Written in Fire by Marcus Sakey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Written in Fire, the final book in the Brilliance Trilogy, is the all too rare instance of a perfect finale to a journey. It’s the most enjoyable installment in the series. It’s not that author Marcus Sakey was saving the best for last, it’s simply that everything in the first two books has been leading to this conclusion and it plays out very well.
The story of humans developing powers and the inevitable schism this evolution creates was never an original concept, but as the series has progressed, Sakey has shown he has something of value to add to the premise. In the third book, it is the realization of a battle that has been building for some time – normals versus brilliants.
In my review of the second novel, A Better World, I noted only one problem with an otherwise great book – there was no ending. My irritation over that fact and the bad taste it left in my mouth somewhat dampened my enthusiasm for the series and I sort of forgot in the intervening months how much I enjoyed the story and where it was going. A Better World had some truly unique scenes of urban chaos that are continued and expanded upon in Written in Fire.
There is a grounded, realistic quality to the story and the writing that makes the story work in a way that X-Men, for example, often doesn’t. Yes, there is a science fiction, supernatural element to the Brilliance stories, but that fantastical subject really isn’t the story. This is a tale about human beings, whatever their form, and Sakey does an excellent job keeping the story in the realm of possibility, even probability. There’s an inevitability to how events play out that strongly resonates with your expectation of how things would play out in this world.
I believe this series has been optioned for film, and while it certainly seems a natural fit, I wonder whether it would be sufficiently unique to distinguish itself among similar tales, particularly as I consider it a bit of a slow burn.
Recommended.
