Tiamat's Wrath (James S. A. Corey)

Tiamat's Wrath
The Expanse series, Book 8
James S. A. Corey
Orbit
Fiction, Sci-Fi
****+ (Good/Great)

DESCRIPTION: The unthinkable has become reality: the Sol system, birthplace of humanity, now kneels at the boots of Laconian High Consul Duarte, whose protomolecule-derived warships cut through the combined fleets of Earth, Mars, and the formerly-Belter Transport Union like a hot knife through butter. With their stranglehold on ring gate traffic secure, they set about building their empire virtually unopposed. While James Holden endures Duarte's hospitality as Laconia's highest-ranked political prisoner, Naomi Nagata and the rest of the former Rocinante crew struggle to organize an effective resistance before Laconian propaganda erases the last memories of freedom. But even as humanity is distracted by age-old power games and politics, the entities, seemingly unbound by physical space, that once wiped out the protomolecule's creators seem to finally be aware of the upstart primates using their former enemies' lost toys... and they are not pleased.

REVIEW: On my budget, it takes a fair bit of convincing for me to pre-order a book, especially a hardcover, but The Expanse has risen to that level. This volume did not let me down. As one might expect from the penultimate installment of an interplanetary epic, stakes start high and keep ratcheting up, yet the core of the story remains very much at the human level, as the bonds of family forged on the former Martian warship Rocinante only grow stronger through separation and adversity; as in previous volumes, even when they aren't physically together, they each draw on memories of each other to help them navigate the seemingly impossible world they've been thrust into. As they have aged, they have each been tested and honed, acquiring the strength and flexibility required to face the greatest threats and most unimaginable wonders humanity has encountered, and even as some reach the ends of their arcs, the payoffs for their journeys continue to echo forward.
As for the rest of the plot, it maintains the pace and feel of previous titles. New mysteries are added to the protomolecule and the unknown, unnamed enemy, which becomes more active after High Consul Duarte's ill-conceived plan to force a response from them. Events from the novella "Strange Dogs" come into play, tied into Duarte's transformations from "tamed" protomolecule and the scientist Cortazar's ambitions to apply those lessons elsewhere, no matter the human cost... not to mention Duarte's teenaged daughter Teresa, whose carefully choreographed reality is shattered as she learns more about her father's empire and plans. Some of the new characters took a bit to grow on me, but every one of them pulled their weight in the plot, and - some expected immaturity from Teresa aside - none behaved with any outright stupidity, even if their choices are colored and restricted by their roles in (or out) of Laconian society. One can't help seeing shades of current struggles against rising authoritarianism in the power conflicts ranging across the stars. By the end, there are tears both happy and sad; though the losses are grim and the stakes never higher, there's nevertheless a sense of hope going forward. As I predicted after the seventh volume, it's going to be a long wait for the final ninth volume, in addition to the long wait for the fourth season of the show on Amazon Prime. (That's a lot of cumulative waiting... but it's a good wait.)

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