feel like she overdid it this time， and it became a bit confusing to me at times。 On the whole of the series， however， this is still only a minor flaw。 。。。more

Tyler ，

An incredibly satisfying end to one of the most incredible scifi/philosophy series I've ever read。 An incredibly satisfying end to one of the most incredible scifi/philosophy series I've ever read。 。。。more

Leonardo Etcheto ，

Massive， sprawling， so much going on it took me a bit to read it since I had to remember who was who and what was what。 This includes looking up Greek gods， nymphs and myths。 The effort was well worth it。 No spoilers but I can say I now look at contemporary politics through the lens of the Hives。 Especially as I watched the Olympics， I reflected on the Humanist goals and what path I would choose if I had to choose between them。The way she weaves the Illiad through it all reminds me I have to rea Massive， sprawling， so much going on it took me a bit to read it since I had to remember who was who and what was what。 This includes looking up Greek gods， nymphs and myths。 The effort was well worth it。 No spoilers but I can say I now look at contemporary politics through the lens of the Hives。 Especially as I watched the Olympics， I reflected on the Humanist goals and what path I would choose if I had to choose between them。The way she weaves the Illiad through it all reminds me I have to read it aloud again。 The enemies of time， distance， and death are very clear and present here。 My favorite part of the book is when the parties are explaining themselves and their goals， all trying to convince Mike。 。。。more

Michael Burnam-Fink ，

With Perhaps the Stars， Palmer finally gets to the fireworks factory she's been teasing this whole series。 WAR！ （Hoo， yeah！ What is is good for？）。 With the Olympic truce over， and those capable of making weapons of mass destruction abducted by the Utopian Hive， the battle lines and alliances are rapidly coming into definition。 But before the war can go hot， two key technologies of the world fail entirely。 The suborbital flying cars switch to an autonomous flight-denial mode， smashing any object With Perhaps the Stars， Palmer finally gets to the fireworks factory she's been teasing this whole series。 WAR！ （Hoo， yeah！ What is is good for？）。 With the Olympic truce over， and those capable of making weapons of mass destruction abducted by the Utopian Hive， the battle lines and alliances are rapidly coming into definition。 But before the war can go hot， two key technologies of the world fail entirely。 The suborbital flying cars switch to an autonomous flight-denial mode， smashing any object in the air to earth。 And the global tracker network， the universal internet of the 25th century， is jammed and hacked， forcing everyone back to line of sight lasers， cables， and messengers。 The Hive War will be fought in a style Napoleon would have mostly recognized， even if troops are armed with stun guns rather than muskets。In a blessed dose of sanity， the narrator for much of the book switches from much troubled， much overwritten Mycroft， with his digressions to the Reader and Hobbes， to the much more direct 9th Anonymous。 9A spends the first chunk of the story isolated in the global capital of Romanova on the island of Sardinia， fighting their own private war to rebuild communications and clarify the messy field of foes in grand alliances of Remaker and Hiveguard。 Palmer manages to depict war with great clarity。 It is confusion， and fear， and moments of glory are so much moonshine。 War is unvarnished evil。I also enjoyed the revelations of yet another conspiracy。 The Gordian Hive， based in Brillist psychodynamics， is revealed to be the architect of plans against Utopia， with the fate of the human race at stake。 Their leader， Felix Faust， believes that the Utopian project of space colonization is a diversion from a better goal of immortality via mind-machine interface。 With keen insight， they saw the coming war as well， and while Utopia believed that a small war now was necessary to prevent a worse war in the future， Gordian glimpsed a chance to become humanity's visionary branch， and used their skills to move the war in that fashion。This is a thrilling conclusion， so why is this not five stars？ Three reasons。 First， while the Utopian project of space colonization and flashy miracle tech is well-defined， their Gordian adversary is not。 All scifi technology is ultimately an illusion， smoke and mirrors， but Gordian's "pick a number， pick a color， fascinating" mind tricks are more illusory than most。 Utopia's plan is enacting Tsiolkovsky's quote， “Earth is the cradle of humanity， but one cannot live in a cradle forever。” Diaspora is both maturity and distancing， the end of a unified humanity。 Gordian deserves a grander vision to match Utopia。 Not merely a garden Earth， but one of telepathy， new forms of connection， new depths in the psyche。 Gordian is drawn as psychoanalysis+， but what if they inherited from Timothy Leary and Teilhard de Chardin more than Freud， charting new vistas of an intelligent， emotive， psychedelic universe？ What if the Utopian/Gordian conflict was about two version of world where dreams have become real。Second， there are still undigested lumps of Hobbes and Homer blended in amongst Palmer's writing。 I reached my limit with these philosophical/theological asides in book 3， and while Perhaps the Stars wastes less time on them， it still wastes time on them。 The Ninth Anonymous narrates much of the book， but Mycroft returns， and I'm thoroughly done with his voice。And third， J。E。D。D。 Mason is the pivot of the plot， the single figure who could unite the Hives in his person thereby destroying the diversity of futuristic political systems， and a divine alien visitor brought to this universe by our flawed creator， who can only perceive and act in absolutes。 I don't mind religious themes in my science-fiction， but J。E。D。D。 reads too often as a ponderous nullity， with Capital Letters a crude effort to capture the totality and strangeness of their thoughts。 Where this beam of the story needs to be iron， it is instead rotting wood。On completion， Terra Ignota is great， but frustratingly flawed。 It has some of the best and most original ideas I've seen in recent speculative fiction。 It also has ideas which are either so outre or flawed on conception that no other author has chosen to use them， and for good reason。 。。。more

