Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Leviathan Wakes

(The Expanse #1)

James S.A. Corey (Goodreads Author)

4.25 · Rating details · 198,464 ratings · 13,283 reviews

Humanity has colonized the solar system—Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond—but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, the Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that ...more

Get A Copy

Paperback, 561 pages

Published June 2nd 2011 by Orbit

More Details... Edit Details

Featured Notes & Highlights

James Corey - author

13 notes & 13 highlights

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Leviathan Wakes, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Hitchhiker S Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Best Science Fiction Ever Written.

2,830 books — 4,733 voters

Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century

900 books — 8,575 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.25 ·

Rating details

· 198,464 ratings · 13,283 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1)

Jan 17, 2011 Joel rated it really liked it

Shelves: wssfbc, 52-in-2011, book-club, 2011

I complained in my review of Chasm City that the gee-whiz mechanics of space opera can't really sustain a 600-page narrative. It turns out I was perhaps incorrect: most of the lengthy examples I've sampled in the sub-genre (Alastair Reynolds, Iain M. Banks) are of the "dark and gritty" variety, grim, nihilistic visions of the future starring amoral asshole protagonists who are impossible to sympathize with. Even with a bunch of cool ideas on display, spending 700 pages in these books is exhausti I complained in my review of Chasm City that the gee-whiz mechanics of space opera can't really sustain a 600-page narrative. It turns out I was perhaps incorrect: most of the lengthy examples I've sampled in the sub-genre (Alastair Reynolds, Iain M. Banks) are of the "dark and gritty" variety, grim, nihilistic visions of the future starring amoral asshole protagonists who are impossible to sympathize with. Even with a bunch of cool ideas on display, spending 700 pages in these books is exhausting. Inevitably, I like them for about 400 pages and then I just... get tired.

But this book... this is the space opera I want to read. This book has the spirit of the genre's early days, characters who still marvel at the impossible immensity of the stars, but it isn't a pastiche or a throwback -- it's a natural evolution, and a remarkably satisfying one. The closest analogue I can think of is the oft-overpraised television show Firefly. Say what you will about the annoyingly zealous fanbase (or don't, you don't need the hate email); that show really did almost everything right in translating space opera to the modern age. The characters are complex, they operate in a world that is more grey than black & white, but each also has a clear moral center, so we know why they do the things they do, even when they are terrible things. You can make space opera (or epic fantasy or whatever) that is "dark" and "gritty" and still fun to read, with characters that are fun to read about. Because why would you want to explore the stars with assholes?

I'm having some trouble locking the tractor beam on my point here, but it basically comes down to this: if you want me to invest in your lengthy space epic, you better give me something more to care about than magic space technology macguffin crap, because I will get sick of that. This book gave me cool ideas and everything else: archetypal characters that nevertheless manage to be compelling and sympathetic, interesting and very well thought out politics and economics, constant narrative momentum without sacrificing character... It's the most fun I've had reading sci-fi in a long time.

I should have expected nothing less of Daniel Abraham, who is one-half of the pseudonymous James S.A. Corey; earlier this year, I gushed about the way he was able to do basically all the same stuff within the confines of the epic fantasy genre. And there is so much to like about the premise, just on the face of it: it's a few hundred years from now. Humanity has colonized Mars and invented an engine that allows fairly speedy travel, to a point. Our solar system has been colonized, with outposts on the moons of Saturn and spread across the asteroid belts, but we've gone no further because, come on, space is freaking huge and what are the chances we're going to invent warp drive and quickly stumble across the other needles in the galactic haystack? Besides, we've got enough to keep ourselves busy: colonizing space hasn't exactly united humanity, and Earth, Mars and the Outer Planets Alliance operate under an uneasy truce, with heavy prejudices on all sides.

