The conclusion of this intricate trilogy has all the elements I loved from books one and two: political intrigue, plotting and scheming, and a hugely diverse set of characters.

The poetess Ummuhan returns, though in a smaller role, while Dead Man and Gage are doing their best to stave off threats. The two rajnis, Sayeh and Mrithuri, work hard to deal with the outcomes of war and stabilize the Lotus Kingdom. And there's an ancient dragon who's got tons of knowledge, ability and charm who joins in to help everyone.

The pacing continues to be slow, which is fine, as it matches books one and two. And the things I liked in the previous books really come to the fore during all the action: all the fantastic women, whether poetess, rajni, bookworm, or dragon, dealing with problem after problem, decisively. The dragon Kyrlmyrandal, and the rajnis Mrithuri and Sayeh were standouts for me.

Then, at the three quarter mark, I kept wondering, did I just leave book three and enter something else? Because where did the Beast come from? I don't understand how its reveal was credibly set up, so I stayed confused as this new, terrifically bad threat was dealt with, before we returned to the story I expected, of Mrithuri and Sayeh continuing to figure out how to run the new empire.

The first three quarters of the story was a solid 4 stars, while the last quarter dropped precipitously for me to at best a 2-star rating. Because I really enjoyed the series till that weird plot twist, I'm going to give this book 3 stars for its final rating.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Macmillan-Tor/Forge Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I loved the depth and breadth of this storyline. The characters came alive on the page with realism and all the little flaws that make us human. In particular I loved the incidental exploration into feminine psyche, orientation and strength, yet all whilst the storyline unfolded with grace, suspense and, to my delight, a lot of humor too.
Well done! A real must-read.
Full review on YouTube

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Ahoy there mateys! This was a decent conclusion to the Lotus Kingdoms trilogy.  The plus side has the reader getting some answers for why the worlds worked the way they do (interesting if not completely fleshed out).  I also continued to love the strong female characters.  The downsides were too many characters so that not all were given adequate page time or resolution. Plus there was a slow start to the novel in general.  I really wanted more time with the scientist magicians and the Gage.  I wasn't completely satisfied by the ending and who the bad guys were.  I admit that I preferred the first trilogy set in the Eternal Sky world but am still glad to have read this one.  Arrr!

Elizabeth Bear concludes the Lotus Kings fantasy trilogy with The Origin of Storms. Mrithuri Rajni, chief claimant to the Peacock Throne, has to get to the city of the Peacock Throne and survive sitting on it. Along the way she needs an heir and a spouse. Magic and intrigue along the way. Read and enjoy.

HIGHLIGHTS
~blind dragons are still badass
~#transwomenarewomen
~literal bookworms contribute to empire
~goddesses are rarely what you expect
~wearing a crown is almost as complicated as claiming it

*Spoilers for The Bone in the Skull and The Red-Stained Wings!*

To be honest, the ending ruined it for me.

The first two thirds of Origin of Storms cover Mrithuri, Sayeh and the rest working to consolidate Mrithuri’s unexpected empire. It’s definitely slow to get moving, but something about the rhythm and cadence of the prose made it surprisingly readable and oddly soothing. It was easy to drift along with, enjoyably. It involved more military logistics than political manouvering, but there was manouvering, and it was sneaky and clever and well-done.

Even moreso than the rest of the trilogy, Origin of Storms is very much a book about women: royal women, noble women, educated women, loyal women, servant women, holy women. It’s about the restrictions placed on women – especially those who want to hold power that men will respect – and how to move within those restrictions to get what you want (or as close to what you want as can be managed). It’s about the nature of feminine power, which can’t look like power at all if you want to get things done. It’s about being women playing the traditionally-male game of kingdoms and thrones. It’s about how hard that is.

And it is very, very much about women – all kinds of women – working together.

One of the things that made me happiest about Origin is that Sayeh – who is third-sex, and identifies and presents as a woman – is never left out of this sisterhood. Her place among the rest of the women is never even up for debate, is never questioned. Of course she’s one of them. She’s a vital and valued member of the sisterhood. Which is something that would make me happy no matter when this book was coming out, but it feels particularly important – and powerful – right at this moment, when so much transphobia is running rampant in the USA and UK.

But the last third or quarter of the book ruined the entire trilogy for me.

