When reviewing the middle work in this series, I said that based on the author's pedigree I had every confidence that the final book would not disappoint. Most of the interesting characters are still around, there appeared to be more than enough plot left over. One positive thing I can say about Angels of Vengeance is that John Birmingham demonstrates that he is still very capable of producing some wonderful lines. Mostly these are delivered by Master sergeant Fryderyk Milosz, whose Polish immigrant take on life in Post Wave America made me laugh out loud. The big problem here is that Milosz is a minor supporting character, yet the most interesting, most sympathetic figure in the whole book! Quite why the author seems to struggle so much with his end game is an enigma. At times, it seemed like he was going through the motions, writing only to fulfil his contract, and not really that interested anymore. Major threads left hanging from the previous books are dealt with, albeit in a lacklustre fashion, and there is a definitive conclusion, but that is about as good as it gets. The story also tends toward taking the dull or less than credible route. A glaring example of the latter being how grieving teen Sophia Peiraro wanders into Blackstone's Texas, and eventually to the heart of power, without once being spotted or challenged by 'Mad Jack's' forces. Almost everyone comes across as an actor in a not particularly convincing play; Caitlin Monroe is on autopilot, Jed Culver's misfortune is badly telegraphed, and President Kipper succeeds in being even more of a cardboard cut-out than in the previous novel. There never is any real attempt to explain the appalling death wave that wiped out so many millions of Americans, or any serious exploitation of the vast opportunities a fallen America would afford to other global players. Just the occasional teaser, casually tossed in to the mix like an afterthought. Most unforgivably, considering the global implications of a world in which the US is no longer a superpower, all of the action takes place either in Australia or the United States. If Birmingham had any idea or interest in what was happening elsewhere, he chooses to keep it to himself most of the time.

So much of this book is less than I'd hoped it would be, and less than its author is capable of producing at his best. There are obvious opportunities missed, and potentially fascinating avenues left unexplored. Which in a book this size is not nearly good enough. Why Birmingham's editor didn't do his job and coax the author into producing the book his fans had anticipated, is another mystery. I can, therefore, only recommend Angels of Vengeance to those who have read the first two novels in the series, and believe that a half-hearted ending is better than none at all.