James S. A. Corey Archives - Gary David Gillen

Leviathan Falls by James SA Corey

Leviathan Falls by James SA Corey (Book #9 of the Expanse Series)

Introduction

Leviathan Falls by James SA Corey is the ninth book of The Expanse series. The crew is back on the Rocinante, Jim, Naomi, Alex, and Amos plus a special additional crew member. They start in the Kronos system looking to remain inconspicuous. They dodge the Laconian ship looking for Teresa Duarte, the daughter of the Laconian leader, High Consul Winston Duarte. The Laconian high command sends colonel Aliana Tanaka on an important secret mission. Elvi studies a mysterious object left by the ring gate builders in the Adro system. These three storylines intersect. Can Jim Holden and his crew discover the secret of the ring gate builders and defeat them before they destroy the universe?

Summary

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Recommendation

Leviathan Falls by James SA Corey brings the Expanse Series to a fitting and exciting conclusion. Elvi learns what she has been searching for. Alex gets his moment in the sun. Holden gets to have his grandstand experience. Naomi keeps it together because that’s her and she must. And Amos has the last word. They touched all the points on in this last book of the series. It’s been a long and worthwhile ride. I wish the TV show had been around long enough to adapt the last three novels of the series. Maybe someday they will.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Leviathan Falls by James SA Corey.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28335699-leviathan-falls

In Tiamat’s Wrath by James S.A. Corey, James Holden and his crew strike back at the Laconians. Will they succeed or will the Laconians start a thousand-year Empire?

Tiamats Wrath by James SA Corey

In Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey, the Laconians plan to take the 1300 worlds. Can Holden and his crew defeat the Laconians? It starts a new trilogy. Great beginning to the Laconian storyline.

Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey

In Babylon’s Ashes by James S.A. Corey, the Free Navy is trying to take the 1300 worlds. Can Holden and his crew defeat the Free Navy? Great conclusion to the Free Navy storyline.

Babylon’s Ashes by James S. A. Corey

This is the link to my review of Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey.

Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey

Tiamats Wrath by James SA Corey

Introduction

Tiamats Wrath by James SA Corey is the eighth book of The Expanse series. Winston Duarte and his band of former members of the MRCN from Laconia continue their plan to subjugate the whole human race. They plan to take over the solar system, creating an Empire with Duarte as the leader. Duarte believes he is the only person with the vision to defeat the creatures who destroyed the civilization who had built the gates to the 1300 worlds. Both sides gain victories and suffer defeats. Can James Holden and his crew defeat the Empire threatening to take over the 1300 worlds of man?

Summary

There are six viewpoint characters in Tiamats Wrath by James SA Corey.

James Holden is the viewpoint character in the prologue. The Laconians hold him as a captive at their capital. They have kept him long enough that his knowledge of the resistance is outdated, but they keep him around for a reason only known by Winston Duarte.

Bobbie Draper is the captain of The Gathering Storm, the advanced Laconian ship that the resistance captured. Her plan is to find ways that she can use the ship to bring the resistance force to the Laconians. Her first mission is to steal the special fuel needed to power the ship.

Alex Kamal is Bobbie’s pilot for The Gathering Storm. He gives a different perspective on Bobbie’s efforts. Alex has an old school approach to the resistance in contrast to newer members of the resistance. He remembers the actions of the OPA from thirty years ago, while a new generation has been born into the era of the Transport Union and the opening of the 1300 worlds.

Summary 2

Naomi Nagata has a different idea of resistance. She favors winning the war from within the enemy. She thinks attacking the Laconians economically and politically will win the war in time. Using that philosophy, she works behind the scenes using the old OPA network.

Teresa Duarte is Winton Duarte’s daughter. He has made her his heir and the potential ruler of a thousand-year-old empire. She is 14 years old and is trying to come to terms with her place in society and as the heir.

Elvi Okoye is part of the science initiative to determine the nature of the beings that destroyed the makers of the gates billions of years ago. The Laconians have stationed her on a ship that explores the 1300 worlds of the builders for clues to their demise.

