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Deleted member 5745

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Welcome to the OT for The Expanse series of novels by James S. A. Corey! Very happy I could bring this OT into the new era! Be aware this thread will have spoilers for the book series up until Tiamat's Wrath, the latest release. Book descriptions/publisher blurbs in this OP will be UNMARKED.

The series currently has a live-action adaptation airing on Syfy Channel (UPDATE: cancelled, saved by Amazon). TV-only fans who don't want to spoiled should go here now:
https://www.resetera.com/threads/the-expanse-season-3-“its-a-legitimate-salvage”.35580/

About the Author
James S. A. Corey is the pen name used by collaborators Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Daniel Abraham is already an established author with several titles under his belt, while Ty Franck worked as a personal assistant to George R. R. Martin.

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Main Books in The Expanse:

Leviathan Wakes [June 15, 2011]
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Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, the Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations - and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.

Caliban's War [June 26, 2012]
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On Ganymede, breadbasket of the outer planets, a Martian marine watches as her platoon is slaughtered by a monstrous supersoldier. On Earth, a high-level politician struggles to prevent interplanetary war from reigniting. And on Venus, an alien protomolecule has overrun the planet, wreaking massive, mysterious changes and threatening to spread out into the solar system.

In the vast wilderness of space, James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante have been keeping the peace for the Outer Planets Alliance. When they agree to help a scientist search war-torn Ganymede for a missing child, the future of humanity rests on whether a single ship can prevent an alien invasion that may have already begun…

Abaddon's Gate [June 4, 2013]
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For generations, the Sol system – Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt – was humanity's great frontier. Until now. The alien artifact working through its program under the clouds of Venus has appeared in Uranus's orbit, where it has built a massive gate that leads to a starless space beyond.

Jim Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are part of a vast flotilla of scientific and military ships going out to examine the artifact. But behind the scenes, a complex plot is unfolding, with the destruction of Holden at its core. As the emissaries of the human race try to find whether the gate is an opportunity or a threat, the greatest danger is the one they brought with them.

Cibola Burn [June 17, 2014]
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"An empty apartment, a missing family, that's creepy. But this is like finding a military base with no one on it. Fighters and tanks idling on the runway with no drivers. This is bad juju. Something wrong happened here. What you should do is tell everyone to leave."

The gates have opened the way to a thousand new worlds and the rush to colonize has begun. Settlers looking for a new life stream out from humanity's home planets. Ilus, the first human colony on this vast new frontier, is being born in blood and fire.

Independent settlers stand against the overwhelming power of a corporate colony ship with only their determination, courage, and the skills learned in the long wars of home. Innocent scientists are slaughtered as they try to survey a new and alien world. The struggle on Ilus threatens to spread all the way back to Earth.

James Holden and the crew of his one small ship are sent to make peace in the midst of war and sense in the midst of chaos. But the more he looks at it, the more Holden thinks the mission was meant to fail.

And the whispers of a dead man remind him that the great galactic civilization that once stood on this land is gone. And that something killed it.

Nemesis Games [June 2, 2015]
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A thousand worlds have opened, and the greatest land rush in human history has begun. As wave after wave of colonists leave, the power structures of the old solar system begin to buckle.

Ships are disappearing without a trace. Private armies are being secretly formed. The sole remaining protomolecule sample is stolen. Terrorist attacks previously considered impossible bring the inner planets to their knees. The sins of the past are returning to exact a terrible price.

And as a new human order is struggling to be born in blood and fire, James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante must struggle to survive and get back to the only home they have left.

Babylon's Ashes [December 6, 2016]
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A revolution brewing for generations has begun in fire. It will end in blood.

The Free Navy – a violent group of Belters in black-market military ships – has crippled the Earth and begun a campaign of piracy and violence among the outer planets. The colony ships heading for the thousand new worlds on the far side of the alien ring gates are easy prey, and no single navy remains strong enough to protect them.

James Holden and his crew know the strengths and weaknesses of this new force better than anyone. Outnumbered and outgunned, the embattled remnants of the old political powers call on the Rocinante for a desperate mission to reach Medina Station at the heart of the gate network.

But the new alliances are as flawed as the old, and the struggle for power has only just begun. As the chaos grows, an alien mystery deepens. Pirate fleets, mutiny, and betrayal may be the least of the Rocinante's problems. And in the uncanny spaces past the ring gates, the choices of a few damaged and desperate people may determine the fate of more than just humanity.

