I don't do this too often, but I'm going to use the publisher's descriptions as posted on Goodreads, to sum up this book:
<blockquote><strong>Operatives from an alien culture struggle to survive in medieval Italy, in the SF sequel to the astonishing <em>Quietus</em>.</strong>

The transdimensional empire, the Unity, has dissolved, its ruling powers forced into exile - but empires don't die easily. The living planarship <em>Ways and Means</em> has come to medieval Earth and ended the Black Death, but it keeps its intentions to itself. Someone is trying to kill its agent Osia, who is suffering through her own exile. Spy-turned-anthropologist Meloku becomes a target, too, when she catches <em>Ways and Means</em> concealing the extent of its meddling. While they fight to survive, Fiametta - an Italian soldier, mercenary, and heretical preacher - raises an army and a religious revolt, aiming to split Europe in half.</blockquote>
I think this is a very good, very succinct description of this book. If it sounds intriguing to you, then by all means (ways and means) you should pick it up and give it a read. If this sounds confusing, then you and I are on the same page.

Well ... okay ... confusing isn't exactly the right word. This does make sense. I've read enough scifi and fantasy and alternatve history to be able to follow the idea of an alien race, complicit in some underhand dealing that we don't understand, coming to earth during our medieval period, and curing the black plague for reasons of their own. This is the bigger, over-arching story. But the book really follows the more immediate pursuits of the characters of Osia and Meloku and Fiametta.

And I didn't care. I was bored numb with this read.

I really liked the first part of the first book, but once the story took on the larger scope of another empire trying not to dissolve and using earth's middle ages as a backdrop, something shut off for me. The characters mean nothing to me (I only liked the one who didn't make it to this book) and they are just pawns in a story that hasn't caught my interest. And there's a<em> lot</em> of that story.

The book has a great rating on Goodreads (since I copied the description, I couldn't help but notice) and I'm clearly going against the general reactions. Though being out for a year and a half, I'm also surprised at how few ratings and reviews this has. Not every book is for every reader. This one is definitely not for me.

Looking for a good book? <em>Terminus</em>, by Tristan Palmgren, is a follow-up to his epic <em>Quietus</em>. The story never captures this reader's interest, which made for a very long, slow read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely phenomenal book!

I read the first book in the space of one day, but as soon as I got this book in my hands I knew I had to savor it. And that proved to be the best way - I was able to let the richness of the plot and characters seep in.

I'm absolutely in love with this book. I love the characters, I love the connection of the plot to the plot of the previous book, I love the DEVELOPMENT just oh my god??

My absolute favorite part, though, was the whole discussion laid out over responsibility and the idea of recognizing yourself if confronted with who you used to be. Several characters - humans, semi-humans, and even an almighty amalgamation of artificial intelligences - have an instance where they're confronted with who they were at the end of the first book, or the same sort of choice presented to who they were at the end of the first book. It gives them a moment to contemplate how they've changed, how they've grown. It gives a lot of insight to the characters' internal processes, and it just works so well with this book.

15/10 would reread a thousand times and none of you can stop me.

Palmgren has a hit here! It's a fast paced story involving an advanced spaceship that comes to earth during the Middle Ages and ends the Black Plague. The main characters are Osia and Fia. Osia is a demiorganic creature, fashioned to look like a human from the spaceship. She had been put on earth in exile for 30 years so far. Fia is a orphan girl from a convent in Italy who hears a voice in her head. It's a well developed story. The characters all have depth. I would read again.