Just. Screw you, Ewing. My emotions and sleep schedule didn't need this good a book tonight. But here we are at 5am because I couldn't put it down. Storm grappling with the weight and meaning of Arrako and her place there. Magneto grappling with his own place in the world post-Inferno. Roberto being a little shit in the best ways. Brand being Brand. Cable being Extra Cable-y in so many ways. Just everything.

All that said, this is deeply steeped in Krakoan era continuity. Even fixing a last minute throwaway line Hickman wrote that broke some of his intended continuity (that he's mentioned in interviews). I don't think this book works without having read S.W.O.R.D. by Ewing to which it is a direct sequel and continuation. It probably works without reading the entire Krakoan era, though HoX/PoX, Trial of Magneto, and Inferno would definitely lend a lot of missing context to your enjoyment here.

It's hard to separate the context from my enjoyment of these X-books these days. Because the dripping, oozing continuity all over them all is what I LOVE about these worlds and stories and is a big part of what I love about this book and its world and story. ( )