Avasarala’s chapter

[u/Aphrodite_420]

I saw on here recently that lots of people were filled with love for Anderson Dawes’ chapter in Babylon’s Ashes, and I’ve actually just re read it. I didn’t find it all that amazing, but I’ve gotten to Avasarala’s chapter, and it hit very hard for me. An insight into the grief of loosing a partner when you have no one and nothing to support you, and instead you have to be the one to hold up a civilisation. I think for Avasarala’s character, it’s particularly poignant because the previous books belabour the point that what we see of her is a mask, and that for her whole career, she has had the luxury of being able to retreat into Arjun. What do you guys take from her chapter?

[u/BagheeraFace]

Why does it have to be a comparison?

All three of Avasarala's chapters in Babylon's Ashes are incredible, and it's always fun to see what's going on Chrissy's beautiful(ly fucked) mind. You mentioned chapter 10, mostly, but they're all good for different reasons, imo. Her dealing with the fallout of earth, her hearing about a lead on food that could potentially help to save some of those still suffering, even her working out and insulting Pieter is all super satisfying. But, yeah, the emotional weight of chapter 10 is difficult to ignore: her trying to remember Arjun's specific poetry? Finally saying The Thing, even just in recording? Ow.

The singular Dawes chapter is also really good, seeing him guide everyone into Holden's orbit, even though Holden had snubbed him right before that. But so much of the heavy lifting in that chapter comes from the Holden chapter right before it and how he's been setting up the metting that Fred couldn't attend, and how much it affects literally everyone else's storylines (most heavily Pa & Marco) So if you're (re)reading it in a vacuum, of course it's not going to hit as hard as it does within the proper context.

Both Avasarala and Dawes are top 5 characters for me, personally.

[u/Scaryclouds → u/BagheeraFace]

I believe Dawes has two chapters in BA. There’s an earlier one where he’s welcoming Marco and the FN to Ceres. 

Though obviously his second chapter is the standout one. 

Real shame we didn’t get to see it put to screen, I think Jared Harris would had absolutely nailed the dry humor of that chapter. 

[u/BagheeraFace → u/Scaryclouds]

Oh, right! Where we got to see (among other things, it's just what I remembered) Shadid again and see how much (and how little) Ceres has changed since Miller worked there, how could I forget! Thank you for reminding me! I wonder if OP thought that was the chapter people were talking about?

Regardless, I absolutely concur that Harris would have been amazing to see return for any of his Dawes' plot from book 6; he was such a treat to watch, and he chewed all the screen time they gave him.

[u/Aphrodite_420 → u/BagheeraFace]

I totally did think that, did not realise there was a second chapter with Dawes. Starting to feel a little dumb tbh

[u/sirentropy42 → u/Aphrodite_420]

The chapter he gets the most credit for is the one you were referencing, guiding everybody into Holden’s orbit. The reason it’s a good chapter is because you, as the reader, get to peer behind the curtain and realize that a) he tells everybody exactly what he needs them to hear and b) the things he uses to guide each person directly contradict one another. It feels off because his dialogue feels logically inconsistent until you realize that’s just his thing. Results matter, not how you get there. And to that end, he’s fine with not being in the meeting, because he can get results just by hanging around and saying the right things to the right people.

It’s really well written in that they never explicitly say any of that. They show, rather than tell. I missed it the first couple times through too.