Look: in book one, we had glimpses of a creepy sorcerer, who might be genderfluid or might be two people, it was unclear. In book two, we had a few more glimpses of this character (or pair of characters), enough to make it clear they were up to something capital-b Bad, but not enough to know what exactly they were doing, and no clue at all as to why they were doing it. Also in book two, there were a handful of references to ‘beasts which feed on war’, which read to me like gnomic utterances, or at best a kind of metaphor for the sort of people who enjoy violence and chaos.

Spoiler: it was not a metaphor. Out of absolutely nowhere, it is suddenly announced that there is a literal beast and our beloved cast must defeat it in what I will allow is a hugely cinematic Final Battle.

What is the beast called? We don’t know. Where does it come from? We don’t know. What are its powers? We don’t know. What does it want? We don’t know.

What the fuck?

We don’t know.

And I mean, the characters themselves say this! It’s stated on-page that noone knows anything – there’s just some guesses. Which kind of feels like Bear admitting to the reader that she put almost no thought (or groundwork) into this at all, but is rolling with it anyway because…Well, because Reasons, I guess.

So for me, the big epic climax was frustrating as hell, because the Big Bad effectively came out of nowhere, at the very last minute, without even an attempt at an explanation. And that is not a thing I enjoy, no matter how cinematic you make it.

I really, really wish the Beast had been kept out of it – there was plenty going on, and more than enough to resolve, without it. Armies! Politicking! Alliances! Claiming the Peacock Throne! The secret behind the throne’s power! A dragon!!! Tossing the Beast in as well was messy and lazy, and if you were going to do it, you should have been laying so much more groundwork for it in the previous books.

Gah.

Vital reading for fans of the trilogy, but nonetheless a let-down.

The Origin of Storms (2022) is Elizabeth Bear’s mostly satisfying conclusion to her generally excellent LOTUS KINGDOM’s trilogy, continuing the prior books’ strengths of strong characterization and sharp social commentary. Spoilers to follow for books one and two.

After the events of the first two books, Rajni Mrithuri is now the Dowager Empress, ruler of conjoined kingdoms and the person with the strongest claim to the Alchemical Throne (though she has yet to risk sitting on it). That said, she has no guarantee that the soldiers of her now dead enemy Anuraja will recognize her authority. Besides the immediate issue of a still potentially hostile army on her doorstep, Mrithuri needs that army for the larger war being waged against a mysterious “Beast” and its two necromancer agents. Not to mention a possible second civil war with Himadra, who may seek to rule himself.

Luckily, Mrithuri has a number of allies — Sayeh Rajni, one-time ruler of a now-devastated land; the mercenary Dead Man (also husband to Mrithuri) and his partner, the metalman Gage; the wizards Ata Khimah and Tseringla; Hnarisha, Mrithuri’s secretary with her own set of skills; Nazia, Tsering-la’s apprentice; the poet Ümmühan; the “undead Godmade” Nizhvashiti, and Golbahar; and the ancient dragon Kyrlmyrandal. And maybe some unexpected ones as well.

The early going catches the reader up on past events effectively and efficiently, if at a few times it’s a little blunt. We’re reintroduced to the characters and their situations and then they’re all moved into their places — geographically or in terms of alliances and relationships — as the story moves outward from the kingdom-focused politics to the more existential threat of the Beast.

For the most part, as the story shifts smoothly amongst the several points of view, the narrative is well balanced between moments of tension, action scenes, and quieter interludes either between a pair of characters or within a single character’s musing mind. The one exception to this, and to be honest it was a significant one, is the final battle, which to my mind went on far too long, somewhat tainting the whole-book experience given it’s the closing section. YMMV.

Characterization, as has been the case throughout the series, is a particular asset, thanks to both depth and breadth, as pretty much all the characters are presented as fully fleshed out people (or dragons), full of complex desires, foibles, and strengths. Relationships, whether intimate or platonic, are all well-handled, realistic and mature.

As with the other books, Bear here casts a sharp eye on matters of gender, sexuality, class, politics, and society. One has a sense, for instance, of some movement away from traditional monarchy as several discussions arise with regard to “arrang[ing] things so that the power would be distributed up more widely.” Meanwhile, gender roles are often criticized, as when Sayeh thinks “most women’s lives would be better for a little less marrying and a little more choice” or when the Gage considers how “women worked toward incremental change and gain, because they were systematically kept from the positions where they could order a sweeping reform.” While sometimes such commentary is a bit too “on the nose” as I wrote in the margin beside one such example, that’s a small price to pay for the way in which such depth enhances the reading experience.

