Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1) in SpecFic Buddy Reads

Mar 30, 2013 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: biopunk, sci-fi, mystery, space-opera, 2018-shelf, cthulhu-goes-ph-nglui-mglw-nafh-ct, worldbuilding-sf, zombies-go-braaaaaaaaaains, fanboy-goes-squee, top-one-hundred

Re-read 7/1/18:

I feel like I've read this book three times now. Sure, not quite true, but I DID watch the Expanse episodes encompassing this book. So close enough. And now, after a third (sic second) read?

Pure love.

This is the gold standard for space opera. :) Everything else is just trying to catch up. :)

My original review still stands, too. :) I love it all. It's as close to genius as this kind of story can get.

Original Review:

Fantastic Space-Opera! I didn't know what to expect when I picked ...more

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Nov 28, 2017 Lyn rated it liked it

The beginning of the Expanse novels, a fantastic world building space opera.

Set in a future where the solar system has been colonized, the furthest planets – outside the asteroid belt is culturally separated from the inner planets. Mars has become a system wide power.

The authors (James S.A. Corey is the pen name for two collaborators) have done an exceptional job at imagining and describing a post-colonization universe where the technical demands of deep space exploration and colonization, and t ...more

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Jul 01, 2018 Trish rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

After watching the TV show enthusiastically, it was only a matter of time before I had to pick up the book series as well, I guess.

This first novel opens up to a colonized Solar system. Humanity has spread to the Moon, Mars, and the Belt, with the furthermost settled region to be around Uranus even. However, as is to be expected, no matter where humanity goes, its problems follow. Thus, Earth and Mars are two competing superpowers with an uneasy alliance while the Belters are the somewhat oppres After watching the TV show enthusiastically, it was only a matter of time before I had to pick up the book series as well, I guess.

This first novel opens up to a colonized Solar system. Humanity has spread to the Moon, Mars, and the Belt, with the furthermost settled region to be around Uranus even. However, as is to be expected, no matter where humanity goes, its problems follow. Thus, Earth and Mars are two competing superpowers with an uneasy alliance while the Belters are the somewhat oppressed workers with serious physical differences and a terrorist organization called OPA working hard on taking on Earth and Mars.
Enter Earther Jim Holden, a former member of the UN Navy (the UN is the government of Earth by now) who has been working on an ice hauler for the past few years. He and his colleagues receive a distress signal and go to help, only to be caught in a trap. But despite Holden and 4 of his crew members surviving, that is only the beginning of their ordeal.
Simultaneously, on Ceres station, Belter detective Miller is sent so bring back the daughter of a rich investor from Luna but that isn't as straightforward a job as he first thought either.
While there are political tensions across the Solar system, a group of scientists has discovered and is tinkering with something on a wholly different level and soon it's about nothing less than the survival of humanity.
Thus, Holden's and Miller's paths cross and we get a mad dash from one space station to another, from one horriffic incident to the next until a quite disturbing end of this first volume.

I'm a fan of scifi stories and have been for a while. Thus, I've also read a fair number of scifi books, but I can honstly say that the two authors forming "S.A. Corey" will hopefully become one of the big names soon.
From the engaging writing style and the captivating mystery of what the hell is going on to the enigmatic characters, nothing is out of place here. Add to that the solid tech as a wonderful background and you get a memorable universe about 200 years from now that is captivating readers completely.
There is the occasional light humor, coming mostly from the different characters clashing and having to find a way to work together, there is action galore, complicated politics but there is also smart science. And then there are a few scenes worthy of any horror movie what with all the creepy atmosphere. Just the way I like it.

One small comment about the TV show: it is remarkable (in the best of ways) how close the TV adaptation is to the book(s). There are some slight differences to the details and at least one scene I liked better on the show, but they are mostly the same, which in my opinion is fantastic! ...more

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Jan 08, 2017 Veronique rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read2017, favourites, read2021

4.75* (2021 re-read before publication of last novel)

“There were two sides fighting—that was true enough—but they weren’t the inner planets versus the Belters. They were the people who thought it was a good idea to kill people who looked or acted differently against the people who didn’t.”

There are many quotes I could have chosen but this one hit on one of the big themes and tropes of this novel - duality. James S.A. Corey (pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) offers us an exhilara 4.75* (2021 re-read before publication of last novel)

“There were two sides fighting—that was true enough—but they weren’t the inner planets versus the Belters. They were the people who thought it was a good idea to kill people who looked or acted differently against the people who didn’t.”

There are many quotes I could have chosen but this one hit on one of the big themes and tropes of this novel - duality. James S.A. Corey (pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) offers us an exhilarating novel that uses dichotomy on nearly all levels. On the surface, this is a fun space opera full of action and adventure, but at the same time it is also a character driven story focusing on socio-political factors.

