Future Indefinite

Future Indefinite has all the classic epic fantasy elements: a sharply detailed world of magic and gods, the struggle between good and evil, an ancient prophecy, a fish-out-of-water protagonist, a small band of adventurers, romance, love, and plenty of action. The book succeeds due to Duncan's use of these familiar elements in unfamiliar ways. Our protagonist is a young British gentleman, barely out of school; his love interest none other than his slightly horse-faced older cousin. The good vs. evil struggle is better classed as a lesser evil vs. a greater. And the prophecy? It's suitably cryptic...but also logical and quite possibly self-fulfilling. Duncan's system of magic is not only ingenious, but integral to the book's plot. Anyone in their own world is mundane; transported to a new world (even if that world is Earth), they become 'Strangers', and gain 'Charisma', the ability to influence natives. The more people you influence, the more power you gain and the more you can influence them-- a perpetuating cycle. The competition for native followers leads to Machiavellian machinations between the Strangers in a world, some of whose powers rise to godlike levels. One cannot read this book without drawing plot parallels to a slightly more famous book-- the Bible. Specifically Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Jesus Christ. However, the diffferences are just as significant, and any Christian who considers this book as "mocking" their faith is someone looking for a reason to be insulted. Future Indefinite is the finale of Duncan's most serious-- and very likely his best-- series to date. Don't miss it.

I just read the whole trilogy. This portion of it takes place almost entirely in Nextdoor, the alternate universe where humans from our world can achieve godhood if the natives believe in them. By the time we get to the events in this book, all the main characters are in place and it's just a matter of marching them to their destinies. Because of that, there isn't as much soul searching and internal challenge and drama as there was in the first two books, except for the characters of Julian and Dosh, one of whom is the sole discordant note among the followers, and the other who has a destiny that's not understood until the end. Both of their stories were very good.Another aspect of the story that I found interesting was the way the plot develops into a copy of Christ's life, with some things switched about. Examining the differences and the parallels that Duncan chose was intriguing.Spoilers below...Regarding the ending which some have complained about, I didn't think it was vague in the least. It was obvious to me what happened (Judas became the Redeemer and vice versa). The true hero and Liberator wasn't the one who survived, but his friend whom he betrayed. I think it will take a re-read for all the implications to sink in. But it does mean the Happy Ending wasn't so happy as it appeared to be. It was, however, satisfying.

I have absolutely loved all three of The Great Game books. As soon as I began reading the first one I fell in love. The depth of the story, the characters and their perils, and the ORIGINALITY of the whole story was beautiful. I LOVE the idea of Nextdoor and the Portals. For anyone who has the slightlest inkling of enjoyment of fantasy NEEDS to read these books. The books are marvelous but Mr. Duncan. In Future Indefinite, at the end, the very end, how could you?

Sometimes it is tough to maintain a high level of action and detail and suspense over a trilogy, but Dave Duncan has surpassed my expectations! The final book of the series is excellent... it ties together all loose ends from the trilogy and ends with a few bangs rather than one. It was a completely satisfying experience to read The Great Game trilogy. Duncan's many-layered approach is thought-provoking as well as entertaining. I highly recommend all three books.

Dave Duncan really came up with a winner on this one. It was spellbinding and I couldn't put it down. As the story progresses, the ending seems to become quite predictable, yet the ending is better than you would have thought. I definitely recommend this book, but read the first two in the series first.