Lords of Uncreation, Review

The Lords of Uncreation is the third and final book in the Final Architecture trilogy. Adrian Tchaikovsky answers so many of the questions posed in the first two books but also leaves some unanswered, which I kind of like in books as we don't need the answers to everything. It leaves a bit of room for further exploration of this universe if Tchaikovsky wants to do so. This is a space opera that has been massive in scope and has been a fun, intriguing read.

The story is mainly about Idris Telemmier, who has uncovered a secret that changes everything. We knew from Eyes of the Void that Idris as uncovered the Architects' greatest weakness. One that we do, thankfully, learn about. A shadowy Cartel scrambles to turn his discovery into a weapon against these alien destroyers of worlds.

Human and inhuman interests wrestle to control Idris' discovery as the galaxy erupts into a mutually destructive and self-defeating war. The other great obstacle to striking against their alien threat is Idris himself. He knows that the Architects, despite their power, are merely tools of higher intelligence.

Deep within unspace, where time moves differently and reality isn’t quite what it seems, their masters are the true threat. Masters who are just becoming aware of humanity’s daring – and taking steps to exterminate this annoyance forever.

Lords of Uncreation provides almost all the questions that I had about the Architects. They could have remained a mystery, and I'd have been okay with that. But I'm also cool with knowing more about them because I did want to know. The answers, though, are not as important as how those answers fit in with the characters' journeys. If Idris was so far removed from the answers that they were basically meaningless to him, then the answers lose an awful lot of meaning. So it was pleasing to see some ties in there and how things fit together.

My only complaint is I'd rather have fewer POVs so we can focus more on a few characters and develop some scenes a bit more. It's a massive universe that Tchaikovsky has built, and it loses a bit of an edge with so many POV changes throughout. Focus on two characters, and it would have been amazing - but I know that's likely just my personal preference, as I'm not a huge fan of having a handful of POVs.

The story has been a journey, and the ending is worth it. I powered through the final half of the book because not only can you sense the end is in sight, but there's real meaning behind events, and you can feel it building to something great. It became a great way to end the series, with a little bit of scope for more, but even if there isn't, this is a good way to end it.

Rating: 4/5