This stuff is very well thought out. People in the outer planets have lived for generations free from the constraints of heavy gravity, and have started to differ physically from Earthers. Language and culture have shifted too. This makes racism easier. Meanwhile the sheer logistical challenges of sustaining life on dead rocks (from mining interstellar ice to diets of food manufactured from algae) mean the "Belters" are still beholden to their terrestrial cousins.

The plot is a potboiler, effectively combining space action with a noir murder mystery (the two storylines intertwined in chapters that alternate between two POV characters). The characters are, like I said, broad types in some ways, but you can do broad types very well; a stock character can still be well rounded and compelling. This book manages to star both a world-weary detective and an idealistic space captain (with a smart-mouthed love interest and some wise-cracking ship's crew in the background) and not feel like a retread, to give the characters tough moral choices (and sometimes they make the wrong ones), without turning them into unrepentant sociopaths. It goes back to what I was saying many, many paragraphs ago about honoring conventions while expanding upon them.

I don't know if I am communicating this very well, but this book is all of that and also just impossible to stop reading. It's also funny without trying too hard, and thoughtful without being overly constructed or preachy. It's the book I have been looking for every time I picked up a space epic. I just didn't know until I found it. ...more

flag 679 likes · Like · see review

Feb 19, 2020 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

(2.5) Need to watch the tv show because damn, I'm disappointed.
_______________________

The moon itself - Phoebe - filled the frame, turning slowly to show all sides like a prostitute at a cheap brothel.

"But you did this for what?.." ...more

flag 456 likes · Like · see review

Nov 29, 2011 Felicia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi

I've been gorking out on Urban Fantasy and Romance lately, so mixing it with a FANTASTIC Space Opera was JUST what I needed!

I loved this book because in a lot of ways it humanized a BIG SF world in a way that is normally tough. I cared about the characters, I yelled at them a lot, and I enjoyed every minute! It felt modern and current, and created a really believable world that I wanted to live in and learn about. The politics of Earth vs Mars vs the Fringers, the mystery and vaguely noir-ish su ...more

flag 436 likes · Like · see review

Jan 11, 2015 Kemper rated it really liked it

Shelves: space, 2015, vast-conspiracy, crime-mystery, sci-fi, war, germs-viruses, 5-0, 2017-reread, expanse

I got nobody to blame but myself for this….

I’ve had a long-standing policy that I will not read an unfinished sci-fi/fantasy series because I spent over a decade waiting for a certain master of horror to get off his ass and finish what he started. Plus, I have no urge to join the ranks of fans of other fantasy writers who seem to spend more time coming up with excuses and side projects rather than producing new books to finish their on-going series.

Ignorance isn’t a good defense, but it’s all I I got nobody to blame but myself for this….

I’ve had a long-standing policy that I will not read an unfinished sci-fi/fantasy series because I spent over a decade waiting for a certain master of horror to get off his ass and finish what he started. Plus, I have no urge to join the ranks of fans of other fantasy writers who seem to spend more time coming up with excuses and side projects rather than producing new books to finish their on-going series.

Ignorance isn’t a good defense, but it’s all I can claim. I picked this up on a whim after hearing it mentioned on the Incomparable podcast. I was a little leery when I saw it was almost 600 pages, but I didn’t bother looking into exactly what I had gotten myself into until I started the book That’s when I freaked the hell out:

“9 novels?!? 9 goddamn novels and they’re all this long? Holy shit! Only 5 have been released? It’s an unfinished series?? IT’S AN UNFINISHED SERIES! Oh, sweet jebus what have I done? And holy shit snacks they’ve been releasing off-shoot novels! ARGGHHH!! This is a nightmare…. OK, calm down. Let’s see, there’s actually two guys writing it under one pen name. Two guys can keep each other focused and moving forward. They’ve been releasing books like clockwork and have a schedule to bring it home. That’s good news. And these off-shoots are Kindle shorts so it looks like they’re really just true extras and not them filling their pockets while dawdling on the main series. Oh, and the Syfy network is doing a TV series based on it? That could be cool. Maybe this isn’t so bad after all. Wait, one of the authors also works as an assistant to….Uh oh. Well, maybe he’s learned what NOT to do when you’re working on a series…Or maybe I‘ll end up not liking it very much and can just stop here.”

