Going into the last of the Expanse trilogy, the question on my mind was "Will they change up the formula?" And they did, but at the expense of the tight plotting that made the first two books a joy.

This time, after an attempted assassination/smear job, Holden and co are floating beyond the Gate, surrounded by billion year old alien artifacts that can change the laws of physics. And of course, when faced with the inexplicable, humans beings do what they do best: get scared and try to murder each other.

I can't exactly say what's wrong with this book, but despite strong bones, it didn't quite gel. Holden and his allies are too saintly, their opponents too obviously foolish. Serious themes of sacrifice and redemption are gestured at, but not fully fleshed out. I mean, read it if you've gone this far, but Abaddon's Gate is a step down from the rest of the series.