Image by Striking Photography by Bo Insogna via FlickrBy R. B. Holbrook
Yes, there is no doubt about it - this Trilogy is Mind-Boggling!
If you want your scifi imagination teased to the limit, you should be reading Oracle's Legacy! There was just no way that I didn't want to read the Dawn of Illumination which, as the back cover says, you need to "brace yourself" for the conclusion of this fascinating trilogy of books.
Ok, here's my thought on this last book...If you haven't read the first two, don't bother--you will be totally lost in the storyline, even if you can enjoy the drama and "fireworks." This trilogy is not light reading...it is not a trilogy that you are going to sit and read in a weekend, even if you've read three books in one weekend, which I have! Check out my reviews of the first two!
Children of Sun
Shadow of Fate
The complexity and breadth of the world created by Holbrook surpasses anything else I've read. I don't profess to be a super scifi fan, but comparing this trilogy in my opinion will be impossible--it is uniquely a "one of a kind."
Fortunately, an extensive glossary from "Fundamentals of Structure History & Modern Ideology" is provided in the back of each book. If you wanted to read this last book immediately, I'd recommend you read that first to at least acquaint yourself with the world now that the Structure has been uncovered. After all, you may one day become enlightened as well and will want to know about each House!
The one issue that hit me the most in this last book is the significance of child abuse in the Structure. Undoubtedly the pain experienced has somehow prepared the children for their later roles, at least those that were born for specific jobs in the Illumination. Indeed pain is a part of the lives of these humans, so be prepared...
But love is also there, even for Chaos...
Chaos is a one-of-a-kind female and was created to potentially be the end of the world. But along the way in her life, along with all the hurt and pain, she has also been greatly loved. In fact, she is loved by the man who will be the salvation of the world. Yes, she loves him in return!
All of the previous planning has been done and the major players are ready. And, if they are not, Chaos uses her power to share/make them ready! For what she had to do, she needed help and she went to the House of Blade to get it. Of course that was not an easy thing to do--she had previously had to kill some from that House and revenge was what they wanted.
But Chaos has a way about her...she's waaaaay scary to look at. Her eyes, though she is now blind, swirl in circles of multiple colors, so it is difficult to interact with her. But little by little she gains acceptance for a small team of body guards. Their job will be to keep her safe; her job is to find and eliminate those Pillars that have banded together for their own desires...
The only problem is that Chaos is now almost completely "energy." So, if she is to become ill, for instance, and faint, she might cause tornados and other storms that greatly damage the earth. On the other hand, the Pillars are doing it just to gain more power!
You see, the Structure has been on earth since before we were. Or at least they came at the same time; however, they have acted in the background, helping to save the planet, but now it is getting too dangerous and the Structure is allowing what is called the "Foundation" (normal humans) to learn about their existence.
So, simply, the Dawn of Illumination is "out with the bad" and "in with the good." To become enlightened, strong emotions of hate, envy, etc. becomes extremely dangerous... Enlightened is a slow process where we strip away our own limited perspective and allow ourselves to begin understanding the balance among all things and how everything is connected. Key components include an open-minded approach and wide-eyed wonder. At that point, humans can begin to harness energy...
What say you? Are you game? Will you seek enlightenment now that we are at the Dawn of that ability? For me, I've always enjoyed that statement at the beginning of Star Trek: I want to go where no man has gone before...Read and learn... Read and be enlightened... Read and get Excitedly Enlightened!
Book Received Via
Bostick Communications
G.A. Bixler
