The Butcher of Anderson Station

I did not expect to love this one, because it was Fred's story, and I was going to read it because reading it meant I would have read all the novellas. Which, if you know me, I'm a completist even in book series I don't love, so in ones I'm currently enamored with? Yeah. This was a no brainer. It was going to happen.

But I so never, never, never saw how they would twist this one. How they would make it make sense, and change my entire view point of who Fred was, and how he got into the position he did, why and where and who and how. All of it. It's another gorgeous unexpected plot twist made of realism and amazing. I recommend it to anyone who has read this series, and who wants to get into it.

Mais uma curta prequela, desta vez com Fred Johnson no comando.
Quando o conhecemos na saga, é o líder controverso da OPA na Estação de Tycho e o inevitável patrão de James Holden e resto da tripulação do Rocinante. Em The Butcher of Anderson Station, é um homem tentando beber até à morte, ou pelo menos tomando todos os riscos sem querer saber o que lhe acontece à vida, porque não consegue estar em paz com o os eventos que lhe deram o sobrenome de Carniceiro, tal como o título do livro.

A qualidade e forma de escrever continua obrigatoriamente a mesma do costume, os autores não desapontando. A construção do mundo e cenários é sempre a habilidade que mais gosto neles, e nada como um estilo noir como:

“[...]talvez show more quando tinha cinco ou seis anos, viu uma erva a crescer na escuridão no porão do seu tio. A planta era pálida e fina mas duas vezes maior do que as que estavam no pátio, deformada à procura da luz do sol. O homem atrás do balcão parecia exatamente assim: alto demais, pálido demais, esfomeado por algo que nunca teve e nunca terá. Belters eram assim.”

Esta escrita quase simbólica não é abusiva e tem que baste.
A história salta entre presente (Fred bêbado) e passado, três anos antes, quando era ainda Coronel das forças da Terra e numa missão de controle de uma insurgência em Anderson Station. Enquanto salta de um ponto para o outro, aprendemos os motivos do líder atual da OPA e ainda como é que chegou ao cargo.

Gostei muito, e para todos os fãs de The Expanse, é mais uma pequena obra a não perder.

É um conto muito interessante sobre um homem que tinha tudo, perdeu tudo e ainda assim a sua experiência não deixou de ser um recurso vital a qualquer organização que o estime. show less

This is very short (it took me about twenty minutes to read), and it provides some backstory on Fred Johnson, the man who used to kill Belter terrorists but ended up leading an Outer Planets Alliance faction himself. Basically we get parallel stories about his last mission for the Earth military and his recruitment by the OPA. I like Fred Johnson in the tv show, and this provides more detail than its flashbacks too; I was surprised to learn that Anderson Dawes recruited him given the two always butt heads philosophically on screen. This won't wow you, but it does what it says on the tin.

Εξαιρετικό!
Χρειάζεται λίγη γνώση του κόσμου στον οποίο κινείται η ιστορία, αλλά η γραφή ρέει, οι χαρακτήρες έχουν βάθος, παρά το μικρό μέγεθος της ιστορίας, και οι δημιουργοί για ακόμα μια φορά μας δείχνουν ότι γνωρίζουν κάθε λεπτομέρεια της κοσμοπλασίας τους.
Το απόλαυσα.

Definitely a must for any Expanse fan, especially for those who are fans of Fred. I am. I think he's pretty damn cool.

But even for completionists, it's worth it. Why? Because Fred is a conflicted character for also being a relatively steadfast and rational friend to adventurers in need. His story may not be the most epic or the most emotional of the bunch, but for me, he has a certain mystique. :)

Also, this short story is REALLY short. :)

A brief look into the events that shaped Colonel Fred Johnson as he went from “The Butcher of Anderson Station” to the nominal leader of the Outer Planets Alliance, committing to advocate for the people he’d been rewarded for slaughtering.
Probably confusing if you haven’t read at least Leviathan Wakes, but a nice insight into both the character and the politics of this universe.

Fred Johnson is an interesting character and I was excited about reading his backstory. This was a good book, and I liked it, but I felt that the other Expanse books had built up the Fred Johnson story and that made this book slightly disappointing.