Recommendation

Tiamats Wrath by James SA Corey seems like the middle novel of a trilogy. It continues the narrative from Persepolis Rising and builds up to the climax of the series in the ninth and final book. Bobbie’s story and Holden’s story paid off. Teresa’s story is just beginning. Eli’s story and Naomi’s story are setting up for a payoff in the next book. This is a great novel and I’m looking forward to reading the final book to see how the storylines are completed. So far, the ninth book is untitled, but they have it scheduled it to be published in 2020. I have put the book on my list to read this year.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Tiamats Wrath by James SA Corey.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28335698-tiamat-s-wrath

This is the link to my review of Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey.

Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey

In Babylon’s Ashes by James S.A. Corey, the Free Navy is trying to take the 1300 worlds. Can Holden and his crew defeat the Free Navy? Great conclusion to the Free Navy storyline.

Babylon’s Ashes by James S. A. Corey

In Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey, the Laconians plan to take the 1300 worlds. Can Holden and his crew defeat the Laconians? It starts a new trilogy. Great beginning to the Laconian storyline.

Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey

Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey

Introduction

Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey is the seventh book of The Expanse series. This novel happens 30 years after the events described in Babylon’s Ashes, the sixth book in the series. Winston Duarte and his band of former members of the MRCN are back from Laconia after thirty years of studying the protomolecule. They have the advantage of the Earth-Mars Coalition, take Medina Station. They plan to take over the solar system creating an Empire with Duarte as the leader. Can James Holden and his crew from the Rocinante defeat the Empire threatening to take over the 1300 worlds of man?

Summary

Transport Union President Camina Drummer heads the group that supplies all the 1300 worlds. She is usually at Medina Station, but she is near Earth at the transfer L-5 station to dedicate the station’s completion. The Rocinante heads to Medina Station after completing a mission for the Transport Union. The Rocinante crew are James, Naomi, Alex, Amos, Bobby, and Clarisa. They have been together for thirty years on the aging gunship. Holden and Naomi are ready to retire and make Bobbie the captain. After Winston Duarte’s forces capture Medina Station, they appoint Captain Santiago Jilie Singh governor of Medina station. The Rocinante is stranded on Medina Station. Duarte’s forces plan to take over the solar system. The Rocinante’s crew plan to escape Medina Station with the help of former OPA fighters. They want to free as many friendly forces they can.

Recommendation

Persepolis Rising reboots The Expanse by bringing back the Laconians. It appears to be the first book in a trilogy featuring the Laconians as the antagonists. It is a great novel. I liked the transition of the Rocinante’s crew, the conflicted anti-hero Santiago, and the horror of what Duarte is trying to do to himself. The only misstep is in aging the crew thirty years. It didn’t feel right that they hadn’t changed and stayed together all that time. A few jokes about aging didn’t solve that problem. I’m ready to read Tiamat’s Wrath (Book #8). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28335698-tiamat-s-wrath

Book #9 remains untitled with an unspecified release date, but I believe that date is in 2020.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33357930-persepolis-rising

This is the link to my review of Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey.

Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey

This is the link to my review of Babylon’s Ashes by James S.A. Corey.

Babylon’s Ashes by James S. A. Corey

Babylon’s Ashes by James S. A. Corey

Introduction

Babylon’s Ashes by James S. A. Corey is the sixth book of The Expanse series. This novel follows the exciting events detailed in Nemesis Games, the fifth book in the series. A group of belters led by Marco Inaros calls themselves the Free Navy. They have taken Medina Station and have gotten the upper hand on Earth, Mars, and the OPA. Can James Holden and his crew of the Rocinante regain Medina Station and defeat the Free Navy before the Free Navy can keep the 1300 worlds for themselves?

Summary

The Free Navy has taken over Medina Station. Marco Inaros has put Captain Michio Pa in charge of the station while he works on bigger plans. Marco’s son Filip is with Marco on Pallas Station. Filip hopes to prove himself to his father. James Holden’s crew is back together on the Rocinante. James’s crew are Naomi, Alex, Amos, Bobby, and Clarisa. The governments of Earth and Mars send them to Medina Station to stop the Free Navy. The Free Navy is trying to capture the colony ships and closing off the 1300 worlds from the Solar System. Naomi faces a difficult choice. What she decides will affect the fate of The Expanse.

Recommendation

I liked the novel overall and was happy that the author resolved the storylines for Nemesis Games in this novel. The character development of Pa and Filip was satisfying. Checking in with the crew of the Rocinante worked well. I liked how when some scenes were seen from one POV and then from another POV. Marco was a one-note villain, and he ended with a whimper and not a bang. Prax’s story should have been developed more. I’m not sure why there were chapters from the Medina station POV’s since their actions did not affect the plot. The space for chapters on Salis, Jakulski, Vandercaust, and Roberts could have been better used in developing the other plots further.

