Wonderful. This series never lost steam or fell into predictability. Abraham didn't ever need to resort to long, boring expository to explain his world; instead, he created a culture the reader sinks into without realizing it, peopled with characters so complex and flawed you can't help but empathize with them. ( )

With a wistful sigh, I come to the end of the Long Price Quartet. Bittersweet, in turns intense and moving, I find that no more words can suffice than: I'm so glad I read these books. ( )

That this was Abraham's first long work is impressive -- a big story, that of a life of one extraordinary man and the people around him -- extraordinary for his lack of interest in power, but his willingness to step up to the plate, every time recognizing (reluctantly) that somehow, as hard as it is for him to believe, he is more fit to lead than anyone else. The question remains: What to do about these andat? These creations of metaphor and idea made manifest? Are they truly too dangerous to use? This last book is a tour de force as the Khaiem and the Galts hunt down a rogue poet and try to save not just the empire, but the whole world. Unlikely that I will read this a third time, so I am a little bereft, once again.***** ( )

I really liked this book. An excellent wrap up to an excellent series. ( )

The Price of Spring is the fourth and final book of Daniel Abraham's Long Price Quartet. The series title is quite apt. There is both a high price to pay and yet even more time has passed between books. Fifteen years to be precise. Otah Machi now rules the Khaiem as Emperor and he has decided to ally with his country's rival nation and mortal enemy in order to save both countries. To say that Otah's decision for his country is unpopular is putting it mildly.

I found this book to be a fitting end to the series. The theme of the cycle of life, the passing of the torch from one generation to the next, and how the passage of time changes people (or not in some cases) is strongly felt. It's an impressive feat to have pulled off and it makes for a series that is likely more appreciated by older audience than perhaps a younger one.

I'm happy to say I finally found a characters I could get behind in Eieh and, eventually, Danat and Ana. Poor, poor Maati. He has to be one of the most tragic and misguided characters I've read about in a long time. I both feel bad for him and disgusted by him. Vanjit was another interesting and different villain. I was mostly able to predict where she was headed given her situation, though I was still surprised just how far she went in the end.

As much as I enjoyed the book there were several things that also bothered me. Otah's grand plan to unite with the Galt's for example. There are many more nations based on the map of the world. Why did he have to pick the people that ruined and almost conquered his country? Why not one of the otheres, one that might have been easier for the people of the Khaiem to accept? Also, the Khaiem are such oddballs. It's like the worst case of nationalized xenophobia ever! They'd rather die than see their children marry and procreate with anyone outside of their society. That whole solution never quite made sense to me other than Otah assuaging his guilt by forcing his country into a situation they hated. I also found the final resolution to be anticlimactic. I'm glad it worked out the way it did - it was just over too fast, basically wrapping up in a page and a half.

While I don't think I'll ever reread this series, I'm glad to have read it. I truly enjoy Abraham's writing and had an interesting time visiting the world of the andat. I think I'll be picking up the author's Expanse series sometime in the future. ( )