Leviathan Wakes is a science fiction novel by James S. A. Corey, the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. It is the first book in the Expanse series, followed by Caliban's War (2012), Abaddon's Gate (2013) and six other novels. Leviathan Wakes was nominated for the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the 2012 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. The novel was adapted for television in 2015 as the first season-and-a-half of The Expanse by Syfy. Five short stories that take place before, during, or after Leviathan Wakes were published between 2011 and 2019.
I wish I could rate it 4.5/5. It reads like an action-packed SF golden age classics, with focus on people, not technology. Very solid explanation of how little it takes for a disperse society to fall into a civil war.
Un mélange de space opera et de thriller que j'ai trouvé distrayant, mais pas très fin et un peu longuet. Si les autres tomes sont du même tonneau, je vais m'arrêter là.
For me, this was a frontier western story in space, and I was not sure why I should be interested. It made me question the whole premise of 'humanity conquers the solar system/universe' science fiction. Why would humanity settle Mars and the Asteroid Belt to begin with, and why would society change so little in that process?
If you like mystery, violence, horror and want it set in space, this might just be your thing; it did not appeal to me.
For me, this is currently the high-water mark of modern sci-fi. It's often called "Game of Thrones in space" and while the politics of the setting definitely support that, the humor is a cut above the fantasy series. It's almost like a love letter to both earlier hard sci-fi (like the Red Mars books) and the writing of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett. It's not a silly book, but it's not afraid to laugh, and it lacks the "Whedonness" of other popular sci-fi. The jokes and quips are fun, in character, absolutely part of the charm, and never distracting.
This is my 3rd time reading it I think, and the plan is to read the whole series at a go. I don't feel like I'm going to get bored with it, this book was better than I remembered.
For me, this is currently the high-water mark of modern sci-fi. It's often called "Game of Thrones in space" and while the politics of the setting definitely support that, the humor is a cut above the fantasy series. It's almost like a love letter to both earlier hard sci-fi (like the Red Mars books) and the writing of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett. It's not a silly book, but it's not afraid to laugh, and it lacks the "Whedonness" of other popular sci-fi. The jokes and quips are fun, in character, absolutely part of the charm, and never distracting.
This is my 3rd time reading it I think, and the plan is to read the whole series at a go. I don't feel like I'm going to get bored with it, this book was better than I remembered.
I watched the first season of the TV show, and so my first read of Leviathan Wakes is effectively a re-read. Biases upfront though: I was disappointed with the TV show. It did a superb job of fleshing out the Belter culture, and the Colonial style excesses, corruption, and politics. What started as an analogy for European colonialism then turned out to be space fantasy, with magic driving the plot. I hated this thematic disconnect and bailed on the the TV show. But the series is generally well-regarded and I gave it a second chance, this time via the novels.
I'm glad I read Leviathan Wakes.
The book focuses on Holden and Miller, and their contrasting philosophies results in a fantastic interplay of these two main characters. More importantly, we stay focused on the mystery of the Scoupli, and this results in a tight narrative that moves at a …
I watched the first season of the TV show, and so my first read of Leviathan Wakes is effectively a re-read. Biases upfront though: I was disappointed with the TV show. It did a superb job of fleshing out the Belter culture, and the Colonial style excesses, corruption, and politics. What started as an analogy for European colonialism then turned out to be space fantasy, with magic driving the plot. I hated this thematic disconnect and bailed on the the TV show. But the series is generally well-regarded and I gave it a second chance, this time via the novels.
I'm glad I read Leviathan Wakes.
The book focuses on Holden and Miller, and their contrasting philosophies results in a fantastic interplay of these two main characters. More importantly, we stay focused on the mystery of the Scoupli, and this results in a tight narrative that moves at a breakneck pace while being filled with entertaining banter. The vivid colonial Belter culture is still there, but it's a rich background that allows these two wonderful protagonists to thrive.
That said, since I'm already aware of the plot, I didn't find the 're-read' to be all that exciting. Throughout the events of the book, the stakes are alleged to be high, but as a reader, I never really felt that threat truly impact our heroes. Perhaps unfair, but it's an indication that once the surprise is out of the bag, the story deflates quite a bit.
Recommended if you haven't watched the TV show.
A compelling space opera with hits of noir, thriller, and horror. Very CIShet for what I normally read, but really good. Fastest I've finished a book of this size in ages.
This book was massive in scope and the author pulled it off with full marks. Incredibly well done story. I will absolutely read the next in the series.
