There is always a sense of sadness about the final part of an eagerly awaited series - not because of the quality of the writing or the story - but because it is the end of something that has been really enjoyed.

Michael Pryor, along with authors like Garth Nix and Bendigo’s Sara Douglass, is making sure that Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy writing is well crafted and popular. This finale to his Doorways trilogy certainly maintains the high standard of the previous two episodes, The House of Many Rooms and The Book of Plans, creating a dramatic and satisfying climax, tinged with a hint of disappointment that it is the end of the story.

The Unmaker opens with Saul, the central character of the previous episodes, despairing over his parents, both in comas from the actions of the villain of the piece, Stefan.

But he soon learns that Stefan is just a pawn too, when he is dragged back into the final confrontation with the Unmaker, the source of the gradual unravelling of the threads holding the Universe together.

With the Princess, Nico and the remnants of the band of outlaws he had joined in the previous stories, Saul tries to find a plan to defeat someone whose whole purpose and strength is to undo plans.

Michael Pryor creates a group of entirely believable characters facing this apparent contradiction. Saul is often confused and uncertain, painfully aware of his lack of fighting skill compared to the others. But he learns to trust himself and to persist against overwhelming odds. The Princess becomes more human and fallible as the story reaches its climax, and Nico’s cool demeanour hides some surprises.

The action is fast and desperate as the band journeys to the heart of the Unmakers’s domain seeking to confront him, but shifts and manipulations twist their path over and over. In classic thriller tradition, Michael Pryor keeps the final resolution both unexpected and logical.

The story does require reading the first two books to put all of the characters, settings and events into perspective. But that is the nature of trilogies - the three together make a complete story. The Doorways trilogy is a most enjoyable sci-fi fantasy adventure which maintains a high standard throughout its episodes. The Unmaker completes the series very well.

Other titles in the series:
The House of Many Rooms (Hodder, 1997)
The Book of Plans (Hodder, 1998)
 

Review by David Beagley

© 1999 David Beagley