▁could ▁not ▁always ▁separate ▁the ▁main ▁characters . ▁Kin ca id ▁question ed ▁the ▁need ▁for ▁the ▁super natural ▁entity , ▁the ▁Ty phon , ▁which ▁is ▁never ▁developed . ▁He ▁described ▁the ▁" end ▁of ▁time " ▁sequence ▁as ▁" the ▁most ▁powerful ▁science ▁fict ional ▁moment ▁in ▁this ▁entire ▁book ", ▁saying ▁that ▁he ▁found ▁it ▁" far ▁more ▁sc ary , ▁far ▁more ▁g ri pping , ▁than ▁any ▁super natural ▁inter vention ". ▁Kin ca id ▁said ▁that ▁while ▁he ▁found ▁the ▁book ▁" amb it ious " ▁and ▁" int el lect ually ▁satisfying ", ▁" some how ▁the ▁whole ▁feels ▁less ▁than ▁the ▁sum ▁of ▁its ▁parts ". ▁ ▁In ▁another ▁review ▁at ▁the ▁SF ▁Site , ▁Greg ▁L . ▁Johnson ▁wrote ▁that ▁while ▁City ▁at ▁the ▁End ▁of ▁Time ▁provides ▁plenty ▁of ▁" w onder , ▁a we , ▁and ▁a ▁sense ▁of ▁human ity ▁in ▁the ▁face ▁of ▁an ▁imp lac able ▁universe ", ▁he ▁feels ▁that ▁Bear ▁does ▁not ▁quite ▁succeed ▁with ▁this ▁am bit ious ▁story ▁of ▁the ▁fate ▁of ▁reality ▁and ▁the ▁universe ▁at ▁large . ▁Johnson ▁described ▁it ▁as ▁" an ▁imm ens ely ▁complicated ▁story " ▁that ▁unf olds ▁by ▁means ▁of ▁" h ints ▁and ▁all us ions ". ▁He ▁said ▁that ▁even ▁the ▁book ' s ▁ending ▁only ▁hints ▁at ▁what ▁the ▁gathered ▁role ▁players ▁had ▁achieved . ▁Johnson ▁wrote ▁that ▁while ▁Bear ' s ▁dep ict ions ▁of ▁events ▁on ▁a ▁grand ▁scale , ▁like ▁the ▁decay