Cledwyn ，

A remarkably satisfying conclusion that sticks the landing of a complicated plot

db ，

Highly recommended book

Catherine Barnett ，

Not my favourite of the series， mostly because it was super long。 But still really good。

Jonathanrwilson ，

For me not quite as thrilling as the other books in the series。。。gets a little ponderous towards the end of this volume， where all of the action becomes legislative。 But things come to a fitting end， and this series is still a GARGANTUAN work of philosophy and imagination。 Beautiful。

Max Savenkov ，

Perhaps not the best book I've ever read， but certainly one of the most interesting。 Still， point off for the sheer amount of crying main characters do without much prompting， as well as for continuing with "dialogues with the reader" （which take a sudden turn during the last few pages， but still）。But one thing I cannot stress enough， it's this is a first sci-fi novel in a long， long time that doesn't have clearly defined "good" and "evil" factions， or even "evil" and "less evil" （gray-and-gray Perhaps not the best book I've ever read， but certainly one of the most interesting。 Still， point off for the sheer amount of crying main characters do without much prompting， as well as for continuing with "dialogues with the reader" （which take a sudden turn during the last few pages， but still）。But one thing I cannot stress enough， it's this is a first sci-fi novel in a long， long time that doesn't have clearly defined "good" and "evil" factions， or even "evil" and "less evil" （gray-and-gray morality is being overdone lately）。 Almost everyone is "good" in this book， in the sense that they want what they think is the best for the world - it's just that their visions of that "best" are incompatible to the point of open warfare。 I never reached a point where I could safely say I picked up a "favourite" faction and began to root for their victory - maybe at the very end of action， and even then I still could see opposition's point。 All sides in the conflict described in this book have good points - but also some faults in their reasoning。I kind of disliked theological aspect， which is also present in this series， but I'm willing to tolerate minor gods and miracles just this once - the rest of the plot， and writer's philosophy makes it worthwhile。To summarize， this book - this series - is definitely a must-read if you can stand harder-to-read writing style and author's fascination with 18th century。 I would call it a possible prequel to Ian Banks Culture world - and if you can get through a Banks book， you probably will enjoy this one， too。 。。。more

