Reviews

I hadn't read any of The Expanse short fiction before this, so I'm pleased to see it compiled into an anthology! After Drive, the novellas are in publication order. Reading them in between books would've preserved some surprises, but coming to it after reading the main series feels like finding bonus episodes of characters, and now I have no more new Expanse to look forward to, alas. I really enjoyed how the novellas let the authors experiment with writing style (as the authors notes for The Churn indicates, The Churn is third person omniscient and The Vital Abyss is first person).

Jefferson Mays is one of my favorite narrators, now. He's so good at capturing different characters in different states of being, hissing words out as someone's being choked, slurring them when someone's gotten into some homebrewed gin, shifting gears between characters. His voices helped me clock who someone was before the textural evidence appeared in some cases, but that comes with the territory of the medium. Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck also appear, reading their authors notes after each short work.

Drive- short story, and shortest piece of fiction. Some nice worldbuilding for the time between us and when the books start.

The Butcher of Anderson Station- I liked it, reminded me of how great Fred Johnson and Anderson Dawes are as characters.

Gods of Risk- probably my least favorite. It was alright, but I didn't latch onto the details as much here.

The Churn- ooh. This one I've been wanting to get to for years, especially after hearing how Wes Chatham really took this one apart to determine how to best embody his character. Did not disappoint. Second favorite, I think.

The Vital Abyss- Likely my favorite of the collection, because I enjoy the scientific aspect of the protomolecule, and this was a fascinating viewpoint character to get behind. I also kept picturing The Room as the dormitory/cell space from Squid Game because of how it was described...

Strange Dogs- plays out how it was depicted in the show's final season (which was a surprise to me when it aired- oh! that's Cara and Xan! serving as a helpful indicator of how much time passes in the skip between books six and seven)

Auberon- the return of a side character, and a what if? alternative path for Laconian governors.

The Sins of Our Fathers- also a long awaited return, answering, "What next?" after the events of the final book strand people in places. I really liked this one too.

j_pac's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

shmark's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

alexmillar's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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