NOVELLA REVIEW: Gods of Risk
Title: Gods of Risk
Author: James S.A. Corey
Series: The Expanse (Novella 2, Should be read after Book 2, Caliban's War)
To his fellow students, David Draper is a talented sixteen-year-old chemist with a real shot at getting a good placement at a prestigious university. No one knows that he cooks drugs on the side. Finding himself torn between his two lives, David inadvertently puts himself in danger. It's up to his aunt, Bobbie Draper, to pull him out of the fire.
With book three of The Expanse, Abaddon's Gate, upon us, I thought it would be great timing to read the Expanse novella, Gods of Risk, to get in the mood. Gods of Risk ends up being a pretty enjoyable read, even though the story sometimes feels as if it is simply cashing in on the popularity of the television show Breaking Bad. What makes it worth your time is the exploration you get of Mars, which we haven't seen to much of yet in the series. If David Draper's experience is any indication, it is far from a place like future Earth, where you don't have to work if you don't want to. Yes, David is a very bright kid, but even without his illegal activities, his workload has more in common with grad student then that of a high schooler. I also liked getting to see Bobbie again, who really made an impression on me in Caliban's War. Admittedly, I don't think Gods of Risk will have too much of an appeal to people who haven't already read book one and two of The Expanse. That's not because it's a bad read. I quite liked it! Still, I doubt an uninitiated reader would be as interested in getting to see Carey's version of Mars, or touching on the tension between Earth and Mars after the events of Caliban's War.
Final Thoughts: If you've enjoyed the series so far, then I would recommend checking out Gods of War by James SA Corey. Not only do you get to revisit a fantastic character from Caliban's War, but you get to further explore the future Corey has created for us in The Expanse series. Four Stars
Author: James S.A. Corey
Series: The Expanse (Novella 2, Should be read after Book 2, Caliban's War)
To his fellow students, David Draper is a talented sixteen-year-old chemist with a real shot at getting a good placement at a prestigious university. No one knows that he cooks drugs on the side. Finding himself torn between his two lives, David inadvertently puts himself in danger. It's up to his aunt, Bobbie Draper, to pull him out of the fire.
With book three of The Expanse, Abaddon's Gate, upon us, I thought it would be great timing to read the Expanse novella, Gods of Risk, to get in the mood. Gods of Risk ends up being a pretty enjoyable read, even though the story sometimes feels as if it is simply cashing in on the popularity of the television show Breaking Bad. What makes it worth your time is the exploration you get of Mars, which we haven't seen to much of yet in the series. If David Draper's experience is any indication, it is far from a place like future Earth, where you don't have to work if you don't want to. Yes, David is a very bright kid, but even without his illegal activities, his workload has more in common with grad student then that of a high schooler. I also liked getting to see Bobbie again, who really made an impression on me in Caliban's War. Admittedly, I don't think Gods of Risk will have too much of an appeal to people who haven't already read book one and two of The Expanse. That's not because it's a bad read. I quite liked it! Still, I doubt an uninitiated reader would be as interested in getting to see Carey's version of Mars, or touching on the tension between Earth and Mars after the events of Caliban's War.
Final Thoughts: If you've enjoyed the series so far, then I would recommend checking out Gods of War by James SA Corey. Not only do you get to revisit a fantastic character from Caliban's War, but you get to further explore the future Corey has created for us in The Expanse series. Four Stars