I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Trials of Koli by M.R. Carey Series: Rampart Trilogy #2
Published by Orbit on September 15 2020
Genres: Adult, Science fiction, Dystopian
Pages: 480
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A stellar follow-up to one of my favorite books of 2020, The Trials of Koli is even better than the first book—unique, engaging, emotional and highly satisfying.
The future rises out of the past like a fountain, and cannot be held back.
Koli’s adventures continue in this excellent follow-up to The Book of Koli, M.R. Carey’s post-apocalyptic trilogy. I gave The Book of Koli five stars, and I was thrilled to be able to do the same for The Trials of Koli. Carey surprised me this time by adding a second perspective to his story, and at first I wasn’t sure how that was going to work out. But luckily, the author knew exactly what he was doing, and I never should have doubted him. This is a series you definitely need to read in order, so please do not start with this book! And take note, there will be minor spoilers for the first book in this review.
Just in case you need a refresher, the Rampart Trilogy takes place in a post apocalyptic world where pockets of people are scattered throughout “Ingland” after something called the Unfinished War. Koli is a young boy who, at the end of the last book, was cast out of the village of Mythen Rood for stealing tech—the priceless pieces of old technology that protect the village—and now he must navigate the world outside, which is filled with dangerous trees and animals and even groups of rogue outsiders. Koli is traveling with Ursala, a healer who has an amazing piece of tech of her own called a drudge, and Cup, a girl who they rescued during their adventures at the end of The Book of Koli. The tech that Koli stole is a Dreamsleeve named Monono Aware, a virtual Japanese performer who not only plays music but has her own distinct personality. Monono and Koli are fast friends, and Koli’s biggest fear is losing her. Koli and his friends are following a radio signal to London, where Ursala hopes to find vast numbers of people still alive, with the hope of creating a larger gene pool and literally saving the human race.
The second perspective is that of Spinner, who we briefly met in the last book. Koli was in love with her, but she chose another boy to marry, much to Koli’s dismay. Spinner’s story tells what happened after Koli left, when she married Haijon Vennastin. Jon became Rampart Knife due to his affinity with a piece of tech called a cutter, and now Spinner is joining him in Rampart Hold as his wife. Spinner’s tale unfolds as she attempts to become friends with her new family members, who don’t seem to like her at first. But the people of Mythen Rood soon have other things to worry about when a deadly plague comes to the village. Spinner has no idea, but she is about to have her own adventure with the village’s tech as they attempt to figure out what is causing the plague and how to stop it.
I’m reluctant to give you any more of the plot so as not to spoil all the wonderful surprises in this story. The Trials of Koli is—in my opinion—the perfect middle book. New writers would be smart to read this series for inspiration, as Carey does everything right. You won’t find “middle book slump” here, or a book that acts as filler between the first and third books. Instead, The Trials of Koli is its own entity. It moves the overall series plot along nicely, but it also follows a clear story arc of its own, which I found thrilling, humorous, emotional and gasp-inducing in equal measure.
I found myself loving both Koli’s and Spinner’s sections. When Spinner begins her tale, there is a little overlap with events from the last book, but because we are hearing those events from a different character’s perspective, everything felt fresh and exciting. And as time went on, I found myself so invested in Spinner’s story, that I actually felt sad when her sections ended. But then I realized how much I loved Koli’s story, and I was happy to be back there! And so on.
I loved Koli in the last book, and I grew to love him even more in this book, along with almost all of the other characters. Koli is completely innocent when he heads off into the world, seeing and experiencing things for the first time in his life, but you can see how he’s growing and changing in this book, even though he’s surrounded by people who seem to always be one step ahead of him. I liked the fact that his ignorance is balanced out by Ursala and Cup: Ursala because she is extremely smart and understands the ins and outs of medical science, and Cup because she has been through awful heartache and torture but has come through it all with strength and compassion.
I think Cup was by far my favorite character this time around. I may have missed it in the last book, but Cup is a trans woman—not even a woman, but a teenager of about fourteen—who wants nothing more than to be accepted. Luckily she’s found acceptance in Koli and Ursala, and later on her adventures, when the group meets the people of Many Fishes, she finds love and even a place she thinks she can call home. Ursala and Monono discuss medical options for Cup, especially with the onset of puberty when she is struggling with such things as growing facial hair and the prospect of her voice changing, and I loved that Carey included these moments.
Many relationships between characters also change and grow, especially that of Ursala and Cup, and Ursala and Monono. Ursala distrusts both Cup and Monono at the outset of their journey, and I loved the small, subtle shifts that happen between them that turn enemies into fast friends. This is a wonderful “found family” story, for those of you who love that particular trope!
And I adored Spinner and her tale, as I mentioned before. Spinner is also an innocent and is unaware of the wider world, but she’s also quite smart, and her mind is blown when she makes a discovery about the tech of Mythen Rood. In fact, Carey focuses heavily on tech in this story, and as we venture further from Mythen Rood, we get to see more of this future’s abandoned tech. In the first book, I was trying to figure out exactly what the tech was (for example, I pictured the Dreamsleeve as an iPod), but in fact, most of this tech is completely unfamiliar. Even though Carey gives us a clear image of a dying world where tech doesn’t work anymore, that tech is still decades away from what might be familiar to us right now. And with each new piece of tech we discover, Carey widens our view of his fascinating world.