Persepolis Rising [December 5, 2017]
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In the thousand-sun network of humanity's expansion, new colony worlds are struggling to find their way. Every new planet lives on a knife edge between collapse and wonder, and the crew of the aging gunship Rocinante have their hands more than full keeping the fragile peace.

In the vast space between Earth and Jupiter, the inner planets and belt have formed a tentative and uncertain alliance still haunted by a history of wars and prejudices. On the lost colony world of Laconia, a hidden enemy has a new vision for all of humanity and the power to enforce it.

New technologies clash with old as the history of human conflict returns to its ancient patterns of war and subjugation. But human nature is not the only enemy, and the forces being unleashed have their own price. A price that will change the shape of humanity -- and of the Rocinante -- unexpectedly and forever.

Tiamat's Wrath [March 26, 2019]
Thirteen hundred gates have opened to 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 Cortázar 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...

Book 9 [TBA 2019]

---------------------------

The Expanse Novellas and Short Stories [eBooks unless otherwise specified]:

The Butcher of Anderson Station [October 17, 2011]
One day, Colonel Fred Johnson will be hailed as a hero to the system. One day, he will meet a desperate man in possession of a stolen spaceship and a deadly secret and extend a hand of friendship. But long before he became the leader of the Outer Planets Alliance, Fred Johnson had a very different name. The Butcher of Anderson Station.

This is his story.

Gods of Risk [September 15, 2012]
As tension between Mars and Earth mounts, and terrorism plagues the Martian city of Londres Nova, sixteen-year-old David Draper is fighting his own lonely war. A gifted chemist vying for a place at the university, David leads a secret life as a manufacturer for a ruthless drug dealer. When his friend Leelee goes missing, leaving signs of the dealer's involvement, David takes it upon himself to save her. But first he must shake his aunt Bobbie Draper, an ex-marine who has been set adrift in her own life after a mysterious series of events nobody is talking about.

The Churn [April 29, 2014]
Before his trip to the stars, before the Rocinante, Amos Burtons was confined to a Baltimore where crime paid you or killed you. Unless the authorities got to you first.

Drive [July 9, 2015]
A prequel short story that can be read for free here.

The Vital Abyss [November 15, 2015]
Somewhere in the vast expanse of space, a group of prisoners lives in permanent captivity.

The only company they have is each other and the Belters who guard them. The only stories they know are the triumphs and crimes that brought them there. The only future they see is an empty life in an enormous room.

And then the man from Mars came along . . .

Strange Dogs [July 18, 2017]
Like many before them, Cara and her family ventured through the gates as scientists and researchers, driven to carve out a new life and uncover the endless possibilities of the unexplored alien worlds now within reach.

But soon, the soldiers followed and, under this new order, Cara makes a discovery that will change everything.

---------------------------

If you're into them, all novels and novellas have been released as audio books. Jefferson Mays is the narrator for all novels (except Cibola Burn) and the novella The Vital Abyss. Erik Davies is the narrator for Cibola Burn and the first two novellas that were released (Gods of Risk and The Churn).

Websites:
http://www.jamessacorey.com/
http://expanse.wikia.com/wiki/The_Expanse_Wiki
 
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Paganmoon

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,586
So there's new casting news, not really sure if I should post here or in the TV-OT, since it can be considered spoilery, but anyway.

Nadine Nicole has been cast in an unknown role for season 3, but going by her looks, I'm guessing they've cast her as Clarissa, since she does resemble Florence Faivre. Was hoping they'd just cast Florence for Clarissa as well.

Also regarding OP on spoilers about Peresepolis Rising, shouldn't there be a grace period of like a week after the book is released to have open spoilers for it? I'd suggest so, to give people some time to read it.
 

Quinton

Specialist at TheGamer / Reviewer at RPG Site
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Oct 25, 2017
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Midgar, With Love
I'm on the third book and I've enjoyed them so far. I'm floored at the pace the writers keep. It's downright inspirational.
 

Winterblink

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Oct 26, 2017
142
Working on Babylon's Ashes and loving the series so far. Really interested in seeing how they're going to do some of the book bits in the show.
 

apocat

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Oct 27, 2017
10,044
I'm really invested in the expanse, and looking forward to the next book. Been waiting to read the short stories, as I think I heard they were planning to do a compilation further down the line.

