The Sins of Our Fathers

The Expanse #9.5

by James S.A. Corey

Through one of the gates, a colony stands alone. Their supplies are low. Their defenses, weak. The leadership is uncertain, and the community fragile. Huge alien beasts threaten the little they have left.

But the worst monsters are human, and the greatest dangers are the past they brought.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Novella, Space Opera, Short Stories, Space

68 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2022

Reviews

[Jim C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novella that takes place after the main series completion. In this one, we follow Philip and his new home. They are on a new planet and the ring gates just closed. They are cut off from the rest of the human race and they are on their own. They are having trouble with some of the native species.

Once again another offering from this series gets another great rating. I am sad that this is the final piece of this series. There has not been a bad offering throughout and I have not seen a series to maintain that kind of quality during its whole run. Philip was not my favorite character but I loved the look into him and his settlement on this new planet. It felt like the troubles and ordeals settlers had to deal with when America was discovered. Only in space and on a totally new planet. I loved the atmosphere in this novella. Things are not easy. They are cut off and they are not sure why. The native animals are attacking and things are not looking good. The atmosphere leaped off the pages. And I liked Philip in this book. We see how the dealings with his father affected him. Does he stand by and see history repeat itself or does he take action? This was such an interesting notion to explore in this book.

This book and series deserves all the praise it gets from critics and readers. There has not been a misstep throughout. I enjoyed the ending book of the main series. This is like the dessert after a glorious meal. There was room for dessert and I savored every last bite.

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out my Booktube channel at: The Obsessive Bookseller

While this didn’t give me the big picture answers I was hoping for, it reminded me why I love the Expanse. It also provided the much-needed opportunity to walk away from the series with positive feelings, as Leviathan Falls left me feeling underwhelmed (“can you ever be just whelmed?” That may be a more accurate description). The story here doesn’t really have anything to do with the final book, but rather is an exploration of humanity and how circumstances shape our lives (as ever with their writing). I found it deeply profound. And it provided a resonance for the rest of the series and all of the fall-out from events culminating to this point. Things ever remain human-driven, whether epic or mundane. I loved it.

And I want more.

Thank you to my Patrons: Filipe, Dave, Frank, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Katrin, and Melissa! <3

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't say I ever cared much for the character (which I suspect is true for most readers), but this proved quite a satisfactory coda to the loose end that was Filip Inaros/Nagata, still very much tormented decades later by his deeds as a teenager. The chilling storyline also gives an interesting glimpse of the post ring gate world, where hundreds of inhabited systems scattered throughout the galaxy suddenly find themselves completely and permanently isolated from the rest of humanity.

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one and especially with getting more information on the main character that’s in The Sins of Our Fathers.
I wanted more at the end but it’s because I don’t want this series to end. I’m acting like a little kid right now having my favorite toy taken away. 😂

This definitely is a great addition to the series and answers some long standing questions that I’ve had for some time now.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice tie-up. In Auberon we got to see where Erich ended up. In Sins of Our Fathers we get to see where Filip ended up. Also Anna's daughter, Nami Veh (Volovodov)!

I thought it was a great character study, played out 40 years after we last saw Filip walk away from his father and the Free Navy, assuming a new identity. At the time, it seemed so unlikely he would be able to outrun the demons that would inevitably follow him, and it appears that is so. While this isn't a redemption arc per se, it is a story about the possibility of reinvention and survival.

[JosieQ]

Why are you douchebags rating a book you haven't read, that isn't even out yet?

Stupid irritating idiots.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This thoughtful epilogue to The Expanse series leaves readers pondering some major questions about human nature and the foundations of social order. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD But, perhaps the most interesting question is whether Phillip acted exactly like the father he so loathes.

[Laura Tenfingers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this snippet into Life After The Gates Collapse. Everything was perfect: the setting, the people, the factions, humans being assholes, our unsung hero. Might be my favourite of all the novellas.

[Andrew Gillsmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS is the proper conclusion to the Expanse series. As much as I enjoyed Leviathan Falls, it left me somewhat cold. Sins of our Fathers is the perfect coda to the best science fiction series of the last decade. It hits ALL the right notes.

Very, very well done, Ty and Dan. And thank you for giving us this gift!

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

With its final work, the Expanse lands with a dull thud. That's okay, though -- it's on purpose.

"What's the opposite of an overture? A summation, maybe?" So begins the author's note for The Sins of our Fathers, and there is nothing quite more apt. Where Leviathan Falls ended in grand and sweeping fashion, as epic as it was bittersweet, this final novella lands you hard back in reality, in uncertainty. It does not try to amaze or baffle you -- Ty and Dan simply draw an underscore beneath their series' greatest themes. Humans are messy. We're brave, and we're stupid. We make the same mistakes over and over, and we always have, and we make even more mistakes trying to fix the mistakes of others, or to prevent someone else from making one themselves. So it goes.