I also wanted to briefly mention one of my favorite parts of the book, which starts at about the halfway point. This is when Koli, Cup and Ursala find themselves guests of the people of Many Fishes, a peaceful village where life is much different from what Koli is used to. I won’t tell you too much, but I will mention that there is a fabulous side story involving a boat, and Carey finally tells us more about the killer trees introduced in the first book, and we get to witness the choker seeds firsthand. I absolutely adored the beliefs of the village and what happens to their dead, which also ties into that boat story I mentioned.
There are so many other elements I haven’t even mentioned, but I should probably wrap things up so you can start reading this series if you haven’t already. The ending leads right into book three, and you can bet I’ll be waiting impatiently for March 2021, when the series concludes. Highly recommended!
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
This second book did indeed expand on the previous section of the story and on the characters’ journey, and like you I loved the inclusion of Spinner and the possibility of seeing what happened in Mythen Rood after Koli’s departure. Also, the change in relationship dynamics between the three – or rather four, if you include Monono – travelers is done quite well, as is the depiction of Cup’s difficult transition. My only complaint is that book 3 is not here yet… 😀
Great review, thanks for sharing!
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…KILLMAN CREEK (Stillhouse Lake #2), by Rachel Caine
I know, and I’m wondering how he will wrap everything up in one more book. This is a series that seems to have endless possibilities for more books! I didn’t even mention that wonderful scene between Koli and Monono, there was just so much awesome stuff I couldn’t talk about everything:-)
Good review! It sounds like this would be a good series to buddy read with the dear hubster.
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…History of Her Future, a graphic novel review
Oooh it might, I hope you both enjoy it:-)
Brilliant review Tammy! I finished this over the weekend and agree with everything you said. I’m glad Carey took to the time to put some of the spotlight on Cup. I think it was mentioned in the first book that Cup was “crossed” but then not explained well. She was my favorite character too.
I just loved everything about Cup, she’s so prickly in the beginning but she really becomes a great part of the group. I hope you post a review!
Yay! Really gotta love it when a sequel is even better than the first book. It doesn’t always happen.
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Audiobook Review: Tell Me Lies by J.P. Pomare
So true! It’s definitely proof of what a seasoned writer he is:-)
Aye, matey! Me review is up tomorrow but I found meself nodding to much of what ye had here. Arrr!
x The Captain
I can’t wait to read your review!
I’m so excited to read your excellent review! Can’t wait to start the book!
I hope you love it, Lisa!
Sometimes the second book isn’t as good, so I am glad that this one was just as good as the first one. Great review!
Often the second book isn’t as good, so I was very happy!
Glad you’re continuing to love this series so much! I think I picked up the first book during a sale recently, now I just have to get to reading it. 😉
It’s definitely worth reading:-)
Excellent review, Tammy! Im so glad to hear you liked thos one even more! I can’t wait to give it a try!
I hope you love it too!
I sort of skimmed over sections of the review. Didn’t want to know too much, though I know you never spoil books in your reviews. I’m very glad to hear there’s no slump with this one, that you actually enjoyed it more. I can’t wait to give it a read one of these days. Thanks for the great (partially skimmed over) review!! 🙂
I’ll be curious to see what you think, Todd:-)
I’ve decided to give the series another shot, since a few people on Goodreads who didn’t love the first one seemed to like this one more – I hope I’ll have the same experience 🙂
I’ll be so curious to see what you think of this. I remember you didn’t like the first book much.
An excellent review, Tammy:)). And I agree with everything you’ve said. Carey is the master at giving us an initial introduction of a character or situation and then further revealing insights and information so that the ongoing story is a constant, fresh revelation. It’s a great way to keep a series constantly fresh and exciting. You’re right – this is a masterclass in how it’s done!
He’s so talented. I’m not sure how I will last until March…
I have skipped the main bulk of your awesome review for the reason that I haven’t read the first book yet and I need to get my finger out and do it! I’m so glad to hear book 2 is just as good as the first one, I’m excited to get in to this series.
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I hope you enjoy this series, Heather:-)
I’m still planning to read these. I have the first on the library. I’m happy to see they are holding up as favorite reads.
Yes, this is such a solid series, if you like post apocalyptic stories.
Phenomenal review, Tammy! I really look forward to cracking open this sequel too. I love that you also conclude like many others that it’s superior to the first one!!! 😀
Lashaan Balasingam recently posted…The Black Song by Anthony Ryan
I’m finding lots of people feel that way. Hopefully that means book three will absolutely destroy me! ha ha
It is always an amazing thing when the second book in a series is a good book in its own right! I don’t know if this series would be the right one for me, but your reviews are compelling!!
Thanks Susy:-)
I think you’ve tempted me back on board with this series. Great review.
Lynn 😀
It’s so good, I hope you can read it.