The world building is brilliant and complex, presenting a world where humans have colonised most of the Solar system but not yet acquired the technology to go further. Power plays and monetary gains are still very much present, as is discrimination, permeating everything and creating palpable tension that will explode at the least provocation. And this is where our story starts...

The narration follows two characters, Holden, XO of an outer planets ice freighter, and Miller, a police detective. Both could be seen as stereotypes, as many of the other protagonists, but the authors seem to take these molds and twist them into something much more interesting, giving them more depth. Holden is your 'perfect' hero in the making, always trying to do the right thing and 'save the day'. Things of course don't go as planned and it was fun to see his reactions, as well as his interactions with the rest of the crew - special mentions for Naomi and Amos (his deadpan attitude is just priceless). Miller is your usual middle-aged, cynical, hardboiled, divorced, cop, who relies often on alcohol. Oh but he is much more than that too. His moral compass is completely unlike Holden's, unstable, and yet he stole the show for me. Both are of course the two sides of the same coin - both are right and wrong. They're also used to personify the two aspects of the plot: the scifi adventure and the noire detective thriller, as well as the realist politics and the surreal horrors! Yes, I loved it and cannot wait to start the sequel!

P.S. In case you wonder what a Bosch painting looks like... :O)

...more

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Sep 27, 2014 Chris Haught rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fof-reads, specfic-buddy, scifi-fan-group, 2015-dark-room-challenge, 2015-sffbc-challenge, read-owned-ebook

Love. Yes, folks, it is love at second sight.

I liked this book quite a bit the first time around, when I'd listened to the audiobook. Here's my review of that listen, from 2012. It's interesting to look back at that review now, as I enjoyed the book quite a bit more this time around. The things that annoyed me on that earlier review didn't bug me at all this time.

So I'm not sure if that's that I prefer the reading to the listening, or if I'm just getting more of the fine detail this time throu ...more

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Jul 03, 2013 Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller rated it it was amazing

Via Book Reviews by Niki Hawkes at www.nikihawkes.com

I want to thank these authors for rekindling my love for science fiction (yes, I said authors, see below)! Everything about this story had me frantically turning the pages to see what happened next. I haven't been this excited about a sci-fi series since I picked up Aguirre's Grimspace a couple of years ago. And you know what? I really missed it! There's nothing like diving into the universe to give you that ultimate feel of adventure!

And adve Via Book Reviews by Niki Hawkes at www.nikihawkes.com

I want to thank these authors for rekindling my love for science fiction (yes, I said authors, see below)! Everything about this story had me frantically turning the pages to see what happened next. I haven't been this excited about a sci-fi series since I picked up Aguirre's Grimspace a couple of years ago. And you know what? I really missed it! There's nothing like diving into the universe to give you that ultimate feel of adventure!

And adventurous it was – on a galactic scale (okay, maybe only on a solar system scale… It just doesn't sound as cool). And it was a smart book – plenty of complexity, with interwoven plots that were just enough to keep me guessing but not so much that it was confusing. A book that is dynamic and well planned out gets my vote every time – and I probably appreciated the most because it's something I don't feel I could ever do in my own writing.

Another thing I loved about this book was that characterization. I've been really lucky lately because I've picked up tons of books with exceptional characters (which means I've had some of the best reading in my life recently). Characters make or break books for me – I can put up with a lot of faults, but if I don't like the people, I most likely won't like the book. Leviathan Wakes had so many fantastic characters that I'd be hard-pressed to tell you which one I liked the most. Even the minor ones who only got a few pages were memorable… it blows my mind.

So far, I've mentioned great plot structure and characters, but I don't think I'd be raving about the book as much if they hadn't been combined with such killer pacing. Every moments was exciting and stressful… in a good way. It's the type of exhilarating read that gets the adrenaline flowing and the heart pumping – I had to stop reading it before bed because it took me from drowsy to wide awake after only a few pages. It never slowed down, either. The whole book was just one big snowball ride all the way to the end!

Very few books max out my awesomeness scale in every category, but this one managed! It's the perfect mix of science fiction, mystery, and romance (on a minor scale), and has turned me into an adoring fan of "space opera." What's more, after reading Leviathan Wakes, I discovered the author's name is actually a pen for two collaborative writers: Daniel Abraham (who has quickly become one of my favorite new-generation fantasy authors with his Long Price Quartet series) and Ty Franck (who I'm told did some ghostwriting work for George R.R. Martin). I don't know if it's possible, but this discovery makes me love the book even more!

Recommended Reading: for any science-fiction lover (or for that matter, for anybody looking to give sic-fi a try). This book is also perfect for anyone looking for an exhilarating read - one that's impossible to put down! ...more

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Feb 09, 2011 Chris Haught rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-fan-group, audiobook

There's a lot going on in this book. Much of it is engaging, some of it surprising and edge-of-your-seat suspenseful. The characters are pretty good. Being sci-fi with a lot going on, it falls into the trap of lots of meandering and metaphyiscal WTF-ery, but for the most part it remains a story about people. People that I cared about.