I said in my review of book two that I would be curious if I’d think Bear needed three books for this story once I read book three, and now having done so, I do think a duology would be offered up a tighter, stronger, more powerful narrative. But that view is certainly debatable. As it is, despite the pacing issues that crop up, I’d still recommend this series, as well as the earlier ETERNAL SKY trilogy, set in the same world.

Vividly brilliant. This story continued to grapple the reader as much as the first to book. I enjoyed it very much! Definitely a buy when it comes out

Ok, I was seduced by the fact that this was by Elizabeth Bear and it had a gorgeous cover. I didn’t realise it was the third book in a trilogy – entirely my bad. The 40% I read was brilliant and I am guessing if you liked the previous two books, you’ll love this. But I am pausing it for now because I wasn’t to go back and read the previous volumes before I finish this. As always Bear’s writing is lovely and intelligent and her worlds are immersive.

This was definitely an interesting and unique fantasy. Glad to finally read something with unusual setting like this one. It was hard to orient myself at the beginning with so many characters but I managed! Love to see what the author will write next!

*The Origin of Storms* is the third of *The Lotus Kingdoms* trilogy, which itself is the second trilogy that takes place in the worlds of the *Eternal Sky*. The first two books introduce us to the characters and set up our expectations of how the story might/should play out, and then Bear uses this third to slowly unravel those very expectations. With a deft hand she make us shift our perspectives and, in some cases, even our sympathies.

Like most of Bear's writing, *The Origin of Storms* is tight, dynamic and has pretty good pacing. I read all three books in a row so it flowed pretty well but I might have regretted not rereading Book II if the length of time had been a bit longer between them. But that said, I think she does a good job of catching the reader up — which is always a challenge in these kinds of complex worlds.

> The Rajni Mrithuri stands as the chief claimant to the Alchemical throne now, but she and her empire remain a prize to be taken unless she gets an heir. She has her allies--her cousin Sayeh, a dragon, a foreign wizard, a fearsome automaton, and the Dead Man--but the throne has the final say. And if it rejects her, the price is death.

This excerpt from the book blurb spells out the plot fairly accurately but it doesn't really give us a sense of where Bear is going with this trilogy. The story may be rooted in Empire, but ultimately it is about the nature of power, the burdens of responsibility, and knowing what's right when you've got that metaphorical tiger by the tail. All wrapped up in a pretty exciting story line.

This book has a little bit for everyone, follows and breaks conventions in equal measure, and is a darn satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Is it my favourite Bear book? No, but it is definitely up there in the top third...

**Elizabeth Bear**
Book 3 of *The Lotus Kingdoms*

Elizabeth Bear is probably one of the most versatile authors I know. I first met her way back in 2005 with her *Jenny Casey* books and have been following along ever since. Sometimes she thrills me and sometimes I find her prose/subject mater just a tad intimidating, but I have never failed to finish a book of hers other than satisfied. Which is quite the accomplishment given the massively disparate subject matter (from Norse mythology to AI-driven space opera and pretty much working away on everything between) she tackles.

*The Origin of Storms* is book 3 of *The Lotus Kingdoms* series, which itself is the second trilogy that takes place in the worlds of the *Eternal Sky*. As in a lot of the fantasy of this genre, Bear uses the first two books to set up the final conflict between “good” and “evil” (although it’s, thank goodness, much much more nuanced than that), and starts this third and final volume with the minor villains disposed of, the armies arrayed, heroes/heroines girded and final conflict looming. And then off the story goes, upsetting the form, exploring motherhood, “stewardship” and the real meanings of power and responsibility. At least that’s what I took from it. The great thing about Bear is when she’s in top form, the story’s pretty darn dense and there’s always lots and lots you can take away. I think *The Origin of Storms* is pretty high up in the Bear canon.

While the first series had an Asian steppes flavour, this one moves the action to a south-Asian milieu with more rajahs and fewer horses. The conflicts are rooted in a fallen empire and the struggles of the multiple heirs to secure their own borders and destinies. As we start *The Origin of Storms* we realize perhaps the conflict is bigger than simple, mortal jealousies and ambitions — that perhaps these children of empire have inherited something much larger and more dangerous than they expected.

