Tiamat's Wrath (The Expanse, 8)

by James S. A. Corey

Paperback, 2020

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Orbit (2020), Edition: Reprint, 576 pages

Description

1,300 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 Cortazar 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...… (more)

Media reviews

For all of the intrigue, manipulation, and combat that form the book’s plot points, gentler relationships also run through the whole story: love, loyalty, trust, comradeship, respect, and compassion.
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Time passes. The things you love lose their lustre. Your nearest and dearest die. And sooner or later, it dawns on you that you will too. So when you see the end ahead, what then? Well, if you’re anything like the friends who became a family aboard the gunship Rocinante, you do what you’ve
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always done: you fight for what’s right, even when what’s right is difficult to picture in a galaxy gone wrong on your watch.
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User reviews

LibraryThing member SpaceandSorcery
I received this novel from Orbit Books through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review: my thanks to both of them for this opportunity.

While there might be spoilers for the previous books in the series, I will try my best to avoid any in this review: to do otherwise would be a huge disservice
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to anyone reading this.

More than many of its predecessors, this new installment in The Expanse series took me through an emotional rollercoaster that left me breathless, and often reeling in shock – starting with the opening sentence that is nothing short of a violent punch in the gut. And I freely admit feeling more than a little incensed at the authors for leading with that…

Story-wise, the galaxy is far from a happy place: granted, it was no unicorns and rainbows before, when Earth, Mars and the Belt were at each other’s throat and the protomolecule ran amok throughout the Solar System, but after the all-to-brief respite enjoyed by humanity in the hiatus between Babylon’s Ashes and Persepolis Rising, the arrival of Duarte’s fleet and the founding of the Laconian Empire with its dictatorial iron fist have plunged mankind’s origin worlds and its many colonies into dark times indeed. The situation becomes even grimmer when the Laconians’ drive for expansion and dominance meets once again with the mysterious entity that once vanquished the protomolecule engineers: the show of force dictated by Duarte provokes a dramatic reaction that threatens the humans’ tenuous foothold on the many worlds beyond the alien gates and their continued survival, while giving the underground resistance a feeble chance to strike the kind of blow that might change the balance of power.

As for the Roci’s crew, they are scattered to the four winds: Holden is Duarte’s prisoner on Laconia; Bobbi and Alex, who have signed up with the resistance, are playing a dangerous game of sneak attacks on the enemy fleet; Naomi is doing her part by keeping the rebel network functioning and thriving, and Amos has been out of touch after undertaking a dangerous mission following Clarissa’s death. Our heroes are quite aware of the David vs. Goliath nature of their struggle, and sometimes the temptation to leave it all behind, to find some quiet place to burrow down and live the rest of their lives in peace, makes itself felt and causes some tension among them, but never in such a measure as to bring them apart despite the wear and tear of life on the trenches. For his part, Holden is not resigned to his prisoner-disguised-as guest situation, and still manages some small measure of defiance that shows he has not given up either on the struggle or the hope of one day being instrumental in the downfall of Laconia.

What becomes clear, as we follow the main characters’ individual journeys, is that the sense of family they built by living and working together for so long is too strong to succumb to the separation imposed by vast distances and the different paths taken: even when they are million of miles apart it’s as if they still shared space on the Roci, so that they still quote an absent friend’s catchphrase at the appropriate moment, or recollect their gestures or expressions in the face of similar occurrences. It’s a way to keep alive the memory of those who are far away and to show that the bonds that tie them together are strong and vital: I found myself deeply touched reading such passages, not just because they worked so well in the economy of the story, but because the Roci’s crew has grown on me so much that I have long since stopped envisioning them simply as fictional characters, and they have become living and breathing people I keep caring about.

Alongside our old friends we see the story through some new – or newfound – points of view: Elvi Okoye, the scientist we met in Cibola Burn, is now working for the Laconian military in what she believes is a mission of discovery beyond the alien gates and instead turns out to be something quite different. Much as I did not care overmuch for her character in that first encounter, here I greatly enjoyed her point of view, mainly the fine line she and her husband have to walk, balancing the needs of scientific study with the goals of the hierarchy, especially the Laconian expansionist and merciless military. Looking through her eyes gives us a measure of what it means living under an oppressive regime that likes to paint itself as benevolent and enlightened while it conducts appalling experiments on human subjects, and I managed to sympathize with her dilemma between the drive of scientific curiosity and the need to adhere to ethical standards: Elvi gains a good number of facets here, and I always welcomed her p.o.v. chapters with great interest.

