Patternmaster
Review
Patternmaster, by , is the fourth and final book in the Patternist series. It follows the Patternist brothers, Teray and Coransee, as they fight each other to become the new Patternmaster.
The setting and style of Patternmaster are completely different from the other three books in the series. Wild Seed reads like historical fiction with magical elements, while Mind of My Mind and Clay’s Ark feel more like contemporary fiction with some sci-fi twists. Patternmaster, is almost pure fantasy: the Earth has changed so much it might as well be an entirely different planet; the Patternist society is feudal, with magic overlaid on top; the king is dying, and his sons are fighting for control.
This genre shift made the book much easier to read. For the first time in the series, I was actually excited to keep going instead of feeling like I was trudging through the pages. Teray, Coransee, and their followers aren’t as menacing or well-developed as Doro and Anyanwu were in Wild Seed, but the plot made up for it. After seeing how different the Patternist world is, I understand why Mind of My Mind and Clay’s Ark were written—the setting is excitingly strange, and if I hadn’t read the earlier books, I’d be curious about how things got this way. But it didn’t change my opinion of those books—I still don’t think they were compelling stories.
Like the rest of the series, Patternmaster deals with slavery and the abuse that comes with it. The entire civilization is built on hierarchy, with the most powerful Patternists controlling those beneath them. Children and those outside the houses are fair game for abuse and enslavement. Might makes right.
Weirdly enough, Patternmaster reminds me of the anime Attack on Titan. Both civilizations—the Patternists and the Eldians—are built around genetic superpowers that they use to oppress others. Both are under siege by human-monsters—the Clayarks and the Titans. Both explore themes of hierarchy and power. I also couldn’t help but picture the quadrupedal Clayarks as the Cart Titan.
Patternmaster was a fun way to finish a very uneven series. I’m glad I made it through, but I wish the middle books had been better. I am looking forward to reading ’s masterpiece, Parable of the Sower, at some point in the future.