Saturday, February 11, 2017

Babylon's Ashes

The sixth entry in the Expanse, this one is suitably exciting and epic. Interplanetary war is in full flow, and James Holden and his doughty crew are naturally central to the whole thing, solving crises and solving problems that the so-called scientists and politicians with their fancy book learnin' and analysis tools are unable to crack. It's a great series and a rollicking adventure, and I think space opera traditionally tends towards the trope of the small group of people (*cough*Skywalkers*cough*) who are critical to everything, so this isn't too much of a problem. At its wrap-up, this book felt like the end of the series, though there were some big questions left open, so I was glad to find out that there is another book coming this year.

The Magician's Land

The third installment in Lev Grossman's Magicians trilogy, The Magician's Land really amps up the epicness, digging into the nature of gods and magic, and putting whole worlds at threat of destruction. Characters grow and become more rounded and mature; old friends return, and threads of plot from the first two novels are picked up and tied off neatly. I thoroughly enjoyed this series, and would happily read more set in this universe.