I read Book 6 of James S.A. Corey's Expanse series,
Babylon's Ashes. A little different from previous books in that, instead of rotating through four POV characters, this one follows many more stories, making it a little harder to keep track of everything. And this book seems to fall into a pattern the series has established of huge event in one book then recover and reset the pieces in the next. So Babylon's Ashes falls into the lull category -- not as much action, more character development and worldbuilding. Avasarala remains one of my favorite characters ever. One of the things I love about this series is how nuanced character motivations can be -- science fiction that isn't just about ideas but the people who've developed those beliefs, how they react to each other, where their ideas succeed or fail and why. Philip is a shining example of how to draw a complex villain, a sort of ironic Mordred analog who could eventually either redeem himself by killing his father or destroy everything.
Quote:
The anger in Philip's gut was shifting, unsteady as a scab on an infected wound. The rage and righteousness started to feel less authentic, like a wrap tied around something that wasn't either. That was something worse.
Philip gripped his hands and fists so tight they ached, but he lost his hold. The anger -- not even anger, petulance -- slid to the side and an oceanic sense of guilt rose up in him like a flood. It was too big, too pure, too painful to even have a single event to focus it. It wasn't that he regretted [doing a bunch of spoilerish stuff]. It was larger than that. Regret was the universe. Guilt was bigger than the sun and the stars and the spaces between them. Whatever it was, all of it was his fault and his failing. It was more than he'd done something bad.
Like the fossil of an ancient animal was flesh that had been replaced by stone, whoever Philip had been once had kept its shape but been replaced by a raw and rising sense of loss.
"'I feel... wrong,' Philip said, scrabbling for words to describe something so much bigger than language. 'I feel... I feel like...'"
He ruminates before being cut off by a bombshell that prevents him from forming a thought which might lead to his redemption. So much good stuff on many levels, even though I think this is one of the weaker books of the series.
Last edited by ChaseNutley26; 09-25-2017 at 09:45 AM.