Abaddon's Gate
Ratings654
Average rating4.2
This was a hard book to review because its both great and good to ok.
The writing is as great as ever, the problem lies with the story and new characters. In this book we don’t get to see the three characters introduced in the last book. Which is a major let down since they were so well done. Instead, we get three new characters who for the most part are quite bland.
Melba is the exception for me. Her arc is done quite well, and I loved the peaches moment at the end of the book. Her perspective is not like able at first but getting to know her and seeing how her perspective and thoughts of revenge are slowly changed was great. It is one of the more stand out parts of the book for me. On the other side of things, the preacher was so boring to learn about and I really hated her penchant of I’m not going to preach while doing exactly that. The last new character barely deserves a mention which is sad as he is one of the few reasonable characters. Bull was a boring old cop and didn’t have the same pull as Miller did.
As for the story it is a huge slow down from the last book. There is not as much action in this book with more of a focus on humanities. This could have been good, but it was hard to get into it with mostly unlikeable new characters and a plot that leaves behind more questions than answers. We do get to see some of the Roci’s crew but not enough and their absence is greatly felt.
All this is not to say that the book is bad. Really, I liked a good part of the book, and the writing was as great as ever. It is just a little bit of a let down from how great the last book was.
4.5/5 Stars
James S.A. Corey's Abaddon's Gate, the third installment in the Expanse series, surpasses its predecessors in both scope and emotional depth. While the first two books were undeniably strong, this volume elevates the series to a new level, offering a profound exploration of faith, violence, and the human condition.
The character development in Abaddon's Gate is nothing short of astonishing. The “main villain,” whose inner turmoil is expertly portrayed, adds a layer of complexity to the narrative. Anna Volovodov, a lesbian priest, emerges as a compelling and multifaceted character, her journey of self-discovery both inspiring and heartbreaking.
Corey's masterful storytelling extends beyond character development, delving into weighty themes such as the nature of violence and the concept of grace. The novel's exploration of these themes is subtle yet profound, avoiding the pitfalls of preachiness that often plague works with such lofty ambitions.
Abaddon's Gate is a must-read for fans of science fiction, military fiction, and space opera. It is a testament to the power of storytelling and a reminder that even the darkest of times can yield moments of beauty and hope.
4.00/5.00
She'd gone to so much effort to make him seem like an unrepentant megalomaniac, and then left to his own device, he named himself de facto ambassador of the whole human race. “Ma'am, we don't ask ‘how high' when James fucking Holden says jump”, the officer growled back.
What an amazing scene with Holden reliving the memory of a galaxy spanning hive mind! holy hell! Yass this what we need. The slow zone, the tangle between the station and the humans and the protomolecule-miller! WOWza!
This was very diasappointing after #1 and #2, full of idiotic characters and frustrating scenes. A bad revenge and redemption story just to get Jimmy boi from Ceres to wherever the author's wanted him.
And oh the religious preaching and philosophizing was just unbearable, shallow, on the nose and just plain bad.
Also did not like how in Chapter n-1 something happens and then in Chapter n we get an idiotic sequence of another character POV spanning the full chapter leading to that part.
4.5 ⭐️
Yet again, I had an amazing time reading a book from this series.
We get to meet some new great characters and the stakes get even higher and the world more expanded.
I wish the authors would've focused more on the sci-fi part and less on the intrigue and action, and not because they weren't done well - I just looooove where they went with the protomolecule and what it created. I just want to know so much more.
I took away half a star because I found one particular plot point unconvincing. The forgiving of Claire. The woman killed a vast number of innocent people and put Holden's reputation in the gutter and the only reason why she was forgiven was basically nepotism. Tilly knew her since she was a kid, so she asked Anna, to help Claire. Anna agreed, because Tilly is her friend and asked Holden and his crew and because they owed her a favor, they agreed. I find it very hard to believe that had Claire been some random nobody, Anna would've lifted a finger to help her. And I don't like that this was used as a good enough reason to let a mass murderer (murderess?) get away with it.
Overall, I am quite excited to continue with this series.
The Expanse continues to strike a really good middle ground on lots of issues. The books are long enough that plenty happens, but are mostly dialogue so they aren't as big as the page count implies. If you've ever read a long book and thought “there wasn't enough plot for this many pages,” the Expanse is NOT like that.
