Synopsis:
The fate of Lida looms.
Agetha thought her fate was sealed, pushed to the edge of the colony to die. But with the revelation that the biomass is not only intelligent, but sentient, changes to colony are accelerating, threatening its very existence.
Those who were controlled by the biomass once again have free will. Now, the human colonists are raising their voices and for the first time really influencing their new home. The planet-wide consciousness is slipping into a crisis of identity, when it doesn’t even have a sense of self.
The wilds surrounding the colony are becoming increasingly unstable, and the colonists find themselves divided into those who have been touched by the biomass and those who are still wholly human. Can one small colony survive its inner conflicts as well as the titanic might of an entire planet?
Review:
This series has only gotten better with each book, and I’m almost sad that this was the end.
A few decades after the colonists first landed on Lida, they’re still struggling to understand the biomass, just as the sentient planet-spanning fungal entity struggles to understand them—and itself. I loved the concept of sentient fungus from the start, but it was even more fascinating over time as the biomass continued to learn from the humans it interacted with. The author did a fantastic job of showcasing a truly alien intelligence and the struggles that might arise when it comes to communication, or ideas like self-awareness and identity.
And following the human colonists over time was a lot of fun. Many of the characters featured at the beginning of the series are still around in this final volume, decades later. Some had families, some were altered drastically, others found new jobs or hobbies—and all of this while attempting to survive both a new planet and the fungal entity surrounding them.
I loved the ending too, though I won’t go into details here. Suffice it to say, it was a good one and fitting for the series.
If you’re new to The Biomass Conflux and it seems interesting to you, it begins with Of Mycelium and Men. Sci-fi fans should definitely check it out.
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