A review by bickleyhouse
Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey

adventurous dark tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

 
This is the third installment of The Expanse series, coming in at 541 pages (the book is longer, but I don't read the "extras" that always come at the end, usually the first chapter of some other book that Orbit recommends). 

And, as has been the case with the other two, they don't read like 500+ pages. What I mean by that is that it seems to go by quickly. I suppose that means that the writing is pretty engaging, and makes me want to keep reading. 

I did find that this one was a little harder to follow, at some points, though. Nevertheless, it was satisfying and kept me engaged to the end. One of the things that I have liked about this series is the chapters that alternate between major characters in the story. In this book, those seem to be mostly Holden, Bull, Melba, and Anna, the last three of which are new to this book. Bull is one of Fred Johnson's people (Fred is the leader of the OPA), but gets demoted to Chief Security Officer of the Behemoth ship, so that Ashton can be the captain. Melba is (or at least starts out to be) our villain for this installment, and Anna is a delightful character, who is a minister. 

Miller (the dead guy) continues to be a major player in this book, lead (or misleading?) Holden, who seems to be the only person who can see him. The main theme of this book is The Ring, formed by the protomolecule after it launched from the surface of Venus and assembled itself somewhere out around Saturn and Uranus. The whole story begins with a minor player launching his ship into the middle of the ring, which was surrounded by Earth and Mars military vessels. 

Confused, yet? See what I mean about it being a little hard to follow? 

But it was engaging enough that I read the last 200 pages in one day, to finish the book. It gets very intense toward the end, as people turn out to be not exactly who they started out to be. As I read, though, I seem to remember some pretty drastic differences between the book and the TV show, in this season. But it's been a while. 

There were some interesting thoughts presented in this one, too. The authors (yes, plural, because "James S.A. Corey" is actually two people) got into some rather deep theology in the course of this story. Especially of interest was a segment beginning on p. 249 of my edition, concerning Armageddon and eschatology. Then there was Anna's thought on the idea of a "mixed" church, which in her thinking, was gathering people from Earth, Mars, and the OPA, usually referred to as "Belters." Here's the passage: "It had occurred to Anna then that there really wasn't any such thing as a 'mixed' church group. No matter what they looked like, or what they chose to call Him, when a group of people called out to God together, they were one." Very interesting and thought-provoking. 

Of special interest in the current state of affairs was this line: "Disaster recovery could only go two ways. Either everyone pulled together and people lived, or they kept on with their tribal differences and fear, and more people died." I find this to be totally relevant in 2024 USA. 

In another conversation, this one between Anna and Bull, the possibility of there being a line that could be crossed, after which there was no possibility of redemption, was discussed. 

Bull: I think it is entirely possible to go so far into the red you can't ever balance the books.
Anna: Sounds like the voice of experience. How far have you been?
Bull: Far enough to know there's a too damn far.
Anna: And you're comfortable being the judge of where that line is?
 
And then, in one of the last conversations in the book, Anna is talking with fellow minister Hector Cortez, who says, "God gave man the Earth. He never promised him the stars."
 
It's been a long time since a science fiction book made me think this much.
 
I recommend this book for fans of hardcore science fiction, especially with a somewhat mystic bent.
 
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