Review (Novel): Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey

Introduction & Synopsis

Before we begin, it should be noted that while writing this review, I am assuming that the reader has already read the first four installments in the series. As such, do not be surprised if you encounter spoilers for the previous installments in the series. You have been warned.

In Nemesis Games, the fifth installment in the popular series The Expanse, which has been adapted into a television series by SyFy, is a novel that dares to shake up the status quo of the series.

While waiting for repairs of the Rocinate to be completed on Tycho Station, the ship's crew go their separate ways, each one aiming to resolve personal issues that have been plaguing them since before the beginning of the series. Alex goes to Mars in order to find some closure with his ex-wife, Amos travels back to Earth in order to pay his respects to his recently deceased surrogate mother, Naomi visits Ceres in order to reconcile with her long-lost son, and James is trapped on Tycho Station having to aid Fred Johnson discover the identities of a nationalistic terrorist OPA splinter cell who seek to supplant the aging Prime Minister.

Needless to say, all of them have bitten off way more than they can chew, as the entire solar system is in upheaval. The UN is on the brink of collapse, and a majority of the Martian population have departed through the Rings to (literally) greener pastures, and the OPA is also beginning to fall apart at the seams, as many of the Belters slowly grow evermore concerned that the departure of a significant chunk of humanity through the wormhole stations could severely cripple the trade that they depend on for survival.

Themes

It can be argued that Nemesis Games is the darkest and most politically resonant of all Expanse novels so far. The issue of genocide, both in terms of literal mass extermination and a more figurative view of genocide in the form of the death of a culture, is made very clear at the beginning of the book, and only continues to grow more prominent as the novel continues. 

Nemesis Games also deals with the theme of family. Amos, Alex and Noami's story archs all revolve around them finding comfort within their family or loved ones, only for all of them to quickly realise that the families they once had are no longer cohesive, and their time on the Rocinate has given them the opportunity to develop a new family together. In a purely figurative sense, of course. As each of them move further away from the Rocinate, the more they miss the ship, and also each other. Its a comforting ideal, no doubt present to provide an optimistic counter-weight to the darker elements of Nemesis Games.

Characters

As always, a majority of the characters in The Expanse continue to be compelling. Not only that, but several characters, namely Amos, Alex and Noami, are given a greater level of attention and character development than in any previous book in the series. While Alex and Amos have, up until Nemesis Games, been portrayed primarily as just faces in the background, with Alex beginning to show some greater depth in book four, Cibola Burn, this book truly gives all three characters the attention and detail needed to make them thoroughly likeable characters.

Other secondary characters, such as Fred Johnson and Monica Stuart, are also given a greater deal of attention than before. It works significantly to the book's advantage, as both characters become truly fleshed-out and three-dimensional. Fred Johnson has always been a likeable character, simply due to his calculating personality and the ethical ambiguity of some of his actions. While Monica Stuart was simply a face in Abaddon's Gate, in Nemesis Games she is given a greater role within the story.

James Holden has also becoming a far more likeable character. For a majority of the series, in case you have not noticed already, I found him to be too arrogant, toxic and downright unintelligent in many ways. In Nemesis Games, however, he begins to grow as a character. He actually thinks before he speaks in some cases. Heck, he thinks. For Holden, that is a major step up. 

Nemesis Games also re-introduces several fan-favourite characters from previous books, namely Bobbie Draper and Clarissa Mao. Both characters are among my favourites in the series, and I look forward to them being featured more prominently within future books in the series.

However, the series is now severely lacking the dry wit of one particular pork-pie hat-donning AI detective. Miller has been one of my favourite characters in this series almost since the beginning, and to see him depart at the end of Cibola Burn was a real shame. There is some discussion at the beginning of Nemesis Games about finding another sample of the alien protomolecule and using it to "resurrect" him again, however that minor plot thread is quickly disregarded for more immediate plot threads. Perhaps he shall return in the future in some form, however for the time being, I find his absence unfortunate.

Plot

I cannot discuss the plot in great detail without revealing spoilers, so this section will be brief. The plot of Nemesis Games is perhaps the most exciting one in the series, primarily due to the fact that it significantly shatters the status quo of the series. Without being too specific, Earth is evidently no longer the military power it once was, and neither is Mars, and a power vacuum has given the aforementioned OPA splinter group the opportunity to carve out their own domain. It's an excitingly dark storyline, and given how it ends, The Expanse will never be the same, and most likely, it will be the better for it.

Prose

As always, there is very little to say about the prose. It's good, just as it has been throughout the rest of the series.

Conclusion

Nemesis Games is, personally, my favourite novel in the series so far. For any who enjoys Sci-Fi Space Opera, I would highly recommend it.

4/5