Name: Jasper's review of Tiamat's Wrath by James S. A. Corey
Item: Tiamat's Wrath
Rating: 5
Author: Jasper

James S. A. Corey

NOW A PRIME ORIGINAL SERIES 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 . . . The Expanse series: Leviathan Wakes Caliban's War Abaddon's Gate Cibola Burn Nemesis Games Babylon's Ashes Persepolis Rising Tiamat's Wrath 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

Book 8 of the Expanse (now a Prime Original series)

Tiamat's Wrath

Zach Oglesby

Jasper

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

Simon Crocker

Ryan LaFerney

Tiamat’s Wrath may not end up being your favorite installment in The Expanse series, but it is without a doubt one of the most epic yet intimate entries in the whole series. Here the series reaches its peak with the reign of the Laconian Empire. Tiamat’s Wrath picks up from where Persepolis Rising left off- including Laconia’s leader, Winston Duarte, protomolecule inhanced and supreme ruler of colonized systems- and runs with it. Captain James Holden has been captured and imprisoned on Laconia, Naomi Nagata is hiding in shipping containers trying to coordinate a resistance, former Martian Marine Bobbie Draper and pilot Alex Kamal are plotting strikes against Laconian forces, and mechanic Amos Burton is missing in action. Like the other installments of The Expanse, the book jumps from perspective to perspective. It delivers the various viewpoints of the crew as they work to resist the Laconians, but it also follows members of the Empire — like Elvi Okoye (last seen in Cibola Burn), who’s undertaking critical science missions for Duarte, and the emperor’s daughter Teresa, who is growing up and learning how the Empire runs and is trying to determine if she wants to follow in her father's footsteps. In Tiamat's Wrath, the stakes are getting raised, and Corey makes it clear (in the fashion of George R.R. Martin) that nobody is safe: a couple of fan-favorite characters meet their end, one in the very first line of the novel. And this makes for a rough but engaging ride (stick with it though for the last 50 pages are quite amazing), one that questions the rise of tyranny and explores the limits of humanity.

Briar Rose

This might just be my favorite book out of a long saga that is, in my opinion, one of the most consistently high-quality series I’ve ever read. That Moment with Bobbie Draper will live in my soul forever, and I need to see it on screen someday.

Janice Hopper

Rereading in prep for Leviathan Falls. 3 more days.
_______________________________

I just finished listening to the audiobook.
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG.
I'll come back and say more when I've calmed down a little.
----------------------
::a few days pass::

Ok, I think I can write a little about this now.

The first part of the book has what seems to me a slightly elegiac tone. Our friends Alex, Amos, Naomi, Holden, and Bobbie are all older now. They're looking back over long lives, as you do when you're past your youth (speaking from experience here.) But they have a crapton of challenges to address.

Duarte is still experimenting with the protomolecule. Holden is still captive on Laconia. Naomi and Alex and Bobbie are working with the Resistance, which is too small, too fragmented, and too liable to be destroyed by Laconia's protomolecule-inspired spaceships to be extremely effective. But they're still out there, doing what they can. Amos was sent on a secret mission, and has disappeared and is presumed dead. :( 

Elvi Okoye from Cibola Burn is back, having been pressed into Duarte's service against her will because of her previous experience with the protomolecule and its artifacts. Duarte's daughter, Teresa, is 14, and becoming a force to be reckoned with, in part because she's starting to own her anger at the life she's been born into. That anger will have Consequences. 

And OMG this book is so GOOD. I love these characters. I put off reading/listening to it for a few days after I got it because I was afraid of what might happen as this series nears its end. And indeed, at one point I stopped and shouted "NO!!!" and woke my husband up. I really hope my neighbors didn't see me when I was listening outside on the back patio at another point, because I was sobbing and keening. I cried so hard that day, sloppy, ugly crying with snot running down my face. It was justified crying, and I regret none of it. And at the last giant battle scene, I'd been knitting furiously along while I listened, until I had to stop and put my hands over my face so I wouldn't hyperventilate or whatever. I know my husband thought I was nuts, but I don't care. I get involved in books that are good.

I read about people who finish a book and immediately turn around and read it again. I NEVER do that, but I ALMOST did it with this book. I loved all of it, even the hard parts. Though sometimes a little cynical part of me wonders about how the authors get all the little pieces to fit together just. right. to make everything hang together. But on the whole, I'm just glad they do. I love these characters and this universe, and I was delighted to read this book.

Also #TeamBobbieDraper 4EVER

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 Cortazar 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 8 of the Expanse (now a Prime Original Series)

Fraser Simons

Outstanding. This had everything I like about the series and then some. After a lot of setup this book starts knocking stuff out of the park. Plenty of face paced action and finally starts delving into the artifacts and creatures that killed the proto molecule civilization. It’s also a punch in the gut at times. 

Couldn’t ask for more, in short.

Cindy Lieberman

Wow! This went from slow to sad to strong. Anyone who has been reading the series will enjoy the journey and learnings in this solid entry, focused mostly on Laconia in this post-Avasarala world.

Lukas Gräf

The best book of the expanse series for me and one of the best books I have ever read 

Zoë Schaefer

I'm crying and everything is strange but okay.

Ben Nathan

This is 4.5 stars. Just great. A wonderful continuation of the story. So much depth and I love when the political intrigue is heavy in these books and this one just nails that crossed with the science and alien stuff. Just loving it and hyped for the finale.

Anyaconda

What the heck is this ending?!
I bawled on page 391. What a ride this has been. But honestly, this can't be it right?! There must be more coming 😱

Zach Oglesby &
Tiamat's Wrath by James S. A. Corey

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Zach Oglesby &Tiamat's Wrath by James S. A. Corey

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Zach Oglesby &
Tiamat's Wrath by James S. A. Corey