I received a copy of this novel from winning a Goodreads giveaway. When I read the novel in March 2018, I posted a review on Goodreads. I’m writing this review because I read Persepolis Rising (Book #7 of The Expanse) and wanted to give Book 6 a full review before I reviewed Book 7.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Babylon’s Ashes by James S. A. Corey.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25877663-babylon-s-ashes

This is the link to my review of Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey.

Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey

Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey

Nemesis Games by James S.A Corey, Book #5 of the Expanse Series

Introduction

The Rocinante must be refitted at Tycho Station after the crew’s last adventure in Ilus (New Terra) which was detailed in book #4 Cibola Burn. The crew splits up, each going on separate missions located around the solar system. Ships are disappearing mysteriously. Disaster strikes on Earth. The crew must come together to defeat a new menace or the balance of power in the solar system will be irrevocably changed.

Summary

For the first time in the series, all four members of the Rocinante crew are viewpoint characters. We can finally see what is inside the minds of Naomi, Amos, and Alex.

Four Viewpoints

Alex Kamal decides to reconnect with his old life on Mars including meeting with his ex-wife. He encounters Bobbi Draper and they go on a mission involving missing Martian MCRN ships.

Amos Burton goes back to Earth to face his past. There is a huge reveal of his true identity. He faces the disaster occurring on Earth. He visits Clarissa Mao (aka Peaches) in the prison where she is incarcerated. They must find a passage to Luna despite facing hostile enemies.

Naomi Nagata has a secret past that she kept from everyone including James Holden. Her secret is directly related to the reason for the missing ships. She must complete a difficult mission alone to redeem herself from the choices that she made in the past.

James Holden supervises the repairs on the Rocinante at Tycho Station. He works with the leader of the OPA, Fred Johnson, in discovering the whereabouts of missing colony ships.

Convergence

The four characters converge together and work on the same goal of dealing with each of their pasts and finding the shocking truth of the new order of the solar system.

Review

I think Nemesis Games is a great book. It is my second favorite book after the first of the series. Using the three new viewpoints was ingenious. Some viewpoints were more successful than others. Naomi’s was the best. Her secret was well thought out. She faced an extreme dilemma and was conflicted realistically. She attacked her problem with an analytical mind and found a solution which didn’t solve everything. James Holden was his usual action-oriented self. He worked well with Fred and thought things through. Amos had a lot to deal with in his past and faced it well. It seemed that the purpose of his journey was to bring Clarissa into the novel.

The timing of the events seemed too close to be realistic and that was the only weakness of this part. The weakest section was from Alex. It didn’t seem that he had enough of a motivation to return to Mars. His interaction with Bobbi was interesting but was also too much of a coincidence that it occurred.

Recommendation

The biggest problem with the novel Nemesis Games is that while there is some resolution to it, it serves only as a set up to the next novel, Babylon Ashes #6. By contrast, the previous four books all came to a strong conclusion. Fortunately, I don’t have to wait for a year to read it. I won a copy of the e-book in a Goodreads giveaway so I will read it very soon.

Links

Link to Goodreads page for Nemesis Games.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22886612-nemesis-games

This is the link to my review of Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey, Book #3 of The Expanse series.

https://www.garydavidgillen.com/cibola-burn-by-james-s-a-corey/

Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey

Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey, Book #4 of the Expanse Series

Introduction

After a thousand worlds were opened up by James Holden in Abaddon’s Gate everyone wants to be the first to claim the richest world possible. Belters, Martians, and people of the UN take any ship that they can find to leave the solar system. This novel, Cibola Burn, is about one particular world where refugees from Ganymede and a corporation with UN land rites called the Royal Charter Energy (RCE) come into conflict. James Holden is brought in to negotiate their claims but none of them are prepared for the consequences of waking up a planet after a billion years asleep that was created by the entities that sent the protomolecule to the solar system.

Summary

This novel has four Point of View characters plus a fifth called the investigator.

