Review of Livesuit by James S.A. Corey

Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham (James S.A. Corey) frequently took side trips writing the nine-volume Expanse series. They released bits of short fiction every year or two to fill holes and complete the tableaux of the series' storyline. Enough short stories produced, in fact, a tenth and final volume was eventually released, a collection. While I don't expect the planned three volumes The Captive's War trilogy to generate the same amount of short fiction, the duo nevertheless continue the practice, releasing the intriguingly incongruous tie-in novella Livesuit in 2024.

Livesuit is the story of Kieran, leader of a team of soldiers battling against the galaxy-dominating Carryx. The team is a specially selected squad, each of which wears an expensive, difficult-to-manufacture skinsuit that keeps them alive in battle and maintains their bodily functions in normal life. In the early going, Kieran's leg is crushed in a trap, but the suit keeps his leg intact and his body upright throughout the remaining fight. And resilience is needed as the team have a difficult mission: to infiltrate a prison and rescue the humans held captive.

Livesuit is, in fact, a split story. The first viewpoint that rotates in and out of the narrative is Kieran's during the aforementioned mission—the infiltration, the firefights, the stuff of military sci-fi. The other viewpoint is post-mission. It tells of the interactions of the team members who survived, their psychology post-battle, and the introduction of new team members.

I did not use the word 'intriguingly' lightly in the review intro. Based on the introductory novel of the trilogy, The Mercy of Gods, the Captive's War trilogy would seem to have positioned itself as a classic story of humans vs aliens rendered in contemporary style. Livesuit casts doubt on that. I will not spoil things here, but the end of the novella does not strictly parallel the humans vs aliens trope. It is, intriguing. In fact, the conclusion lends itself a humanist tone, something I didn't expect, and which adds a drop or two of substance.

Regardless the ending, Livesuit remains a classic soldier story in a space opera setting. Following in the footsteps of The Forever War and Starship Troopers, it describes a battle with aliens from the perspective of livesuited soldiers, and the aftermath. The twist at the end, while not technically a 'twist', gives the novella the substance it was previously lacking. Overall, not what one might expect given the setting.