Nemesis Games (The Expanse #5)

I really enjoyed the first 3 expanse novels. I didnt like the 4th very much, and Im giving up after this one.

The attempt to develop the backstory for characters falls flat, and the new villain is not compelling at all. The story is also unrealistic. I know that might be a strange complaint in a sci-fi series, but major plot points are inconsistent with prior books. Mars has a population exodus that would require tens of thousands if not not hundreds of thousands of ships and many years, yet it happens almost instantly. the Martian government also essentially collapses with no real rationale. At the same time, a previously unknown terrorist group is somehow able to field a navy to confront mars and overwhelm the OPA.

The storylines also dont go anywhere. The characters move on their own but dont accomplish much besides miraculously staying alive – particularly Amos who is essentially invulnerable. A major terrorist attack and the mystery of the protomolecule see absolutely no resolution – this is basically a setup for a sequel where something might actually happen.

The relationship between Amos and peaches is not interesting or particularly believable for me, but even worse was the repeated effort to dive into Naomis prior relationships and psychological problems after 4 books where she was mostly written as a hyper competent and strong willed woman.

most fans of the series will probably enjoy the book, but for me this was a complete disappointment.

Nemesis Games, more than the other books of The Expanse series, is a novel about isolation.
Each of our protagonists from the crew of the Rocinante are separated from one another throughout the bulk of the story, all of them longing to return to the family they realize themselves to be for each other.
In the midst of an insurgency from a radical wing within the OPA (supplied by a treasonous, escapist faction of the Mars Navy), we witness periods of combat and senseless devastation from multiple angles that weren’t present in the previous novels with nearly this sort of depth and insight. As an added bonus the reader even gets to witness the grand acts of terrorism from within and without, while not providing anything particularly sympathetic where the terrorists are concerned. It was a bold, and well-executed move by the authors…to humanize the perpetrators of unparalleled acts of aggression without making the reader feel like they might have a valid reason to do the horrible things they are doing.
This was a smaller scale piece of storytelling than the galaxy-spanning, alien technology oriented action of the previous novels, but it was a very satisfying exploration of the inner worlds of the characters we’ve become so close to over the course of the previous four books.
The end does set the stage for something potentially horrifying coming up though, and it certainly kept me invested enough that I want to read the sixth installment.

I was an avid fan of the tv show and once i found that it wasnt going to be given another season , well at least on syfi . I decided to see if there was an ongoing story in book form . Man am.i damm glad i did . One of the things that pulled me into the show was the very very different personalities of the main characters. These books have taken 4 of the most different types of personalities and melded them into not only a group but a family . Not a family of blood but a family that was chosen . The author captures the meaning of comrades that become your family right from the get and never lets his foot off the gas . Sure sometimes the story slows just as most do but its often only to tell the story better not to just add pages to the book . The author has really came up with a probable scenario of what the universe may look like in the next couple of hundred years . And is very good at getting the technical parts of space travel and living down without over burdening us .I have almost came to the last book and i really hate that i am.now going to have to wait for the new one to come out . If your a fan of sci fi then do yourself a favor and buy this book

I watched the show and loved it so much, I had to read the books. This is the first book I’ve read without being aware of some of the storyline beforehand. Nothing really happened? Without spoiling anything, a big thing happens which I guess was already tipped to happen at the end of Series 4 the show, the crew of the Roci split up and this book is basically them all trying to get back to each other. It’s the shortest book in the series so far and I felt it was so lacking of any kind of storyline whatsoever, just the same as the previous four books, people trying to kill other people, as soon as the crew got back together, it ended. There is no payoff for readers in terms of learning any more about what’s going on in the other ring gates apart from two lines about 75% of the way through where one of the characters overhears a newscast about some issues on one of the worlds and alien artefacts and the obvious cliffhanger at the end of the book. I have honestly read each book hoping there was more to learn about the alien races, hoping the books were more descriptive than the shows, but unfortunately they aren’t. I honestly think the shows are better than the books at this point and I doubt I will continue to read the books as the next book, Babylons Ashes, has a lot of critique where some people say its the weakest book. I was told the books get really good at book 5, but I’ve clearly missed it?

Definitely my favourite book of the series so far. Once the stakes are set, Nemesis Games plays out like a complex game of chess. Brimming with tactics and strategies that keep you constantly guessing at the end game, and who is the mastermind behind it all? This book focuses more on the human narrative than the alien one. Digging deeper than ever before into each character’s past, especially Naomi and Amos Burton. It explores conscience and lack there of and asks what makes a monster? If you haven’t read The Churn novella yet, I highly recommend reading it before reading Nemesis Games.

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