It pains me to say this after how enamored I was with The Outside, but it felt like The Infinite took way too long to get anywhere. We start off (after jumping ahead 6 months from the end of The Fallen) with a looming and semi-immediate threat. But instead of immediately diving into the "find out" half of our favorite "fuck around and find out" equation, we spend the first half of the book continuing to fuck around and accomplish pretty much nothing. Everyone keeps talking around the issues being had, we fill in some backstory about how the gods came to be, but I was just stuck going "so what so what so what".


Now that we have so many more characters (as well as our little flashbacks), the book is unbalanced and stagnant as everyone preps for a conflict that it feels like will never happen.

(Content warnings are listed on the author's website)

A good conclusion to a very good trilogy! I enjoyed it a lot, though I think it suffered a little from a slightly too large cast and an overwhelming amount of POVs that it's constantly switching between. It made it hard to care about some of the characters, especially the members of the Seven other than Yasira and Tiv, a lot of whom still felt a little interchangeable to me. Either way, the flashback POVs were an absolutely fantastic insight into the lore and worldbuilding that I've been craving to learn more about from the very beginning, and dr. Talirr remains one of my all time favourite characters. As an autistic reader, this series will always remain close to my heart due to its disabled and autistic representation, especially the, forgive the wording, profoundly empathetic portrayal of low empathy autistic/neurodivergent characters like Evianna Talirr or Enga (my beloved!).

The Infinite by Ada Hoffman cemented The Outside as one of my favourite sci-fi trilogies and one I will be freely recommending for years to come. What I love most about this queer, neurodivergent, cosmic horror series is its heart; even with grave, universal consequences and harrowing trauma, this series speaks to the strength of human resilience and the power we find in love and community.

Like the previous novel, the format of The Infinite differs from the other two in the series. In this novel, we follow Yasira and other characters as the rebellion on Jai reaches a fever pitch; simultaneously, flashbacks illuminating the history of this universe and its gods are woven through the central narrative. The end result is an experience that, while not without its inconsistencies, sticks a powerful, emotionally resonant ending.

The Infinite and The Outside as a whole trilogy achieve two things that can be hard to manage at the same time in my experience. Having worldbuilding and plot unique enough to stand out in their details AND an emotional experience I won’t soon forget—and indeed haven’t forgotten months later—is rare indeed, but Hoffmann’s novels definitely accomplish both. These weird, wonderful books have earned a place in my heart and on my shelves.

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

This book honestly blew me away. It has taken a while for me to process this story and its epic scale. This book shook me, gave me hope, and broke my heart. Too often a final installment ties everything up neatly. The main characters live happily ever after, and the costs are bearable. Not so in this case. The weight of the cost of victory is felt in every word. The characters are forever changed and must now learn to live in a wholly new society. And so much is left unsaid, unresolved, and unfinished. But then... that's life. Life doesn't tie everything into tidy little packages. The scope of the changes brought about in this book would be trivialized by a neat and easy ending.

This book also continues Ada Hoffmann's fantastic depiction of neurodiversity. While it is easily accessible and enjoyable by anyone, this series is told through an autistic lens that leaves me, as an autistic adult, feeling more seen than almost anything I've ever read.

This is an excellent, fitting, tearing ending to a groundbreaking trilogy.

A fantastic end to Hoffman's mind-bending trilogy of quantum mechanics, supercomputers, cosmic horror and rebellion. Aside from just being a darn good read, this was one of the most intelligent discussions I've seen on the ethics of revolution. If you're looking for queer neurodivergent space horror with Lovecraftian vibes, look no further.

Absolutely fantastic. The Infinite kept up the momentum of the first two books, introduced new ideas but at the same time managed to connect the threads and make the story complete and coherent. I found the ending of the trilogy satisfying and balanced, which I think is more and more rare in modern sci fi. Beautiful experience.

Reviewing the third book in a trilogy is always tough. I’m often flipping between several different emotions, attempting to understand the book as its own object and as the culmination of years of storytelling. Ada Hoffman’s The Infinite is no different and has me feeling the bitter sweet symphony of emotions that comes with a well earned ending that leaves the reader with the right questions.

