Name: Vojtech's review of Persepolis Rising by James S. A. Corey
Item: Persepolis Rising
Rating: 5
Author: Vojtech

James S. A. Corey

The seventh book in the NYT bestselling Expanse series, Persepolis Rising finds an old enemy returning home with more power and technology than anyone thought possible, and the crew of the aging gunship Rocinante tries to rally forces against the new invasion. Now a Prime Original series. An old enemy returns. 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... Persepolis Rising is a breakneck science fiction adventure following the bestselling Babylon's Ashes. The Expanse Leviathan WakesCaliban's WarAbaddon's GateCibola BurnNemesis GamesBabylon's AshesPersepolis RisingTiamat's Wrath The Expanse Short Fiction The Butcher of Anderson StationGods of RiskThe ChurnThe Vital AbyssStrange Dogs

Persepolis Rising

Vojtech

We're so far from the beginnings of this set of stories that it's easy to forget the journey the characters have been on. This has been a great one, but feels a lot like a setup for a grand finale

Josh Dawson

In retrospect, it was all so obvious. Anything else I have to say, I've already said in previous reviews. This series continues to slap.

Simon Crocker

Matt Stein

My review: https://mattstein.com/books/persepolis-rising

The seventh novel in James S. A. Corey's New York Times bestselling Expanse series. Now a major television series. An old enemy returns. 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... Persepolis Rising is a breakneck science fiction adventure following the bestselling Babylon's Ashes. The Expanse Leviathan WakesCaliban's WarAbaddon's GateCibola BurnNemesis GamesBabylon's AshesPersepolis Rising The Expanse Short Fiction The Butcher of Anderson StationGods of RiskThe ChurnThe Vital AbyssStrange Dogs

Apiecalypse Jen

Ryan LaFerney

In 2016, Abraham and Franck (the authors behind the pen name James S.A. Corey) told The Verge that the last three books of the Expanse series would be “one big plot arc coming to the finale.” Persepolis Rising, the first of that trilogy, lives up to that promise and sets the stage for a huge confrontation to finish off the series. The plan is for this to be a nine book series, and it’s essentially a three act structure with three books per act. So we’re starting the end run with this one, and that’s clear from the start of the book.

 A lot of time has passed since the conclusion of Babylon’s Ashes (about three decades), and our main characters are now seniors or verging on being seniors. In fact, some of them are even thinking about retirement. The solor system surprisingly has found an equilibrium. The OPA, Belter’s dominant political faction, has transformed into the legitimate Transportation Union, which helps supply 1,300 human-colonized planets across the galaxy. Earth and Mars have put aside their adversarial relationship to form the Earth-Mars Coalition, and protagonist James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are still doing the odd jobs required of them. However, one of the lingering plots from an earlier book comes back in a big way....

So the crew of the Rocinante must go up against a brutal, technologically advanced empire called Laconia, formed by a group of Martians who abandoned the solar system in an earlier book. Laconia has thrived in the three decades hence, under the leadership of the immortal High Counsel Duarte. Now, Duarte has dispatched a fleet back to the gate system and the station that controls it, launching another war for control over the solar system. And Duarte is pretty brutal.

And of course, a potential alien threat simmers in the background.

Since this is essentially set-up for the final phase of the overall story there’s a lot left up in the air, but like the previous books it’s also an entertaining self-contained sci-fi tale by itself. Duarte makes for an interesting, human villain and our favorite ex-navy good-doer Holden finds himself at the mercy of the High Counsel of Laconia, which gives this entry into the Expanse a flavor that reminds me of some of the political aspects of Dune.

What I liked: I agree with other reviews. James S.A. Corey kept the tale fresh by setting it 30 years ahead. So much has changed. And in deed, it's a blast to see random people say, "James f***ing Holden". He’s become a known hero in his "old" age. That makes me smile.

The book does have a few quirks. Mainly, the Laconians feel too much like a stereotypical evil empire, complete with super weapons and armored foot soldiers (Star Wars, anyone? I mean Space Nazis….)....but it’s a trope that is easy to adapt, and if done well, entertaining to pull off. 

