The Destroyer of Worlds

The Destroyer of Worlds: A Return to Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Three means I liked it so settle down.

The Turner/Berry extended family is back in this volume. The structure is different than in Lovecraft Country. Here, we have shifting viewpoints rather than more or less self-contained stories. Threads are picked up from the last volume so we get more of everything. More magic natural philosophy. More exotic locales. More run-ins with the racism and prejudices of the day. More scheming magicians natural philosophers.

So, yeah, it was good, I liked it for the same reasons I liked the first book. It just didn't quite have the punch the first book did. It's a sequel so I guess part of that comes with the territory but I never once thought any of the characters were in any real danger and the characters haven't changed much since the last book. Also, someone didn't seem to mind his fate from the previous book in the least.

The stories, while featuring the same characters, didn't feel as tightly linked as the ones in the last book.

It probably feels like I've been shitting on the book but I did enjoy it. I love the world Ruff has created and the way the magic system works. It feels open ended enough for future volumes and that's fine with me.

View all my reviews