The planet Jai is on its own. The gone people of the chaos zone, along with the rebellious seven and the yet to be corrupted citizens, managed to stake their claim on their future. While the A.I. Gods, especially Nemesis, would not normally abide such brazen autonomy from humans, they have decided to step back and let their ancient foe, Keres, make short work of the planet Jai. With only a couple days to prepare, Yasira, the rest of the seven, and the people of Jai prepare themselves for an even bigger battle than they faced before. Meanwhile, Akavi has their own plans on how to use the Seven and challenge Nemesis herself.

I picked up The Outside way back in 2020, and Hoffman’s debut did not disappoint. It was Lovecraftian science fiction, with a neurodivergent cast and several different science fiction concepts mashed together, chief among them A.I. Gods, for a fun ride with deep themes. Its sequel, The Fallen, took a step back from the heavier plot orientation of the first and spent more time with the cast beyond Yasira and Akavi, diving into what life would be like outside the God’s influence. The Infinite does a great job combining the two paths Hoffman took for the previous books while giving it a little more of an edge.

I’m often wary of the third book in a trilogy. The path usually feels like it’s been laid out, and the characters have to walk it, with a few twists and turns for good measure. However, I didn’t really know what to expect for The Infinite, and Hoffman immediately throws the reader off her scent with the God’s deciding to leave the planet Jai, opening them up for attack by the dreaded Keres. It forces the rebellious leaders and the citizens of the planet to come up with a plan as soon as they can in order to defend themselves from Keres and her angels, along with future attacks from Nemesis. The way Hoffman has her characters deal with this is clever, even if it can feel a bit contrived, but she doesn’t spend too much time with the mechanics. She lays out the idea, and just expects you to understand the time and effort involved, which honestly works here. I hear “time travel” and my guard goes up, but Hoffman doesn’t try to overdo it, or prove that she has the best version of it. It’s just a tool, and while it plays a big part in the grand scheme, it doesn’t weigh down the characters’ journeys and actually highlights the stakes.

Hoffman also takes the opportunity to dive into the birth of the gods in the final book, exploring how her world was shaped after the creation of Nemesis. Again, my alarm bells began to ring, worried there would be too much space devoted to something I was not particularly interested in, but Hoffman took it to places I was not expecting. The origin of Nemesis as a savior turned out to be intriguing and served as an excellent mirror to Yasira’s relationship with her mentor, Dr. Evianna Talirr. Where the past events could have easily just been quick reveals, Hoffman dove deep into the characters who birthed the A.I. Gods, the reasons behind their creation, and their relationship to responsibility, duty and those higher up in the decision food chain. Instead of offering insight on how to defeat Nemesis and the other Gods, it’s another tale exploring the need to absolve one’s own guilt for committing something possibly heinous. I rarely experience mentor relationships, in life and in science fiction, so having such a delicious one that is full of nuanced flavors served up in this final act was a real treat.

As much as I loved having my expectations subverted deftly, I loved even more Hoffman’s curiosity about her own themes. These books have always been heavy on exploring them, whether it’s through the characters’ internal lives, what the Gods determine to be “normal” or “heretical,” and even in the relationships between those who exist in hierarchical structures, perceived or rigidly enforced. Yasira, for the most part, has been at the whim of Dr. Talirr. She pushes back, and questions her, but Dr. Talirr often has the higher ground and a single minded devotion to her project of destroying the Gods. I found it fascinating that Yasira was not opposed to the project, but often questioned the means and her necessary involvement within them. Not as an act of relinquishing responsibility for civility's sake, but instead in opposition to just following the “most logical path.” Her bargaining heightened the conversations between the other members of the seven, and set up the questions “how should we live” and “who determines how anyway” quite nicely. It’s a fitting end to a series that never stopped asking questions about why and who all throughout.

I want to know so much more about where the world of Ada Hoffman’s The Outside is headed, but I’m satisfied with the answers Hoffman has provided in The Infinite. She makes room for the potentialities of the human spirit, and underlines how rigidity punishes far more often than it rewards. The trilogy as a whole is an achievement in how weird science fiction can be, while still feeling so close to what we already know. It asks questions, and pulls apart its own world to highlight how maybe we should do the same to our own world. It’s given me a deeper appreciation for how easily we marginalize folks for neurodivergence and apply labels to signify their difference and apply superiority and morality to them. And how this gets applied over and over again to build hierarchies where privileges are given to those most able to conform to structure. I highly recommend this series if you haven’t started it. And if you have, but are tepid about the final act, don’t be. The Outside is warm and inviting, even if it is winter.