As an aside, me and my board game group (which for a short time turned into a the expanse binge-watching group) is planning to get the expanse board game on the table next weekend. It seems like a good game from reading the rules, hoping it can live up to the books!
 

Quinton

Specialist at TheGamer / Reviewer at RPG Site
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Oct 25, 2017
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Let us know what you think of it! I've never gotten in on tabletop but I have a friend a few cities over I bet I could rope into trying it out with me. I love that the franchise has come full circle like this with a tabletop release.
 

apocat

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Oct 27, 2017
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Sure thing! Unfortunately one of our group had to cancel, so I still haven't actually played it. The game has been reviewed well though, and the rules makes it seem like a really good game.

Essentially the players take on the roles of the UN, MCR, OPA and protogen, all vying for influence and control over the most important planets and stations in the solar system. So it takes place around the first two books. In a fun twist the crew of the rocinante will always side with the underdog, so the player who is trailing the farthest behind gets control over it, and can use it in certain circumstances to influence the outcome of critical parts of the game. If I was to be a bit negative the components of the game feels a bit lackluster. The graphic design is rather dull, and cards has dark and muddy photographs from the tv series. Considering how luxurious some board games have gotten lately this is a bit of a shame, but it's not a dealbreaker.

The game does rely a lot on the show, with characters appearing that were not in the books. Overall I've got a good feeling about the game. If you're interested I can report back after playing it, though I don't want to derail the thread too much with board game talk.
 

Quinton

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I can't speak for the community, of course, or The Sum of Zero, but I think it would be OK if you spoke more of it further on down the line? On the basis of, well, I'm not sure a topic strictly dedicated to The Expanse's board game would gain much traction and folks in here are going to laser in on the upcoming seventh book once it's out and 'til then maybe not talk much, anyway. I don't know though!

But anyway, this sounds super-cool. It's a shame the photographs are muddy; the production values on the show are so slick that they deserve to be highlighted. I love the idea of the Roci rolling with the underdog. One of my favorite elements of this franchise is that underdog vibe.

Thanks for the early impressions,apocat!
 
OP
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It's cool if you want to discuss it. Not like there's much else going on in this topic right now lol.
 

apocat

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Oct 27, 2017
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I'll pop back in and give my impressions when I've gotten it to the table! Might do a bigger post in the board game thread as well. Looking forward to discussing the book in december. I have a feeling I'll do the old fashioned version of a netflix binge, and read it in one sitting!
 
OP
OP

Deleted member 5745

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In case anyone wasn't aware, Persepolis Rising came out today. Unfortunately I'm not able to get it until next week, and once I do I plan to wait until I've finished The Dark Tower series (currently on book 3) to read it.

But don't let that stop you from discussing anything about the book here! Just remember, for at least a week from now, to spoiler tag your discussions.
 

Paganmoon

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Oct 26, 2017
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Going to try to pick it up today or tomorrow. Wasn't too fond of the last two books though, but hoping this gets me back in.
 

apocat

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Oct 27, 2017
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Ordered it, but it hasn't arrived yet. I really liked the last two books, so I'm hyped!
 

Paganmoon

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Oct 26, 2017
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Ok, I'm about hundred pages in (96 to be exact). So here are some impressions, spoilers abound in the spoiler tag, do not click or quote this text. you have been warned!

Read through the prologue with sort of a "hmm, what the hell? they built up Laconia pretty damned fast", and it took me untill the first "real chapter" before realizing I read wrong, and it wasn't 3 years since the last book but 3 decades. Quite the jump. So, our "heroes" are 30 years older, still pretty much doing the same thing they used to. And I instantly got the feeling that it's a "breakup" story, which to me seems extremly cliché, not even a trope, but a full blown cliché, 30 years togheter and suddenly it's time to move on. Anyway, even with 30 years of more experience the characters are very much the same, well at least Holden is, he's still the same hypocritical know-it-all asshole he's always been, and everyone in his crew loves him, cause he's the best, just the best. And knowing how he is, why in all hells would Drummer send Holden, unless, she figured he would do this and wanted it.

Anyway, enjoying the book so far, but it still has the issues I've had with the series for quite some time.
 

