A great conclusion to to the series, a solid amount of action and intrigue. There are a great number of allusions that come fully around as Michael and Gabriel are clearly a Kane and Abel with one even needing to be able to be sacrificed, there is even a little god vs the devil at play. Maya and Gabriel are a slight twist on Romeo and Juliette, star crossed lovers and all. Even the character of of Samurai is a full on text book example of Joseph Campbell's Hero Journey. Not that the others don't but not as much as Samurai who was the only common character in the novel thrust in this fantastic shadow world only to suffer a decisive lost followed by his journey of discovery and rebirth. It's great how Hawks is able to develop so many well rounded characters and layered storylines.