Rating: The Infinite 8.5/10
-Alex

I've been a fan of this series since the first book because the concept is so well done, and this is a fantastic finish. Beautifully told, eerie and compelling, and it answers a lot of questions that were established in the world-building within the other books. It's a nice mash-up between science fiction and fantasy with Lovecraftian cosmic horror elements. Loved this book!

Con The Infinite se acaba una de las sagas de ciencia ficción que más me ha atraído en los últimos años, gracias sobre todo al derroche de ideas de la que hace gala su autora, Ada Hoffman. Cuando comencé con ella lo hice con algo de respeto por las referencias lovecraftianas, pero he de decir que eso se supera muy pronto y ya resulta muy difícil salir de una serie absorbente como pocas.


The Infinite continúa la narración dónde se dejó en la segunda entrega, The Fallen, con los habitantes del planeta Jai a merced de cualquier invasión exterior tras la retirada de la protección de los dioses. No obstante, la rebelión cuenta con unos integrantes que están dispuestos a entregarse completamente para triunfar, con sus maravillosas peculiaridades provocadas por la herejía y con la ayuda de la principal instigadora del enfrentamiento contra los dioses.

Esta entrega quizá adolece de algo menos de originalidad que las anteriores, algo que puede ser normal porque las bases de la historia ya estaban asentadas con anterioridad y es difícil salirse de ellas. No obstante, Hoffman introduce unos flashbacks que nos relatan el origen de Némesis de una forma verosímil y me atrevería a decir que realista, siempre que seamos capaces de admitir el concepto de alma en un entorno de ciencia ficción, algo que a mí personalmente me cuesta.

Otro de los tropos que utiliza de forma muy inteligente la autora es la posibilidad de viajar en el tiempo bajo unas reglas muy estrictas y limitantes, para conseguir algo de margen de maniobra para la resistencia pero sin estropear todo el escenario que ya había montado con anterioridad.

No obstante, la principal protagonista de The Infinite sigue siendo Yasira, de nuevo transformada por sus encuentros con The Outside y definida por su casi infinita capacidad de sacrificio por un bien mayor. Me parece tan acertada la evolución del personaje tras sus titubeantes comienzos que es una pena que ya no haya más entregas en las que aparezca, porque la serie alcanza aquí su estupendo final.

Ada Hoffman wrote a great sci-fi trilogy, thought provoking and gripping. Great world building and excellent storytelling.
I think a new star is born and hope to read soon other books by this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

HIGHLIGHTS
~believe you deserve better
~the Keres is coming
~angels will fall
~Saviour’s gonna save
~if no one in the universe will help you, look outside the universe

Hoffman’s debut trilogy has, since day one, anchored a far-future epic of AI gods and reality-breaking monsters in the human element, giving us a story leviathanic in scope but close and personal and intimate at the same time. It’s a big part of what gives these books so much punch; the fact that we can’t, even for one moment, forget how these big sweeping events affect people on an individual level – people who are so real and sympathetic that it’s instead very easy to forget that they’re fictional. This trilogy has never allowed us to forget that ‘the masses’ have names, that the bystanders have hopes and dreams and families, that the heroes on the front line have bad mental health days way more often than anyone would like.

There has never been the option to ‘zoom out’ on (and thus emotionally distance ourselves from) the conflict Yasira and her friends are caught up in; Hoffman’s given us glimpses of the Big Picture, but has always kept us grounded, focussed on the Little Picture, the human element. And that gives the big finale of this trilogy a unique flavour, more realistic than such conclusions tend to be. The adjectives that spring to mind all carry a negative connotation – mundane, banal, prosaic – and that’s not how I mean it!

Maybe it would be more accurate to say that, despite all the sci-fi and outright supernatural elements, this universe-changing climax feels grounded. Grounded in reality; The Infinite is not the breathtaking but bloodless kind of sweeping epic reminiscent of ancient poetry…but it is, instead, a great and fundamentally human resolution that I can believe in.

