Part of The Expanse, book 5
First published 2015
The galaxy has cracked open. A thousand new worlds beckon humanity outward, but the exodus leaves the old solar system fractured and dangerous. James Holden watches his crew scatter to their separate origins just as everything begins to collapse. Ships vanish without explanation. Secret armies mobilize in the shadows. Someone steals the last sample of the alien protomolecule. Then terrorists strike the inner planets with attacks that should have been impossible, bringing entire civilizations to their knees. The careful balance that held human space together crumbles as old debts demand payment. Holden and the surviving members of the Rocinante find themselves separated across a solar system at war with itself. They must navigate through chaos and betrayal to reach each other again, racing against forces that want to reshape humanity through violence and fire. Their ship represents the only family they have left in a universe that no longer recognizes the old rules.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, space-opera, action
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, political-intrigue
Setting: Solar System
Period: Future
536 pages · Kindle Edition · Orbit
Content warnings: violence