Toward the goal of writing about more positive things, I’ve started reading the 8th book of The Expanse series, Tiamat’s Wrath. I’ve been holding on to that one for months, not wanting to run out of Expanse reading – just like I’m holding off watching Season 5 on Amazon. I’m usually no good at delayed gratification, but I’m making an exception for The Expanse.

Tiamat’s Wrath is not a disappointment – it’s great science fiction and character-driven storytelling. It’s all I can do not to just read it in one sitting. I dole it out to myself a few pages or chapters at a time. I will say that halfway through there’s a huge change in the Expanse-verse of The Gates, and one of the central characters dies, a cause for mourning. I have no idea how the two writers of The Expanse will choose to end the saga, but I’m sure it will be dramatic.

There’s a lot of fan speculation about the exact meaning of the title, but the details are likely to be found here, in the story of a Babylonian goddess. Only the authors know for sure.

*“That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” – Jhumpa Lahiri in The Namesake