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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This one was a little more preachy than I'd expected, and the only thing that saved it from a deus ex machina ending was all the work that had been put into quietly setting up the trick since Nemesis Games, which I guess is a big point for the authors. Anyway, this was a big one, and sometimes a little tough to get into but it was great at carrying on with the figuring out "what humans would do if." I really really hope the authors are setting up something big with Laconia and the protomolecule, because they've been teasing us a long while and I want to know what's happening on the other side of that gate! Looking forward to the next book for sure.
Great follow up. It shifts gears into a slower instalment after the action packed previous book, and that was a great choice. Slower parts are handled better, punctuated with a lot of noticeable quiet, human moments that accented a lot of the character arcs.
Also loved bringing Pa back into the fold; the pirate queen and her life situation with her poly partners and moral conundrum in tandem with Filips perspective of Marcus ratchet up the tension throughout.
The authors have a knack for ending conflicts in interesting ways, too. There’s some awesome space dog fight sequences and there’s also huge resolutions handled in few page counts but as impactful.
Very impressed. It’s inclusive fiction peppered with science when it can explain what’s happening. There’s believable psychology with all of the characters. Feels like they’re only getting better at writing the series as it goes along.
Also loved bringing Pa back into the fold; the pirate queen and her life situation with her poly partners and moral conundrum in tandem with Filips perspective of Marcus ratchet up the tension throughout.
The authors have a knack for ending conflicts in interesting ways, too. There’s some awesome space dog fight sequences and there’s also huge resolutions handled in few page counts but as impactful.
Very impressed. It’s inclusive fiction peppered with science when it can explain what’s happening. There’s believable psychology with all of the characters. Feels like they’re only getting better at writing the series as it goes along.
Babylon's Ashes could have been much more interesting, the pace seemed slow and sluggish, especially compared with its predecessor. It is an arc that it required a resolution, I was not particularly interested in.
After the last book where the belter anthem was Twisted sister:
We're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
We're not gonna take it anymore
It is time for the revenge of earth:
OK. Just kidding...You know that James Holden and Chrisjen Avasarala would never stoop to petty revenge. Or would they? No spoilers in this review.
It is time for another rollicking adventure in the Expanse (subtitled Jim tries again to make everything better).
First, now that my lame attempts at comedy are out of the way, my ratings:
Characters: 5*
Universe: 5*
Plot: 3.8*
Rating: A strong 4*...oh, what the heck, I'm going to round up to 5* based on historical loving of the series.
Characters: I love these characters and this book finally gets to the point of ignoring the characters I don't care about and focusing on the ones that I do. Yes, there could always be more Chrisjen. Seriously, I love this woman. Not romantically, but as a character. I always have and there can never be enough of her in any of the books. Heck, I think I'd read the book if it only consisted of meeting minutes of her time on Luna during this book. Hey James SA Corey -free book spinoff idea there! You are welcome.
Back on track. I can't focus with daylight savings time.
The characters continue to develop and grow deeper (for the most part). They (for the most part) are multi-dimensional. James Holden continues in his angst. Naomi is still a rock that fades into the background too often. Bobbie is still awesome. The gang is all here. I love seeing them all together, but I do miss their individual development from the last book. The last one was much more character driven, but there really is nothing like having them all on one ship again.
The universe continues to develop. You know I love a good book where the world building takes center stage and impacts the story and this series has that in spades.
Plot - this is the weak part of the book. The plot is fun, but a bit predictable at times. No, I don't mean I know exactly what to do, but you generally can guess the way things will go. And, that isn't a bad thing. Plus, this series continues to excel in the political and cultural arenas. They don't ignore how the forces of history can impact human behavior.
Will there be more books in the series? Based on at least 2-3 major hanging threads, I think it is safe to say that the answer is most definitely.
We're not gonna take it
No, we ain't gonna take it
We're not gonna take it anymore
It is time for the revenge of earth:
OK. Just kidding...You know that James Holden and Chrisjen Avasarala would never stoop to petty revenge. Or would they? No spoilers in this review.
It is time for another rollicking adventure in the Expanse (subtitled Jim tries again to make everything better).
First, now that my lame attempts at comedy are out of the way, my ratings:
Characters: 5*
Universe: 5*
Plot: 3.8*
Rating: A strong 4*...oh, what the heck, I'm going to round up to 5* based on historical loving of the series.
Characters: I love these characters and this book finally gets to the point of ignoring the characters I don't care about and focusing on the ones that I do. Yes, there could always be more Chrisjen. Seriously, I love this woman. Not romantically, but as a character. I always have and there can never be enough of her in any of the books. Heck, I think I'd read the book if it only consisted of meeting minutes of her time on Luna during this book. Hey James SA Corey -free book spinoff idea there! You are welcome.
Back on track. I can't focus with daylight savings time.
The characters continue to develop and grow deeper (for the most part). They (for the most part) are multi-dimensional. James Holden continues in his angst. Naomi is still a rock that fades into the background too often. Bobbie is still awesome. The gang is all here. I love seeing them all together, but I do miss their individual development from the last book. The last one was much more character driven, but there really is nothing like having them all on one ship again.
The universe continues to develop. You know I love a good book where the world building takes center stage and impacts the story and this series has that in spades.
Plot - this is the weak part of the book. The plot is fun, but a bit predictable at times. No, I don't mean I know exactly what to do, but you generally can guess the way things will go. And, that isn't a bad thing. Plus, this series continues to excel in the political and cultural arenas. They don't ignore how the forces of history can impact human behavior.
Will there be more books in the series? Based on at least 2-3 major hanging threads, I think it is safe to say that the answer is most definitely.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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
I've loved all the Expanse novels, but this one couldn't squeeze all 5 stars out of me, I could only give 4 this time. Too many POV characters in this one, compared to the style of the previous 5 books. It was hard to feel really keyed in to just a few voices. But it almost seemed necessary, given all that has happened in this universe.