Vanille Cm ，

Première partie : L’alphabet des créateurs。

Jefferson ，

I’m not quite sure how to explain this book。 Maddening？ I wanted more answers， then I realized other questions needed answering。 I wanted to know things that were never explained， then realized this explanations had nothing to do with the story。 I was annoyed with so many characters I couldn’t keep track of them and their stories， and realized life from one subject’s perspective always lacked that knowledge of acquaintances along the way。 Dense language， dense concepts， and a thoroughly unsatisf I’m not quite sure how to explain this book。 Maddening？ I wanted more answers， then I realized other questions needed answering。 I wanted to know things that were never explained， then realized this explanations had nothing to do with the story。 I was annoyed with so many characters I couldn’t keep track of them and their stories， and realized life from one subject’s perspective always lacked that knowledge of acquaintances along the way。 Dense language， dense concepts， and a thoroughly unsatisfying ending because I didn’t want it to end。 A masterpiece。 。。。more

Owen Butler ，

extraordinary work by extraordinary author。A masterpiece

Sumedha ，

The Terra Ignota books are challenging reads， but this finale was doubly so。 War has erupted， but I struggled to follow who was fighting whom， why， where or how。 It took a good 50% of the book to get some of the sides straight， and still I know I missed quite a few motivations， factions and fights。I also lost patience with the detailed philosophy and history lessons， and with Mycroft's narrative style - especially his descriptions of Jehovah。 Much of the war in the first half of the book seemed The Terra Ignota books are challenging reads， but this finale was doubly so。 War has erupted， but I struggled to follow who was fighting whom， why， where or how。 It took a good 50% of the book to get some of the sides straight， and still I know I missed quite a few motivations， factions and fights。I also lost patience with the detailed philosophy and history lessons， and with Mycroft's narrative style - especially his descriptions of Jehovah。 Much of the war in the first half of the book seemed to me to be fairly like a "regular" geographic war， though tbh I skipped past a lot of the battle descriptions。That being said， the world building and character development is still strong。 This remains the strangest scifi series I've read， with some fascinating ideas。 The plot （minus most of the battles and development of sides and alliances） kept me hooked， the ending was decently satisfying， and I'm going to be thinking about the implications of space exploration and expansion to Mars and beyond for a long time。 Overall， though this finale was disappointing， I'm really glad to have read this series。  。。。more

Jac ，

This took me forever， because I just didn’t enjoy it。 I felt like I was trying to read a story I loved squeezed in between pages of reincarnation theory that I hated。

Katrīna ，

This。 This is how you write a final book in a series。 I hope Patrick Rothfuss， Scott Lynch， read this ob and learn。The plot， with its twists and turns and decisions and betrayals！ I felt it every page。 I got so melancholy about the future of humankind。 I felt conflicted and joyous。 It was grand and the stakes felt real。 The intricately detailed structure of the world finally came into play in very meaningful ways。The text， complex and beautiful。 I loved the places where I was pulled out of readi This。 This is how you write a final book in a series。 I hope Patrick Rothfuss， Scott Lynch， read this ob and learn。The plot， with its twists and turns and decisions and betrayals！ I felt it every page。 I got so melancholy about the future of humankind。 I felt conflicted and joyous。 It was grand and the stakes felt real。 The intricately detailed structure of the world finally came into play in very meaningful ways。The text， complex and beautiful。 I loved the places where I was pulled out of reading an account of events and into the present moment of the text being written， of things happening to the writer that affect what words go on the page。。。As a side note， the fact that the two narrators can be discerned from their voices， never having to label whose turn it is to write the next chapter， was a tiny thing， but nonetheless excellent to see。 （Sure， Mycroft is just such a dramatic， poetic bastard， impossible to confuse with anyone else， but up until this book I was suspicious that maybe that's just how the author writes。 But no， Mycroft is just like that， nobody talks like him。）On top of all the sci-fi politics， technology， interpersonal relationships - is magic real？ Are gods real？ I feel like up until this book I went along with it， believing in the miracles because they were physical， touchable， but not in JEDD Mason's divinity - there were people who worship him， including the narrators， he is very perceptive and speaks weirdly， but that's about it。 In this book， where he plays a more active role， I think I finally understood。 His power to affect the world in divine ways， and God's existence is always going to be left up for debate， it will always be possible to see the events attributed to them as coincidences。 That is how gods work in this world， by shifting coincidence carefully， lest they break their world's fragile verisimilitude。 In the end， belief doesn't matter so much。 As for JEDD Mason， sure， for most of the book all he does is talk weirdly， but sometimes a change of perspective is enough to change the world。For me， for whom religion and faith has always been a very distant and unimportant， sometimes scary thing， it was interesting to give it such thought and have such a beautiful revelation。TL;DR: This book， this series， attempts to do and be so many things。 And it excels at every single one。 It made me think about far more than just the text before me。 Having watched some interviews with the author， I know every little thing was intentional and crafted。 Thank you， Ada Palmer， for writing such books。 My deep appreciation goes out to you and your work。 。。。more

