The Fall of Koli (The Rampart Trilogy Book Three) by M.R Carey

Synopsis
As there is no offical book blurb on Amazon or on the back of the book, apart from that it is the third and final instalment in The Rampart Trilogy, I will put my book description here. Following on from the second book, The Trials of Koli, Koli, Cup, Ursula and Monono finally found the signal transmitted by The Sword of Albion, but it is far from what they expected. Rather than the hope they were looking for, they find themselves in a nightmare where their lives are threatened. As Koli and his friends face an unknown future, this fantastic post-apocalyptic story comes to a brilliant end.

Review
In a way its always sad when I come to the end of a trilogy, knowing that it is the final installment and that I will no longer return to this world or these characters again. M.R Carey has certainly left the best to last with The Fall of Koli, this is a truely outstanding end to the trilogy, full of action and totally gripping. It is faster paced than the previous book, as Koli hurtles towards his destiny. Like the previous books you have to get use to colloquial and phonetic language, as in this world not many people can read or write, so learn language by voice only; I have loved readng the names of places like Baron Furnace and Birmagen. This book is also underpinned with plenty of suspense as it hurtles towards the adreniline rush of a conclusion.

My favourite part of reading trilogys and is seeing the characters develop and getting to know them in more rounded way than you can in just one book. The plot is narrated by Koli, Spinner in Koli’s village of Mythen Rood and Monono who also grows in her own way as the plot progresses. Over the three books Koli has grown from a teenage boy, forced out of his village to take his chances in the outside world, to a young man, more confident and knowing what he wants. He is a young man with a wonderful moral compass, wanting to help save the remaining population which is disappearing due to a small gene pool. The one thing he is not confident on is the inevitability that his journey will take him back to Mythen Rood, his home that he was thrown out of. It is a subject that he keeps to himself, not wanting to talk about it as it brings back so many emotions, good and bad. His companions, Ursula and Cup, like Koli are changed by what they have seen and experienced. Ursula and her diagnostic are able to help those who are sick, and help Koli in his quest to help solve the fertility problems. Cup has also grown stronger, more trusting of Koli and Ursula and proves herself to be a good communicator and a more confident person.

Spinner narrates the story of the continued trials of Mythen Rood, and the Ramparts who defend the village. Mythen finds herself as part of a team who beat the Half-Ax men and temporarily in charge of the village, making the decisions and battle tactics for the next fight. Again, she is someone who really grows through these books, the type of person people trust, and like Koli she has a good moral compass, wanting to always do the right thing even if that is the more difficult option. I have really enjoyed reading her story over the three books, seeing the domestic and personable side to this post apocalyptic world.

The Fall of Koli is a perfect and fitting end to what has been an engaging and gripping trilogy. I have loved the world that M.R Carey has created, a world where global warming and human error have led to nature being the dominate force, a force that kills. There is a moral story underpinning these novels, and I hope I never have to face a world that looks anything like this, a place where humnity seems to have regressed to almost the dark ages. Brilliantly plotted and written and with such wonderfully diverse and interesting characters that I grew to love over the three books, this is a gripping, if at times menacing coming of age story, and one I highly recommend. You can read my review of the previous two books in the trilogy here The Book of Koli (The Rampart Trilogy Book One) by M.R Carey The Trials of Koli (The Rampart Trilogy Book 2) by M.R Carey

I would like to thank Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers and Orbit Books for the invite to be part of the blog tour for this trilogy.