The Golden Transcendence (Golden Age, Book 3) – John C. Wright

Title: The Golden Transcendence

Series: The Golden Age, Book 3

Genre: Science Fiction

Author: John C. Wright

The final book in Wright’s Golden Age Trilogy does not disappoint. Definitely don’t read this before reading the first two books (Golden Age and Phoenix Exultant). It starts off with an insanely intense battle and then shoots for the sun – literally! It does slow down for a bit, but then takes off quite energetically again.

This is the climactic book in an amazing trilogy, and Wright does an excellent job of  bringing together all the different links and elements which he began weaving in the first two books. What is most satisfactory about this, in my mind, is that you are never completely sure exactly where things are going. There are so many twists and turns in the plot, but not so many or so often that you begin to get lost in it.

In my mind, The Golden Transcendence, along with Golden Age and Phoenix Exultant, are supreme examples of science fiction at it’s best. It’s hard to compare what Wright has written with Asimov’s fiction, because he (Wright) really is going in a different direction creatively. Nonetheless, I highly recommend it to all fans of the genre.

That said, I might not recommend this as the first science fiction book you read. Some of Wright’s concepts are so “out there” that someone not used to science fiction might get a little lost. However, if you’re up to a dive off the creative deep end into an incredible story wrapped around characters of immense depth in a truly visionary society – don’t hesitate! Snatch up copies of all three books and just dive in.

Worldview: Secular

Recommended Age: Doesn’t really have any objectionable material or language. The “fight” sequences are more intensely futuristic than they are violent. Should be fine for Middle Schoolers as long as they can understand the concepts (I’d recommend them having a dictionary on hand when reading).

Additional links:
John C. Wright’s blog
A specific blog entry explaining his conversion to christianity (though it seems more to be Catholicism than Christianity to me)
The Golden Transcendence on Google Books