My thanks to both NetGalley and ECW Press for an advance copy of this work.

"From first to last, the peak is never passed..." Neil Peart.

Driven: Rush in the ’90s and “In the End” by Martin Popoff Is the third volume in the Rush Across the Decades Trilogy, a history of the Canadian rock trio whose music I have loved since high school when I first heard the Grace Under Pressure album. The book is a mix of prior interviews from magazines and television and new interviews with in-depth tour and recording session notes and reviews. Mr.Popoff doesn't go to deep into the band members, focusing more on the music and how and why the songs became what they are. Yes there are discussions on differences of view on songs, and especially the mixing of albums, but seems the most dissent the band after such a long period together seemed to have. The book does cover the dark period faced by the drummer Neil Peart, a situation known to all fans that I won't go into.

The music are what this trilogy is about, why was this song chosen, why played in that style with that instrument. Those sections are quite interesting, and Mr. Popoff is very honest in his appraisals. Mr. Popoff is a good music writer, I will have to look for more works by him. Getting a naturally reticent band like Rush to open up about things must have been difficult.

There is a sadness also with this book. Mentions of songs being in rotation for all future tours, tours which will never take place. Knowing what happens to characters is sometimes a burden in writing and reading. It is no different here. A really great read and a real gift for fans. I've not stopped listening to my collection of Rush albums and ahem bootlegs since finishing this book. I thank Mr. Popoff for reminding me how much I love the music.

I was so absolutely thrilled to receive a copy of this book to review because the author's first and second volumes on Rush were great reads and perfect for the consummate Rush fan. Since my childhood, I've held a fascination with this band and still listen religiously to many of their recordings. Plus, Martin Popoff is the premier writer of rock music, and, unless I'm not a fan of the band, I'm right there waiting to get my hands on a copy of one of his books. In fact, I just saw that he's coming out with a gigantic visual biography of the group Yes, which I would LOVE to read (hint, hint to anyone listening who can hook me up).

Back to the topic at hand, the third volume of history of Rush, chronicles their albums starting with Roll the Bones, which spawned several great tunes including one of my favorites, Dreamline. It moves through the rest of the catalog, each chapter focusing on another album. Even Rush in Rio was touched upon in its very own chapter. A final chapter ties up the loose ends and shares the bittersweet ending of Rush as we fans know it with their highly lauded and amazing drummer, Neil Peart, passing away.

For a fan, this is a must-have because the author goes deep into the recording process and how the band members conquered whatever challenges they may have at the time or new paths they sought to forge. While I found most of that interesting, I'm not a fan of Counterparts, Test for Echo, or Vapor Trails.

Of course, like every album, there are standout tracks, so when those were covered like
Test for Echo, Driven, One Little Victory, or Secret Touch (another favorite), I relished the information. But most of those chapters fell flat, which could be because I rarely if ever listen to those albums--I listen to Different Stages instead, which gets its own chapter as well.

I thoroughly loved hearing about Snakes and Arrows because that was such a turning point, and I remember going to see them in Camden with friends and Philly with my husband (incredible seats, BTW--we literally felt the warmth of the pyrotechnics, an older fan had the BEST jean jacket with tons of Rush patches, and my husband insisted that Geddy Lee smiled at him), which brings up great memories.

The chapter on Clockwork Angels held no real interest for me either because I only like a few songs on that. If you were a fan of that album, maybe you would be more interested in that chapter.

While most chapters provide a ton of information and inside knowledge, I wanted to know more about the documentary Beyond the Lighted Stage. That was an excellent documentary even if you're not a Rush fan, and I thought a chapter on that seemed fitting, so that's one of my issues with the book. Also, the last chapter felt a little rushed (no pun intended) and too wrapped up. I also felt that a chapter focusing on their cult-like status resulting in events like RushCon or the final, really depressing documentary, Rush: Time Stand Still, could have been covered.

Other than those minor items, and because I just do not love some of their later albums, this final volume while incredibly bittersweet, serves as a good final chapter for the Rush canon.

I highly recommend all three volumes if you're a Rush fan who cannot get enough. I felt this series delved in way deeper than most Rush bios. Kudos to Martin Popoff!

The final book in a series covering Rush's legendary career.

Popoff - as always - offers meticulous attention to detail and brilliant writing, showcasing the bands career from the Roll the Bones era through Neil Peart's personal tragedies and into the bands blistering returning to form with Vapour Trails, culminating in their final album - and career highlight - Clockwork Angels. Not for the casual fan, Driven is packed full of details, anecdotes and quotes which give an interesting view towards the thought process behind various songs and albums as a whole.

Interesting, insightful, well researched and written, A must for any serious Rush fan.

Thanks to ECW Press and NetGalley for the ARC.