Basia Merton is one of the Ganymede refugees that came to Ilus to escape the destruction of Ganymede. He is part of a sabotage plan upon the RCE who came to take over the planet which they call New Terra. The RCE has a charter from the UN to explore and develop the planet. The refugees are not recognized by the RCE. The refugees want to destroy the RCE colony ship, Edward Israel, but Basia has reservations at the last minute. An RCE shuttle is destroyed which kills the provisional governor and leaves a scientific team stranded. Adolphus Mutry, the leader of the colony ship’s security detail, comes down to the planet and takes charge. Basia gets involved in a plot against him.

Elvi Okoye is a scientist, an exozoologist, on the RCI team that wants to explore the planet. She is stranded with the rest of the scientific team.

Dimitri Havelock is a security officer on the colony ship. He was the partner of Miller on Ceres employed by the Star Helix security firm. Now he is employed by RCI and is the head of active security on the ship while Murtry is on the planet.

James Holden is the only character who has previously been a Point of View character in the series. After the shuttle is destroyed Chrisjen Avasarala, the UN Secretary-General, convinces Holden to go to the planet and serve as a negotiator. Since this is the first case where conflict among the new worlds has developed, she wants an impartial person to negotiate a solution.

The Investigator viewpoint’s purpose is unclear until the end of the novel where it is explained.

Review

This novel is very good and I would recommend it for readers of the series but there were some curious plot choices made in the novel. I liked that this novel focused on a more constrictive story compared to the solar system wide stories of the previous novels. It was interesting seeing Holden, the man of action, attempting to play the negotiator. The character of Basia was suitably conflicted. He mixed the story of Ganymede with his complicity in the plot to hurt the RCE members. Another aspect was finding the courage to let his daughter Felcia choose her own path. He also decided to help the Rocinante crew when he was presented with the chance to do so.

Recommendation

I’m not sure where the arc for Elvi was supposed to go. She starts out with a schoolgirl crush on Holden. I thought maybe she would have put Holden in a compromising position. That could have been interesting but the whole idea was dropped suddenly. I don’t understand why Havelock was brought back as a character. His arc didn’t have anything to do with him being a partner to Miller. He was dropped into this story randomly. Security officer Carlos “Bull” c de Baca was a character from Abaddon’s Gate. If Bull’s name was substituted for Havelock’s name then I don’t think that any of the plot elements would have been changed. That tells me that Havelock was not an essential character. I did like his interaction with Naomi at the end of the novel. The novel, Cibola Burn, was another enjoyable read and I intend to read the next novel in the series, Nemesis Games, soon.

Links

Link to Goodreads page for Cibola Burn

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18656030-cibola-burn

Link to my review of Abaddon’s Gate Book #3 of The Expanse

Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey

Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey

Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey, Book #3 of The Expanse Series

Introduction

In Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey, The proto-molecule has created a ring just outside of the orbit of Uranus, which functions as a gate. What lies through this gate prompts wild speculation from every faction in the solar system. Jim Holden and his crew get mixed up right in the middle of it again. Ships from Earth, Mars, and the Belt converge on the gate and decide to hazard what lies beyond. They must balance the needs of humanity and the warring factions of Earth, Mars, and the Belt to succeed or be destroyed by the proto-molecule.

Summary

Jim Holden is back as a narrator for this novel, but the other three narrators from Caliban’s War (Book #2) sit this one out. Carlos “Bull” c de Baca is the security chief of the OPA (Belter) ship Behemoth, which was formally called the Nauvoo. Annuska “Anna” Volovodov is a Methodist priest from Europa who has taken passage on the Earth ship Thomas Prince and she represents the pacifist side of the system. Melba, who has gained employment as an electrochemical technician on the Belter Ship Cerisier, has a secret dark past and seeks revenge upon Jim Holden. All four narrators have different agendas but must find common ground to succeed against the powers that are on the other side of the gate.

Recommendation

Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey is a great novel. The author has taken new viewpoint characters into a self-contained narrative. It is an interesting choice and consistent with the novel series. The Bull and Anna characters are not as strong or compelling as Bobbie and Avasarala from Caliban’s War, but they had their moments. I think the real miss here is the potential of the Melba character. She faced a mental battle with her hidden, secret, true identity. It felt like she was having a split personality break and I think it would have been more interesting if the author had explored this break more. The ending sets up more intrigue which I will be looking forward to experiencing in the next book, Cibola Burn.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Abaddon’s Gate by James S.A. Corey.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16131032-abaddon-s-gate

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, book #1 of The Expanse, is a space opera set in a near future when the solar system is settled. Jim Holden becomes the captain of the Rocinante and Detective Miller is on a missing person case. Their paths cross and the fate of the solar system lies in their hands. This is a link to my review.