No such luck. Damn it. I’m a sucker for the kind of sci-fi where even though they’re in space the characters have dirt under their nails and skinned knuckles rather than lounging around in pristine uniforms on ships that look like corporate cube farms. I’m also much more of a believer in the idea that if humanity does make it to other worlds that we’ll be dragging all our collective baggage out there with us rather than being explorers from a utopian society. Plus, I’m a big mystery fan and one of the main characters is a burned out space detective with a cynical outlook. And I also like (view spoiler) Oh, yeah. I’m in.

I particularly liked the push/pull between the two main characters. Holden is an idealist who thinks that people will make good collective choices as long as they’re told the truth, and that contrasts well with Miller’s bleak outlook that people are stupid sheep. Put those two guys in a society built out among our solar system’s asteroid belt that is about to go to war with Earth and Mars as they try to unravel the conspiracy behind it, and you’ve got yourself a pretty damn compelling sci-fi story.

I still kinda feel like a rube though….

Update 2/7/17 - You can tell from the original review I posted that I had a lot of misgivings about starting an unfinished series back when I first read this. A few years later after re-reading it I'm happy to report that it all worked out for the best. The authors have stuck to their schedule and delivered a book a year since they started, and the entires series has become one of my favorite sci-fi things ever. I also got a bonus in a pretty damn good TV series based on the show since then which just started it's second season. So this gamble has paid off pretty well so far. ...more

flag 303 likes · Like · see review

Mar 21, 2020 Petrik rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Light sci-fi & space opera readers

Leviathan Wakes was so good; a character-driven space-opera that combines sci-fi, noir, mystery, and a slice of horror into one.

I’ve watched only the first season and a few episodes of the second season, but it was enough to make me want to read all the available books in the series first before continuing with the TV series again. Seriously, amazing movies/TV adaptations boost book sales exponentially more than anything else in the world, and I do believe that The Expanse by James S. A. Corey h ...more

flag 263 likes · Like · see review

Sep 21, 2011 mark monday rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-gave-up, scifi-modern

EH? EH! this so-called space opera is anything but. no sense of wonder, no sense of truly divergent civilizations, no galactic span. and a clear lack of operatic emotions on display as well. perhaps this is due to the characterization, which is rote, uninteresting, and badly developed, with sub-par Firefly-style dialogue along for the ride. perhaps it is also due to the subject matter, which is confined to purely in-system politics between Earth and Mars (the two reigning superpowers) and the as ...more

flag 238 likes · Like · see review

Dec 17, 2015 Jeffrey Keeten rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-to-film, science-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. ”Way I see it, there’s three ways this can go,” Miller said. “One, we find your ship still in dock, get the meds we need, and maybe we live. Two, we try to get to the ship, and along the way we run into a bunch of mafia thugs. Die gloriously in a hail of bullets. Three, we sit here and leak out of our eyes and assholes.”

Well, really, the story begins when some alien species shoot a payload of virus at Earth and misses. This virus is capable of turning the human race into piles of nasty, smel ...more

flag 217 likes · Like · see review

Feb 12, 2019 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, paperback-own, sci-fi, audio

I thought it was great and sad!!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more

flag 200 likes · Like · see review

Dec 14, 2012 Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: bat-shit-crazy, space-travel, favorite-secondary-characters, revolting, it-burns-us-precious, kickass-heroines, creeptastic, aliens-i-love-em, diabolical, pirates

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

Here's another Jessica quirk: I LOVE sci-fi on screen, but I rarely like reading it. I have no idea why. Some things just are.