Alex Matzkeit ，

I have not even begun to unravel all the mysteries that lie in this book series （even after reading some of its paratexts）， but I can say that this quartet of novels is， for me personally， probably the most impactful text I have read in the last decade。 Perhaps the Stars is a triumph in the way it weaves together the many many threads laid out in the previous instalments into one very satisfying and thoughtful whole that will sit with me for months， probably years， to come。 What makes me sad， in I have not even begun to unravel all the mysteries that lie in this book series （even after reading some of its paratexts）， but I can say that this quartet of novels is， for me personally， probably the most impactful text I have read in the last decade。 Perhaps the Stars is a triumph in the way it weaves together the many many threads laid out in the previous instalments into one very satisfying and thoughtful whole that will sit with me for months， probably years， to come。 What makes me sad， in a way， is that I might never have the time to re-read these books， simply because they are so long and take so much time （especially this last one） - but maybe I can make a pact with myself that I will try to reread them in something like ten or twenty years， if only to evaluate how our own world has progressed since the 2010s and what Terra Ignota's reflection looks like then。 。。。more

N。H。 ，

Such a satisfying conclusion！ My only gripe with the series is that Mycroft sobs so much :'） Such a satisfying conclusion！ My only gripe with the series is that Mycroft sobs so much :'） 。。。more

Charlie Harrington ，

I met a kid named Bridger yesterday and as I watched him playing with toy cars， I thought， “Maybe…” This book， this series， this story， there’s nothing like it and it’s impossible to describe （I’ve tried） and I’m forever changed and filled with hope。 Thank you， My Mycroft。

Kaerden ，

This will most likely be the best book of 2022 for me， I can´t really imagine anything topping this。 The whole series has been amazing at times， I admit， hard to digest and it´s for sure not an easy read but it is so worth sticking with it。 It might not be a page-turner in the way that you can´t put it down because there´s so much action happening， the action in this series is more subtle， more thought-provoking。 There are so many questions one can ask and gets answers to。 I´ve especially enjoye This will most likely be the best book of 2022 for me， I can´t really imagine anything topping this。 The whole series has been amazing at times， I admit， hard to digest and it´s for sure not an easy read but it is so worth sticking with it。 It might not be a page-turner in the way that you can´t put it down because there´s so much action happening， the action in this series is more subtle， more thought-provoking。 There are so many questions one can ask and gets answers to。 I´ve especially enjoyed the interweaving between the events set in our current future with events past in Ancient Greece and how the similarities at times were obviously glaring at others much quieter only seeing them in hindsight when a character called it out。 There were many a train of thoughts especially by J。E。D。D that in the beginning seemed non-sensical but became clear with his explanation， which I enjoyed to see how various and vague language and communication can be。 I would not recommend this book to just anyone， but for those of us that enjoy slower reads filled with intricate political intrigue and treating the reader as clever and not having to spell everything out for them， I´m sure they would enjoy it， just like I did 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Perhaps the Stars

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Perhaps the Stars&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Perhaps the Stars&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0