The new addition is represented by Teresa Duarte, the teenaged daughter of the High Consul and the heir-in-training to the empire: her path takes her from basking in the illusion of a charmed life to waking up to far starker reality that forces her to grow up much faster than her already peculiar position previously required her to. Teresa is an interesting character and in some way her journey mirrors Elvi’s in reverse: having been indoctrinated from birth to believe that Laconia is a force for good, she has to wake up to reality bit by bit, and probably the major factor in this change of perspective comes from a dramatic event that undermines the belief in freedom of choice she had given for granted until that moment. I realize how cryptic this sounds, but there is a huge spoiler here, and all I can say about it is that this narrative thread was another of those gut-punches I mentioned before, one of the many that the authors deliver in this latest Expanse installment.

But of course my favorite character remains Naomi Nagata: I’ve always envisioned her as a mixture of strength and wistfulness, the latter tied to past experiences and mistakes that still prey on her mind, and in this novel she still tries to temper the underground’s penchant for violent action by being the voice of reason. It’s clear that this desire comes both from the weight of her past and the need to keep faith with Holden’s vision – a means to keep his legacy alive and to lessen the sting of his absence: for this reason Naomi chooses to isolate herself, to work in a sort of bubble – both physical and mental – that page after page takes on the aspect of a chrysalis in which she undergoes a change, one that will become evident as the events unfold and will transform her in a very unexpected way. Again, I apologize for the vagueness with which I’m expressing this, but I want you to enjoy this journey on your own, and if you are Team Naomi like I am, you will certainly want to explore this with as little prior knowledge as possible. You will not be disappointed.

If the characters, old and new, are the backbone of the story, the story itself is a constant escalation of events that become more and more pressing as the stakes pile up in a breath-stealing progression that moves inexorably toward the final showdown, and a further change of perspective in a series that bases its very strength in such changes. Be prepared for some painful shocks as well, and a constant worry about what is going to happen next: given the premises carried from the past installments and those contained in Tiamat’s Wrath, the ninth and final book in this amazing series will certainly blow our minds.

And I can’t wait to read it…
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LibraryThing member imyril
My new series joint favourite with Nemesis Games, and for much the same reasons: Tiamat's Wrath is an emotional rollercoaster that ups the stakes and divides our beloved crew to figure out a response without their best-loved and most-trusted people at their side. Brace yourself for the gut punches
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and buckle up as the series accelerates towards its finale. I'm finally getting what I've been asking for all along, and frankly I'm terrified.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Full review to follow.
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LibraryThing member ChrisRiesbeck
The eighth of the planned nine volumes in the Expanse series continues to do what it intends to do -- space adventure that's not just one space battle after another, though this has more battles than others in the series. Like the previous volumes, this is told in chapters that rotate through a
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handful of perspectives. The Expanse series has been a bit playful with this structure, from volume to volume. Here the switch is that Holden, the central hero, who has been one of the perspectives in the seven preceding volumes, is demoted to being mostly offstage, with only a prelude, interlude, and postlude. Also against expectations: though Holden was captured in the previous book, this book is not about his crew's attempt to rescue him. They are too busy waging a rebellion for that. Age and death are central themes, but the book is more reflective than grim.

My one complaint is that so many books in the series have been about one group of humans fighting another, while an ever greater threat awaits. Fortunately, the conclusion of this book makes it clear that volume nine will finally focus on what matters.

Recommended, but don't start here. This series is really one very long story.
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LibraryThing member jmchshannon
Tiamat’s Wrath by James S. A. Corey is the penultimate book in The Expanse series, and it shows. The gentlemen behind Mr. Corey up the ante as they gear up for the ultimate battle for the galaxy. Set four years after the exciting ending of the previous book, we get to see how the Laconians rule
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the known solar systems as each crew member of the Rocinante attempts to resist in their own ways. Oh, and no one is safe.

For the Roci crew, resistance takes several different forms, each as diverse as the characters. For some characters, their idea of resistance is direct, public, and very dangerous. However, for others, resistance means publicly playing a long chess game, making moves no one notices until all of the pieces are in play. Yet for others, the only acceptable form of resistance is completely underground, totally behind the scenes, and anonymous. For me, seeing how each person reacts to the new-to-the-reader government is a fascinating study in character.