The Sins of our Fathers is a raw and real end to the Expanse saga, tying up loose ends by following up on two legacy characters we haven't seen in quite some time. There is no finality here -- much like the ending of LF, it ends with the uncertainty of a new beginning. As with every work in the Expanse, it begs the question: will the humans get it right this time? The answer is probably a resounding "no," but the point of the matter is that they try to do better, to learn from the sins of their fathers, to carry on the lessons they've learned to do just a little better than those who came before, pressing ever forward, step by messy step. It feels true to humanity in a way that science fiction rarely seems willing to pursue, and I love it dearly for that.

This quote sums it all up for me quite beautifully:

"What scares me, Mose. It isn't fucking it up and dying. What if we fuck up, but we don't die. What if we fuck it all up and live? We're at the end of something, sure. Maybe we're at the beginning of something too. Maybe we make a whole new world. A whole new planet like Earth used to be. Hundreds of generations. Billions of people, that all start here. And we fuck it up for them."

"I don't understand."

"What if we just go on like people always have? The same bullshit. Give the same bullies and liars power like we did before. Cut all the same corners. Put up with all the same hypocrites. Make everything here into more of the shit that got us here. That seems worse. For me? That's worse."

This, to me, is the core message of the Expanse, and nothing is more fitting than seeing it end here, with this.

[Efka · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short story takes us to a backwater colony with a grand population of around 400 persons just after the ring gates collapsed. It also reintroduces us to Filip Inaros aka Filip Nagata, as he calls himself now. Also, the colony is on the verge of possible collapse due to native fauna. And thats ab out it. A very disappointing read. It does not offer anything new. It does not offer any closure, any kind of epilogue, any kind of insigt into the series or whole Expanse cosmos. I think, that this book has no other purpose but to communicate to the reader that Filip is still alive. And that is what this short story is about, no other added value and definitely the weakest of all Expanse short stories. 2*.

[Koger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knowing this is the last thing ever to be written in The Expanse universe is bittersweet. It also wraps up one major loose end in a satisfying way. Welp... Time to restart the whole series

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Resolution feels better!

[Leili V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of their better novellas, and it really made me feel the loss of my favorite series all over again. I wish I could have more of this universe, this planet, these people. I reflect often on how my favorite characters went out, how the series ended. Not with a bang, but with a slight flicker of light. It’s stories like these that make me see the afterglow and cry a little.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this review feels a bit underwhelming to me after literally typing through tears for my review of Leviathan Wakes, but I don't have very much to say on this one. I liked it well enough, and I liked the redemption of it for a character that I am glad was able to eventually get it. Even though it was hard.

I also like the little glimpse into the reality of the post-ring gates situation. It's one thing to imagine the implications (far too much, if you're me) but another to see it as the authors envision it. And of course, it's exactly what you'd think it would be, because, humans gonna human.

Also liked seeing a new character that ties in a character that we haven't seen in a while, and gives a little bit of closure there as well.

This series has been a wild ride, and I love it.

[Patrick Cosgrove · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the main arguments James S.A. Corey makes with The Expanse is "Humanity will always be stupid and selfish no matter the context. Technical knowledge advances, but the organism stays the same."

Given this argument, it's not surprising the final story in The Expanse sequence has a similar structure to the rest of the books. It takes place after the main story has finished, but there are still people in a community, so power struggles and in fighting must reign supreme. No matter the situation or cost to do so.

It was nice to get a bit of closure to a character that was missing from the finale. The authors' notes in the audiobook are also a great touch to get a closer look at their thought process.

All-in-all a good conclusion to a fantastic story.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for more out of the follow-up to an amazing series. I don't feel like this one fits in with the rest at all. It could have just as easily not been an Expanse novella and I would have enjoyed it just as much, or maybe even more. Leviathan Wake's epilogue provided much more closure and hope whereas this just feels like opening the wound a little.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novella about a character from the Expanse series stranded on a planet (now that the ring gate is closed), who appears to have learned from his past, but now must forge his own future. (Can’t tell you who without spoiling it.)

[Vivone Os · Rating 4 out of 5]

