Gods of Risk (The Expanse #2.5)

Robbie Draper,the Martian marine and temporary crew member of the Rocinante introduced in Caliban’s War,the second full length entry in the Expanse series has mustered out after her narrow escape and is suffering from what used to be called combat fatigue. She’s living with her brother and family in crowded conditions back on Mars. The aftermath of the fighting between Earth and Mars has left things unsettled and social unrest has made inroads in Mars as terrorist incidents stir the population. Her nephew has fallen in with some bad types and might just be in need of some serious assistance. Is Robbie up to the job? Solid read, good world building and well fleshed out characters especially Robbie whom I hope to see more of in the future. It doesn’t hurt to have read the series up till now but it is not necessary as the Franck/Abraham writing duo that poses as James S. A. Corey is perfectly capable of writing an elegant stand alone short story. It may be marketed as a novella but trust me with an Amazon estimated read time of 1 hour and 9 minutes with 68 pages counting back end promo, its solidly in short story country.

This novella brings us back to the series roots of interstellar events occurring as a backdrop to regular peoples normal lives. But this normal person is the gifted sixteen-year-old nephew of Bobbie Draper, so how normal is he? Certainly normal enough for some health doses of adolescent angst while he gets mixed up in the seedy side of life on Mars.

This story is about David, but its also about Bobbie on Mars during her short retirement. Its about the Draper family as a whole, and Martian society, and another planet teetering on the brink of the unknown as events in the greater system continue to spin out of control.

Enjoyable for fans for the series, but not necessary to the greater story line. I might be the wrong gender and the wrong age for this story to truly speak to me, but Coreys writing never fails to delight anyway.

This was a good short story. I liked that it explained more of Mars and of Bobbie Drapers background, but was not actively about her, except being one of heroes of the story in the end. It was fun to see more about her family life and their interactions.

David was a good example of a parenting that includes a tightly leashed overachiever child. That external pressure and lack of friends can cause just about anyone to land in the wrong area at even the best of times.

It was good that David even realized after saving Leelee that she wasnt into him. It was all about him being a good guy and she could manipulate that. Doesnt stop him from being a good guy though.

Bobbies interaction with him and knowing what he had been doing all along was even better, or at least knowing in general terms. That in helping him and his life, she finally is able to find a direction for herself was inspiring.

I wish we could have heard what became of Hutch though. He was a dirtbag groomer who manipulates young minds and then slowly corrupts them in the process. He does it to Leelee, then David and who knows how many others. Of course no matter what finally becomes of him, there will likely be similar people waiting in the wings to try their shot at manipulating others.

Im glad the authors didnt find a miraculous cure for this grooming and illegal activities, because it is something that is prevalent in many areas and cultures. Im sure there is no quick easy fix for this happening, Im not even sure if there is a long term difficult fix that helps in a permanent way. We arent enlightened enough to find that answer for ourselves. YET!

I’m on record as being a big fan of James S.A. Corey’s (the pen name used by Daniel Abraham (Twitter) and Ty Franck) Expanse series, so I eagerly read the novella GODS OF RISK in advance of their next novel ABADDON’S GATE. Unfortunately, in my opinion, this was the weakest entry in the Expanse series.

GODS OF RISK takes place on Mars when tensions are growing between it and Earth. Bobbie Draper is present in the story, but she is a peripheral character. The protagonist is David Draper, her nephew. He is caught between his future as a promising researcher and his part time job as a cooker for a local drug dealer. When his friend goes missing, David must confront the dangerous dealer and risk it all.

GODS OF RISK is a well crafted short story, but it doesn’t really have any action sequences, it lacks some of the cool tech I’ve come to like in the Expanse series, and it doesn’t propel the larger Expanse story forward. It’s tangential, peripheral-it could have taken place on present day Earth, really. It’s Expanse only in name. Even Bobbie Draper seems crammed into the story.

The best part of the novella is a sneak peek at ABADDON’S GATE. Buy this if you want the sneak peek or if you want to support James S.A. Corey. Otherwise, just wait for the next novel.

A decent short story, but like the other Expanse novellas, lacking something. If you haven’t read it yet, wait until this one comes out in a collection. Honestly, when I think to myself, “I wonder what happened to Bobbie Draper?” This is not what I was thinking. I like my version better.

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