The tone is serious enough that there are real stakes to the point that it feels like main characters are in authentic danger, but not just arbitrarily killing off everyone.
It's more fun than most “serious” books, but a lot more thoughtful and intrigue-ful than most “fun” books.
I'm only 3 books in, but it's a long series and it's impressive that they still have lots of new ideas and don't feel redundant.
The science is very well-considered and they clearly talked to some physics people to be sure they understood how travel and logistics work in zero gravity. And if we find alien life, it's almost certainly not going to be humans with a small twist (blue skin, etc), but will likely be something so strange we can't even tell what it is. This continues to include the strangeness of the alien life, and how our response to it is likely to be an uneasy combination of confused and conflicting scientific, political, and military wrangling.
I also really appreciated the presence and posture of the religious people. The Expanse does a great job in general of not treating any group as a monolith, so the religious crowd is a mixture of pious and sleazy, established traditions and start ups. But no one is a caricature, and the main pastor's grasp of a central Christian belief - no one is beyond redemption - is handled extremely well in service of a plot line. That's rare enough in fiction generally, but especially in sci-fi/fantasy, and I salute them. (Maybe see Speaker for the Dead or The Sparrow for other examples)
4.5 for another book in the series!
This is very quickly becoming one of my favourite series ever! Even without my favourite POVs from the last book this was incredible!
Loved every single page of this one and am going to start Cibola Burn straight away!
Did I have as much fun as the first two? No, but it was still an enjoyable experience.
I think it's fair to say that this one had much less world building and put the focus on characters that were not all that interesting IMO. Nobody had the punch of the first two, nor was the plot engaging. I wish the book would have wrapped up with the gate earlier on and put more effort into the dream sequences. It's more fun when the Roci is off completing missions and getting into trouble offworld. The stakes are kind of confusing to me because the threat is not all that present. It sounds like it's all negative, but there were some fun moments. Everything involving the Melba character was fun, especially when it explained a bit of the science on board the Behemoth.
English:
A pleasant re-reading of this third instalment of the series. More than anything else, to give me an accurate background that will allow me to continue reading the rest, as this was the last one I read seven years ago (2015)
A novel full of reflections on religion, extremism, greed and forgiveness. In short, human nature.
I'll leave the following reflection: Will human beings be able to reach the stars in peace? Or, more likely, will the politicians of the day manage to make space, as big as it is, not enough for them, so that we will continue to fight and suffer for ideas based on the scarcity of territory when it is no longer scarce?
Guess what I think...
Español
Grata relectura de esta tercera entrega de la serie. Más que nada para hacerme una composición de lugar acertada que me permita seguir leyendo el resto, ya que esta fue la última que leí hace ya siete años.
Una novela cargada de reflexiones sobre la religión, los extremismos, la codicia, el perdón. En fin, la naturaleza humana.
Me quedo con la siguiente reflexión: ¿Será el ser humano capaz de alcanzar las estrellas en paz? O, lo que es más probable ¿Se las arreglaran los políticos de turno para que el espacio, tan grande como sea, no sea suficiente para ellos? ¿Para que sigamos peleando y sufriendo por ideas basadas en la escasez de territorio cuando este ya no sea escaso?
Adivinen lo que creo...
Abaddon's Gate is not nearly as good as the first two Expanse books, but still wildly enjoyable. I was not a huge fan of Melba/Clarissa. I understand she thought she was avenging her family name, but damn did her motivations seem weak compared to her extremely violent and deadly vengeance plan. I missed Bobbie and Avasarala a lot in this book, and I wish we had seen more of the Rocinante crew instead of Clarissa. Oh well, still a really good book. Onto the next.
My 2019 review: Regretting picking this one up. I was enjoying the show (season 3) so much I thought I'd build on my canon, but the show is vastly superior to this. Pick one or the other imo.
My 2021 review: do not listen to past me. This is just fine.
This is a very fast paced book. Three is a lot of action and you have to really pay attention to follow what is happening with relation to the plot. The characters are wonderfully developed.
Content warning: A lot of violence and disturbing images. Several F -words.
