Earth has almost recovered from the Free Navy’s genocidal attack. The Alliance have nearly rebuilt their depleted navies. The Belters’ Transport Union controls traffic to all the colonies beyond the Gates …except one. Now the Gate to Laconia is about to re-open. Mars’s wayward children are ready to return, and they have their own vision for the future of humanity…
Continue reading “Persepolis Rising opens a new era of The Expanse”
The rain may have stopped, but there’s nothing but bad news and ominous developments in the City. As the final season takes shape, it’s set to threaten everything we hold dear.
Kellen son of Ke is searching for the legendary Ebony Abbey, rumoured to possess a cure for the shadowblack. Separated even from Reichis, he finds himself caught between mistrustful monks and a Jan’Tep war party intent on wiping out the shadowblack once and for all. Can he unlock his curse and thwart his father’s ambitions?
Continue reading “Soulbinder: learning to play the cards you’ve got”
Has Wyrd and Wonder faded like a dream of spring now that Autumn is well and truly here? Never fear – with Hallowe’en creeping up on us, Lisa, Jorie and I decided it was time to don our hooded cloaks, cast a ward against evil and seek out more fantasy before our winter SciFi love-in. Will you join us on the dark paths?
Supernatural heroes won the Second Poppy War. Now war orphan Rin is determined to escape a future of marriage and drug running for her foster parents. She will fight herself to win a place at the Empire’s prestigious military academy – and fight everyone else to keep it. Can she learn enough to keep her country safe from the resurgent Mugen Federation?
Continue reading “The Poppy War: deconstructing expectations”
While Esha, Diane and Kaab make the case for change and new ways of thinking, they face opposition from the Hill right down to Riverside from those with a vested interest in keeping things the way they are. The stakes may vary, but the game is getting very, very personal…
When the Sisters hit the Earth, they ended modern civilisation in minutes. Tidal waves wiped out coastal cities. The Long Autumn culled millions as oceans rose, crops failed and medicines ran out. 100 years later, opposing forces are trying to assert control over Britain’s scattered survivors. Welcome to the Aftermath.
Young, sheltered and abused, Maia is the Emperor’s least-loved son, the only offspring of a poorly-judged political match. When a terrible accident kills his father and brothers, Maia is recalled from exile and proclaimed Emperor – upsetting every apple cart in the empire. Can he hold on to the throne?
It’s all celebrations and disasters this week. Diane and Kaab are tempted to question just how secure they are in their recent successes. Rafe is left questioning how well he knows a dear friend – and Tess must confront the murky underside of progress…
Just how far will a group of experimental archaeologists go to re-enact Iron Age life and rituals? Time for a rare break from my usual genre diet to enjoy Sarah Moss’s brilliant new short novel, Ghost Wall. Continue reading “Ghost Wall: thin skins and thinner boundaries”
Welcome back to a City in the grip of progress. Driven by the vision of the Duchess Tremontaine. Enriched by the commercial success of the Kinwiinik led by Ixkaab Balam. Enlightened by the intellectual patronage of Far-Reza. Made – day by day, page by page – more equal by the open door policy of Rafe Fenton’s City Academy. Rain-soaked and miserable after a wet season. What new challenges lie ahead in this final season of my beloved serial?
With the Final Season just around the corner, I have finally managed to finish Season Three. It’s taken me an awfully long time to get back to Tremontaine, but Season Three more than stands up to a reread: if anything, it’s better second time around. Time for a look at the final four episodes before all our hearts are (probably) ripped to pieces this autumn…
