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Nemesis Games by James SA Corey [SPOILERS]


Xray the Enforcer

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Do we know much about Alex's background? Why did he sign on to a water-hauler? We know that everybody else had hit rock bottom or was trying to escape something. Holden was dishonorably discharged, Naomi had just left an abusive ex who was also running a terrorist cell, and Amos was from Baltimore. Alex was a pilot in the Martian Navy for 20 years. He was apparently a very good pilot and left on good terms. I wonder why he quit everything to become the equivalent of an ice road trucker in Siberia.


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Do we know much about Alex's background? Why did he sign on to a water-hauler? We know that everybody else had hit rock bottom or was trying to escape something. Holden was dishonorably discharged, Naomi had just left an abusive ex who was also running a terrorist cell, and Amos was from Baltimore. Alex was a pilot in the Martian Navy for 20 years. He was apparently a very good pilot and left on good terms. I wonder why he quit everything to become the equivalent of an ice road trucker in Siberia.

:lmao: that simple statement

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I enjoyed Nemesis Games immensely. I thought it was the best one in the series and didn't mind the crew being split up one bit. It was really interesting to see their individual stories, I only wish there had been a bit more of a bang at the end (Epilogue aside) as opposed to this winding down that we got. Hell of a story, I can't wait for the next one. (when IS the next one scheduled for, oh all-knowing Board?)


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Do we know much about Alex's background? Why did he sign on to a water-hauler? We know that everybody else had hit rock bottom or was trying to escape something. Holden was dishonorably discharged, Naomi had just left an abusive ex who was also running a terrorist cell, and Amos was from Baltimore. Alex was a pilot in the Martian Navy for 20 years. He was apparently a very good pilot and left on good terms. I wonder why he quit everything to become the equivalent of an ice road trucker in Siberia.

Well, we know he had a bad divorce, but I do think that there has to be more that we don't know about.

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Finished it this morning and loved it.

I did make this comment in the non-spoiler Expanse thread early on though:

I'm only a hundred pages or so into Nemesis Games, but I've already seen a current conversation trend creep into the narrative and it grated on my nerves. (Probably because it aggravates me in real life.)

In separate chapters, both Amos and Holden have replied in conversation with the sarcastic "Right?" that I associate with my step daughter and her friends saying "I know... Right?"

:bang:

The trend continued throughout the book with Bobbie chiming in a couple times with it as well. Just distracted me some I suppose. :dunno:

I will echo some of the other posters who said that they felt it did slow some at the end. I'm so accustomed to having a neat resolution for these books that after Naomi's rescue I half expected some sort of reveal/confrontation with Marco. Even though I knew that this book was stated to be the beginning of a bigger arc, I still thought we'd see some more resolution of the central conflict within the book.

I also enjoyed the viewpoints from the other three. I wonder if we will keep some of those for future installments; or if it will go back to the structure of Holden and a guest character? I also wonder if it will just be Clarissa and Bobbie joining the crew or if Holden's comfort (like distant cousins) with the fill in crew means that they might actually start working with a full complement.

Midway through the book when we still didn't know where we were going with the story, there was a throwaway line about a character flipping through the feeds (don't remember if it was Holden, Naomi, or Alex) and one of the channels said something about a colony "reporting alien contact in the southern hemisphere." I thought that was going to turn out to be the hook for the next book.

I also had a bit of confusion about Alex on Mars. Why were the thugs at Bobbie's place asking about him? At that point he hadn't even gone to talk to the navy yet had he? And at the end with the reveal of the Martian traitor fleet, the lead admiral was Duarte. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. Have we met him/her somewhere before?

All in all, I'd say this book was right up there with my favorites from The Expanse. The lack of any real conclusion sort of prevents it from being tops; but it was a great read.

ETA: Meant to comment on this:

I couldn't tell if the ship at the end had the protomoecule sample on it when it went through the gate or if that had been sent on ahead. Anyone catch which?

Captain Severenes (the dick who threw away the bracelet because its against code, but is totally cool with insurrection) had a conversation with the creepy scientist who indicated that the protomolecule had already arrived at Laconia Station. So it had already passed through.

Will be interesting to see if the stuff with the rings is protomolecule whackiness, great enemy interference, or some third ancient party.

