A fascinating coda to the series; it would have been easy for them to write in the same overall style that framed the novels, but here they make more interesting choices both stylistically and in terms of focus.

The overall theme remains: humans getting in the way of themselves, and the tension of what we could do together or be together if we got past that. But by letting us sit with side characters, changing the rules around perspective, and telling stories from across the overall timeline of the story, it both 'expands' and refracts the overall narrative of the world.

The novels roll along with chapter breaks fairly regularly, so it was notable that the short stories are longer than multiple chapters from the novels. This gave the stories and overall collection a slower pace, as we lingered longer with these perspectives than we're used to from these authors.

This slower pace is not a criticism. After reading through the series, it was particularly effective to linger and focus on characters and places. And because you often already know an element of how these stories will turn out, (since most of them are reflecting situations from within the established timeline of the books) there is a sense of temporal pressure on the characters that the reader knows but the character doesn't. ( )

Almost 5 stars and a satisfying addition/conclusion to the series ( )

Ok, the real end of the Expanse technically. I really appreciated the different writing styles and perspectives we got with all the short stories/novellas in here. I like that they added to the overall canon of the books while still being their own, unique tales. I do appreciate who we end the whole saga with, and the authors' notes on that very subject were some of the most interesting writing of the entire saga. ( )

I'm a great fan of the Expanse, but I wish I hadn't bothered with this book. Most of these short storys are really quite boring and will be soon forgotten. ( )

Ok, the real end of the Expanse technically. I really appreciated the different writing styles and perspectives we got with all the short stories/novellas in here. I like that they added to the overall canon of the books while still being their own, unique tales. I do appreciate who we end the whole saga with, and the authors' notes on that very subject were some of the most interesting writing of the entire saga. ( )