Grail

Written by Elizabeth Bear

Narrated by Alma Cuervo

Booklist calls the world of Hugo Award winner Elizabeth Bear's spellbinding Jacob's Ladder series "magnificently populated, well worth visiting." Here the trilogy that began with Dust and Chill draws to its stunning conclusion. The passengers of the generation spaceship Jacob's Ladder have found a new home at last. But the planet Grail is already inhabited-and its population of genetically engineered humans has no intention of sharing the world. "[A] deftly told story ."-Publishers Weekly

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9781464029592

Elizabeth Bear

Elizabeth Bear was born on the same day as Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, but in a different year. She is the Hugo, Theodore Sturgeon Memorial, Locus, and Astounding Award–winning author of dozens of novels and over a hundred short stories. She has spoken on futurism at Google, MIT, DARPA’s 100 Year Starship Project, and the White House, among others. Find her at www.elizabethbear.com.  

Reviews for Grail

[thedivineoomba · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book as a conclusion to the series - it tied up ends nicely, it expanded on the world already created. The clash of the two cultures (The Exalted Folk, who are more than human), vs non-changed people, whose brains are "right-minded", for the better good of humanity. Its an interesting collision of culture, with both sides being written as sensible.The story itself is fun - lots of action, interesting characters. The story moves quickly, and doesn't stagnate. The characters are interesting.

[devilwrites · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The premise: ganked from BN.com: Rife with intrigue and betrayal, heroism and sacrifice, Grail brings Elizabeth Bear’s brilliant space opera to a triumphant conclusion.At last the generation ship Jacob’s Ladder has arrived at its destination: the planet they have come to call Grail. But this habitable jewel just happens to be populated already: by humans who call their home Fortune. And they are wary of sharing Fortune—especially with people who have genetically engineered themselves to such an extent that it is a matter of debate whether they are even human anymore. To make matters worse, a shocking murder aboard the Jacob’s Ladder has alerted Captain Perceval and the angel Nova that formidable enemies remain hidden somewhere among the crew.On Grail—or Fortune, rather—Premier Danilaw views the approach of the Jacob’s Ladder with dread. Behind the diplomatic niceties of first-contact protocol, he knows that the deadly game being played is likely to erupt into full-blown war—even civil war. For as he strives to chart a peaceful and prosperous path forward for his people, internal threats emerge to take control by any means necessary.My Rating: Worth Reading, with ReservationsIt's very close to a "Good Read," but the ending was just abstract enough that I had trouble following the why of what was actually happening. I get what caused it, and I get the end result. It's the in-between that gives me issues. No matter, I've said it before and I'll say it again: this book (and trilogy) is so rich in ideas and themes that a single read does not do the book (nor trilogy) justice. I can see myself coming back to this sometime in the future and peeling back more layers and understanding more than I ever did before. The fact I kind of want to do that is promising, because these books have an above-average rating, they have the kind of staying power that's well worth noting. It may not be an addictive read, but it is most certainly a challenging, thought-provoking one, and I'm glad I finished the trilogy.Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. Expect spoilers not only for this book, but the first two books well. I apologize, but it's really hard to talk about the last book in a trilogy without divulging SOME details. The full review is in my blog, which is linked below. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.REVIEW: Elizabeth Bear's GRAILHappy Reading!

[gregandlarry · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Disappointing