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

Caliban’s War by James S. A. Corey is book #2 of the Expanse, Jim Holden goes to Ganymede to investigate unusual occurrences. We meet new characters and learn about what happened to Julie Mao. This is a link to my review.

Caliban’s War by James S. A. Corey

Caliban’s War by James S. A. Corey

Caliban’s War by James SA Corey.

Caliban’s War by James SA Corey, Book #2 of The Expanse Series.

Introduction

In Caliban’s War by James SA Corey, the action moves to the moon of Ganymede. Someone captures a girl with a rare disease, they set loose a monster, and the moon base is under attack. James Holden is back and, with the help of new allies, must discover who is behind these attacks and how they can defeat them.

Summary

The first novel in the series only had two main viewpoint characters, James Holden and Joe Miller. Caliban’s War by James SA Corey expands the list to four, which gives more opportunities to see the same events from different viewpoints. Miller is not back and the reason is eventually explained. In the prologue, Mei is kidnapped, and that sets the main plot into motion.

The first viewpoint character is Bobbie Draper. She is a Martian Marine stationed on Ganymede, watching the UN troops also stationed there. She becomes the lone survivor when a monster single-handedly destroys both units.

The second viewpoint character is Holden and he is sent by his benefactor, Fred Johnson, to find out what is happening on Ganymede.

The third viewpoint character is Prax. He is Mei’s father and is desperate to find her. He eventually teams up with Holden. The last viewpoint character is Chrisjen Avasarala, the assistant to the undersecretary of executive administration of the UN. Bobbie ends up on Earth and teams with Avasarala. The two groups face challenges, discover the truth, and then head to confront Mei’s kidnappers.

Recommendation

Caliban’s War by James SA Corey is a great sequel to Leviathan Wakes. It expands the setting and ratchet ups the stakes. My only quibble is that the villains seem too similar to the group from the previous novel. I am planning to read the next adventure of Holden and his crew of the Rocinante in Abbadon’s Gate. Note that the Syfy series introduces Avasarala in season 1 of the expanse. Season two of the show will cover the end of the first novel and part of this novel.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Caliban’s War by James SA Corey.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12591698-caliban-s-war

Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey, book #1 of The Expanse, is a space opera set in the near future when the solar system is settled. Jim Holden becomes the captain of the Rocinante and Detective Miller is on a missing person case. Their paths cross and the fate of the solar system lies in their hands. This is a link to my review.

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey.

Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey, Book #1 of The Expanse Series.

Introduction

Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey is the first book in The Expanse series. It is a space opera set entirely within the solar system. I liked the non-stop action and the execution of the police procedural plot.

Summary

Each chapter is titled and narrated by the viewpoint character. The prologue introduces Julie Mao, who starts the plot rolling. Each subsequent chapter, except for the epilogue, is told by the two protagonists. First is Jim Holden the executive officer of the water hauler the Canterbury. He is sort of a jerk. His command philosophy tends to be wishy-washy. The author could have written him as a type-A hero, but I appreciate that the author chose a different path for him.

The real star of this novel is Detective Miller. He feels like a direct descendant of Philip Marlowe, first written by Raymond Chandler in The Big Sleep. He is the ultimate film noir detective but based on the asteroid of Ceres. Miller wears a pork-pie hat to prove it. His case is to find Julie Mao and how he grows as a character is what drives this story. I started to read this novel as a companion to watching the SyFy series called The Expanse.

Recommendation

The novel is great. The show starts slowly but delivers toward the end. The first season of the show ends just before the climax of the novel Leviathan Wakes. I am looking forward to seeing how the showrunners depict the end of the novel and continue the story. Caliban’s War is the name of the second novel. I plan on reading the novel in conjunction with watching season two of The Expanse, airing in January 2017.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8855321-leviathan-wakes

My review of Caliban’s War by James S.A. Corey Book #2 of The Expanse Series. They send Jim Holden to Ganymede to investigate. We meet new characters and learn about what happened to Julie Mao.

Caliban’s War by James S. A. Corey