Edge of Worlds: Volume Four of the Books of the Raksura Paperback – April 25, 2017

For bold readers, The Edge of Worlds would be a fascinating way to dive into Martha Wells’ Raksura series. Like the books that have come before it, it’s a rich world populated by bizarre creatures and strange landscapes. From floating islands to winged, shapeshifting humanoids, it’s a feast for the imagination, especially considering there are no humans whatsoever in the series. With this being the beginning of a new adventure, new readers can dive in here if they don’t mind missing out on the references to previous books. For the longtime readers, however, get ready for another fun journey.In this tale, the Indigo Cloud court shares a shared dream of a Fell attack. Then a strange flying vessel arrives in the Reaches. It leads to an adventure out into the ocean toward an ancient, impenetrable city. The Raksura must brave Fell attacks, strange groundlings, and unlock the mysteries of a forerunner/foundation builder citadel knowing their very doom could lie just around the corner. Cloud lies at the heart of the story, serving as the reader’s touchstone as it unfolds. Jade, Chime, Stone and several other familiar characters join him, including the groundling Delin and the sealing Rorra. They encounter new species, secrets and threats.For those new to the Raksura series, it’s not an action packed story littered with violence. Rather it’s a slow build of colorful characters and imaginative surroundings that engulf and submerge the reader. It’s more of a peaceful escapism than an action packed adventure. But there is action, there is violence, and there is turmoil. What begins as a scientific expedition eventually turns into chaos. It also leaves the book on a cliffhanger making the next book in the series a must read.As a fan of the series, I really enjoyed The Edge of Worlds. Martha Wells laid out another exotic trip into the realm of the Three Worlds and the Raksura. There’s peaceful moments, mystery, exploration, discovery, action, pain, betrayal and adventure. The ending left me pumped for the next book and I can’t wait to see what happens next. The Three Worlds is one of my favorite places to escape to, and this book delivers. I give it a five out of five.

Ok. So it isn’t Murderbot. But the Raksura have an interesting and unique alien culture while remaining relatable. The action sequences are scrambled and poorly described, haphazard in a bouncing ball sort of way, where disastrous outcomes are avoided 99% of the time. So rarely do you feel exhilarated by yet another near miss. Yawn. The strength of the book and this series is in the characters. They are consistent and suitably complex to pull you along book after book. For shear creativity these books are worth the read.

The Edge of Worlds is a praise-worthy continuity of Martha Wells' books of the Raksura, and, though earmarked as a standalone duology, with the sequel due in 2017, carries the story and characters onward from the third book The Siren Depths.The characters remain relatable, likeable people living in a variety of original societal structures, whose interactions create tension and emotional connections with the reader (even many of the 'bad' guys).The plot, while not strictly original (prophecy of doom; go investigate; do battle), is not stale or predictable, due to the depth of world-building and the author's skill at writing engaging complicating events that link to more than just the heroes' quest.The writing and editing are crisp, with very few errors (only one proof error popped out at me, and a few instances of word-choice). The book contains a variety of text structures that vary pace and create believable dialogue, as well as rich description that invokes all of the senses.I thoroughly recommend giving it a try if you're acquainted with the series; if you aren't acquainted, it might be difficult to enter into, due to the complexity of relationships. New readers should definitely start with 'The Cloud Roads,' or better yet, 'The Forest Boy' short story, to test out the characters and world. You won't regret it.

This series is amazing. I have been reading straight through from the first book. The first one was ok, but didn't blow me away. The rest though, are some of the best fiction I have ever read. The world and all the peoples left in it are so well thought out, and so well detailed. The action is intense and nonstop. I adore the raksura fledglings. I am heading into the fifth one and am a bit sad that I will soon be finished. I have been sitting g and reading straight through, and like all really great fiction, I can't put the books down, and I will be sad when I am done. I highly recommend this series. You won't be disappointed.

Moon is the hero we all aspire to be, basically a really nice guy in a tough situation. The author writes a very fast moving story of an original idea. So often, fantasy stories fit a standard interchangeable outline. Not this one.

Modern storytelling meets action-driven and compelling stories. I'm eagerly waiting for a follow-up.It's timed somewhat before the novel and the previous short book.Murderbot stories aside from the novel are rather short, but very entertaining and definitely longer than a short story.

I should probably start with the fact that I utterly adore Martha Wells as an author. She has written some of the most amazing books it has ever been my pleasure to read and this one was no different.Edge of Worlds is the fourth "main" book in the Raksura series. The book starts off with a shared dream which bodes ill for the colony. This ends up with a party of Raksura venturing off into the unknown to go see if the groundlings are going to be disturbing any malign forces which could lead to the Fell getting a chance to come over to the Reaches and destroy everything.The book ends on a cliffhanger - well, as cliff-hangery as Martha Wells has ever been - and leaves me very impatient for the next book.In terms of the writing, the book is as excellently written as ever. If you've read the rest of the books in the series, you know what to expect. If you're someone who's never read a Martha Wells book before, all I can say is that her characters are not human. They don't really read as human. They don't try to be human. They are just the Raksura. You take them as they come. Wells does an excellent job of writing them to be completely sympathetic and relate-able, but still noticeably alien.She does the same thing with her world building. If you can pick up a book and just go with the flow, I'm pretty sure you'll love these books. If not, maybe try starting with her Ile-Rien novels - I'm sure if you love them as much as I do, you'll end up trying this series anyway.Oh, and a final note on the matriarchal pansexual thing - if that's not quite your cup of tea, don't worry about it. Wells has a very light touch when it comes to these things. Unlike some authors, she doesn't try to force an agenda down your throat. It's just part of what the Raksura are like. I'd say "you get used to it" but really, you don't have to actually try at accepting it. It just is.

I love this series, however this particular volume is my new favourite. Adding a few suppresses and puzzles yet to be riddled out. Love the character developments and can't wait for the next one.

The first books in the series ran headlong with pace excitement and an actual story. This book is ended banal interactions but almost nothing happens. When you analyse the actual events is a big nothing.