The prior book in this series ended with the unthinkable, Ace Ryker becoming a Hand of God. James Crowley found it hard enough to believe that he could be given a chance to atone for the sins of his life by serving the White Throne, but Ace Ryker? There wasn't a repentant bone in his body, so it was now more impossible than ever to tell good from evil. Crowley no longer wanted to be part of this eternal battle, but he wasn't ready to spend eternity in hell just yet, as Rosa still needed saving. Unfortunately, Crowley was now on the run from the man who had already killed him once, and he still wasn't sure exactly how he was going to bring Rosa back to the land of the living. The one thing he was sure of, though, is that he would pay any price to make it happen.

James Crowley is used to travelling alone, but this time he finds himself on the way to Crescent City with a few companions. Rosa, Bram Stoker, Irish, and Harker all return from the first book, and their presence certainly makes things complicated for Crowley. He is being sent to Crescent City by the White Throne to deal with the "Betrayer", and that's not exactly information he can share with his travelling companions. Two of which, Bram and Rosa, happen to be very interested in the supernatural, and that lends itself to some uncomfortable conversations on the road. As they get closer to town the situation starts to spiral out of control as one of them is mortally wounded. They must seek immediate medical attention in town only to find that Crescent City has been overrun by supernatural beings and they are entering a powder keg of a situation. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, typical Crowley.

James Crowley was your typical outlaw until his life was ended in a hail of gunfire; however, his well-earned trip to hell was unexpectedly interrupted by the White Throne. He now serves them as a Black Badge, also known as a Hand of God, hunting down demonic entities in the old American West. His task this time is to visit a small town known as Dead Acre, a place where outsiders are never welcome. He doesn't exactly know why he is sent to the ass end of nowhere, but upon arrival he quickly discovers that the local cobbler is missing and a number of graves outside the dilapidated church have been desecrated. Certainly a suspicious situation, which is only made worse by the less than warm welcome he receives at the only saloon in town. Of course Crowley is not easily intimidated, so he starts investigating following the clues and eventually discovers that a few of the locals are nto what they seem to be. A number of dark entities have indeed made Dead Acre their home, so Crowley is definitely the right man for the job.

James Crowley is a former outlaw who didn't always make the best choices in life, but he has no regrets about the choice that ended it. Crowley was as rough as they come, but he did have his limits. That turned out not to be a good fit with the leader of his gang, who eventually ended him for standing up to prevent the rape of a captured woman. Perhaps it was that final act of redemption that caused the White Throne to interrupt his journey to hell and select him to serve as a Black Badge, but he doesn't really know that. In fact, he doesn't really know much. His handler, Shar, sends him to deal with the darker evils that roam the American West: nephalem, werewolves, shapeshifters, and yetis, just to name a few. That makes him part bounty hunter, and part supernatural sheriff, but he has no earthly authority, so he is constantly trying to figure out how to take care of his quarry without revealing to everyone else that he himself is undead.

Reese Roberts is an old drunk that is bound to a wheelchair with little to live for. In fact, as far as he is concerned, he has nothing to live for and the world would be a better place without him. But it wasn't always that way. Reese used to prowl the streets of Iron City and do what needed to be done to protect the city and clean up the streets. As the vigilante known as The Roach, Reese was fearless and he preyed upon the gangs and criminals that dared to try to make Iron City their home. He was really making a difference until that fateful night when a bullet found a seam in his protective armor and left him paralyzed from the waist down. That was five years ago and The Roach was never heard from again, fading into legend as the streets of Iron City fell back into the hands of the corrupt. It's all too much for Reese to bear and the day has come to put an end to his suffering.

​​​​​​​High Earth is all that remains of human civilization on Earth. It is a city built above the risen oceans, that now completely cover the remnants of our past, and it is where the story begins with the hatching of Asher Reinhart. As is usual, Asher is hatched at an advanced age because humans no longer do anything that takes real effort, like giving birth and raising children. Asher meets his VORA (Virtual Occupant Residency Aid) and starts to learn about how things work in High Earth. It is a fully managed environment where his every need is cared for by all manner of robots and he is free to spend his time with the myriad of virtual experiences and entertainment shows available. Asher instantly becomes captivated by the show Ignis, which follows the events aboard a generational ship of the same name on its way to a distant star. It is reality TV taken to another level and Asher feels an instant attachment to one of the people on the show the first time he sees her, Mission.

Whitney Firestone is the greatest thief in all of the Glass Kingdom, at least in his own mind, and he will never hesitate to brag about his accomplishments. This is especially true when there is a crowd to be had, and copious amounts of alcohol don't hurt either. Most people dismiss his tales out of hand, but that only encourages him to make his accomplishments even more grand. So much so that in a moment of boasting to an unreceptive audience he vows to steal the glass crown off the king's head to prove his abilities. This promise sets up a series of events that result in this mischievous thief needing to go on a quest with Torsten, the Wearer of White. Torsten is a holy knight who has dedicated his entire life to the Glass Kingdom, and he has no tolerance for those who break the law. This trope pairing contributed to my inability to get into the first half of the book, but fortunately the excellent world building and overarching story eventually won me over.

Things have been building up for two books and now it is time to find out how it all plays out. Cassius' plan to destroy the religous zealots of the New Earth Tribunal is simple in concept - you can't worship the spirit of the Earth if there is no Earth, so he plans to do just that. It is also just as likely that his plans involve more than just revenge. Most of the rest of the characters are pawns in his game, but they have started to figure that out, and the word is spreading that the war was orchestrated by Cassius from the start. This fact is prompting others like Sage and Talon to pursue their own agendas, so the final confrontation of this war is going to be a wild ride. 

Book one of The Circuit series, Executor Rising, did a good job of setting the stage for the rest of the story. The main characters are all established, their backgrounds and motivations are mostly clear, and the state of the solar system is such that the impending conflict will have dire consequences depending on how it all turns out. However, none of the factions can be classified as the good guys in this story so I do not find myself emotionally invested in any particular outcome, or character. Normally that is an issue for me, but in this case I found myself eager to know how it turns out anyway.

​​​​​​​I remember when I first started reading The Expanse series and how I was surprised that I found it compelling even though human space travel was limited to our own solar system. No warp drives or hyperspace conduits seemed pretty boring at first, but I eventually came around because limiting the scope of the story to our own solar system made it that much more real. Although similarly limited to our solar system, Executor Rising puts aside realism and instead offers up something much farther out there in concept. The Earth is no longer a habitable planet and mankind instead has The Circuit, which is an interdependent ecosystem that uses Solar Arks to transport needed materials between human colonies that are spread across the solar system. This new ecosystem is just as fragile as the Earth was and it comes under assault for various reasons.