Clever close to the trilogy, capping off the first five with a larger, outside viewpoint. Quite satisfying, really. Now I've got to wait impatiently for 9 to be released and bite my nails and pull out my hair. One thing I love best about this series is how well-thought out it is, how self-consistent and especially how easy it is to follow. The pacing is as smooth as silk and has the confidence of a good young-adult novel. Perhaps it ought to be classified as one, despite the lack of continuous young characters. What we have here is a much more simpile string of tales than is normally seen in science fiction, where we've got a plethora of big ideas interspersed with a few pieces that qualify as great literature. In these novels we've got a great combination of great writing and great ideas and this is the kind of jem I'm always on the lookout for. Bravo, Mr. Howey, and long live your keyboard!