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An Autumn War (Long Price Quartet, #3)

Daniel Abraham

Start date: December 3, 2020

Finish date: December 30, 2020

Discussion: Read-alongs

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What Members Thought

Jan 29, 2013 Althea Ann rated it it was amazing

I really liked the first two in this series. This one, I loved. I feel like the themes of the story come to full fruition in this one.

Otah Machi has, somewhat reluctantly, become Khai, and is working on the difficult business of ruling. His job is about to get much harder, because General Gice, of the Galtic Empire, is terrified of the Khaiates. He believes that it is inevitable that the Khaiates, if left unchecked, will use the power of the 'andat' to destroy his civilisation, and he has made ...more

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Apr 05, 2019 Rinaldo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, united-states

4.5/5

Autumn is the season of harvest, the twilight of age. It is not only a time of mourning for fallen leaves, but also a time of celebration for the nature's bounty. An Autumn War perfectly encapsulates these nuances by exploring the elements that the Long Price Quartet series has been building in the previous two books. Another time skip of 13-14 years has matured the plot and characters further; now that the pieces have been set on board, the time is ripe for the final harvest.

The Galt conqu 4.5/5

Autumn is the season of harvest, the twilight of age. It is not only a time of mourning for fallen leaves, but also a time of celebration for the nature's bounty. An Autumn War perfectly encapsulates these nuances by exploring the elements that the Long Price Quartet series has been building in the previous two books. Another time skip of 13-14 years has matured the plot and characters further; now that the pieces have been set on board, the time is ripe for the final harvest.

The Galt conquest in the west has been a looming shadow for the past 3 decades for free cities in the east. Finally, Galtic military is on the move to conquer the Khaiem cities, led by the cunning strategist General Balasar Gice. In the meantime, only city-state Machi has made its own preparations. The current Khai Machi is growing wary of Galt and the unreliability of andat. He takes precautions and appeals to Dai-kvo for support, but it seems that the entire free cities have grown slack in decades of peace and prosperity.

The book returns to the old faces and focuses on how the characters have matured over the years. Now that they are in positions of power, they can be much more proactive in making decisions and taking actions compared to the previous books. Most of the main cast also have matured into parents or grandparents. The presence of their children and grandchildren shifts their perspective and world view, the future generations are at a stake.

As a result, the themes of growing old and family are thoroughly discussed here. Both fatherhood and motherhood are explored in equal depth and unique scenarios, adding even more layers to the main characters. At the same time, the themes of legacy, progeny, seed, and the reaping of future generations are also inevitably present. While these themes are not exactly uncommon or rarely explored in SFF, Abraham managed to deliver a truly unique fantasy scenario how the fate of progeny is tightly woven to the war; and the when the stakes of war are too high, the price that the future generations have to pay will be devastating.

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Autumn is also the season of change, and there's the lingering, bittersweet feeling of past and legacy that will change or lost forever. Abraham also handled this theme with finesse, showing the necessary sordidness of burning books and history in order to survive and move on. The little follies of the past affect the present, and the small choices the characters in the present will forever change the course of the history. In this sense, the book is tightly interwoven with smallest occurrences and actions the characters took in the previous two books.

My only issue with the book is the vague depiction of the seasons. Sometimes it's depicted as near winter while others it's only the beginning of autumn. The consequences of harsh winter in the winter cities like Machi and Cetani are also built up to hinder the progress of Galtic march, but later in the book these are skipped altogether. These minor issues make the book seems uneven and rough in several spots.

Conclusion
An Autumn's War is the strongest and most poignant of Long Price Quartet so far. By harvesting the layers of plots and characters it has been cultivating throughout 3 decades of the history, this book delivers a devastating and potent story about family, legacy, progeny, cyclical folly, and change. ...more

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Aug 05, 2010 Mackay rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy

Ditto the last two volumes of the quartet. I have read them all and not stopped w/ a ho-hum, but will I search out number 4, which is rumored not to be put out in paperback? I dunno.

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