Gennady

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Nov 5, 2017
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I don't like how they recycle the "Let's form a terrorist underground on Medina" part from AG.
How does Avarasala -who was old when the books started- stay alive while Duarte -probably a lot younger and fitter- needs the melted-prisoner-with-a-hint-protomolecule smoothies to survive?
 

Paganmoon

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Oct 26, 2017
5,586
ok finished the book last night, and as with the last few books for me, it was just average. Since we're over the grace periods, I'm going to post open spoilers now, it's going to be very unstructured though, so apologies for the ramblings.






In regards to my previous post, at about 96 pages in, well, I'm glad that it didn't devolve into a full fledged break-up (team still breaks up but not due to "it's time"-cliché), though Holden's still Holden, doing Holden things, saying Holden words, having Holden feelings. (I've really come to dislike the character if it isn't clear).

So other things that annoyed me:

Why always the comic book villain (Singh)?
Always a caricature, has to look down on others, has to think everyone is out to get them. And always make the wrong choice due to pride, and every choice the villain makes, gains the protagonists. It's seriously tiring. I can't really think of a single thing Singh did that didn't gain the protagonists.

Why always the false equivalences?
What Drummer tried to do to Freehold is not the same as what Laconia is doing. Freehold didn't honor an agreement and put many lives at stake by using the gate. Laconia isn't enforcing laws. They are conquering. The authors tried the same with the attack on Earth with equating it with what Naomi had done in the past, in Nemesis Games. It's forced as hell just to get some introspection that feels unearned for a lack of a better word.

Prose:
There were some recurring sayings, as a character says a something, and there's subtext, but they just spell it out, it was recurring so often, it annoyed the hell out of me. Example:
"No," Drummer said. "Anything needs saying, I'll say after." Or, she didn't say, not at all, that part was understood
I mean, this was like, every other chapter.

There are some highlights in the prose as well though.
Absolutely loved the message Trejo sends Drummer asking for surrender of their fleet. That to me should've been the main villain we followed, there was so much more depth in Trejo than in Singh, and I'm not sure how much of the text in Trejo's message is paraphrasing some other speech, if any, but man I loved the way it portrayed Trejo as someone who truly doesn't want destruction, but pretty calmly asks, how much destruction will buy your surrender, tell me and I will go that far, but no further.


Still, I'll be looking forward to the next book, I've come to expect forced drama, and uncompelling villains, but there are highlights in there, and I suppose it's gotten better overall for me, as a few books back I was close to dropping the series altogether.
 

Paganmoon

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Oct 26, 2017
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I'm still in also, just don't think they've been really that great for a long time.

Title of the book seems to mean shit's about to go down though.
 

lt519

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Oct 25, 2017
8,064
Finished it a couple days ago but haven't had a chance to post. I like the idea of Laconia and someone challenging ownership of the ring, but Singh was awful and his decision to implement curfews, etc, was out of character and forced to move the story along. Solid overall, but the series is starting to get tired and repetitive, it'll be good for them to wrap it up soon.

The description of the Laconian ships reminded me a lot of the Lanky seed ships in the Frontlines books, wonder if the authors read those.
 

Wrexis

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Nov 4, 2017
21,229
There are only two books left in the series right?

I'm of the opinion they've built up the "big alien bad" too much for it to be covered in just two books.
 
OP
OP

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In the wake of the sad news that The Expanse TV show was cancelled by SyFy, James S.A. Corey has announced there is another space opera trilogy planned once The Expanse novels are wrapped up.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/11/...corey-science-fiction-space-opera-book-series

Rather than being a part of their The Expanse universe, this new series will be set in a completely new world. In the press release, Ty Franck notes that where The Expanse drew on things like Ridley Scott's film Alien and Alfred Bester's novel The Stars My Destination, this new series is their "exploration of the high concept science fiction that followed [The Golden Age of science fiction], with books like Dune and Hyperion and The Left Hand of Darkness." Abraham says that "It's big spectacle far future space opera, while never losing our focus on the complexity of human nature in these strange new settings."
 

Vic_Viper

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Oct 25, 2017
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Finished Book 2 yesterday and about to start Book 3 today! Been watching the show and with the cancellation news, I wanted to see where things would be going. I have a really hard time seeing them be able to cram Book 3 into the rest of the current season, but I dont really know what is going to happen yet. Cant wait to start though!

