Anna's Reviews > Memory's Legion

I was sad to reach the end of The Expanse series two months ago, as it’s such a compelling and enjoyable space opera. Memory's Legion collects novellas and short stories set in the same world in chronological order, starting before the book series begins and ending after it concludes. They fill in some character backstories and provide snapshots of places that weren’t focused on in the novels. Each has a brief author reflection afterwards, which I found interesting.

I am nearly always fonder of long (or ideally very long) fiction than short, so did not find the collection as enjoyable as The Expanse novels themselves. Nonetheless, some of the stories are really vivid and striking; all contained appealing details of characterisation and world building. Perhaps most memorable was ‘The Churn’, which worked brilliantly as backstory while also bringing poverty-stricken future Baltimore to life. As the author’s note mentions, it’s the only part of the series narrated omnisciently rather than via a specific narrator. This works really well.

The most unsettling story was ‘The Vital Abyss’, which is essentially a complex prisoner’s dilemma played out among the protomolecule researchers, group of people I hadn’t thought to consider the fate of. (view spoiler)[Especially chilling is the fact that they all took a neurological treatment that removed their ability to value human life. (hide spoiler)] It’s an ingenious and claustrophobic tale. My favourite story, however, was 'Auberon'. This simply follows the bedding-in of Laconian occupation on the planet Auberon and resulting conflict of absolutist ideology with messy reality. I found this story particularly psychologically and sociologically astute. Compared with the rest of the collection it’s quieter and more ominous, not so much building to a climax as to acceptance of circumstances. The author’s note describes it as a crime story, but that isn’t how I read it. I think there’s a lot more going on that.

Conversely, the final story ‘The Sins of Our Fathers’ seemed a slightly underwhelming note to end on. It was interesting to see the consequences of Leviathan Falls, but the social dynamics and world building felt less insightful than the usual high standards of The Expanse. Nevertheless, Memory's Legion is a strong collection overall and I’d recommend it to anyone missing this fascinating world after finishing the series.