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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
A more low-stakes adventure into the world of the expanse, some less believable elements than usual, and Bobbie Draper’s absence was felt.
I am hopeful that the next will be a return to force.
I am hopeful that the next will be a return to force.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, War, Classism
Earlier this year, I tried reading through this book. I got about halfway through and put it away on the DNF pile. But I was thinking about the series recently and decided I should give this book a second try. And boy does the second half of the book make up for any grievances I have with the first!
The first half of this book is relatively slow. The whole story centers around this one planet and the conflict between colonists and the company that "owns" the planet. Things keep escalating between them despite Holden's best efforts to chill them out. Then the planet itself gets involved and by then I was hooked. I really wanted to see how in the world the characters were going to make it through all this. For the most part, I was satisfied with how everything went down.
A part of me really wants to criticize how Murtry and some of the other antagonists were handled. I was convinced that Murtry had to be possessed or controlled by the alien entity on the planet, because I really struggled to understand how somebody could be that incredibly stupid in the face of obvious disaster. But I guess the whole point of his character and the others like him was that people are just Like That. They can be that stubborn, bullheaded, and cruel even when every piece of logic tells them otherwise. And while his character was incredibly frustrating to the point where I wished Amos would just shoot him and get it over with, it did make the points when other characters go against him that much more of a triumph.
The one thing I will criticize the book on is Elvi's weird infatuation with Holden. In her early chapters, there is so much page time devoted to her fantasizing about him or trying to get close to him or getting thrilled by the smallest of touches. But all it takes is for her co-worker to tell her she just needs to get laid for her to stop fantasizing over Holden. If her horny thoughts were taken out of the story, absolutely nothing would change in terms of plot or character. None of the male POVs had horny subplots, but the female POV did because... reasons? What makes this worse is that she doesn't give Fayez much thought even after they have sex. Her chapters after she bangs one out are focused on science and trying to figure out how to help people survive this place. Why couldn't all her chapters be like that? What was the point of the horny subplot?
What happened with Miller felt very bittersweet to me. His character has been tagging along for so many books now. I was genuinely sad when Holden said goodbye to him. A part of me hopes he'll come back in some capacity. However, the main plot of this book focused on colonization, and the epilogue hinted that this will be a key point in later books of the series. So if this is the end for Miller, I'm sad but also glad that he can finally rest in peace.
To close, I just have to say how lucky the main characters are sometimes. Amos was shot like five times in the back and he's just fine. Naomi has actual dialogue spelling out all the times Holden got out of seemingly impossible situations. I am interested (and very nervous) about what's going to happen with Murtry aboard. Looking forward to finding out in the next book!
The first half of this book is relatively slow. The whole story centers around this one planet and the conflict between colonists and the company that "owns" the planet. Things keep escalating between them despite Holden's best efforts to chill them out. Then the planet itself gets involved and by then I was hooked. I really wanted to see how in the world the characters were going to make it through all this. For the most part, I was satisfied with how everything went down.
A part of me really wants to criticize how Murtry and some of the other antagonists were handled. I was convinced that Murtry had to be possessed or controlled by the alien entity on the planet, because I really struggled to understand how somebody could be that incredibly stupid in the face of obvious disaster. But I guess the whole point of his character and the others like him was that people are just Like That. They can be that stubborn, bullheaded, and cruel even when every piece of logic tells them otherwise. And while his character was incredibly frustrating to the point where I wished Amos would just shoot him and get it over with, it did make the points when other characters go against him that much more of a triumph.
The one thing I will criticize the book on is Elvi's weird infatuation with Holden. In her early chapters, there is so much page time devoted to her fantasizing about him or trying to get close to him or getting thrilled by the smallest of touches. But all it takes is for her co-worker to tell her she just needs to get laid for her to stop fantasizing over Holden. If her horny thoughts were taken out of the story, absolutely nothing would change in terms of plot or character. None of the male POVs had horny subplots, but the female POV did because... reasons? What makes this worse is that she doesn't give Fayez much thought even after they have sex. Her chapters after she bangs one out are focused on science and trying to figure out how to help people survive this place. Why couldn't all her chapters be like that? What was the point of the horny subplot?
What happened with Miller felt very bittersweet to me. His character has been tagging along for so many books now. I was genuinely sad when Holden said goodbye to him. A part of me hopes he'll come back in some capacity. However, the main plot of this book focused on colonization, and the epilogue hinted that this will be a key point in later books of the series. So if this is the end for Miller, I'm sad but also glad that he can finally rest in peace.
To close, I just have to say how lucky the main characters are sometimes. Amos was shot like five times in the back and he's just fine. Naomi has actual dialogue spelling out all the times Holden got out of seemingly impossible situations. I am interested (and very nervous) about what's going to happen with Murtry aboard. Looking forward to finding out in the next book!
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Good. A little sprawling, a little confusing, but very Babylon 5 or Mass Effect in the overall scope. I liked it.