There is nothing so satisfying as a well-written ending to a series, and in The Fall of Babel, Josiah Bancroft delivers. Everything about the book—the prose, the character relationships, and the satisfying conclusion all leave me feeling warm and satisfied, but also a tad melancholic that Babel has fallen.
Bancroft opens the book with an in-universe reminder of recent occurrences, which was as helpful as it was delightful, and instantly brought me back to his embrace of his prose stylings, one of my favorite aspects of his work. His voice as a writer is distinct, flowing, beautiful, and never overwrought. His metaphors are unique, vivid, and utterly delightful.
The story follows Tom and his merry band of followers as race to save the tower from Marat and his hods, and their dynamic relationships, which drive the plot as much as the need to stop Marat. Though over seven hundred pages, The Fall of Babel flies at a breathless pace that left me itching to pick the book up again.
Humor runs through the book, bringing a much needed levity to what is often a melancholic, deeply reflective book, and I find myself continuing to consider what Bancroft has to say about art, identity, and relationships now, long after I have read the final pages. It’s hard to say much more without getting into spoilers, but despite the drama the characters experience, I find that a pervading sense of optimism in human beings and our capacity to love undergirds the characters mindsets and their resolutions.
And the characters! Bancroft crosses from head to head, showing us the different interior lives and voices of a large portion of the cast, and their vivacity is the highlight of the book to me. I feel as if I know Tom as an old friend by now, and the crew of the State of the Art is the most dynamic throughout the book, and their journeys through the wildly creative ringdoms was a delight. Every action, every word, is in service of developing the characters—even the fight scenes clarify the characters and their priorities.
The Fall of Babel is one of my favorite books of the year… and if you haven’t read the first three, now’s your chance before coming to the incredible conclusion.
Timothy Rueth 