It’s not perfect: that ‘zooming in’ on the brainstorming, planning, and preparations for a battle the Chaos Zone probably won’t survive does make it all feel a little…ordinary? Not routine, exactly, but…well, 99% of any battle/war is the logistics of everything that needs to be arranged before anyone steps onto the battlefield; and the practical, realistic approach to those logistics was not something I found very gripping. It’s not that the characters aren’t terrified and scrambling and turning to allies and weaponry they couldn’t even have imagined a book ago – because they are; all of that is happening! But I think it must be incredibly difficult, if not outright impossible, to make that kind of step-by-step process into something thrilling.

Even when some of those steps involve testing and experimenting with monsters and magical powers, or reaching outside of the universe for help, or making common cause with people you never thought you’d ally with.

It’s the methodical way in which the cast go through their ideas, and the action-plans born from those ideas, that turned the dial down on all the anxiety, I think. This is something that definitely happens in real life – when you’re terrified, focussing on the practical things, on what to do next, is one way to calm down. And so here, in Infinite, it had that effect on me – calming me down when the narrative seemed to be doing its best to amp me up. Despite the highest of stakes, I just didn’t feel the urgency and fear and dread that I think I should have been feeling.

But I’m not convinced I was supposed to, especially since Hoffman deftly braids many other threads through this finale that most definitely are interesting. Akavi and Elu’s chapters were some of the best in The Fallen, and I massively appreciated their part in The Infinite – particularly now that the whole gang is back together, after kidnapping Enga at the end of The Fallen! Akavi’s lust for vengeance against Nemesis contrasts wonderfully with the desperate desire of Yasira and the Chaos Zone to just be left alone, and there are some jaw-dropping twists and reveals into the nature of the angels and the gods they serve.

Another plotline that snatched my attention was our glimpse into the past; for the first time, we’re shown the – the birth of the gods, I guess you could call it; woven through the main story is the arc of one of the scientists who was fundamental in designing, building, and perfecting Nemesis Herself. This is obviously taking place hundreds of years in Yasira’s past, but not very far away from our present, which was more than a little chilling. I never had any issues with the backstory of how the universe got the way it is at the start of this trilogy; I never had any trouble believing that AIs could absolutely end up worshipped as gods, and all of the worldbuilding has always fit beautifully together. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the hell out of getting more worldbuilding; tracing Nemesis’ rise was, honestly, horrifyingly hypnotic, the kind of thing you can’t tear your eyes away from.

Gods – hah – it was all just way too easy to believe in.

And, like its predecessors, The Infinite is wonderfully easy to read; Hoffman’s prose is somehow welcoming, something your brain can relax and let go into – without the writing ever devolving into the too-simplistic style I can’t stand. I can’t in good conscience call Infinite cosy – but it’s the kind of book where you don’t notice turning the pages, where it’s a surprise when you reach the end of a chapter because haven’t you only been reading for a minute or two???

No, no you have not: you’ve been reading for half an hour, and you never noticed because, despite all the deep dark themes at play in this book, it doesn’t feel heavy. It flows like cool, bright water beneath your eyes, drawing you along.

You only have to relax into the current.

<The sun joins the mountains
And our hands join, too.
If this is the last night,
I spent it with you.>

For most of my time reading it, The Infinite felt like a solid 3.5-4 star book. But once all the pieces fell into place–

Folx, I have no idea how to say it. But that ending? The one that’s been building since we first encountered The Outside in 2019?

That was.

That is.

Just.

Oh – and I say this fully aware of the hilarious irony – my gods!!!

That made the hairs on my arms stand up. That made me choke up. That made me glow golden in my chest, filled me with this huge incredible, indescribable feeling that lasted and lasted. Even now, weeks after reading it, I get goosebumps – the good kind – thinking about it.

Hoffman doesn’t deliver on all her promises – she goes light-years BEYOND them, gives us so much more than I ever expected, more than my wildest dreams for this series; tying together every heart-pounding theme that’s been woven through these books with even more fantastic gloriousness. Maybe a good chunk of The Infinite is sort of practical-feeling, but the finale itself is everything.

EVERYTHING. The kind of epic you feel reverberating through your bones; that makes you want to sing and scream because you just can’t CONTAIN it all!

I CAN’T OKAY? I CANNOT CONTAIN IT ALL.

