Koli has come a long way since being exiled from his small village of Mythen Rood. In his search for the fabled tech of the Old Times, he knew he’d be battling shunned men, strange beasts and trees that move as fast as whips. But he has already encountered so much more than he bargained for.

Now that Koli and his companions have found the source of the signal they’ve been following – the mysterious “Sword of Albion”—there is hope that their perilous journey will finally be worth something.

They’re searching for a way to help humanity fight back against nature. But what they’ll find is an ancient war that never ended . . .

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Well, here we are. Here at the end of all things, to borrow a phrase. Of course there’s no way M. R. Carey could have predicted he’d be releasing an entire post-apocalyptic trilogy in the midst of a global pandemic, but…oof. Separate from how much I’ve completely adored all three of these books, I feel like the RAMPART TRILOGY is also something that brought me a great deal of comfort during an increasingly difficult & weird time.

I have a small handful of trilogies that I’m just one book away from completing, and I’m hoping to take this opportunity and keep the momentum going, because looking back…holy shit, the last time I reviewed the third book of a trilogy was all the way back in October of 2019. Fucking yikes.

But THE FALL OF KOLI was not a book that I could hold off reading at all. I’ve gotten entirely wrapped up in Carey’s unique characters and this overgrown & deadly post-apocalyptic version of our world.

I had to know how it ends.

My memory typically fails me, but it seems as though THE FALL OF KOLI picks up nearly right where THE TRIALS OF KOLI left off. Which is to say, with our four main characters in an unreliable boat, chasing a mysterious radio signal & hoping to find…well, anyone. Or anything. Anything other than the endless sea they are confronted with.

Back in Mythen Rood, we continue to keep up with Spinner. Still reeling from their battle with Half-Ax, the people from Mythen Rood now find themselves preparing for an all-out war to protect themselves, their home, and their tech.

That’s about all I want to get into, plot-wise, as there are some BIG surprises in here, and they’re better left for readers to find on their own. I will say that there’s a moment in THE FALL OF KOLI that honestly filled me with such an unbelievable sense of joy…oof. I’m tempted to mention it here, as it’s not terribly spoilery…but yeah, if you’ve read the first two books, there are some truly outstanding payoffs heading your way.

The core group of characters in this book, Koli, Monono, Cup, and Ursula, are some of my very favorites in recent memory. Over the course of this trilogy, we see them all grow and change, both as individuals and as a group. This last volume in particular feels especially character driven. As in THE TRIALS OF KOLI, Cup is continuing her transition. I love the way that helping Cup with her transition kind of softens Ursula around the edges a bit. Yeah, I mean…these four characters have left a pretty indelible mark on me.

Our main characters do face moments of racism & transphobia in the book, just as a heads-up to potential readers.

This is an incredibly special trilogy from one of my favorite authors, someone who seems to have an uncanny knack for storytelling. All three books in the RAMPART TRILOGY are an easy five stars from me, and books that I’d very much like to revisit at some point.

THE FALL OF KOLI is a perfect ending to one of the most memorable reading experiences I’ve ever had. Goddamn…I just love every single thing about these books.

Massive thanks to Orbit for the copy! THE FALL OF KOLI releases March 23rd!!