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Immediate Reaction: Loved this book from start to finish. But I hate the fact that it had to conclude the tale. Detailed review to come shortly (after I process my feelings).




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'Waybound' (Cradle #12) by Will Wight.




Status: First Read.
Dates Read: 5th June to 7th June 2023.

Dross wiped an imaginary tear from beneath his eye. [It’s every parent’s dream to see their little boy grow into such a fine young Dreadgod.]

“You’re not my parent.��

[Well, I don’t like your parents, so I choose to replace them.]

Rating: 4.5/5.





Disclaimer: The following review contains some spoilers for this book as well as for the previous books in this series. Do tread with caution.





Review:

An epic ending to an epic series.


With the release of the final book of the Cradle series looming closer, I decided to embark upon a re-read journey starting from the last week of April. Ideally, I would have consumed all eleven of these books within a fortnight, but I decided to join a group read-along to relish and analyze these books at a much leisurely pace along with the fans reading the series for the first time. Since we followed a much more comfortable pace to not overburden and overwhelm the new readers, I found myself just done with 'Bloodline' two days before the release of 'Waybound'.

I had earlier planned to wait for the group to catch up until the end of 'Dreadgod' and read 'Waybound' for the first time along with them. But, alas, I wasn't able to rein in my excitement once 'Waybound' was surprisingly released a day before its earlier announced release date. I, ultimately, had to succumb to the temptation and devoured 'Waybound' in a matter of two days while the group was taking a scheduled break before picking up the next book.

Since I skipped re-reading 'Reaper' and 'Dreadgod' in order to consume 'Waybound' as soon as it dropped, I'm sure to have missed some of the minor references, easter eggs, and callbacks alluding to the events of these two books. As a result, this first-read review shall contain my raw unfiltered reactions after finishing this book. I do plan to resume the (re)read-along soon, so I shall end up writing a much more in-depth review of this book as soon as I finish a re-read.

Whew, that introduction was too long! It is time to move on to my actual thoughts concerning this book. When I finished the penultimate book in this series, considering all the loose ends and various plot threads left unresolved, I was apprehensive about Will Wight's abilities to tie it all together in a comprehensive manner in a single book. I need not have worried, though. Will Wight succeeds in delivering a spectacular conclusion to this spectacular series. Did it deliver every single thing I wished for? No, it didn't. But to expect such a thing would have been highly delusion. However, what we got instead was much better than I had expected. I was and still am astonished at Will Wight's proficiency in juggling different plot threads in this book to deliver a truly epic and highly satisfying ending.

The book is filled to the brim with action sequences. The rapid onslaught of action from page one sometimes makes you want to wish for a breather �� nah, it simply makes you want to devour the entire book in a single sitting. I am not exaggerating when I proclaim that the entirety of the first 90% of the book is an action-filled bonanza. It only slows down in the last 10% after the climactic battle to give us more time to bid adieu to the world and characters we have fallen in love with.

While we are talking about the spectacular action sequences in this book, I do need to add that the final battle seemed as cinematic and stunning as the final battle of the 'Avengers: Endgame' movie as well as the Last Battle in 'A Memory of Light' (Wheel of Time) book. You can blame it on a recency bias, but I'm quite sure the entire final sequence is one of my favorite climactic fictional battle sequences of all time.

The raised stakes, rising tensions, and the large-scale scope of the plot make up for a riveting read. Although the book is fast-paced and action-packed, it would be unfair to assume that it was done at the expense of character development. Sprinkled amidst a narrative densely packed with action, there are eloquent passages dedicated to the growth of every single character of Lindon's team. These sections don't bog down the narrative but give our beloved characters a chance to shine. Will Wight maintains a wonderful balance between succinctly portrayed character growth and a plot-driven, faced-paced narrative.

Aiming to advance in a record-breaking time to reach an advancement level sufficient to battle the Monarchs and Dreadgods was always going to be a monumental task. We see our favorite characters labor through hardships to accomplish this impossible feat. Having lived through the eyes of these characters for so long, the book makes us invested enough to celebrate their accomplishments as well as grieve for their losses.

Despite all the action, this book is a highly emotional affair. If the previous eleven books have worked their magic on you, this would hit you hard. The book made me laugh out loud, sob my heart out, and had me at the edge of my seat almost until the end. There are some incredible moments in the book that enhance its enjoyability factor by multiple folds. It would be difficult to list all the epic moments that I liked, but the ones that stand out are: Mercy's interaction with her Remnant, Lindon's duel with a Monarch, Ziel's Sage revelation, the team taking on the Weeping Dragon, and the reunions at the end of the book. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! I could keep on gushing about all the characters, fights, scenes, and the entire book for a long time.

As mentioned above, there are multiple references and callbacks to the moments from the earlier books. While most of them made me nostalgic enough to start a re-read (again!), some sections seemed to have been purely included for fan service. Jaran, suddenly being a caring and compassionate father, after his dismissive attitude towards Lindon so far, was so unbelievable that I had to put my book down for a moment. It was so out of the blue that I'm sure it was merely written that way to give us closure about Lindon's parental issues in the final book. Ever since Lindon's journey in the Sacred Arts began, there were memes and fan speculation about how he would beat the crap out of Li Markuth if he ever returns to Cradle again. Lo and behold, Will gives the fans what they wanted. It felt too much of a fan service, but I enjoyed that much-awaited clash. As they say, "a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one."

A minor grievance I had with this book was the way the Abidan sections were handled in it. Just like a large-scale battle on Cradle, I had expected something spectacular when it came to the final confrontation with the Mad King. This might just be me falling prey to the high expectations, but it seemed to be lackluster as compared to the main arc taking place on the Cradle. Although the Abidan sections (those before the gang's ascension) seemed to be underutilized, I'm at peace with what Will had to offer.

The book does a great job of wrapping up all the major arcs and delivering a satisfactory conclusion, but it does leave some questions unanswered in its wake. Questions regarding the future of Lindon's allies in Cradle, the fate of the Vroshir and Oth'kimeth, advancement on Cradle once the current generation of the Eight-Man Empire ascends with their Dreadgod weapons, and lots more were still left unanswered. While there are high chances that some of these might never be answered, I do strongly believe that Will Wight might want to touch upon these unresolved plot threads in a sequel series about the Reaper Division (if it happens) or through the cameos in his other books.

In conclusion, I absolutely loved this book. I still firmly believe that 'Wintersteel' is the best of the lot, but this book almost comes close to achieving that kind of perfection. It's a great book nonetheless �� a book that does justice to all the efforts the author and the fans have put in over the last eleven books. It delivers a satisfying conclusion on a much grander scale and still keeps you wanting more. Oh well, there's still hope we might see some of these characters in Will Wight's other books as most of these books are written in a shared multiverse. A man can hope, dream even, and sometimes even his dreams may come true.

"To you, for reading this far.
Thank you for walking this Path with me all the way to the end."
�� Will Wight.

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