Začudo, imam puno za reći o ovoj noveli.
Prvo, kad sam vidjela da postoji i da je izdana poslije zadnjeg nastavka Leviathan Falls, mislila sam čemu to. Nepotrebno. I dalje mislim tako, ali u isto vrijeme sama priča mi se baš svidjela. Bolja mi je od svih ostalih novela u serijalu.
Pratimo lika koji se pojavljuje u jednoj od knjiga i za kojeg sam mislila da je poginuo. Zaglavio je na jednom od planeta koji su bili odsječeni od ostatka čovječanstva nakon što su vrata uništena. Živi u malom gradiću od oko 400 ljudi i zajedno s ostalima suočava se s negostoljubivom i opasnom florom i faunom te s polaganim smanjivanjem resursa. Svidjela su mi se njegova unutarnja razmišljanja, dvojbe, nošenje s krivnjom te negiranje novonastale situacije (brod se neće pojaviti i neće se moći nikad vratiti u Sunčev sustav ili na bilo koji od drugih novih planeta).
Osim toga, odličan mi je bio obrat koji se dogodio pred kraj. Razmišljala sam kako će se on uklopiti u potencijalno opasnu situaciju, ali njegov potez uopće nisam očekivala. Također ni posljedice.
Zanimljivo mi je bilo pratiti kako se ostali stanovnici gradića nose s novom stvarnošću, kako se drže starih navika i onih strojeva i prehrane s kojima su došli, kako se oslanjaju na zalihe koje više nikad neće doći i kako polako prihvaćaju istinu te se okreću preživljavanju. No kao i uvijek, čovjek je čovjeku nažalost najveći neprijatelj i bilo bi čudno (čak trekovski) da se problem raspetljao na neki pozitivniji način.
I za kraj, samo moram reći nakon dugih sedam godina pročitala sam Expanse serijal. U isto vrijeme sam tužna i nostalgična (ja bih još!) i ponosna jer sam na kraju jednog tako opsežnog serijala. I sad se radujem seriji. : )

Globalni ciljevi: nastavak serijala

[Josh Morrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella feels like an afterthought to the entire Expanse series. I don't know if it's because the authors suddenly decided we needed some closure for Filip, or just that they wanted to capitalize a little more on their IP, but the story, while interesting, felt unnecessary to me. On top of that, the novella begins telling one story, but finishes with a completely different story, without a satisfying resolution to the original problem. I do like how things ended for Filip. I actually wouldn't mind reading what comes next in his story, though I doubt we'll ever get that. But like I said, the whole thing felt unnecessary anyway, so I'm not too worried about it.

[h o l l i s · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad we had this little glimpse into one of the bigger loose ends I felt had remained after the series wrapped. But I also like the author's note and why, in a sense, it wasn't a loose end after all. Instead this shows us what life might be like post-gates and the isolation and uncertainty that comes with it; as well as the trap of falling into old habits. Which a certain character uses as a means to do what he thinks is a bad deed for the greater good.. because he is still processing and coming to terms with his guilt and the burden of his actions from so long ago.

By including another certain character, though, we have an interesting contrast to that thinking. And also a glimpse at the fate of another few characters we haven't seen in quite some time.

All very interesting and bittersweet and, somehow, a little more satisfying than the actual finale of this series.. even if in a lot of ways it's not satisfying at all. But more a reckoning.

Can't believe this is really, officially, the end of this series! What am I going to do with myself now.

[Indru · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably the weakest Expanse novella, "The Sins of Our Fathers" follows an isolated Filip Inaros after the events of "Leviathan Falls".
The whole 47-page thing is filled with people being in conflict with each other. There is no plot or premise, just characters arguing (like a bad TV show in the manner of Falling Skies) and Filip making a decision at the very end which even though gives a spark to the story, it happens too late and leaves the most interesting part `off-text`, meaning it implies a better story than it actually tells.
Out of all the Expanse characters, I think Filip is the one I was least interested in for him to be in the final novella. For me, this one was more of a disappointment than a true Expanse story.

[Paz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

First thoughts:
Though this novella is not connected to the main storyline/ending of the last book in the series, it was such a joy to reunite with Filip and see the struggles one of the systems is facing after the events of Leviathan Falls.
I find this story quite reflective. It's dark and sad, but through Filip's eyes, through his guilt and his trauma as the son of Marco Inaros, this novella is quite deep.
Though I wish we could have gotten a happy ending, and I wish there were answers for many things the books left in the air, I'm happy this was the story Daniel and Ty decided to finish the series with. I also really loved the author's note.

[Fred Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final short story in a series that we never wanted to end. Great read

[Nella ☾ of Bookland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Officially done with this series! An achievement indeed.

[Mbgile · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+

[CAP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great novella detailing the story of a character we didn’t get closure on in the main books. I thought this was a fitting end(beginning?) for him. I was surprised to see a second character for the main series as well, but didn’t actually catch on until I read the Author Notes.
I’ll read anything these guys put out at this point.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could read like 20 of these novellas about the new worlds. It doesn't even need to be established characters. That was just a little bonus but I am fascinated by the culture and development of what might happen after the conclusion of the final book in this series. I hope if they get bored they pop out a few of these.

Not required reading but very interesting and a nice side story.

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 1 out of 5]

"At sunset, the stars came out. The great smear of the galactic disk. The universe that humankind had once been heir to and then lost, now just a light show and a promise. Or a hope. In the distance, the monsters began to sing."

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I'm not ready for the end still. Even minor characters from long ago storylines still pack a punch in a novella! DANG!!