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I also had a bit of confusion about Alex on Mars. Why were the thugs at Bobbie's place asking about him? At that point he hadn't even gone to talk to the navy yet had he? And at the end with the reveal of the Martian traitor fleet, the lead admiral was Duarte. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. Have we met him/her somewhere before?

I think Holden's search for the freighters that disappeared after going through the rings inadvertently led him onto the path of the Martian naval ships that Duarte was feeding to Marco. Holden's message to Alex to look into it (and especially the asteroid that Marco was operating from) for him was intercepted or something, so Duarte's thugs were trying to see what Alex knew without alerting him.

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You've seen him before.

Winston Duarte's office was plain and comfortable. The desk was simple pressed polycarbonate, a little larger maybe than the receptionist's in the lobby. The screen on the wall was set to a calm semi-abstract piece that flowed in sepia and brown, evoking fallen leaves and mathematical proofs in roughly equal proportions. The only touch of luxury was a shelf of what appeared to be actual printed books on military strategy. The man himself fit in the space like he'd been designed for it. Half a head shorter than Alex with acne-pocked cheeks and warm brown eyes, Duarte radiated politeness and competence. After they shook hands, he took the seat beside Alex rather than cross back behind his desk.

"I have to say I'm a little surprised at the visit," Duarte said. "Most of my dealings with the OPA are formal."

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You've seen him before.

Winston Duarte's office was plain and comfortable. The desk was simple pressed polycarbonate, a little larger maybe than the receptionist's in the lobby. The screen on the wall was set to a calm semi-abstract piece that flowed in sepia and brown, evoking fallen leaves and mathematical proofs in roughly equal proportions. The only touch of luxury was a shelf of what appeared to be actual printed books on military strategy. The man himself fit in the space like he'd been designed for it. Half a head shorter than Alex with acne-pocked cheeks and warm brown eyes, Duarte radiated politeness and competence. After they shook hands, he took the seat beside Alex rather than cross back behind his desk.

"I have to say I'm a little surprised at the visit," Duarte said. "Most of my dealings with the OPA are formal."

Okay. Score one for poor reading comprehension.

I guess I didn't realize he was an Admiral. I remember him being someone's subordinate.

Suppose that explains why Alex's friend disappeared too...

ETA: I have to admit that I get a kick out of imagining the author opening up a MS Word document of the actual manuscript to cut and paste a response for me because I didn't read carefully enough. :lmao:

ETA2: While I've got you here... :lol: Could I put in a request for an appearance at Joe Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY? GRRM is a big fan, so Ty can probably figure out how to get there. ;)

They also are the ones who pushed me to buy Leviathan Wakes FWIW.

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Okay. Score one for poor reading comprehension.

I guess I didn't realize he was an Admiral. I remember him being someone's subordinate.

Suppose that explains why Alex's friend disappeared too...

ETA: I have to admit that I get a kick out of imagining the author opening up a MS Word document of the actual manuscript to cut and paste a response for me because I didn't read carefully enough. :lmao:

ETA2: While I've got you here... :lol: Could I put in a request for an appearance at Joe Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY? GRRM is a big fan, so Ty can probably figure out how to get there. ;)

They also are the ones who pushed me to buy Leviathan Wakes FWIW.

You're not the only one. I thought that Duarte was at best a commander, or whatever passes for colonel in the Martian Navy.

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finished it yesterday, was fine, not my favorite in the series

Where is the whole intentional rock drop on Earth trope initially from? I guarantee Gundam wasn't the first.

It's in Starship Troopers isn't it? I know if plays a big deal in that...film but i seem to remember it mentioned offhandedly in the book too.

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Cloaked asteroids are Grand Admiral Thrawn's secret siege weapon against Coruscant. I don't remember him dropping any on the planet though.

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Do we know much about Alex's background? Why did he sign on to a water-hauler? We know that everybody else had hit rock bottom or was trying to escape something. Holden was dishonorably discharged, Naomi had just left an abusive ex who was also running a terrorist cell, and Amos was from Baltimore. Alex was a pilot in the Martian Navy for 20 years. He was apparently a very good pilot and left on good terms. I wonder why he quit everything to become the equivalent of an ice road trucker in Siberia.

Didn't Alex tell that to Basia back in Cibola Burn? I don't remember the exact page or chapter, but it was something about not being able to adjust to civilian/living on a planet after long career serving on spaceships.

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