Reviews

Tiamat's Wrath by James S.A. Corey

chriszook's review

5.0

As good as the novels have been in The Expanse series, Tiamat's Wrath exceeded my expectations.

remjunior's review against another edition

3.0

3 stars is probably generous. This was really underwhelming and felt like it was half of a novel that could have been part of a bigger story. I mean, *nothing* really happened. The only reason it works halfway is because I love the characters and I am so far into this story I'm not going to quit now.

Overall, it just felt odd and incomplete. I'm ready to know what's actually going on with the protomolecule and everything else--you can't just keep stringing the reader along with more questions and no answers, especially like this where nothing happened. It's like the story took a pause, a breath. Now, obviously things happened...but it felt really weak in the context of the larger story which didn't move ahead.

There was also a lot of armchair philosophy and the SPOILERSSSSSSSSS death of a major character was so heavily foreshadowed that it really took away from what happened. Like, you don't need to use a hacksaw where a scalpel will do. Know what I mean?

I don't know. It was an easy read and I enjoyed it, but it could have been so much better. This is the first time an Expanse novel has left me feeling pretty meh.

rcheng99's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Tiamat's Wrath is exactly what I think of space opera. The vast expanse of different stories interconnecting, the politics and the most important, the characters play such a large of of continuously expanding the world and I can't get enough

knittingwild's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

andreacpowers's review against another edition

5.0

Re-read in 2021 in preparation for the last volume.


I noticed a strong undercurrent of fighting facism and several good quotes from Holden about it. Of course I can't find them now.

Read it in 4 nights. It kills me that the last volume isn't even written yet.

darylg12's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

weasel8109's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

4.0

mikaela_basile's review against another edition

5.0

Second read through: I STILL LOVE THIS SERIES OMG. I'm literally trying to get everyone I know to read at least 2 books

kreadsromance1's review against another edition

5.0

Genre: Science fiction, space travel, alien tech, but most of all politics! We follow the scattered remnants of our favourite crew of the Rocinante as the galaxy adjusts and rebels to the presence of Laconia.

Spoiler

Main characters:James, Naomi, Alex, Bobbie, Elvi, Teresa
Favourite character: Timothy forever!
Villain(s) High Consul Duarte, Colonel Illich, Dr. Cortazar

Character rating: 9/10
Plot rating: 10/10
Setting rating: 10/10
Overall rating: 10/10

Pros: I'm not going to lie, at the end of book seven I had no idea how the latest plot twists would be expanded and resolved. And like every Expanse book, Tiamat's Wrath isn't a nice little present with the plot all tied up by the end. It is a colossal, intricate and far reaching epic that still manages to make you care about the tiny little humans grinding through the cogs of time, politics and intrigue.

This book ripped my heart out, stomped on it a bit and stuck some pins in it for good measure. And I loved it. Events happen in this series that cannot be undone. Not everyone gets a happy ending. I love a plot that packs some punch and isn't afraid to take a world, screw massively with it, and then hand it back with a tag saying "you're welcome!"

But we got to see what life was like under the control of, and it was a really interesting glimpse of a regime that views itself as a benevolent dictatorship and how most people's lives settle and continue after major political turmoil and transition to autocracy.

It was also great to see how the authors chose to move forward with the rebellion against Laconia. The plot of the Expanse is always a puzzle - a brilliant, complicated riddle that you desperately hope the characters can somehow start to solve and overcome. In Tiamat's Wrath we were given tentative, precious hope that there is a way forward from the devastating events of book seven. And along the way prepare for some big twists and turns! You're going to want to strap in and hit the juice with the thrust this novel has in it.

Cons:I want to say the loss of some characters, but I can't because apparently I'm an emotional masochist.

Teresa is a character that I wasn't 100% sold on. She is a young teenager, which is immediately a minus point in my book, sorry! And she had the attitude to go along with it. She was brilliantly written, just not my cup of tea. She was also rather slow on the uptake sometimes which was mildly frustrating but probably realistic for someone of her status and experience.

Final opinion: Every book I read from the Expanse series becomes my new favourite. But I really loved this one for direction of the plot, the ever-excellent authorship, and the imaginative, intelligent solutions to the questions and tensions in the plot which still manage to be believable courses of action.

emma_lg's review against another edition

5.0

One of my favorites in the series!!