Wow, what a ride! After the excellent “[b:Leviathan Wakes 8855321 Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1) James S.A. Corey https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411013134l/8855321.SY75.jpg 13730452]” and the almost equally great “[b:Caliban's War 12591698 Caliban's War (The Expanse, #2) James S.A. Corey https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407572377l/12591698.SY75.jpg 17606541]” here I'm sitting and wondering what to write about this more than worthy successor...When I first encountered the “The Expanse” series, I was sceptical: - I do not like science fiction literature.- I do not like soap operas (so why would I like a “Space Opera”?)- I do not like author's killing off their heroes (GRRM, I'm looking at you!)What I came to realise, though, is that [a:James S.A. Corey 4192148 James S.A. Corey https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1573162332p2/4192148.jpg] has extremely interesting stories to tell and the means to seemingly effortlessly tell them in a way that keeps me coming back for more.As in its predecessors, in “Abaddon's Gate” the alien protomolecule plays a major role and, of course, Holden, Naomi, Alex and Amos are with us again, too.In addition, we get to meet new people like Bull, an OPA operative, Anna, a preacher, and yet another member of the Mao clan. As has been Corey's forte before, every single character feels believable; like a living, breathing person. All of them change and develop which is something I value very, very highly in a book if it's intrinsically plausible.Corey is not only masterfully presenting his story and characters but has an impeccable feeling for pacing: Often we're breathlessly following the rapid developments and at other times we get the time to savour the story, the characters - the entire range of human emotions which few authors can stimulate as brilliantly as Corey does.“Abaddon's Gate” is not entirely easy to love, though: It's, again, pretty dark in tone and setting. There are hopeful “undercurrents” during the entire book, though, that kept me from falling into depression - even when a minor yet very wonderful character dies.As if all that wasn't yet enough to make this book a pretty much instant favourite of mine, there are major human topics that get addressed in a very decent and remarkably unobtrusive way: From complex and, oftentimes, difficult subjects like forgiveness and redemption to somewhat easier ones like our insatiable curiosity (which tends to kill the proverbial cat...) and many others.Just like the books before it, “Abaddon's Gate” is to quote myself “challenging, long, complex and dark but of an overall quality that makes it feel like it pretty much plays in its own league.”Here's to hoping the series goes on like that! Blog Facebook Twitter Instagram
This one was good but not as good as previous 2 books. There was way too much time spent on characters that i didnt really care about. still excited to see whats next though
They are really good at mixing the space opera adventures with the very human emotional beats of fear, awe and curiosity that drive us towards the stars. I really enjoyed Anna's and Melba's perspective in this one. Ready for Season 4!
Abaddon's Gate est le troisième volume de de la saga de science-fiction The Expanse signée James S.A. Corey, le nom de plume du duo composé des auteurs Daniel Abraham et Ty Franck. A ce jour, il s'agit du dernier roman adapté dans la série TV tirée de cette saga, les trois premières saisons diffusées couvrant globalement les trois premiers romans du cycle.
Le récit reprend là où Caliban's War, le précédent volume, s'achevait :
For generations, the solar system – Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt – was humanity's great frontier. Until now. The alien artefact working through its program under the clouds of Venus has emerged to build a massive structure outside the orbit of Uranus: a gate that leads into a starless dark.Jim Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are part of a vast flotilla of scientific and military ships going out to examine the artefact. But behind the scenes, a complex plot is unfolding, with the destruction of Holden at its core. As the emissaries of the human race try to find whether the gate is an opportunity or a threat, the greatest danger is the one they brought with them.
Although this is one of the darkest stories, so far, this is the best moving plot, most expressive of the complexities of the characters, and most efficient use of words without sacrificing imagery.
Was sad to see one of the characters was not here.
Leviathan Wakes ???????????????Caliban's War ???????????????Abaddon's Gate ???????????????
The third book in the Expanse series establishes quite a few new point of view characters. It may have taken me a few books to catch on to the system of point of view characters in this series, but I have to admit it works well and I really enjoy it. Aside from the main cast of recurring characters, there are a few points of view in each book who are specific to that book. It allows the authors to widen to the scope of the plot while still keeping each aspect intimate and close to the reader. And these characters who we only see for one book feel just as real and firmly placed into the universe of the series as the others. There is only one other series I feel has managed multiple points of view this well before and at this scale, and that would be A Song of Ice and Fire.
This book was less action and more politics and plotting. Which is some of my favourite parts of any story.