For the first time in the series, the crew of the Rocinante splits up. Each goes home, or to whatever passes for home, while Holden stays with the ship. Then the solar system falls apart. The most character-driven novel in the sequence, revealing backstories that were carefully withheld across the first four books, and delivering consequences that reshape the series from this point forward. Widely considered the best entry point for readers who bounced off the earlier books.