BUT. I binge-watched The Expanse last week, and it was good enough that it made me curious. There were no giant-insects-as-aliens, no surplus of tech gobbledygook, and no discernible artificial intelligence (the things that make me avoid sci-fi literature, even though I can usually handle the movie version), and what there was was mysteriously ...more

flag 189 likes · Like · see review

Jan 01, 2020 Matthew rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Matthew by: Gary K Bibliophile

Shelves: 2019, 2020, sci-fi

Welcome to 2020! My first book finished this year (kind of cheating since I started it in 2019)

This book is very epic . . . and it is only the beginning.

Leviathan Wakes is book one of The Expanse series. I have seen it described as a space opera. I was not quite sure the definition of space opera - although I have seen it used many times and even read a book with that title. So, I decided to use the ol' Google machine on my internet device and this is what I came up with:

From Oxford:

"NOUN

informa ...more

flag 187 likes · Like · see review

May 13, 2018 J.L. Sutton rated it really liked it

I enjoyed the story and the world (Mars, the asteroid belt between Earth and Mars, Earth, various mining stations) depicted in Leviathan Wakes. The setting and overall atmosphere of this near-future thriller has a noir feel to it (which only becomes more evident with the appearance of Detective Miller and his investigation into the missing Julia Mao). At times, you feel like you're reading a pulp crime detective novel in the spirit of Raymond Chandler, but Leviathan Wakes does more than answer q ...more

flag 175 likes · Like · see review

Jul 02, 2011 carol. rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: fans of light sci-fi

Shelves: fast-and-fun, sci-fi, hugo, nebula, mystery, awards, male-lead, multi-culti

Leviathan Wakes broke my reading slump! Listlessly slogging my way through various reads--a couple of which came highly recommended--I was starting to wonder if it I had lost my book love. Then I picked this up for a Book o' the Month read. Expecting a detail dense sci-fi, within the first few pages I found myself hooked, and by page 100, thoroughly reeled in by this hefty genre mash-up. Space opera? Perhaps. Horror? Maybe. Military? Sort of. Mystery in space? Yes, definitely. And if by the end ...more

flag 166 likes · Like · see review

Feb 28, 2020 Daniel B. rated it really liked it

Scifi is meant to awe its readers while expanding their minds. Leviathan Wakes accomplished both while also incorporating many elements from other genres almost entirely successfully. I am beginning to believe more and more due to stories like this that the best days of scifi are not dead. Yes, Asimov is no longer crafting his nearly perfect stories, but the genre itself continues to grow and experiment. That kind of experimentation has given us this scifi epic and I am extremely happy to experi ...more

flag 168 likes · Like · see review

Aug 24, 2018 Christina - Recipe & a Read rated it really liked it

Shelves: library

4, turns out husbands CAN be right sometimes stars!!!

This review along with a recipe for Mariner Valley skillet lasagna is now featured on my blog Recipe & a Read: https://recipeandaread.wordpress.com/...

So lets start this one off with the truth: I'm not a sci-fi fan. I don't dislike sci-fi but I have a hard time with it and it tends to get bogged down for me. But, that's neither here nor there because I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Let us begin:

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, fa....nope, wr ...more

flag 164 likes · Like · see review

Mar 27, 2016 Samir rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

Leviathan Wakes is a joint venture of Daniel Abraham, writer of the Long Prince Quartet and The Dagger and the Coin series, and Ty Franck, George R.R. Martin’s former assistant and science fiction writer. They are writing under the pen name James S.A. Corey.

This is the first installment of The Expanse series which, at this point, has seven novels already published which means two things; the series is very successful and I’m very late to this party.