One think I liked, and this is a tad provocative, is Bear’s handling of oft-touchy issues like race, gender, sexuality and equality, etc. that are slowly (or quickly, depending on your viewpoint) coming to the forefront in SciFi/Fantasy publishing. To me, Bear delivers a smooth story chock full of diversity without really making a big deal of it—it just is, as it should be. Integral to the story, unremarkable except when it’s not and delivered with a smooth touch that leaves very little for anyone to get their shorts in a knot about.

Anyway, it’s a great book, a great conclusion to a great series and leaves me both wondering and keen to find out where Bear will take us next.

This is third in a series and my first Elizabeth Bear read, so I haven't had the benefit of the previous books in the series. Despite that, I found it fairly easy to slip into the world, though some of the names were challenging to pronounce.

Almost right away I was enjoying the author's voice. So many times I've tried to explain to other readers what is different from the Fantasy I grew up with and the Romance books that are often found in the Fantasy category in the past decade or so. It's a whole different approach to storytelling that draws you into the magic and world building. It's harder to find these days, so it's likely I'll be reading a lot more Elizabeth Bear books.

The early part of the book is a slow burn, partially covering incidents from previous books in the series and setting up the current situation. I'll admit I got a little lost later in the book as things moved much faster and there are a lot of characters. This is where I think having read the previous books would have been of benefit as I was having trouble keeping up with who was on which side and really had no idea why.

The imagery was great though and there were some very original ideas played out. The finish has a lot of action and seems to wrap up everything that people reading the whole series will know about. I'd definitely recommend reading the books in order though.

this was really fun and easy to read. was a 3.5 read!! worldbuilding was really good. the first book was okay but this was so much better than the previous one. some of the quotes were pretty cool too!

This book was chef’s kiss 💋
Honestly the ending made me want to cry about how this is all over already!

At some points in the story i was literally shocked and gaping at the screen because of the plot twist moments
Although i did feel like there was just somethings missing in the story but i just can’t exactly pin point where.

At the beginning the story did feel quiet boring and too detailed for my liking but i did get much better as it went on.

Overall i though this series was very enjoyable and i would definitely recommend to my friends ❤️

A compelling closing to a truly epic and original high-fantasy world. Elizabeth Bear managed to pack a ton of very intriguing history in this series, making for a world that feels massive, ancient, and mysterious. The novel takes a bit to get going, and the beginning feels a bit clunky and slow, but once it takes off, we get a lot of head-scratching dialogue that made me wonder where it would all tie in. Thankfully, we get very satisfying conclusions for our favorite characters. Elizabeth Bear's prose is wonderful as usual, and she should feel proud after creating such an epic world with tons of political maneuvering, without it feeling like an ASOIAF rip-off.

I feel so lucky to read and review it because not only it’s one my fav series in the whole wide world, that I can’t stop recommending to almost everyone but reading it also felt like coming to the home after quite some time.
It’s a slow burn plot, but as expected I end up really enjoying this. I really like the writing style and how this book has transportive word building and exquisite descriptions of the unique setting. I really like the the voice of the characters, their quick wit and sharp minds.
And especially, the intricate and twisty web of the plot that has kept me on my toes till the very end. In a nutshell, it was one fine read for me.

Hmmm… Idk how I felt about it. While I was reading it felt bad but when I finished I was like “Wow this is amazing” Overall it was a totally okay book, it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either.

Aw man. This was a good series ender.

I loved so much of what Bear did here, flipping expectations and wrapping up everyone’s story in such a satisfying, if sometimes bittersweet, way.

There are so many great jaw-drop moments that I don’t want to spoil, so just trust me - if you think you know what’s going to happen, you’re wrong.

The beginning of the book did feel clunky, almost unfinished, with lots of portentous conversations that didn’t seem the really go anywhere. If anything, the first quarter of this book felt more like the middle-book-in-a-trilogy than the actual middle book did.

Also (and this happened in the first book too), I feel like things happen between Mrithuri and Serhan that are either missing completely or hinted at so vaguely that I missed them.

Those few things aside, I was very happy with where this left all our friends, especially Mrithuri and Sayeh.