Tiamat’s Wrath is not all spaceships and watching other ships through telescopes. We spend a good portion of the story on Laconia as it makes a relatively odd shift in tone to that of a coming-of-age story. While on Laconia, we follow Teresa Duarte, only daughter of the Laconian leader and wannabe God, as she gains growing awareness that not all on her beloved planet is as peaceful and straightforward as she believes. There is much wrestling with ideas and growth as she learns to assess information for herself rather than believing the party line. While this is not in tune with the whole space opera format, it does make for interesting reading because it is so different.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you feel about them, no one is safe as we near the end of the series. Until this point, the authors avoided killing off major characters. There are a lot of deaths given all the battles throughout the span of the series. However, outside of the death of one of the main voices in the first novel, main character death has been minimal. That is no longer true in Tiamat’s Wrath. My heart broke more than once during the course of the story.

As Tiamat’s Wrath ends, we have a good idea of the major players in the final story, but we have no idea how it will unfold, what will happen, or when it will occur. I feel like the authors gave the readers all the clues, but I’ll be damned if I can decipher them. The final book is the first book in the series I will have to wait until its release, and I don’t like it. I’m ready to see how the Roci crew’s story and its almost constant struggle against the protomolecule is going to end.
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LibraryThing member Whiskey3pa
Good installment in the Expanse. It will be interesting to see the wrap up. Was a little disappointed that the story did not move a little further.
LibraryThing member seitherin
Disappointing and unsatisfying end to the series.
LibraryThing member rivkat
This book is focused on the fight against Winston Duarte’s empire from Laconia, based on the alien tech that has allowed Laconia to have far superior ships and Duarte to become not-human and perhaps immprtal. Jim Holden is Duarte’s prisoner, a tame bear who tries to destabilize things just a
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bit when he talks to the people around him, including the scientist now in charge of investigating the alien tech and Duarte’s daughter. Meanwhile, Naomi Nagata is helping run the insurgency, which becomes much more exciting when Duarte’s attempt to punish whatever it was that killed the protomolecule engineers draws a punitive response. Duarte wants to train the whatevers with a tit-for-tat strategy, but doesn’t seem fazed by the seemingly obvious fact that they have a lot more tat than humanity has tit. I’ve seen references to Game of Thrones as a climate change metaphor, with the argument that the end of the show should be the end of humanity given the characters’ inability to focus on the threat to all of them. I had the same feeling about this book—many characters know, and a few of them even try to tell Duarte, that he’s doing something profoundly stupid, but he’s in charge so they press on. The end of the book brings significant changes and losses, and perhaps some powerful people now better oriented towards the existential threat humanity faces, but it seems more plausible that it’s too late even if they do get consensus.
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LibraryThing member quondame
The universe is always stranger than you think. Is certainly a good slogan for the Expanse series, and this entry in the series tries to keep up. Space battles, ✔︎, weird alien artifacts present if on the light side, but pretty consequential, sympathetic protagonists fighting the good fight
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✔︎✔︎, outrageous plot devices to tilt the playing board ✔︎✔︎✔︎. And, most importantly, something planted to center the next volume around! For those who are staying with the series I'd go down half star on this one but I totally hated Persepolis Rising, but will probably show up for the next episode.
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LibraryThing member majkia
As usual for this series, I simply couldn't put the bloody book down. I love the characters, the world building is excellent, and I love the science it manages to add in without taking a thing away from the characters and the action.
LibraryThing member tduvally
Doesn't disappoint! Always good character driven plots.
LibraryThing member malcrf
Another excellent episode in the Expanse series. As usual excellent action, great characterization, compelling storyline. It feels though, like part two of a three-parter, so now I have to be patient!
LibraryThing member dbeveridge
A sweet reunion of all of the Expanse core characters. After all of these books, the series just keeps getting better and deeper.
LibraryThing member macha
back on form for volume 8, the penultimate book in The Expanse series, for most of which the Rosinante lies hidden, the crew is scattered, and the authoritarian forces of Laconia appear to have won. warning: character deaths occur. among other things, it's kind of a little primer on how to organize
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underground resistance. and of course why. the power of long relationships is also highlighted - essentially, the crew is all miserable without each other, and yet decision-making follows from their awareness of everything they would all have to say, if only they could, to one another. i'm going to miss this set of characters so much when they are gone, and it's almost time. Cherryh and now Corey have made the whole subgenre of space opera so much richer over the years.
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LibraryThing member TheCrow2
Maybe this is the first Expanse novel I didn`t enjoyed fully right form the start. The first part feels overwritten, nothing`s really happening, the four main characters are five different ways.... But at the end everything is back to normal and feels and reads like a proper Expanse book.
LibraryThing member Guide2
Nice way to continue the story and somewhat wrap up this part of the story line while stil creating space for continuing the overall story. Some very nice moments in there.
LibraryThing member ChristopherSwann
The Expanse is back. Not that it was really gone to begin with, but this novel both upends everything and reminds us of why we cared about the series in the first place. Cannot wait for the ninth installment.
LibraryThing member elenaj
This series is a monster. Just when you think it might be wrapping up, it throws a new giant plotline at you. These books continue to be immensely readable and engaging, with clever plotting and likable, complicated characters.