-------------

Btw, would anyone mind explaining what happened to Mars's terraforming project before the events of the books/show. Something happened years before the books that caused Mars to not be able to implement an atmosphere, and there was almost a shooting war between Earth and Mars but ended with Earth destroying something...

Also how are the .5 books? Are they written by Corey?
 
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Keywork

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Oct 25, 2017
3,125
Just started the series as "Leviathan Wakes" was 3.99 on Kindle. I'm guessing Amazon reduced the price to get people interested in the show, or want to read the books cause they enjoy the show. Really enjoying it so far though I'm only a few chapters in.
 

Einchy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
42,659
386 pages into Leviathan Wakes, loving the shit out of the book so far and I'm sure I'm going to love the next two since the show just kept getting better and better.

I ordered up until the sixth book yesterday from Amazon. I really wish that the seventh book was released in paperback, though. It's gonna annoy the shit out of me to see 6 paperbacks and then a hardback.
 

Einchy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
42,659
500 pages into the second book.

I'm surprised at how different the books are from the show, I mean, the broadstrocks are the same but a lot of the connective tissue is very different. Makes it an exciting read since it doesn't feel like I'm just re-experiencing the show in book form.
 

Quinton

Specialist at TheGamer / Reviewer at RPG Site
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Oct 25, 2017
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Midgar, With Love
I just nabbed The Churn basically for free, whoo. Google Opinion Rewards is basically the best app in the history of the universe tbqh.

(Okay, fine, it was only $2.99 anyway.)

I'm always surprised by how few posts this thread gets, lol. The show is getting more popular. Its subreddit was at 4500 before the cancellation news. It just hit 60k!
 

Rad Bandolar

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,036
SoCal
I just finished Persepolis Rising and the thing that stuck out most to me is that the timeline has moved forward 30 years, but the main characters haven't changed in the slightest.

These people are well into their 60s, and not only are they acting the same way, they're also performing the same physical feats as if they're still in their 30s. I get that the human lifespan may have lengthened, but it would've been nice to see some recognition of time's passage both physically and psychologically.

The only character who seemed to be affected by age was Clarissa, and solely for a plot reason.

I enjoyed the book overall and wished more for a focus on Trejo rather than Singh, but I'm still hoping for something that grabbed me as much as Nemesis Games did. I hope the next one lives up to the promise of its title.
 

Einchy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
42,659
Just finished the 7th book.

Now my life is empty.

Is Nemesis Games considered the best book so far? Holy shit was that one good, well, I've liked all of them but that one was especially stellar. Marco and Filip were fantastic new editions to the cast.
 

apocat

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Oct 27, 2017
10,044
I just burned through Tiamat's Wrath, and I'm still all in on this series. I know some people don't quite click with the later books, but I still love them. It's not great literature, but well crafted space opera is rare, and I have fun with these characters. It's pretty crazy how much of a different place we are at now compared to the first couple of books. One more to go to finish the story, I guess. The wait begins.
 
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Antagon

Member
Nov 4, 2017
516
Just restarted reading the books, about a quarter through Caliban's war now. On reread it's clear how big the inprovement from the first to the second book is. The extra viewpoint characters are a great.

Probably going to buy Tiamat's Wrath tomorrow and continue the reread later.
 
OP
OP

Deleted member 5745

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5,429
Wow my OP is terribly out of date. I'm sorry, guys. I'll work on it when I've got time (if not today then tomorrow) EDIT: Whenever I get over this hellish cold
 
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Oct 27, 2017
12,282
Bump? I guess?

With Amazon series done, and the final book released - I've finally felt comfortable diving back into the series. I left off on book 3 just before the Amazon version debuted so it's been fun to see how faithful in a lot of ways the show has been to the books (and the very specific ways it's not). Even the final season - while being extremely lean and cut down to make 6 episodes, managed to be mostly accurate to the source material. It's honestly really impressive how they managed to pull it off.

I am currently reading book 7. The big time jump and shift in dynamic. I also finally see how people where comparing this to Warhammer with Duarte being a god-emperor. I've left off *just* before Duarte's forces are about to breach the gate for the first time. Drummer is like 'yeah, totally gonna be fine. no problem'