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…

It’s kind of impossible for me to overstate how much I love The Expanse. This is for sure my favorite sci-fi series, and some of the books are among my very favorites of ever! I jumped into James S. A. Corey‘s series after Abaddon’s Gate was released, but before Cibola Burns. Since then, each new release has felt like a fucking event for me, and maybe none more so than Tiamat’s Wrath. This is the first of the series that I got a chance to read & review prior to the release date, and I can’t thank the fine people at Orbit Books enough for the opportunity!!

I’ll try my best to contain my emotions during this review, but it won’t be easy.

*wipes eyes with sweatshirt sleeve*

*sniff*

Ok. I honestly think Tiamat’s Wrath is my second favorite in the series now (I think Caliban’s War will forever hold that top spot), and felt in many ways like the spiritual successor to Caliban’s War. I just fucking loved this one so damn much, and maybe it’s because I know it’s getting close to the end, but this was far & away the most emotional I’ve ever gotten reading a book from The Expanse series. Tiamat’s Wrath also has what I’d consider to be the squirmiest & most gut-churning chapter of the entire series…fucking hell!!!

Things pick up after Persepolis Rising. The underground is scheming, trying to find ways to disrupt the Laconian dictatorship. The crew of the Rocinante are initially scattered in this book, to the point where a couple major characters become very minor ones. It’s a bold choice this late in a series…and of course it works, and in some very clever ways.

Holden remains a prisoner on Laconia, but he’s treated more like Winston Duarte’s honored guest. He has freedom to move around & do what he likes, but he’s under constant surveillance. He has a really interesting relationship with Teresa Duarte, the fourteen-year-old daughter of the protomolecule-obsessed Winston Duarte. Teresa is one of the main POVs in this book, and she is fascinating. Her life is extremely complicated, and not entirely her own. Her father is attempting to pass on all his knowledge of politics & leadership to her, so she can take his place in the event that something happens to him. It’s a lot for someone her age to handle. So much of the book is about Teresa finding her way in the world, almost like a mini coming-of-age story tucked inside the eighth volume of a sci-fi series. To the best of my recollection, Teresa would be the youngest POV character in this series so far, and her story was written beautifully, and with all the angst every fourteen-year-old likely feels. Oh, and Teresa also has a dog. Named Muskrat. Which, fuck yes. WE NEEDED A DOG IN THE EXPANSE AND WE GOT ONE!!!

More than any book in the series, Tiamat’s Wrath absolutely belongs to the women of this saga, with all but one of the main POVs (Alex’s) going to the incredible women in this book. Bobbie & Naomi are just…oof. These characters have so much depth & history. Watching as they get older & really lean even further into leadership roles. They are just fucking amazing characters, and personal favorites of mine.

I think one of my favorite aspects of this series has always been the sort of disorienting quality to the space battles. This isn’t like watching X-Wings v. TIE fighters in any way. The action sequences in The Expanse are deliberate, grueling…just heavy in a way, if that makes sense. What these scenes do more than anything is really convey the unimaginable vastness of space…there’s literally a scene where a torpedo is fired from one ship, and it’s not set to reach the targeted ship for 140 minutes.

This book is also creepy in some really subversive ways, especially where Duarte & his quest for immortality (literally) are concerned. One scene in particular came out of nowhere & was this shocking & gut-punchy moment…gah!

One of the things I fucking cherished in Tiamat’s Wrath is the familiarity these characters have with one another. So much so that they can know exactly what the other is thinking with a sigh, a different kind of smile…just these incredibly subtle ways that show how intimately these people know one another. The crew of the Rocinante, no matter where they are, are home when they are together.

The scope of this series is fucking massive. I have a shitty memory for all the specifics of each book, but the weight of this story is intense. Everything these characters have been through together. Everything they are working towards. The sacrifice & loss. The notion of seizing the opportunities, no matter the personal cost, for the good of your people.

Fuck. I just love The Expanse so stupid much.

Again, endless thanks to Orbit Books for sending me a copy! I was so thrilled to get this opportunity! Tiamat’s Wrath releases March 26th!!