The story did a really good job minimizing the things I’ve found most annoying about the series, namely how the universe tends to get held captive by James Holden’s poor decisions, while offering up plenty of what it does best by bringing the conspiracy and protomolecule storylines back to the main stage. On a larger scale, I thought the quick progression of the Laconian conquest was just a little too neat and tidy, making me to think that is how it will be wrapped up as well, but for now I am just going to be content that my interest in the series has been renewed. I found it particularly satisfying to watch them navigate a new group dynamic that emerges and I similarly found their time spent as resistance fighters on Medina rather exciting as well.
The book moved along a quick pace and I actually enjoyed spending time with Rocinante crew again. Previously I had lamented the disappearance of both the protomolecule and renegade Martian fleet from the forefront of the story, but it seems like the plot has finally switched focus back to these arcs. I’ll admit I went into this book with fairly low expectations but must say that I ended up being quite pleased with it. The relative peace and prosperity of this new era is shattered, however, when Medina Station receives a message from the Laconia colony announcing an imminent return of the Martian forces that went into a self-imposed exile from the Solar System several decades earlier. Colonization through the ring gates has continued at a rapid pace and outposts of humanity are now scattered across hundreds of worlds held together by the Transportation Union that grew out of the Belt factions that opposed Marco Inaros. The forces of Earth and Mars have united and are gradually recovering their strength following their destructive war with the Free Navy.
The action picks up about 30 years after the end book six, Babylon’s Ashes. Any long time readers of the blog out there may recall that I’ve had a rather up and down relationship with this series, going so far as to declare that this book was going to make or break me sticking with it. It’s been a little while since I last checked in on the Expanse universe, but here we go with book number seven, published in December 2017.
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