In the aftermath of Marco Inaros’s devastating assault on Earth, all alliances look unsurprisingly fragile as every player in the solar system jockeys for position. While billions starve and the few control the future of the many, will anyone realise that – against all odds – humanity may not be the greatest threat to its own survival?
Category Archive: Read-Alongs
The gruelling drama of Nemesis Games comes to a head as Amos, Peaches and Erich make their bid to escape the dying Earth, and Naomi makes a last ditch attempt to escape Marco and save Holden. Heart in mouth time – will the crew of the Rocinante be reunited?
Just when you think the stakes can’t get any higher, Marco spells out his vision for the solar system and every member of the Rocinante finds themselves fighting for their survival – body and soul.
The crew of the Rocinante are scattered across the solar system. While Naomi and Amos try to dig their way out of their pasts, Alex and Jim are drawn into dangerous mysteries that threaten whole worlds. Because whoever is stealing ships has started killing to cover their tracks – and they’re only just getting started…
Humanity is streaming from the solar system to the stars, and not everyone is as happy about it as you might expect. The Rocinante – fresh home from Ilus / New Terra – needs 6 months of repairs. The enforced pause grants her crew some rare breathing space, but time to reflect is also time for the past to creep up on you – and only Jim Holden, the most public man in the galaxy, has no skeletons rattling his closet doors…
As Cibola goes full Burn, the gloves come off, with Murtry determined to claim the planet for RCE through weight of numbers – of corpses. While Havelock has finally learnt to question dubious orders, there are sadly plenty others who are happy to pick up arms against civilians in distress. And if Holden and Miller can’t switch off the planet’s defences, nobody is likely to survive until a rescue ship arrives…
Just when it seemed things couldn’t get much worse, we get an apocalyptic explosion, blinding rain and poorly-trained gung ho idiots getting their hands on live ammo. What more can possibly go wrong? …I sort of wish I hadn’t asked. I suspect the answer is EVERYTHING.
On Ilus / New Terra, the human colonists are locked into a vicious cycle of violence and revenge. With no back-up, there’s little Jim Holden can do to calm things down – and every sign that both sides are more interested in first strikes than striking deals. Worse, as the scientists discover more about the planet, it’s looking less and less like a safe place to be…
The Gates are open. Humanity is expanding beyond our solar system… but with corporations claiming entire planets and independent settlers taking up arms to defend their claims, our proudest, most exciting moment appears to be just another opportunity to revel in our worst nature. Will we inherit the stars? Or is there a threat out there terrible enough to unite us?
Reeling from recent betrayals, Peter Grant finds himself packed off to the Welsh borders to rule out magical interference in a child abduction case and take some time out in the country air to work through his tangled emotions. If only life were that simple.
While Bull and his new allies go toe to toe with Ashton’s well-armed forces, Anna tries to persuade the fleet to switch off all their power to persuade the station they’re no longer a threat. With Ashford intent on destroying the gate itself – which might cause the station to wipe out the entire solar system – there’s a lot worth fighting for. Or dying for. Will there be a home to try to get back to?
Everybody wants to get their hands on Jim Holden – but Mars got to him first. As Baca tries to persuade the survivors to join him aboard the Behemoth, the Martians refuse to hand over their prisoner – and Captain Ashford becomes increasingly volatile. Meanwhile, Anna shows Melba just what a priest can do when she puts her mind to it…
Every political power has a fleet at the Ring – and they’re all painting the Rocinante with their targeting lasers as Melba’s gambit pays off. So if you were Jim Holden, hanging in front of a mysterious alien gate with no control over your gunship’s guns or comms, what would you do? WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Drunk synopses are honest synopses: Book 3 picks up in the outer solar system, with Mr Corey testing our ability not to snigger like teenagers as the protomolecule creates an enormous ring just outside the orbit of Uranus.
Grown up. Honestly. There’s a bevy of new characters in book 3, and – as usual – this first week is all set up as we slowly build up to the rollercoaster. Also, Holden sees dead people.
Crunch time: can Avasarala, Bobbie and the crew of Rocinante survive – let alone stop a war and rescue Prax’s daughter – or have they finally been out-gunned? We’re at the point where everything is hard to put down and – and book 2 ends on a cliffhanger (that last line) so I’ll be barrelling right through to Abaddon’s Gate.
