Two mighty empires are at war – and both will lose, with thousands of planets falling to the extinction event called the Scour. At least that’s what the artificial intelligence known as Rupshe believes.
But somewhere in the multiverse there exists a force – the Mother Mass – that could end the war in an instant, and Rupshe has assembled a team to find it. Essien Nkanika, a soldier trying desperately to atone for past sins; the cat-woman Moon, a conscienceless killer; the digitally recorded mind of physicist Hadiz Tambuwal; Paz, an idealistic child and the renegade robot spy Dulcimer Coronal.
Their mission will take them from the hellish prison world of Tsakom to the poisoned remains of a post-apocalyptic Earth, and finally bring them face to face with the Mother Mass itself. But can they persuade it to end eons of neutrality and help them? And is it too late to make a difference?
Because the Pandominion’s doomsday machines are about to be unleashed – and not even their builders know how to control them.
It’s always a little daunting, starting the second book of a series (in this case a duology) when the first book was your favorite read of the year it was released in. I definitely went on record I think (maybe? Maybe Bookstagram is the record?) calling M. R. Carey’s INFINITY GATE my very favorite book of 2023. It’s a story I think about often & I really was so excited to dive back into this world/these worlds, and catch up with a cast of characters that I grew to absolutely adore.
And I think it speaks to my affinity for Book Ones that ECHO OF WORLDS didn’t quite blow me away as much as INFINITY GATE. Now, that said? I still loved this book so much. M. R. Carey is easily a top five favorite author of mine & I think anything he writes is pretty much genius.
I just think for me, inevitably, the sense of sheer wonder & discovery I found in INFINITY GATE would have been next to impossible to replicate for this one.
These books are hard to think about, let alone properly review. This is a story that can feel overwhelming in scope & almost impossible to conceptualize/visualize. I mean…an infinite amount of Earths (or very Earth-like planets), all with their own dominant species? And then like…a whole other empire ruled by machines?
And the two empires are gonna…fight? With total annihilation for one side the only outcome?
Sure, fine. That’s ok.
As established in INFINITY GATE, we now have our core group of characters who are determined to stop this multiverse war at any cost.
Or, well. Kinda determined. Most of them.
Probably not Moon Sostenti, though, who is cooperating only in the loosest sense of the word. She is extremely bitter from the events of INFINITY GATE & her banter with Essien has grown significantly more caustic. Still, I love Moon a lot and there’s something to this character…way deep down under all the snark & sarcasm & threats of violence, she’s a good person. It’s just important to remember she’s a massive & incredibly powerful cat-woman with nightmare-sharp retractable claws. So watch it.
Paz (a teenage girl whose species evolved from rabbits) was for sure my favorite character in INFINITY GATE & she continues to be the heart of the story. As a counterpoint to Moon, Paz seems totally dedicated to the cause. She’s idealistic & maybe a little naive, but time and time again she shows just how brave & fierce she can be. This one finds Paz off on something of an espionage mission, in disguise!
The overall plot of the story involves all the members of the group trying to locate a planet-sized consciousness known as the Mother Mass, which Rupshe (the untethered AI that’s been working with Hadiz) is convinced will help end the conflict between the Pandominion and the Ansurrection.
The how’s and why’s of this plan are…occasionally a bit murky & hard to keep up with, but you just have to go for the ride.
So, yeah. I’m not sure what I’ve got here in terms of a coherent review. As I said, this one didn’t quite blow my mind the way that INFINITY GATE did. But this duology overall is so much fun, and also just wildly ambitious & thought-provoking. Carey takes a look at some really big issues in these books, and as AI becomes increasingly unavoidable in our own world, these books make you wonder if some of the things that seem like sci-fi are actually right around the corner.
M. R. Carey continues to be such a favorite for me, someone I’m always so excited to read, or hear any news of what he’s writing next. THE PANDOMINION duology is just so impressive & immersive, and written with the utmost care and thoughtfulness towards the characters that is the hallmark of Carey’s writing. I love these books so much.
The audiobook is beautifully narrated by Dami Olukoya, so if you’re an audiobook fan, this is definitely one to check out!
Massive thanks to Orbit & Hachette Audio for the copy!
Grimdark Dad 