The last quarter of the book dragged and meandered around enough that I nearly dropped a star, but the ending wrapped up nicely enough and left me satisfied, saving There's a lot going on in this book. Much of it is engaging, some of it surprising and edge-of-your-seat suspenseful. The characters are pretty good. Being sci-fi with a lot going on, it falls into the trap of lots of meandering and metaphyiscal WTF-ery, but for the most part it remains a story about people. People that I cared about.

The last quarter of the book dragged and meandered around enough that I nearly dropped a star, but the ending wrapped up nicely enough and left me satisfied, saving the 4-star rating. It's safe to say I'm interested in further exploration of the Expanse.

Just not real soon. I need something a little more down to earth at the moment.

One thing I found funny was that the one annoying aspect of the story seemed like a pretty minor deal. (view spoiler)

I did like Miller though, aside from his annoying discussions with people that weren't there. I like how torn he was as a cop, riding the line between right and wrong, law and anarchy.

I liked Holden too, do-gooder idealist that he was. He was a good captain to his little band of survivors, and even the (view spoiler) didn't seem annoying, like it might in another book.

My favorite character was Amos though. "What the fuck?" He just said what was on his mind at any given time.

So overall a good story. The faults are there, as they are in most sci-fi stories. But as long as the fascinating outweighs the annoying, I'm interested. ...more

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Apr 24, 2017 Cathy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

2nd read, audible audio, 2021:

Re-read, because I just watched season 5 of The Expanse on TV and felt the urge to refresh my memory. And to maybe immerse myself more deeply again, before the last book comes out. I doubt I will manage to get through all of the books until then, but it will be fun either way.

There is definitely a difference. The first time around I read the ebook, now I am listening to the audiobook. This time around I have the visuals from the TV adaptation in my head, which didn‘ ...more

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Aug 05, 2017 Amanda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

2021 audio reread 4.5 ⭐️. I enjoyed this more the second time around having the benefit of knowing what the bigger picture looks like. Really happy I decided to reread this series. I just love love love these characters and I can’t wait did more.

Original Review 4 ⭐️ Super fun space opera. I absolutely loved this and can't wait to continue with the series. ...more

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Oct 22, 2015 Lata rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sf-f-h, x2023-read, bipoc-actor

I actually liked this book even more on a second reading. The complex political manoeuvring between Earth, Mars and the Belt, the space battles, the mystery with its own hat-wearing, belter, noir detective, the ship full of exiles and eventual family aboard the Rocinante, and the weird, frightening goo that everyone is after....It's a terrifically compelling story with vivid characters, and damn, I love that Belter creole! ...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Liam || Books 'n Beards rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, owned-books, 2013, science-fiction, library, bought-2013

Originally read this six years ago (Christ that's scary), got through the first three books before flaming out due to Cibola Burn not being released yet. I've been hankering some sci-fi goodness so I decided to pick them back up again.

It's as easy reading as I remembered, and it's been long enough since I read it that I had forgotten all but the most major of story beats, so it retained the page-turner quality that it had when I originally read it.

I've dropped my rating from 5 stars to 4 stars w ...more

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Aug 04, 2017 Helen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I love watching sci-fi and have since being forced to on my dad's knee when he still lived with my mum. Reading sci-fi, actual sci-fi with space and ships rather than pretend sci-fi that has another reality, not so much. So it has to be engaging to keep my attention. This did.

It has a rollercoaster plot that becomes convoluted and chaotic but delivers it so effortlessly that you don't notice the gs and hypers or needles. You just don't get this vocab in a nice jaunt across many leagues with elv ...more

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Dec 22, 2014 Christina Pilkington rated it liked it

*3.5 stars

This book grew on me the longer I read it, but there were too many times that then story dragged for me to give it 4 stars. I think it was just a matter of too much emphasis on tech talk and the war going on. I wanted the story to be more character driven than it was.

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Jul 05, 2015 Dawn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, series-in-progress

What a good story. The author has managed to take some classic and possibly tired science fiction tropes and turn them into a compelling story.
I thought the end was a bit over the top, even for a space opera.

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Sep 06, 2011 Ctgt rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi

Loved this book! Great pace, great concepts, just a really fun read.

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Sep 08, 2020 Cobwebs-Iced-Across-SpaceTime rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: a1-i-own-books, all-sci-fi-my-challenge, apocalyptic-dystopian-futuristic, november-2013-reads, 2015__leviathan-behemoth, 2020_a-z_h-a, 2020_reads, 2020_science-fiction, september_2020_reads, 2020_mount_tbr_ararat

Review shortly

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Aug 16, 2015 Cindy rated it really liked it

3.5 (and not 4) due to some serious plot holes and things included that seem inconsequential to the story. But perhaps that is simply because this is Book 1? Rounded up to 4 and I will read the next one soon. Looking forward to seeing how they adapt it for TV (The Expanse; Fall 2015).

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