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Well, this book changes things up. I won't give away too much, except for something that's mentioned within the first couple of pages: This book takes place 30 years after the previous one. A lot has changed during that time, but the main characters still feel like the same people. I'm not sure that's a good thing - I think the authors might have been able to do more to show us how these people have changed during those three decades.

Babylon's Ashes was one of my favorite books in the series. I didn't like this one as much. The story just wasn't as compelling for me. I did like the way the main antagonist was portrayed as a guy who was trying to do the right thing (in his view) and just kept making the wrong decision. I also thought the descriptions of the Belter culture of insurgency were done well.

I had heard good things about this book but took it off my to-read list after a while. There are so many books I want to read, and I figured I wasn't in the target audience for this book. After a few encounters with people who were having a hard time with church though, I figured I needed to get familiar with this book. I'm glad I did.

The book covers a wide range of topics, from dealing with uncomfortable incidents in church history to managing when we don't fit in with the culture at church. I thought the chapter about how to approach church history was excellent. My favorite chapter though was "In All Patience and Faith." This chapter focuses on the idea that church leaders “are themselves participating in the plan of salvation,” how that impacts the way we should treat them, and our decision to follow or not follow their counsel.

Mason shows a lot of empathy for both those who are struggling and those who fit in and those who aren't. He uses humor as well as touching stories to make his points. This is a good book for anyone who is questioning their faith or their ability to belong culturally in the church. It's also an excellent book to help the rest of us see different perspectives and the many ways that people can find meaning in the church.

This series is not generally considered to be one of Wolfe's best. Kind readers say it has great characters and starts off well, but the story flounders halfway through. Less kind readers say it's a bear to get through this series, but it's necessary to understand the amazing Short Sun series. I haven't read this series since college. I wasn't expecting much, but the first volume was better than I anticipated.

The main character, Patera Silk, is a priest at a church that is deep in debt. At the beginning of the book Silk has a vision where he believes God tells him that he needs to take action to save the church. This is science fiction, but reads like a heist story followed by a murder mystery. Unlike many other Wolfe novels, this has a third-person narrator. It's an attempt to make you believe the narrator can be trusted, but Wolfe narrators are rarely reliable. As with other Wolfe stories, there are hints of other things going on in the background as well.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I found the story kept me wanting to read more, and the cliffhanger ending has me excited to read the second volume.