Grail, by Elizabeth Bear, is the concluding book in her trilogy about the Jacob's Ladder, a generation spaceship traveling to colonize a world around a distant star. I became interested in Bear when I picked up Dust, the first book of the series. Dust amazed me with its unusual depictions of high technology, genderqueer characters, and epic queer romance set at an action-adventure pace. Chill suffered only slightly from middle book syndrome, delivering solid plot progress and character development with plenty of suspense and conflict to keep the reader engaged. With Grail, Bear wraps up the story well, while providing a fascinating outsider's view of the generation ship's crew and characters.
