The year is 1940. London is in the early days of World War
II. Again. Raybould Marsh has been sent back in time to
eliminate the Nazi supermen and England's wizards before
their actions draw the attention of an ancient alien race,
the Eidolons who have already destroyed Raybould Marsh's
future world. Marsh's biggest threat is Gretel, a seer who
choreographed the elaborate plan in order to save herself.
Gretel will sacrifice worlds to hide from the Eidolons, but
as she changes events, can she continue to sort through the
threads of time to find a future free of the Eidolons?
NECESSARY EVIL by Ian Tregillis is the stunning conclusion
in the Milkweed Triptych. For the last two weeks I've tried
to write this review and the words have simply failed me. I
cannot begin to cover the depth of Tregillis' writing. When
a story fails to hit the right note, whether it be weak
characters or implausible action or plot holes, readers can
immediately spot it. While they might still enjoy the book
because of the plot or characters, they know it could have
been better. On the other hand, when all the elements of
story are combined successfully, the reader can't separate
out one particular aspect that made the story fantastic.
NECESSARY EVIL is a truly fantastic story on every level.
From his stark, compelling prose to the complexity of
character development, to the intricate details of the
world NECESSARY EVIL has it all. It is without a doubt one
of the best books I've ever read. It is possible to read
this book and enjoy it without having read the first two. I
don't suggest it, but it is that good. The nuances of plot
and character development throughout the triptych make the
conclusion heart-breaking and completely satisfying.
For those who don't read Science-Fiction and who curse the
difficulties of following time-travel plots, let me say I
used to feel the same way. Ian Tregillis has converted me.
Smarter people may finds holes in the logic of time travel
in this novel but not me. Every action made sense and the
consequences of those actions made sense. The world is
complex, but it's explained clearly and without being
overly complicated. Because there is a base knowledge of
the political and militaristic actions that took place
during World War II, the machinations of the political
powers in NECESSARY EVIL are fully grasped. People continue
to act like the flawed, scared, and loving people. One of
the great things about these characters is that while their
actions reshape worlds, their decisions and their emotions
could be my own. They're everyday people with everyday
pains. The ability to make these larger-than-life actions
personal and relatable speaks to Ian Tregillis' amazing
skill as a writer. From the first page, he builds a bond
between reader and character that is unshakable.
I highly recommend the Milkweed Triptych. NECESSARY
EVIL is
one of the best conclusions to a series I've ever read.
12 May 1940. Westminster, London, England: the early days
of World War II.
Again.
Raybould Marsh, one of “our” Britain’s best spies, has
travelled to another Earth in a desperate attempt to save at
least one timeline from the Cthulhu-like monsters who have
been observing our species from space and have already
destroyed Marsh’s timeline. In order to accomplish this, he
must remove all traces of the supermen that were created by
the Nazi war machine and caused the specters from outer
space to notice our planet in the first place.
His biggest challenge is the mad seer Gretel, one of the
most powerful of the Nazi creations, who has sent a version
of herself to this timeline to thwart Marsh. Why would she
stand in his way? Because she has seen that in all the
timelines she dies and she is determined to stop that from
happening, even if it means destroying most of humanity in
the process. And Marsh is the only man who can stop her.
Necessary Evil is the stunning conclusion to Ian Tregillis’s
Milkweed series.
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