#awooposting

The latest novel by the authorial duo who co-write under the James S.A. Corey, the novel follows a band of variously dysfunctional researchers who - at the apex of their respective careers - are captured and brought into captivity by alien slavemasters. The novel is *great* at capturing the feelings of alienation and dread that the characters feel while they're dragged off to serve as a gear in the great Carryx empire.

The scope and tone of the story is a large departure from the duo's previous work with "The Expanse," though the trademark flair that the two authors bring to cataloguing the human experience of destitution and misery is absolutely on point. While there are a few hope spots sprinkled throughout the book, those are always positioned against the brutal reality that the cast find themselves thrown into.

The aliens, much more present than they ever were in "The Expanse", still feel incredibly alien to behold in comparison to the humans. Their mentality is interesting to probe - it doesn't seem like the sort of mentality that would eventually lead to a spacefaring species, leading one to wonder how they exactly reached their level of galactic imperial might. This will, hopefully, be further expanded upon by the next two books in the trilogy.

Without getting into spoiler territory, I absolutely loved the book and the only part that genuinely upset me was bingeing it last night and finally hitting the final page. The book ends right as things start getting interesting, but I suppose they do need to ship the middle novel of the trilogy somehow. :p

If you're a fan of "The Expanse" or of science fiction in general, I highly recommend the work. It's much less hard scifi than the last book, but this is understandable in that the humans are held captive by aliens many times their ken.

However

The point of this is mostly to write more poetry without worrying too much about the quality. So. Awoo.

I present the LATE START to...

Perchance, Perhaps - Oftcember

#3 - Majesty Forgotten

Late last night, the forest wept frozen droplets of wispy regret

The event was quiet and attended by few save for lions, bears, maybe a shrew

A haphazard parade around a visionary corpse forgotten by those whose pavement he'd pound

All scurried and stalked 'till the spirit departed the home it had curried

Late last night, the forest wept frozen droplets of wispy regret