Nemesis Games (James S. A. Corey)

Nemesis Games
The Expanse series, Book 5
James S. A. Corey
Orbit
Fiction, Sci-Fi
****+ (Good/Great)

DESCRIPTION: After years of service and some exceptionally trying times beyond the ring gates, the Rocinante has returned to Tycho Station for a much-needed overhaul and repair... and her crew uses the time to tie up some loose ends from their old lives. The death of one of Amos's few Earthbound friends sends him back to Baltimore, Alex heads to Mars for closure with his ex-wife, and a dark voice from Naomi's past draws her back into a world she'd almost killed herself to escape in the hardcore fringes of the OPA. If Captain Jim Holden thought he'd be bored, though, he's soon mistaken, as he's drawn into a mystery: something seems to be happening to colony ships passing through the ring gates, even as missing vessels reappear in suspicious active service throughout the system. A new force is about to make itself known with a devastating attack - and, wherever they find themselves, the crew of the Rocinante are once more up to their necks in the thick of the danger.

REVIEW: I admit the extra half-star may be subjective, moreso than my usual review; I started reading this after the finale of the TV show to ease post-season withdrawal symptoms, and it scratched that itch in a most satisfactory manner. Even disregarding that, though, this one feels like it picks up faster than the last book or two in the series, in no small part because it keeps its focus on the core crew and isn't spending time building new characters in new corners of the system. (Not that I minded that necessarily, but there's something to be said for familiar faces.) The Rocinante's crew have all grown older and, in their own ways, wiser through their adventures, even as they grew together as an impromptu family. Those bonds come to the forefront as they make their separate ways toward the same destination, albeit unknowingly. Even apart, they can look to each other for strength and guidance and a sense of purpose in a way they wouldn't have even a book or two ago. Side characters from previous books come back into play, while new players enter the field and the political landscape (er, starscape) shifts dramatically, even catastrophically, in response. The story moves quickly, as I've come to expect from the series, with plenty of action balanced by some nice introspection. Enjoyable, and it makes me eager to read the next book - which is already waiting on the shelf. (I have a few other titles I have to clear first, though... the To Be Read pile's too deep to let one series monopolize my attention. Plus it's going to be a while before Season 4 hits Amazon and Book 8 hits the bookshelves, so I have to pace myself.)

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