I really enjoyed this entry. I’m looking forward to book 8.

Janice Hopper

11/21/21: Rereading (by ear) and Tiamat's Wrath before Leviathan Falls comes out at the end of the month (Nov. 2021).

The totalitarian takeover by the Laconians in this is horrible and really makes me unhappy. That doesn't mean the book is bad. It's just a little too dreadfully apt in this period of the world. I hate that.

NOW A PRIME ORIGINAL TV SERIES Persepolis Rising is the seventh novel in the New York Times bestselling and Hugo-award winning Expanse series. 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 ageing gunship Rocinante have their hands more than full keeping the fragile peace. In the vast space between Earth and Jupiter, the inner planets and the 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 pattern 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 for ever . . . The Expanse is the biggest science fiction series of the last decade and is now a major TV series. Praise for the Expanse: 'The science fictional equivalent of A Song of Ice and Fire' NPR Books 'As close as you'll get to a Hollywood blockbuster in book form' io9.com 'Great characters, excellent dialogue, memorable fights' wired.com 'High adventure equalling the best space opera has to offer, cutting-edge technology and a group of unforgettable characters . . . Perhaps one of the best tales the genre has yet to produce' Library Journal 'This is the future the way it's supposed to be' Wall Street Journal 'Tense and thrilling' SciFiNow The Expanse series: Leviathan Wakes Caliban's War Abaddon's Gate Cibola Burn Nemesis Games Babylon's Ashes Persepolis Rising Tiamat's Wrath Leviathan Falls (coming 2021)

Book 7 of the Expanse (now a Prime Original series)

** spoiler alert **
           3/16/19 
Started a re-listen to refresh my memory before the release of Tiamat's Wrath. Cripes, this book makes me uncomfortable to listen to. The Laconian threat and Winston Duarte terrify me. 

3/17/19. Finished re-listen today. Yup, still terrifying. The idea of a horrible authoritarian/totalitarian regime bearing down on you with vastly superior (alien) technology and basically just walking in and taking over seems too much like real life in this terrible timeline.

I will say I really like the affection shared among the crew of the Rocinante. Holden and Naomi, Amos and Clarissa, Bobby and Alex, and everyone with everyone else. Only one of the relationships really has to do with sex, but all of them are family. I kinda love that. One of the reasons to read long series books like this is to follow the people in them. I kinda love the crew of the Rocinante, even if some of them (Holden) are idiots sometimes.


This volume of The Expanse was a real nail-biter. I kept having to put the audiobook down for a bit to keep from getting to anxious about what was going on.

30 years have passed. Everyone's older, and, in some cases, sicker. The plans of the Martians who stole the protomolecule are starting to come to fruition, and they're invading the human-inhabited spaces. 

I found the invading forces genuinely terrifying. The Martians have harnessed some of the power of the protomolecule to create new kinds of warships and weapons. They have a Leader who plans to be the only Immortal to rule all the worlds and impose an order on all human spaces. There are echoes of the current authoritarian-tending rule in the U.S. that made me extremely anxious. :( The whole control-the-narrative-and-control-the society thing gave me cold chills. :( And the undefeatable warship... jeezopete.

The crew of the Rocinante gets caught at Medina Station when the Martian warships come through. The whole story is how one warship ends up controlling all of human space, and what happens on Medina Station while that warship is conquering the rest of human space.

There is a LOT of action in this book, especially toward the end. Now that I know what happens, I can go back and re-read the book without quite so much worry. We've definitely been left in the middle of the story where at least some of the characters are concerned. I'm very worried about the crew of the Rocinante. :(

I've got a lot of frowny/unhappy faces in this review, but that's just because it made me anxious for the characters. And because the villain/antagonist is TERRIFYING to me. But it's good. The Rocinante crew is a group of people who are flawed and damaged, but who care for each other, and who are genuinely heroic group of people. That's why I worried so much, because I freakin' CARE about what happens to Jim, Naomi, Alex, Amos, Bobbie, and Clarissa. 

I like books with heroes, even if they make me nervous sometimes. Can't wait for the next volume in this saga, even though I'm sure it will make me anxious too.