This particular book felt a bit more About The Current Political Moment
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than some of the others in the series, but maybe I just tend to read everything through the current political moment than I used to.

In any case, recommended, but be prepared for the story to fuck you up a bit - as usual.
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LibraryThing member Gkarlives
Trying to solve the mystery of the fall of the proto-molecule civilization, one man will subject himself to questionable experiments to forge an empire. Those from the home system who have paid the heaviest price for coming to terms with the game changing technology unleashed by the old powers will
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find themselves powerless to stop a deadly plan. Can they regain the reins of power in time to fight the wrath of those that destroyed those that came before? New revalations will prepare readers for what should be a devastating conclusion in the final book.
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LibraryThing member SChant
Wow - that's the way to write Space Opera! From the first shocking line it's a thrill-ride of plots and plans, action and re-action, joy and sorrow. Can't wait for the next one.
LibraryThing member JudyGibson
Again, as before in this series, I'm frustrated that each book seems to be about space battles between humans rather than about the vast mysteries of ancient aliens lurking in the background. Still, I've come to love this hardy little group of humans and care about them. And the action is always
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good and keeps me reading. But I'm glad the series is about over.
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LibraryThing member tduvally
Doesn't disappoint! Always good character driven plots.
LibraryThing member Treebeard_404
Still loving this series! The characters are still growing and evolving. That seems to me to be rare in a series this long.
LibraryThing member TobinElliott
God, this is getting boring...

Blah blah blah amazing fucking story.

Blah blah blah series just keeps getting better.

Blah blah blah best SF series I've ever read.

And then the authors did what? And then...holy shit...what?

Seriously. Read this series. It's freaking unbelievably good.
LibraryThing member Cataloger623
Tiamat is Bablyonian goddess of wrath and chaos. The title fits the story. Who is Tiamat in this in this novel? Is Tiamat the the unknown enemy that destroyed the creators of the protomolecule? Are the Laconians or the underground the personification of Tiamat. My answer is that Tiamat is chaos
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that affects everyone in the novel.?Everyone of the major factions from the heads of the underground to the Emperor of the Laconian experiences some degree of chaos. The story is in part a window into how each faction deals with and tries to regain order. Some factions succeed other barely survive Corey does a an excellent job of pushing the series forward. It asks the reader to consider big questions about what makes someone human? How do leaders face the moral dilemma's that flow from having to face decisions that put loved ones into harm's way. The novel asks the reader to consider the ethical controversies surrounding using humans as experimental subjects. It asks the reader to consider where is the line between being a human and an alien.?
Beyond the heavy the serious themes. There are moments of humor and sarcasm. This a rip roaring space opera. It has lovely and deadly choreographed space battles Some beloved characters die in this story. We see how their legacy of service influences others.
I enjoyed this book as wells others in this series. I'm looking forward to the next book.
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LibraryThing member adastra
That took me a lot longer than I thought xD Allover, I think the book had its lengths. Like most books in the series, there's very little happening in the range of 10-40 and 60-90% of the book, and all the action happens in the middle and at the end. Could use more balance. But allover, I'm VERY
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interested in reading the final book now...
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Awards

Dragon Award (Finalist — Science Fiction Novel — 2019)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2019-03-26

Physical description

9.25 inches

ISBN

0316332895 / 9780316332897
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