Visitors, the final volume of Orson Scott Card's Pathfinder trilogy, delivers a fast-paced, action-driven narrative that engages yet ultimately falls short of the first two volumes. Centered on Rigg and Umbo's time-shifting abilities, the novel prominently features the expendables—AI caretakers whose agency shapes ethical and temporal dilemmas in the colony world of Garden. These sentient machines raise compelling questions about autonomy and responsibility. However, an overcrowded cast, convoluted plot twists, and a magic system stretched to resolve conflicts too conveniently undermine the narrative.
The exploration of free will versus determinism, debated through the protagonists' manipulation of history, invites intellectual reflection. Yet, the didactic tone, marked by excessive ethical banter, weakens philosophical depth. Param's relegation to a secondary role diminishes the ensemble dynamic established in prior volumes. The resolution, though emotionally resonant, feels overly tidy, lacking the ambiguity suited to complex time-travel narratives.
"Visitors" offers thematic ambition but falters in coherence and nuance. Its strengths—action, ethical questions, and the expendables' pivotal role, make the book engaging. The resolution of the mysterious future disaster the characters are all trying to avoid is unsatisfying. And the treacly sweet falling action at the end is bad. 3/5 Stars.
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