Fraser Simons

This is more like 3.5 for more. It was almost 3 stars. But it really nailed the ending, I think. And a particular sequence with Clarissa was just really, really good. 

An invading empire surfaces to capture Medina station after humanity is just barely getting back on its feet. There is page count given to psychological impact and the complex dynamics of an occupation on residents, which was interesting. 

However, after my, so far, favourite books this one was a bit of a let down comparatively. It has an interesting premise and ties into events that happened previously, answering some of those hanging questions. But it is also extremely jarring. 30 years pass from the previous book to this one and a lot of it feels hand waved away. While I like that it feels novel that it’s embracing of the same characters as an older crew. It feels a bit like a lot of pertinent dynamics and history is passed over and used to describe current problems between the crew. It’s the first book where there is infighting and it’s built upon this time gap. So it felt strange.

My other problem was a main character: Singh. As part of an occupying, oppressive force it makes sense that there is that POV. It just is utterly impossible for me to empathize with though; despite the attempt to humanize him, it again, felt a bit weird and kind of a slog to read his chapters. I’d rather have learned pertinent info from a “better” character. But the ending was cathartic and good, so I’m torn. It made the middle of the book drag heavily for me. But the start and finish were great. 

I think if you’re more interested in the questions it wants to explore, you’ll like this a lot more than I did. As is, this is a bit better than the third book for me, which similarly went too granular and dragged, despite having an interesting premise, conclusion, and interesting questions to explore.

Ben Nathan

Just an excellent installment. As the story got very focused and small by working on individuals, the overarching story got HUGE and I loved that juxtaposition. The characters just get better and better and their decisions are just satisfying and just surprising enough. New additions were great. The end of this series is going to be bonkers awesome.

Nico J

Wonderful. Stupendous. I started out thinking I may not like it once the notion of 30 years passing was established; not just that they would be old, but because I didn't have the best grasp of their ages before that and wasn't sure just how old they would end up being. How decrepit? Were they retired? How long do humans last? 

Drummer being a favorite character of mine, the focus on her felt like a gift. The new enemy had that veneer of gentility and kind conquerer vibe that was written well and always seems to get me spitting, so that's a plus. The discussion of their family bonds was warm and gentle, and the prospect of retiring more bittersweet than anticipated. Well of course, that didn't end up happening like a simple transfer of power and assets. The balance of the situation between Holden and Bobbie was good, though I could have used more of it. There were much greater perils weighing on them, of course, but it would have been cathartic for them to actually attack that head-on, which was partially handled to me when Amos and Bobbie have their moment instead. The heart and soul of the Belter ethos is captured masterfully, as always, and compelling.

The minute I wondered where Avasarala was, she shows up. Thank. Heavens. Because she's too fun not to have as a character in these books even when all it seems like she does is curse and indulge pessimism. Can't write a book without her. 

Singh is - ugh, I found it hard to connect with him and I don't know if that was the point. The idea of blind loyalty is nauseating and he truly failed at every spectacular turn and everyone knew it. How did he hold his quaint ideas that he would be reunited with his family while he muddied and made a total mess of the station occupation? Maybe on a reread I would find more sympathy, but interspersed with our main cast going through their trials and hardships, he fell flat. 

Again - an (inter)stellar installment and I'm hoping the library can come through with the next one on eBook.

Anyaconda

This was more political than I like, but still amazing. I just ordered the last book and I'm hoping for a great conclusion to the series 😊

Liz Griffin

Another riveting installment of The Expanse. Watching Bobbie take charge was fun. I deeply appreciated the nod to Amos’s mental health. Naomi proves once again that she’s the brains of the operation. And Holden... what have you gotten your coffee-loving self into this time!!

geri

Ollie Barker

The seventh novel in James S. A. Corey's New York Times bestselling Expanse series--now a major television series. The Expanse Leviathan WakesCaliban's WarAbaddon's GateCibola BurnNemesis GamesBabylon's AshesPersepolis Rising The Expanse Short Fiction The Butcher of Anderson StationGods of RiskThe ChurnThe Vital Abyss

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Persepolis Rising by James S. A. Corey

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