Chimera

Liked where it was going but the ending felt like a bit of a whimper to me. But I might be a bit more dystopian or bleak than the author, and I can accept that. I was hoping for a bit more oomph from book three after book two but I think it just ended up being a different story than I thought it was going to be. That’s on me I think. Wasn’t bad. I liked it. But I think book two ends up being the standout of this series all things considered.

Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire is one of my favourite authors. Her Newsflesh trilogy all received five stars from me, and I buy basically everything she produces. When Parasitology began, I was super excited to read another science fiction world from her, but I never quite warmed to this universe like I did with Newsflesh. This is not to suggest that Chimera or its prequels are boring, unreadable books. Grant writes compulsively readable items. You can devour them because they are so quick, witty, and full of neat ideas. I still think Parasitology is a fun read, but it's not on par with some of her other works, and Chimera in particular frustrated me in a few ways. - Parasitology was originally meant to be a duology, and I think the story suffered from its extension into a trilogy. Each book is a behemoth in hardcover, and I don't want to complain about having more of something I like to read. However, there's a lot of filler in these books. I noted this in Symbiont as well, and was hoping that Chimera really ramped up the action. While the narrative rarely stopped for a rest, it felt like many of the scenarios were unnecessary. Combining the two books together would have made everything seemed more urgent, and helped Grant avoid Sal's sometimes monotonous conversations about survival. - Our evil villains were a bit of a letdown as Chimera really didn't focus that much on them. Sherman gets some journal entries, but he's reduced to being a megalomaniac in the corner who is far too obsessed with Sal, and the doctor who created and unleashed the tape worms for profit avoids punishment and blame for all his actions. The book is really about Sal and her attempts to protect her family, but given how essential the villains were to the plot and her development, the fact that they are off-screen so often was disappointing. Sherman in particular had the potential to be a really interesting player, but he feels generic and predictable in Chimera, (view spoiler)[ and then he dies quite quickly at the end, without much of a fight. (hide spoiler)]. - Juniper. Oy. One of the things I wanted more of in Parasitology was interaction and exploration of the Chimera themselves and their connections with one another (another reason why it was so sad that Sherman and his crew had almost no role other than to do bad things behind the scenes). I thought that some of the differences in how Chimera interacted was an interesting area to explore, and the introduction of Juniper could have been a great way to reveal more about Chimera themselves. However, Juniper doesn't add much to the narrative. Sal finds her and falls in love instantly with the little girl. Then Juniper gets kidnapped. At the end she calls Sal mommy. I despise insta-love in all its incarnations. Not to say you can't have immediate feelings for someone, but the incredible depths of Sal's sudden devotion to the little girl seemed unrealistic and trope-y. She added little to the narrative and was one of the plot devices I would have deleted during the editing stage. - Sal really doesn't get much development in this book. Yes, she's ready to survive and be a tape worm in a meat suit with minimal guilt, but most of her growth happened in book one and two. Given the fact that the series is so largely about her, it was frustrating to see her stagnate so much. I appreciated that she stood up to more people, but despite all her internal monologues, she just didn't change that much or push the boundaries of the very complex philosophical debates she was immersed in. (view spoiler)[- The ending is another part of the book that both pleased and disappointed me. I find that authors are often too scared to leave their worlds in tatters, even if their plot requires the world to be entirely upended. Chimera doesn't tie everything up in a pretty bow. Humanity has been decimated, we still haven't really solved the parasite problem, the remaining Chimera are on the run, and, in general, things are not so hot for anyone. There's a lot left for a reader to contemplate, and I appreciate an author who is willing to take that risk. On the other hand, we also got a "happy" ending. Sal and her family take off and find an island to squat on, and the last we see of them is Nathan, Sal, Juniper, and Tansy waking up as a family. I am glad Sal still has good people in her life and I would have been crushed if everyone had been ripped away from her. However, given the mess of the world, the whole "happy family" scene felt unwarranted and out of place. I would have liked to see a scene that was hopeful, but less saccharine. (hide spoiler)] All in all, I powered through Chimera in between marking and lesson plans, and enjoyed my very pleasurable break with it. Unfortunately, the book is not one of my favourites (though I am super pleased to have the entire set in their beautiful hardcover releases). Newsflesh is where Grant really shines, but Parasitology is fun as well as long as you lower your expectations a bit.

Picks up right where the last book ended, making for a great read through when reading this trilogy back to back. Sal has been forced to abandon those she loved in order to save them. She must go back with her "father" and pretend to be someone she is not. You find out just how fucked things have gotten when Sal get relocated to the encampment. A place for survivors that is just as horrible as the world outside. Luckily, with the help of a friend Sal was able to escape once again. The girl does get quite lucky. She manages to find her family and once more meets back up with them, but in a strange turn of events it is now those Sal cares about that have been taken and she must find a way to save them, becoming allies with a group that has held her prisoner before. A great final scene where our heroes triumph and manage to escape while our bad guy gets his comeuppance. The final chapter takes place a few months after and we get to see our MC Sal and her family being able to live a somewhat more normal life. All in all this was a great way to close the trilogy and I really enjoyed this book and series.