I did some research a ...more

flag 137 likes · Like · see review

Jun 04, 2021 Baba rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi

The Expanse - 1: I don't even know where to begin with this planets' spanning space opera set in a deeply detailed future reality where man is split into three co-dependant but opposing civilisations; there's Earth, Luna, Venus and numerous space stations; there's Mars, its colonies and numerous outposts; and politically between these powerhouses, and the farthest from the sun are the space resident Belters who live, and more so work, all over the Asteroid belt, on some of the asteroids, space s The Expanse - 1: I don't even know where to begin with this planets' spanning space opera set in a deeply detailed future reality where man is split into three co-dependant but opposing civilisations; there's Earth, Luna, Venus and numerous space stations; there's Mars, its colonies and numerous outposts; and politically between these powerhouses, and the farthest from the sun are the space resident Belters who live, and more so work, all over the Asteroid belt, on some of the asteroids, space stations and even ships!

This volume is set in Belter space. Miller is a grizzled old-timer Belter detective who is handed a semi-off the books case to retrieve a very important Earth-man's daughter. Earth-man Jim Holden, Belter Naomi, Martian Alex and Earth-man Amos are working in the Belt when an act of gross piracy, leaves them marooned together in space and wanted or suspected by all three civilisations. Ensuing events sees them get caught in a cycle of space and space base violence, taking them and us readers into a galaxy-wide conspiracy thriller, where no-one really knows what's going on; Jim and his crew are bizarrely at the centre of it all, just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time... erm, time and time again!

This book ticks many boxes. A future with very diverse multicultural populations. An iconic spaceship. A detective with a hat, that likes a drink. A class of almost disposable people who do the key work in the Belt, the Belters. An understanding that corporations would be as powerful as galactic coalitions in the future. A complex, compelling and pretty innovative conspiracy. Space battles! Space stations! Low-key descriptive passages. Almost zero conventional romantic sub-plotting (thank God!). Great dialogue. Easy to read accessible not-too long chapters' format.

As with all great sci-fi, the nature, characteristics, history, science etc of this book, set mostly in the Asteroid Belt is only revealed through the lives of our protagonists. The story is told almost entirely from the perspectives of Detective Miller and Captain Jim Holden. What lifts this book up to great reading status is the multi-faceted and compelling conspiracy thriller that runs through that may run through and entire galaxy... (view spoiler). In a few words, this is a truly compelling and far-reaching space-opera that manages to be entirely action and adventure led, yet remains solidly a sci-fi epic! The only negative for me, was that I happened to watch the TV show first (which I love, so bought these books), which I felt may have detracted me, from just how good this book is/was for me? 9 out of 12. A stonking read!, so much so that I felt that 650+ pages wasn't enough!

...more

flag 142 likes · Like · see review

Mar 30, 2013 Bradley rated it it was amazing

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

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

flag 126 likes · Like · see review

Jul 24, 2012 Richard Derus rated it liked it

Shelves: kindled

Okay, I admit it. I was wrong. It's a solid 3-plus star read. Not quite a four, there are a few focus issues...extended time spent in Eros's casino level, f/ex...where the point gets made a bit harder than is good for the story. But my dismissive early review is wrong.

Real Rating: 2.5* of five
**UPDATE 23 October 2018** The Kindle edition is a whopping $2.99! Even *I* would buy it at that price...if I hadn't already read it.

**UPDATE 24 JUNE 2018** I love the series, now in its third season, a lot ...more

flag 123 likes · Like · see review

Jun 07, 2013 Alejandro rated it liked it

Shelves: novel, military, science-fiction

A fair option of new science-fiction book series.

FRESH SCIENCE FICTION

I have a lot of curiousity about this series since it seemed like a very good option in new sci-fi. I mean, out of the obvious well-known sci-fi space opera books in the market, this "Expanse" series sounded like a good way to read something fresh in the field of sci-fi.

And I was right. I liked the book.

First of all, maybe you already know but anyway, I want to mention that "James S.A. Corey", the author, is a pen nam ...more

flag 121 likes · Like · see review

Oct 20, 2016 Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction

5.0 Stars
Video Review: https://youtu.be/TwrwVfmZPeA
Spoiler Discussion: https://youtu.be/08TaOvk1z1s

I absolutely loved this first novel in the The Expense series. This could be a case of reading the right book and at the right time, but Leviathan Wakes has officially earned a place on my favourites shelf. When I started Leviathan Wakes,I was craving a long, absorbing scifi space opera and the book completely delivered.

