Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Tiamat's Wrath

[This review was part of the Orbit Books reread of The Expanse series leading up to the release of the 9th and final book, Leviathan Falls. It can also be found on my BLOG]

CW: violence, gun violence, blood, gore, death, parent death, war, medical content, confinement

Tiamat’s Wrath brings together the best aspects of all of the previous books in The Expanse series and saddles up the story for the final rodeo.

Resuming a little after the closing events of Persepolis Rising, the Laconian Empire is now commandeering the gate network and the thirteen hundred systems that humanity has access to following their success in subduing the Earth-Mars Coalition. Holden is in the clutches of Duarte, whose primary directive is to now use the Empire’s influence to uncover the mystery behind whatever killed the Protomolecule builders. Whilst the rest of the Rocinante crew have split off on independent missions for the resistance, working to topple the regime.

"In a fight like this, unless you're willing to lose everything to win, you lose it all by losing"

As expected Daniel and Ty continue to deliver with a compelling narrative packed with edge-of-your-seat space action and political intrigue balanced with nuanced and emotional character arcs. I love that even with this being book 8 they are still out here furthering the scope (or should I say expanse) of the worldbuilding, it’s phenomenal.

If you’ve stuck with these books this far then you know how the characters are the heart and soul of this series, predominantly the Roci crew. If you’ve been invested in them enough then its guaranteed your emotions will hit you like high g burn after high g burn from prologue to the closing line. I feel there will always be a sense of agelessness to this little found family however, the 30 year time jump in the story and the fact that these characters aren’t so young anymore becomes more apparent with each turn of the page and I’d be lying if I said that didn’t make me more anxious for them all.

"Growing old was a falling away of everything that didn't matter. And a deepening appreciation of all the parts that were important enough to stay."

From the usual suspects Naomi, Alex and Bobbie take the reins with primary points of view and with them splitting off on their individual storylines to undermine Duarte, in a way mirroring Nemesis Games, you really see how they have influenced one another and how time has shaped each of them. Though I love every member of the Roci crew, Naomi has been my favourite for a while now and I thoroughly enjoyed her character development in this book which was the greatest for her yet.

It was surprising to say the least that other than a few interludes, we didn’t get to be in Holden’s head for once. We predominantly see him through the eyes of Teresa, Duarte’s adolescent daughter who’s chapters also finally give us a glimpse of Laconia. For the most part of this series, following the story through a newly introduced characters never engaged me as much as when it was one of the Roci crew or Avasarala or Bobbie. However, Daniel and Ty’s choice to appoint her as a key narrator and pretty much the backdoor into the heart of the enemy camp really enhanced the progression of the story. I felt her character echoed Filip at times and she was really interesting to follow.

"The ones you trust are always the most dangerous. A lot more kings and princesses got poisoned by their friends than eaten by bears."

The final point of view has some other familiar faces returning to the fray and further edging the story along to full circle. Dr Elvi Okoye (accompanied by Dr Fayez Sarkis), who were a big part of what I enjoyed in Cibola Burn so I was super glad to have them back, have been recruited by the Laconian Empire to assist with the scientific research of the alien artifacts in dead systems. Though she has come a long way from when we first met her, her knowledge and experience also make her a key player in the Empire’s machinations which leave her with much to think on when it comes to her culpability versus her curiosity. Elvi’s chapters were also among the most intriguing as they provided us with further insight to the overarching alien technologies so fundamental to this saga.

"The universe is always stranger than you think.

It didn't matter how broad her imagination was, how cynical, how joyous and open, how well researched or wild minded. The universe was always stranger. Every dream, every imagining, however lavish and improbable, inevitably fell short of the truth."

If anything the Protomolecule science and alien technologies creeping back to the forefront of the plot are an indication that everything is wrapping up and boy does that epilogue set up the final book well.

Though it is for sure going to be bittersweet and pack as big a punch as this penultimate novel I can’t wait to get my hands on Leviathan Falls.
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars

Content Warnings

laurajeangrace's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

4.25

Content Warnings

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