/lit/ - Literature

>>20284530
Rex Regis, Imager Portfolio #8 - L.E. Modesitt Jr. (2014)

Rex Regis was the final book of the Quaeryt Quintet. There were many ways it could have been better, but then it would have been a different style entirely, for better and worse. Primarily my issue with this and the previous book was that they spent far too much time on activities that I didn't find particularly interesting because they were mostly transitory.

The first half was similar to the previous book, but also had parts that were a bit more more like Princeps and that was what I enjoyed most from this entry. The latter half was information gathering from various sources as they travelled to determine the truth of a matter. After that's resolved, there was a bit about long term plans. I wish much more has been used to detail this part instead of almost not quite half being about the day to day matters of traveling a considerable difference.

While these five books provided an interesting view of daily life, this and the previous spent far too much time on matters that should have been lesser priorities. There are often reasons why stories are structured in certain ways and the more dramatic moments are focused rather than an attempt at realism. These books have been highly informative about what I specifically like and dislike about providing minutiae and having a slice of life slant. Which to say that I prefer it to be the focus rather than presented as a liminal space between plot points. The ending was suitable, though rather curtailed.

Overall it was enjoyable enough and served well in its purpose of basically being the sort of comfort reading that I prefer. It's a shame that it wasn't better than it was, if only because it could've been truly enjoyable if it stuck with how the first two Quaeryt books went. I'll be reading the rest of Imager Portfolio sometime within the next few months, which again will be a whole new cast of characters and a different time period.

Rating: 3.5/5