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Ian Tregillis

Author of Bitter Seeds

25+ Works 2,806 Members 166 Reviews 2 Favorited

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Includes the name: Ian Tregillis

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Works by Ian Tregillis

Associated Works

Inside Straight (2008) — Contributor — 492 copies
Busted Flush (2008) — Contributor — 361 copies
Suicide Kings (2009) — Contributor — 206 copies
Lowball (2014) — Author — 136 copies
High Stakes (2016) — Contributor — 101 copies
After Hours: Tales from Ur-Bar (2011) — Contributor — 71 copies
Best of Apex Magazine: Volume 1 (2016) — Contributor — 52 copies
The Stories: Five Years of Original Fiction on tor.com (2013) — Contributor — 38 copies
Human for a Day (2011) — Contributor — 36 copies
Clockwork Universe: Steampunk vs Aliens (2014) — Contributor — 23 copies
The Book of Apex: Volume 3 of Apex Magazine (2012) — Contributor — 15 copies
Portals (2019) — Contributor — 15 copies
Best New Horror #26: Anthology edited by Stephen Jones (2015) — Contributor — 11 copies
Brave New Worlds (2022) — Author — 10 copies
Subterranean Magazine Fall 2013 — Contributor — 9 copies
Apex Magazine 17 (October 2010) (2010) — Contributor — 7 copies
Tor.com Short Fiction: Nov/Dec 2020 — Contributor — 7 copies

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originally published at www.csdaley.com

Book three of the Milkweed Triptych (Bitter Seed and The Coldest War being book one and two) starts off with a bang. Takes a sharp left turn and then drives a spike right through your brain. This may be one of my favorite trilogies I have read in the last decade. If you haven't read the first two you are missing out on a treat. I like alternate history books and this series mixed horror, magic, and science like few I have ever seen.

I am going to have to do a clever dance around the plot to keep this spoiler free. At the end of The Coldest War the British Warlocks unleashed the Eidoloens (the best way I can describe them is a nasty Cthulhu like creature) on Nazi Germany and their battery powered super soldiers. The results were truly horrific and devastating. It leads Raybould Marsh, British super spy, to catapult himself back in time to hit the reset button.

What happens next is a thrilling roller coaster ride as Marsh tries to stay one step ahead of both the Germans and the British in a desperate attempt to rewrite history (including his own). Every time I thought I knew where this book was going it would swerve in a different direction. It was a completely satisfying ending to the story (although, I still think The Coldest War was the best book of the trio).

It is a testament to Tregillis' plotting that he was often able to weave the multiple timelines and stories into this final book. I don't think I have had more fun with a time travel story ever. I also loved seeing the older Marsh deal with his younger self and his wife. The older Marsh was a ruthless bastard who would do anything to save his family and country. The younger Marsh was a hero who had not quite become the jaded monster that his alternate timeline persona had become.

This series was a genre bending, alternate history, mash up. It was action packed, thrilling, often horrific and ultimately brilliant. A lot of times when authors throw in everything including the kitchen sink the story can often get bogged down. This one left me stuffed to the brim with goodness. I can't wait to see where Tregillis goes next with his career.
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cdaley | 19 other reviews | Nov 2, 2023 |
One of my favorite alternate history novels of all time. The 2nd book in the series is suppose to be even better. I look forward to finding out.
 
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cdaley | 55 other reviews | Nov 2, 2023 |
I liked the 2nd book even more than the first. A merging of Lovecraft, espionage and science fiction. The book moves at a breakneck pace towards the ending and oh the ending. Talk about a cliff hanger. It was like setting off a bag of pop rocks in my head. I will force myself to wait a couple of books before I dive into the final book but I will be thinking about it until I do.

One of my new favorite series. Love that it is going to end with the next book. Plus, it's got a fantastic cover.… (more)
 
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cdaley | 27 other reviews | Nov 2, 2023 |
Love, love Ian Tregillis' writing and although this one didn't gel for me, I will still shove Bitter Seeds at anyone who holds still. The Mechanical didn't really come together for me, mostly because I felt the first half developed a little slow and I found myself skimming through the battle/fight scenes. But an intriguing world and book that I might revisit again at a later point to give another go.
 
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ajhackwith | 19 other reviews | Jan 3, 2023 |

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Works
25
Also by
21
Members
2,806
Popularity
#9,161
Rating
3.8
Reviews
166
ISBNs
83
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6
Favorited
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