This has been one of my favorite series, but I am sad to say that I wanted more out of The Golden City. The Traveler pulled me in with the initial introduction to the Vast Machine, the Brethen/tabula, the Harlequins, travelers, pathfinders...so much excitement and movement with Maya, Gabriel and their friends v. Tabula and their control over Michael. And the Dark River yanked me further into John Twelve Hawks world where we get to see different realms and explore the possiblities. And then we come to The Golden City as the fight between the Corrigan brothers escalates, Michael v. Gabriel, control v. freedom, safety v. chaos. I know this series has a LARGE political message, but in this third addition, I felt that I was consumed by the political message, and the story of the characters I have come to love came second, as a background. So while I will be recommending this series to anyone who loves a great read because I still find it as a whole to be in my top 3, I am not as satified as I could be with the Golden City.

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I'm in agreement with Lou's review. The story had some real promise after the first two books, but the final offering was a disappointment.

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A world that exists in the shadow of our own . . .

The final volume in Hawks's fantasy thriller series, the Fourth Realm trilogy, brings to an end the struggle between the forces of evil, the Brethren-run empire known as the Tabula, and those of goodthe Travelers, Harlequins and other fighters of the Resistance.

The first book, The Traveler, promised, and delivered, much;
the second, The Dark River, intriguging.

With the third, Hawks has returned, somewhat, to the excitement of the first, though those expecting a final, titanic battle to decide the fate of the world will come away frustrated.

Some fans might wish the author had spent less time on the easy-to-understand philosophical underpinnings (e.g., freedom is the essence of our livesnot surveillance and control, (which I loved)) and more time on swinging swords.

Newcomers should read the series in order.

Have all 3 books. With everything going on in the world it will make you think about going off the grid. Highly recommend!!

P.S. John Twelve Hawks is not the real name. The writer lives off the grid and a voice scrambler when talking to his editor.

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