I don't give up on this series thanks to the characters and the plot considered as intrigue one, because as science fiction story this series is a hopeless case, full of inconsistencies. ( )

Every time I think I have a grip on the power politics, interests of the 26th-century factions, and dynamics between the various players in this series, I open the next book only to find out I didn’t have a clue. Fluctuating alliances and more stunning revelations follow with each volume, and it is an amazing feeling to know that S.A. McAuley will twist and turn my perception of what is going on every single time I read one of these novels. I feel like a masochist for putting myself through the pain, except the reward for seeing the developments over the course of this series is beginning to materialize. With four books down and only one more to go, 80 percent of the story arc completed, I would normally believe that the worst was over. Not with this series though, and not with this author. Who knows what she will come up with next?

Merq has gone from a cold-blooded soldier with only one mission in mind to a man who cares about others, Armise at the top of his list. Merq would probably say it has made him vulnerable; I would say he is right (especially in the chaotic world of shifting alliances he lives in), but I’d also say it has made him grow and become stronger in many ways. Continuing revelations about his and Armise’s past, their enemies’ plans, and what might come next kept me glued to the pages. Armise and Merq’s struggle is not just about completing their mission in this book. Yes, saving the children who have been genetically modified into soldiers is important, and they do partially succeed. But there are so many more obstacles than they had imagined, and one of them turns out to be their own potential unreliability.

What happens next is worse than anything the author has put them (and me) through before and leads to THE WORST cliffhanger ever. Seriously, if you haven’t got the final volume in your hands before reading this one, you are better off waiting. This ending is not an ending – it is “reader torture” of the most ingenious and cruel kind. Well done, S.A!

If you think you can stomach the war atrocities, extreme violence, and psychological abuse so prevalent in this series, this book (and the cliffhanger at its end) might still be too much. If you're curious to find out what S.A. McAuley puts Merq and Armise through this time, get ready for one heck of an amazing story. And if you're wondering about the power of shifting alliances and psychological manipulation, this is the right series for you. This fourth installment is more shocking than the previous books but continues to make the point that humankind is capable of inflicting horrors on people that I’d rather not think about. If you made it through the first three books, you’ll want to read this one. If you haven’t started the series yet—go back and start at the beginning. ‘The Borders War’ series with its scary vision of the future is unusually cruel and realistic because so much of its horrors, while hopefully far in our future, seem entirely possible.


NOTE: This book was provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )