Constance Verity Destroys the Universe

By this, her third outing, Constance Verity has saved the world countless times and the Universe itself just as many. Fighting off otherworldly threats is an everyday occurrence. It is the more mundane things in life that worry Constance like assuring her best friend’s wedding is not ruined by mole men or the Mafia. Things are not going well when Constance is threatened even more than usual. Every future predicting computer and space bound oracle has predicted the same future, Constance is destined to destroy the universe and, to avoid that, she must die. 

Being targeted for assassination may be a stressful situation for us, but to Constance, the wedding is more important, but even she cannot ignore this threat. Constance Verity Destroys the Universe by A. Lee Martinez is the last adventure of the character and has her fighting the ultimate evil, nothing. Not, nothing at all, but a universal power that wants everything to be gone and nothing to exist. Costance’s presence is anti-nothing, she is always doing something, saving someone, or uncovering a dastardly plan to core out the centre of the Earth and replace it with custard. 

Going up against an entity that requires the destruction of everything seems very heavy, but the best element of the Constance Verity trilogy is that the characters never take anything too seriously. Constance has seen and done it all and is extremely hard to impress. There are some great scenes where Constance and Tia try to explain to a baddy, that they are a baddy. Will Constance destroy the universe? You will have to read the book to find out, but rest assured that it is a clever conclusion that technically solves the problem and fulfils the prophecy. 

The action in the Contance Verity books is always good, but it is the characters that make you want to return. In book 2, the relationships were becoming more complex, but by this outing we are in the realms of real commitment. How does an intergalactic adventurer hope to maintain a steady relationship, marriage, even kids. There is some strain between Constance and Byron, her partner, over these matters, but what shines through is their love for one another. 

Above all things, despite the title, Destroy the Universe is a feel-good book. It has fun characters great action, amusing set pieces and relationships that you care about. Constance starts to understand that the adventures are part of her life and not all of it. She must nurture and enjoy the other elements too, but also remember to stop that bomb from exploding. I will miss reading about Constance and her crew, but the ending is open. Who knows, there may even be another adventurer in the future.