Review: Failure Mode by Craig Alanson

The good

• Lots of major new reveals for the big underlying mysteries of this series.

• Wraps up many major plot points of the series.

• There is a lot at stake in this one, including a genuine possibility of loss, so it felt suspenseful and exciting. After 15 books, you’re very connected to all the characters, so there’s some genuine emotion here.

• The clever scheming, politics, battles, and occasionally witty dialog of this entire series.

The not so good

• The very final sequence felt abrupt and a little to “deus ex machina.” One of the things I loved about the last few books in the series was that Craig Alanson always found a clever and logical solution to get out of impossible situations. In this book, it felt like he ran out of ideas, and the solution was basically magic.

Rating: 4 stars