The Expanse: Dragon Tooth, Volume 3
The Expanse: Dragon Tooth series, Issues 9 - 12
Andy Diggle and James S. A. Corey (creators), illustrations by Francesco Pisa
BOOM! Studios
Fiction, Graphic Novel/Media Tie-In/Sci-Fi
****+ (Good/Great)
DESCRIPTION: It has been ten years since the sleeper "dragon tooth" agents left behind by General Duarte and the Martian defectors - currently on the far side of the Laconia ring, under complete radio silence - caused trouble for the system, but that does not mean they have forgotten their old master and their standing orders... or that they have not been working toward the destruction of Earth, Mars, and the Belters. When an Earth diplomat dies under suspicious circumstances while en route to Luna, it signals the coming end game for the saboteurs - and possibly the end of everything that Avasarala, Drummer, and the aging crew of the Rocinante have labored to rebuild.
REVIEW: The "Season Seven" story arc wraps up in a suitably explosive, action-packed finale with this third and final volume of the Dragon Tooth storyline. With another time jump, the characters are showing their age, continuing to fill the gap between the sixth and seventh novels but on the parallel timeline established by the television series. The core cast is distinctly older but no less capable or determined to protect the hard-won peace of the system... just as their enemies are no less determined to see it all destroyed. As the crew of the Roci race to identify the threat, the sleeper agents are perpetually one step ahead of them, leading to a nail-biter climax and a fitting final scene that segues well into the events of Strange Dogs and Persepolis Rising, the next books in the greater arc. I almost thought the characters felt a little short-changed in the rush to tie up the storyline, but this is primarily an action plot, and everyone has their own parts to play in the unfolding crisis. It earned the extra half-star for continuing to capture the feel of the series, which I've missed more than I realized.
On an unrelated side note, the tail end of December may have seemed a little sparse on reviews. That is because many of my reviews are audiobooks that I listen to at work, and I have had to take some time off due to a family crisis. My elderly father's physical and mental health have been worsening for some time, and a recent medical crisis finally tipped things over the line from controlled decline to the final countdown, as it were. As of this review, he is currently under home hospice care. He is the man who helped introduce me to reading in general and science fiction in particular, a lifelong fan who was active in the local fannish community for many years, and his impending loss is a black hole in my life. I should have been a better person with him for a father, and I feel that failure every day. Between this and the horrific betrayal of hope that was the November election, I utterly and sincerely wish with every fiber of my being that 2024 burns in the deepest possible depths of whichever Hell will take it... and it can preemptively take 2025 and beyond with it into the abyss.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Red Rising (Pierce Brown) - My Review
The Expanse: Dragon Tooth, Volume 1 (Andy Diggle) - My Review
The Stars Now Unclaimed (Drew Williams) - My Review
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