I just finished the Atlas Six trilogy, and I'm feeling a little heartbroken. I decided to buy 'The Atlas Paradox' in paperback, re-read it, and then bought the last book in the Atlas trilogy. After re-reading the second part, I realized this is still one of my favorite series - it's really grown on me. It was nice to re-read and refresh my memory.
Now I have two out of three books, which I'm really happy about. The first one is sold out again - I'll buy it when the additional print run comes out.
But just look at how great they look together:
The Collapse of Atlas / The Atlas Complex. Olivia Blake
I have to say, I loved the visual aspect of the books - the gold foil, deep tomato color, and artistic design - it's just beautiful. I think the design really hints at the science fiction genre that Olivia Blake does so well in the book.
The Collapse of Atlas / The Atlas Complex. Olivia BlakeOne thing that's been bugging me is why they changed the title again. I've noticed this weird translation thing with titles in some books and movies before, and this book is no exception. As you can see from the original title
The Atlas Complex
The Collapse of Atlas / The Atlas Complex. Olivia Blake- it's clear that the original title includes the word 'complex', but the translation has 'collapse' instead. What, why, how?) Oh well, it's just a title, and the main thing is the story and the ending.
Okay, I've got my thoughts together now, minus one thing - I'm missing the book series. And that's both good and bad for me. I don't have to wait around and check for updates, but I miss the characters and the world.
The Fall of Atlas / The Atlas Complex. Olivia BlakeI'm still trying to figure out the genre, because this isn't fantasy. I'd call it science fiction with a thriller twist.
Okay, so the plot is pretty straightforward this time around - our favorite six decide to take the leap and bring Atlas's plan to life, despite their differences. And we get to see how it all plays out.
The book, The Atlas Complex, dragged on a bit too long for me. The peak moment was delayed for far too long, with pages and pages of build-up and preparation. At one point, I was even getting a bit bored. It reminded me of one of the last Game of Thrones seasons, where they were preparing for the big battle and everyone was on edge. But that feeling was dragged out for far too long. At that point, I realized I enjoyed the second book way more, and I devoured it without regret. The third one was heavy, depressing, yes, interesting, but sometimes overwhelmingly so...
But there were some really intense moments, with some crazy and unexpected twists that had me on the edge of my seat and forgot all about the dragging pace.
As for the composition - my head was spinning at that point. There's not only separate chapters for each character, but also larger sections that are beautifully formatted. And each section has an accompanying image, which I now know was drawn by the author's friend.
Crash Atlas / Complex Atlas. Olivia BlakeBut there's more - the book has these woven-in chapters, like interludes, which are basically parts that take a step back. And then there are these scenario options that left me scratching my head. It was really unusual, innovative, and on-point, but still, it was weird. Especially since I didn't get what the point of those scenarios was. What's the end result, anyway? To be honest, it was pretty weird. I might have asked the author what she was trying to say with those bits and whether I got it right. It's interesting, but weird.
The narrative pace is all over the place, but it's still tragic, so sometimes it was tough to read Complex Atlas, even though it's interesting.
Crash Atlas / Complex Atlas. Olivia BlakeThanks for revealing some of the characters' lives and personalities, but it all still felt weird. It's packed, interesting, but overwhelming and weird.
Some details could have shown some new facets of the characters' personalities in a different way. And that was interesting. Because you already think you know the character after two books, you think you know what to expect, and then - a small twist, a different shade - and now they seem different, a bit not like you expected.
They also introduced us to some secondary characters a bit closer, and on the one hand, it's nice, engaging, but on the other hand, it's the final part - why introduce new characters if everything is about to end? Don't waste my time, Olivia Blake. If anyone has encountered this in other books - what do you think and how do you make sense of it?
Okay, so all the characters went through some kind of transformation, and that was interesting because these changes were very organic and within the same characters. Great.
Crash of the Atlas / Atlas Complex. Olivia BlakeI've got to say, one thing that really threw me off was the vagueness and subtlety of some of the descriptions. Some things were described in super vivid detail, but in a really metaphorical way. I love clarity and straightforwardness in books, but in the third book, it was all so epic that some of it got lost in translation. There were times when I had to read a sentence or a paragraph multiple times to make sure I got it right. It would've been great to have a book club to discuss it and figure out what we were all thinking. It's like watching a movie where there's a scene and you're not sure if you're seeing what you think you're seeing or something else entirely.
The descriptions were the same - beautifully written, but in a really abstract way. It was hard to know what to picture or understand. Maybe Olivia Blake was just experimenting with different styles.
Okay, one thing I did notice was that there were fewer swear words in this book than in the second one. I know that's a big deal for some people. Maybe when you're tackling tough topics, you don't feel the need to use profanity.
Olivia Blake is a genius. The trilogy is packed with diverse academic knowledge, and I'm still amazed that she decided to switch to lighter, more romantic books. Why write something so weak when you've shown with the Atlas trilogy that you can do something powerful, epic, and multi-layered? She's a bright, witty, and easy-to-read author, and I love that about her.
Okay, I want to thank Olivia Blake for tackling some really big topics - not just love, friendship, and the rule of the wagon, but also philosophical, social, and global questions. That's what I love about Olivia Blake's books - she's smart, deeply understanding of the topics, and you end up reading not just science fiction, but something that's like a fascinating scientific work that's engaging and interesting. She's a smart writer, and I appreciate that.
I'm not one to usually read author's notes, but this time I made an exception and I'm glad I did. She's a fantastic, lively, witty, fun, and strong woman. I really enjoy her writing.
Okay, so even with all the sadness and depression, I still enjoyed it. The world is great, the questions and topics are relevant, and I love the familiar characters. I get it that all book series have to come to an end (except for Game of Thrones, which George R.R. Martin seems to be dragging out), and that artificially extending a series can be a bad idea, but it's still hard to let go. I mean, I didn't love the third book as much as the second, but still...
The Atlas trilogy is definitely one of my favorites.
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