The eighth book in the NYT bestselling Expanse series, Tiamat’s Wrath finds the crew of the Rocinante fighting an underground war against a nearly invulnerable authoritarian empire, with James Holden a prisoner of the enemy. Now a Prime Original series. HUGO AWARD WINNER FOR BEST SERIES Thirteen hundred gates have opened to solar systems around the galaxy. But as humanity builds its … solar systems around the galaxy. But as humanity builds its interstellar empire in the alien ruins, the mysteries and threats grow deeper.
In the dead systems where gates lead to stranger things than alien planets, Elvi Okoye begins a desperate search to discover the nature of a genocide that happened before the first human beings existed, and to find weapons to fight a war against forces at the edge of the imaginable. But the price of that knowledge may be higher than she can pay.
At the heart of the empire, Teresa Duarte prepares to take on the burden of her father’s godlike ambition. The sociopathic scientist Paolo Cordozar and the Mephistophelian prisoner James Holden are only two of the dangers in a palace thick with intrigue, but Teresa has a mind of her own and secrets even her father the emperor doesn’t guess.
And throughout the wide human empire, the scattered crew of the Rocinante fights a brave rear-guard action against Duarte’s authoritarian regime. Memory of the old order falls away, and a future under Laconia’s eternal rule — and with it, a battle that humanity can only lose — seems more and more certain. Because against the terrors that lie between worlds, courage and ambition will not be enough. . .
The Expanse
Leviathan Wakes
Caliban’s War
Abaddon’s Gate
Cibola Burn
Nemesis Games
Babylon’s Ashes
Persepolis Rising
Tiamat’s Wrath
Leviathan Falls
Memory’s Legion
The Expanse Short Fiction
Drive
The Butcher of Anderson Station
Gods of Risk
The Churn
The Vital Abyss
Strange Dogs
Auberon
Memory’s Legion
more
This the Expanse Book 8, and if you didn’t know that I love this series by now, then you should be able to figure it out with this review. Lol. There are so few series where I’ve read more than 3 books and stuck with it. Harry Potter is one of the few and the Expanse now is up there with it! These characters get better with each book and so does the overall story. I was on the edge of my seat listening to this one. Seeing what the protomolecule can do is awesome. And I was happy to spend time with Naomi and see her come into her own. There’s a good reason why people stick with this series! Do yourself a favor and start the series NOW. (Really.)
Another great installment in The Expanse universe. The world building, politics, and personalities were as compelling as ever. And the mystery of the protomolecule continues to surprise.
TIAMAT’S WRAITH is the latest volume of the Expanse. The Expanse struck science fiction like a breath of fresh air and is basically serving as Game of Throne’s slightly less successful brother in bringing genre fiction to the mainstream. It’s a high concept series about wealth, power, politics, and an alien molecule that defies the laws of physics. Honestly, you can tell how much I like the Expanse in the fact that I’d still be happy to read the series if they ditched all of the alien technology business completely.
The premise is that the solar system has been conquered by the Laconian Empire. They are a colony established by Mars deserters that have gained access to a shipyards owned by the Protomolecule race. Easily crushing the rest of humanity, they have established a British-style colonial empire that rules reasonably soft but still with absolute authority. Holden has been captured and the rest of the team is struggling to figure out a way to fight a seemingly invincible foe. Worse, Laconia continues to poke the bear of the race that destroyed the Protomolecule race. They believe they can deal with them as equals despite the fact they are seemingly possessed of far greater technology.
This is probably the best storyline for Naomi in the series as it gives her the opportunity to become the leader of the revolution against the Laconians. Too often, Holden was given the role of leader and it’s good to see Naomi show herself off as a practical alternative. Holden also becomes a “evil chancellor” working against Duarte from behind the scenes while ostensibly his pet prisoner. Amos, Bobbie, and Alex all get great storylines and this is probably one of the best books for character development in the series.
I don’t like what happened with Amos but that’s just how these things go. We also lose a couple of beloved characters but lethality was always a part of the series. Indeed, the first sentence of the novel is a tragic loss of someone who many fans considered to be their favorite character. The characters are aging, though, and soon will probably be too old to continue their adventures much longer. The time skip between books is one of the more controversial decisions by James S.A. Corey. The heroes are only as good as their villains and Duarte is probably the best villain in the series.
This is due to the fact they manage to make him someone who is intelligent and charismatic enough to believe he could command all of the Laconian military but also dumb enough that he thinks picking a fight with Cthulhu is a good idea. It’s amazing how someone so smart can end up being so stupid. Hopefully, his daughter will prove to be a better leader to the Laconians if humanity manages to survive.
In conclusion, this is among the best of the Expanse books. It’s come a long way from the conflict between Belters, Earthers, and Martians. That’s not entirely a good thing but I love this final leg of the adventure.
I think this was actually my least favorite of the series. It seems like the characters are just always waiting for something to happen. No big revelations, although the final battle is great. Overall, still a great sci-fi novel, but it felt like a bit of a functionary placeholder to get the characters where they need to be before the final book.
Tiamat’s Wrath is the latest in the Expanse series. It is a satisfying addition to this long running series. Most of the “zing” it has lost because it is no longer new, has been replaced continued exploration and growth of the main characters, addition of new characters. Recurring story elements include brilliant psychopaths and large scale human conflict. I think Corey has mastered “meat-grinder” SF (major disasters, lots of people suffer and die) but the large scale chaos and human suffering of war is somewhat muted in this book – at compared to some of his prior work. Anyway, there was lots of adventure, more than usual amounts of skulking, plenty of human “WTF” stupidity and clearly more to come. This is thoroughly entertaining Space Opera. Recommended.
I love this universe, it feels real. The science is spot on. It gives you enough to really hate the bad guys. Plus Amos!!
Another great entry in the series. There is a definite sense things are winding down, and this books puts everything in motion for the finale. There are a lot of questions answered, but also a lot more brought up. I’m glad to be over some of the plotlines that started in the last book, but I’m interested to see how the crew works in the final book. Can’t say too much more, but I’m looking forward to the last installment!
This series is one of the best things going in SF. Wonderful characters both large and small, realistic human politics, and alien technology on a huge and inventive scale. I don’t want it to be over, but I want the last book NOW!