The pace in this final part of the First Law trilogy is just brutal. The first two books were full of terrifically crafted scenes and magnificent character events. Here, the frequency and impact of these events scales up exponentially. Reading it is like, Boom! Boom! Boom! and it just doesn't let up. Thrilling, and exhausting. Some reviews indicate that the climax is in the middle of the book. This is not at all the case, unless there is only one particular character's storyline that interests you (to be honest, likely the most popular character). No, the impacts continue until quite near the end, and then the denouement continues a little longer than ideal. All questions are answered, all mysteries solved, all events explained, ultimately. All in all, a satisfying finish, while still leaving open lots of potential for further works set in this world (of which several more have been written by now).