This is the long awaited finale to a fantasy series that I very much love. You definitely need to read the whole series as this last book is the conclusion of Senlin’s travel up the tower, and search for his lost wife Marya. I doubt it would have much impact without the context, I don’t think you can dip in and out of this story. This book is full of action from many perspectives and you don’t really get much room to breathe before the next event takes place. I did however, read dreadfully quickly because I couldn’t wait to find out what happens next so maybe that’s just me! Despite Senlin being the main character, we also follow Adam – who was never a favourite of mine but was exceedingly likeable in his portion, Edith, Iren, Violeta, Byron and our other less loved pals. They all get sections of the book devoted to their narrative and through all of them together we finally piece together some of the mysteries of the Tower. Were all questions answered? Certainly not. But, the main strings of narrative were tied off. This book wasn’t as emotionally brutal as it could have been but my love for the characters meant I didn’t regret that much. The clear growth and difference between each person from the start of the series to who they were by the end of this book was fantastic, and that character growth is one of the best parts of the series.

For me, the tower was huge and I didn’t really follow the specific lore in a way that I could retell but to be honest, knowing it was there was sufficient background and I didn’t try and get my head round everything so I probably missed out on some of the world depth in the series.

This was a great ending to these books. I guess my only dissatisfaction is that I would have liked to have more answers. But, wouldn't we all?

What a finale. This is the culmination of 3-novels worth of build-up and, for me, results in an ending that was wonderfully unexpected but brings an appropriate end to this series. For me, to talk about the prose, the world building, the setting and relationships is moot by this point as we're at the 4th book in an amazing series. So, what to say - if you're readying this review having seen 'The Fall of Babel' on you local bookshop shelf, then go to the first book and be prepared for a journey safe in the knowledge there is no need to wait for the next installment of a fantastic series.

The Fall of Babel is the fourth and final instalment in the Books of Babel series and it does not disappoint! What an ending to a great series!

It has everything in spades that made the three previous books so great–imaginative world-building, amazing and very real feeling characters, and beautiful prose.
I think everyone that loved the first three books will love this one just as much. And if you haven’t read the earlier books yet – what are you waiting for? Go and read them, now!

The ending answers most of the questions, but not all of them, which I think is very fitting for the overall tone of the series. The tower has always been a mystery and leaving us readers with questions (and maybe even a potential for more in the future) seems the perfect way to end these books.

If I had to raise one small criticism, it would be the slightly disjointed beginning. The book starts with Adam (who we last saw in “The Arm of the Sphinx”) and it’s almost a quarter into the book until we finally meet up with the other characters. I would have preferred if part of Adam’s story had already been presented to us in the third book, instead of having to catch up with him before we return to where the story left us at the end of “The Hod King”.

However, I did enjoy my time with Adam on the roof of the tower and am therefore not complaining too much. I also enjoyed the new characters that were introduced, something that rarely happens in the last book of a series. Overall, my favourite part of the Books of Babel are still the characters, and they all get to shine in this last book. The pace felt a bit quicker and there was maybe slightly less time for the characters to gather their thoughts and to react to what was happening to them, given how much was going on, but I think this is to be expected for a final book.

In short: The Fall of Babel is a great ending to an outstanding and very unique series. I highly recommend the books and am looking forward to Bancroft’s next projects!


PS: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you very much Orbit for this review copy. An interesting conclusion that will surely generate different opinions among the readers. That being said, I am feeling extremely grateful for the series is now finished with hints of more adventures to come. However, I would have liked more answers but poor Tom did ascend spectacularly.

Some negatives:

1. Fight scenes are too elaborate.
2. Can't believe I'm saying this but at some places I sure would have preferred telling rather than showing and vice-versa.

Where's Senlin? Iren and Voleta? I kept asking myself these questions while reading the opening of the last book of The Books of Babel. Instead of jumping straight into their misadventures, Bancroft started by showing readers what happened with Adam. Do you remember him? Voleta's unlikable brother? Yes? Good for you, I didn't.

Ultimately, everything works out fine and all arcs connect but the pacing felt off to me for a significant part of the story. Bancroft excels at creative world-building and has a knack for stunning (if slightly baroque) sentences so I've enjoyed the ride. Just not as much as the first three books.

Summary: The Fall of Babel by Josiah Bancroft is a triumphant end to a beloved series, answering mysteries, providing epic final confrontations, and reuniting characters for the final act.