SO YOU SHOULD READ IT TOO. SO YOU CAN HELP. WITH THE CONTAINING. YES?

YES?

EXCELLENT.

The Infinite (The Outside #3)
The Infinite by Ada Hoffmann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Infinite is a solid end to the trilogy, but beyond that, it's a pretty excellent example of Lovecraftian huge-space opera with huge scope and particularly fine mind-breaking elements.

Literally. The Broken and the godlike powers, the huge, multidimensional AIs and other gods (even homebrew ones on humanity's side) makes this a really interesting book. I also like the small scale Broken bits a lot. It really takes getting to know yourself to a whole new level. I was expecting a shock of white hair and other madness-cliches, but this was good, too. ;)

War. Interstellar war. With quantum stuff and uploaded consciousness, souls, rebellion, and a huge-ass complication.

So, if I love all these elements so much, why did I only give it a 4 out of 5? Pacing, mostly. There's a lot to love, but some bits were a bit slow and lost the tension. Not a dealbreaker -- but I would have loved it tighter.

It WAS quite satisfying, however, and ended on a very interesting note, so don't let me dissuade you from picking it up!

I really liked the whole trilogy and this last book. As an imaginative work of science fiction, it is very ambitious and expansive. Although it borders "fanta-sicence" in some moments, that sits well with the book. The way it talks about religion as a mechanism of social control, introducing the concept of artificial intelligence, is original, both in its conception and its execution. In that sense, all well and good, but what sets the book apart, what makes it particularly worthwhile and makes it a read with an ethical (or human) dimension from which to learn, is its treatment of neurodiversity. Diversity in general, in fact. The background to the whole story hinges on a group of beings with identities (sexual or otherwise) of anything but binary and with totally different cognitive styles, who will have to understand each other and themselves in order to survive. And the feeling is not that the author (herself a neuroatypical) has an agenda, but that she manages to integrate all this diversity into a solid and interesting scenario construction that serves as the basis for an adventure that is impossible to abandon. In that sense, the book is a magnificent example of how science fiction can bring us closer to other ways of seeing the world and use difference to explore all that makes us human.
I really liked it.

This is the conclusion to The Outside trilogy after The Fallen. Returning to the Planet Jai and the Chaos Zone introduced with “The Seven” in the second book and where the story seemed to get lost and drift in confusion with a rebellion that goes nowhere (IMHO you can skip that book without losing that much). Here the story gets back on track and jumps into action with the pending attack of Keres … an apparent rogue AI god perpetually at war with humanity and the rule of their AI gods. The situation looks very dire for our Hero and her broken companions (aka The Seven).

The [lovecraftian] world building here was some of the best I have seen in SciFi, and the character development of her flawed protagonists was solid and interesting. The best part to me are the answers to the many questions left after book one (1): How did the AI gods evolve? Who/What is the Keres? Who are the Morlocks? Stir in a few aliens and the world just keeps getting more interesting as the story unfolds with a few unexpected twists toward a satisfying conclusion.

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#TheInfinite #TheOutside #NetGalley.

A good ending to the series. With good, if slightly uneven pacing, and writing, this should satisfy those that have read the others in the series.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

Thank you, Angry Robot, for allowing me to read The Infinite early!

Ada Hoffman's latest entry in The Outside world is another fantastic piece of literary work that I voraciously consumed.

The Infinite turned out to be more quietly hopefully than I expected - this conclusion to The Outside trilogy was surprisingly uplifting and satisfying.
I greatly appreciated the flashback scenes, and further detail about how the society came to be - I also enjoyed the introductions to previously unexplored areas of this universe, such as the Federation. The mesmerising world-building in this series really got a chance to shine in this instalment.
The novel wasn't without its issues, however - I found I enjoyed the book less when it focussed on the three central characters - unfortunately an Ev, Yasira, or Akavi point-of-view often meant I was going to be feeling frustrated. As with the other books in the series, there's such potential here, and it's disappointing when it doesn't quite hit the mark. The writing style fluctuates throughout, and while this may be both a stylistic choice and a personal taste issue, I found myself enjoying certain parts much more than others because of it.
In contrast to the previous instalment, however, lots of plot threads resolve themselves in a way that feels ultimately satisfying. I was engaged throughout, and found this to be an enjoyable read.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)