13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
BIG Baxter fan, 5 Nov 2007
By Stephen Cooper - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Resplendent: Destiny's Children Book Four (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
The previous three books in the "Children of Destiny" series were all structured so that they told the story along two different timelines, switching back and forth between them. Resplendant doesn't so much follow that format, and follows a seemingly linear timeline, albeit on a literally stellar scale.
Resplendent is essentially a collection of short stories, filling in the back story from before the setting of book two "Exultant" to after the end of the events outlined in Book Three "Transcendent". So while it is a very engrossing read, many of the themes and ideas are familier from the previous books.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great read for fans of Baxter, 28 Dec 2011
By K. B. Emmerling - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Resplendent: Destiny's Children Book Four (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
Resplendent is an amazing ride that runs the course of nearly a million years. As a fan of Baxter's many books including those involving the Xeelee, I was more than curious to see how he would tie up the Destiny's Children saga. Some may bemoan the short story format which differs from the first three books in the series but the format works well with a view of history spanning such a huge time span. Those that have never read any of Baxter's earlier books on the Xeelee will probably want read those first.
The storyline covers the entire history of the human race and its explorations of the galaxy. From wars with alien species to the Xeelee, the book covers much of the material presented in earlier books but with a new angle. The main character throughout the book is a woman that happens to be immortal. Through her eyes and experiences, the reader acquires an amazing sense of humanity's tribulations, triumphs, and downfall.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not quite as good as Vacuum Diagrams..., 12 Jun 2010
By T. Klassen "sustained in sonic bliss" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Resplendent: Destiny's Children Book Four (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)
I was so looking forward to reading this after reading all the other Baxter Xeelee books, and I purposely saved it since Vacuum Diagrams was my favorite and the first one I read. I still haven't read Timelike Infinity but it's on the way in the Xeelee omnibus I ordered. Anyway, even though most of the stories weren't up to the level of the VD ones they are still far superior to most Sci Fi writers today. 'In the Un-Black' may be the most awesome story Baxter has ever written, quite a morality tale, it didn't leave me for days. Think of the way 'Cilia of Gold' hit you at the end of that story and then make it human. Something like that. Still, even though it wasn't another 'Vacuum Diagrams' and some of the stories seem written just to fill in some history, I love it.