I have to confess something about The Books of Babel – before I picked up Senlin Ascends, I was fairly mainstream in my reading habits, and tended to only pick up the same five or six authors. Every time o tried something new, I was mostly disappointed, so I was in a bit of a reading rut. The Books of Babel, and specifically the excellent Arm of the Sphinx, showed me how wrong I was to give up on the wider fantasy genre. But how does this relate to The Fall of Babel, the last book in the series? Well, The Fall of Babel distills much about what is great about the series, and shows how different things can get, while still delivering compelling protagonists, bombastic action and moments of serene poigniance.

The book opens with Adam, bringing his timeline up to speed (and then some) with the other protagonists. I loved this section – it gave us a great new bizarre locale in detail, and also provided Adam with some excellently delivered character growth, leading to a crucial decision and hanging plot thread that are not picked back up until much later in the book.

Next we see the rest of the crew, bouncing back between scenes of Senlin on the Hod King, trying to figure out how to sabotage the engine with his now compatriots Finn Goll and John Tarou; and the others (Edith, Iren, Byron, Ann, Voletta, Marya and Reddleman) as they attempt to hunt down the remaining copies of The Bricklayers Daughter before Marat does. There was an odd narrative decision with the second group’s section that had me a little confused and I wasn’t quite as into their sections as it seemed like we knew where it was going. I’m not sure if I could ever get enough of Senlin, though, and the insight we get into Marat and his closest compatriots helps set up the final acts.

Speaking of the final acts, the latter half of the book was incredibly dynamic and exciting, with loads of edge of your seat scenes that I’d expect in a fourth and final entry to a series like this. The action was great, as always, with clear stakes, conflicting goals, imaginative setups and some incredibly imposing foes.

Ever since Arm of the Sphinx, Edith has been a standout POV, and she only gets better here, with her responsibilities stretched, her relationship with Senlin thrown into disarray with the message he sent to her, and her crew in a state of flux after Voletta’s death and resurrection. If the first part of the book was Adam’s, much of the rest belongs to Edith, as the only person who can truly challenge Marat. Senlin’s role is much more passive, which is understandable given the situation, but I need more!

I’ll not be spoiling the ending, but I will say that it didn’t entirely work for me – I didn’t mind the content of it, but I could have done with a bit more to make everything sink in thematically. And it certainly wasn’t one of those dreaded endings that spoils everything that came before. The important thing I think is that the characters all had natural conclusions to their arcs.

There’s something satisfying and heartbreaking about seeing the end to a favourite series, and the final book is so crucial to how you perceive that series in the future. I can now say that The Books of Babel have stuck the landing, delivering a final entry that pulls out all the stops. I can’t see anyone who enjoyed the previous books not enjoying this one too.

Rating: 9.5/10

A big thanks for Netgalley for the arc of this book. I've been very excited to be able to read this last book.
I have really enjoyed the first 3 books in the series. The story and the characters are fascinating.
Even though the story can be a bit slow building at places, it's still ok because the world is just so cleverly amazing!
It was the same with this one - a fascinating finale that had me wanting to keep reading! It was well worth waiting for it, and looking forward to more books from the writer.

4.25/5

The Fall of Babel by Josiah Bancroft is a fitting end to a brilliant series

First of all huge thanks to the author and publishers for accepting my request in Netgalley and it goes without saying that this review is my unbiased opinion.

Quick Summary: The Fall of Babel is an answer to all the questions raised throughout the series... What is the purpose of this tower ? Where is Adam ? Who is Sphinx and Brick layer ? and most important of them all Will Senlin reunite with his wife ?

WHAT WORKED FOR ME IN THIS BOOK:

Prose: Like the previous works by Josiah Bancroft, the prose in this book were pure brilliant. He outdone himself.

Answers: As the author says in the beginning of this book. All the questions raised in the previous books were answered. Most of the reveals delivers the impact the plot requires.

Final Act: Everything comes together in the last 100 pages to make an explosive finale that will make you feel extremely happy that you stick with this series.

WHAT DIDN'T WORKED FOR ME IN THIS BOOK:

I felt that the pacing was quite slow in some parts. As a result it didn't quite held my attention here and there.

Another nitpick is that there's just very little of our favourite Headmaster. I'm not saying there's barely anything of Senlin. But his page time is somewhat lesser than other characters and it affected me since I'm a Senlin simp 😅. Probably wouldn't affect other's reading experience.

FINAL WORD:
Josiah Bancroft definitely stuck the landing. The Fall of Babel effectively concludes The Books of Babel series.