Despite the length, I read this book very quickly, picking up the book whenever ...more

flag 116 likes · Like · see review

Mar 08, 2018 Mario the lone bookwolf rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction-new, corey-james-s-a

This is something special because it is one the first great space operas that got transformed into a magnificent TV series and there are so many other jewels waiting to be adapted. In the best case with enough time to put all the details from the books in the series. It quite kind reminds me of Game of Thrones too, where there are these two worlds of the books and the series with their own fandoms and beef and the books are much better, thank you! A similar writing method, escalating, different This is something special because it is one the first great space operas that got transformed into a magnificent TV series and there are so many other jewels waiting to be adapted. In the best case with enough time to put all the details from the books in the series. It quite kind reminds me of Game of Thrones too, where there are these two worlds of the books and the series with their own fandoms and beef and the books are much better, thank you! A similar writing method, escalating, different points of view with known and new characters, actual effects of happenings from prior parts of the series, cliffhanger over cliffhanger, great character design, piles of Sci-Fi elements, etc. I am not even sure if a single author could create something like this alone.

Now, thanks to enough computational power, maybe soon all my beloved Sci-Fi series may come alive on the screen, walking in the footprints of Titans like Babylon 5, Star Trek and Dr. Who, making the 21 first century the age of the ultimate Sci-Fi nerdgasm.

Thank you so much, Jeff Bezos, for both saving this series and stealing my lifetime with incentives to buy too much senseless stuff and wasting my time binge-watching Sci-Fi series. The man has a huge interest in asteroid mining and beliefs that it is more important to first build a full production line than to bring all equipment from the earth, which I deem to be the best approach. And yes, I know, there is much justified critic on Amazon, but that isn´t a topic in this review, instead something positive as an alternation.

And hey, who knows, probably we wouldn´t have timely build enough space bases without our classic evil, capitalistic system and had gone the way of the dodo bird instead. Imagine no species would have brought this human madness into space, that would have been a loss for, ahem, well just for us and a win for any other sentient, peaceful species, cause I simply love to compare us with any kind of evil Sci-Fi empire.

And I mean, we wouldn´t start colonizing and exploiting other worlds again or go to war with an alien species who is interested in resources too or something. Again again. Or at least, this time not against our own species and that´s something close to a progress.

I will probably someday write a longer review and/or re-read the whole series, but for the moment, this is enough and time is precious. Omg, it is so epic, I want to re-read it immediately.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
This series has some of the most amazing and massive tropeinity I´ve ever seen.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph... ...more

flag 115 likes · Like · see review

Sep 08, 2016 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it

Shelves: science, space, 21th-century, fiction

Leviathan Wakes (Expanse, #1), James S.A. Corey, Ty Franck

Leviathan Wakes (2011) 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), Cibola Burn (2014), Nemesis Games (2015), Babylon's Ashes (2016), Persepolis Rising (2017), and Tiamat's Wrath (2019).

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه دسامبر سال 2017 میلادی

عنوان: گستره: کتاب نخست: بیداری لویاتان؛ نویسنده: جیمز اس.ا Leviathan Wakes (Expanse, #1), James S.A. Corey, Ty Franck

Leviathan Wakes (2011) 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), Cibola Burn (2014), Nemesis Games (2015), Babylon's Ashes (2016), Persepolis Rising (2017), and Tiamat's Wrath (2019).

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه دسامبر سال 2017 میلادی

عنوان: گستره: کتاب نخست: بیداری لویاتان؛ نویسنده: جیمز اس.ای(آ) کوری؛ مترجم: سمیه کرمی؛ تهران، کتابسرای تندیس؛ 1396؛ در 720ص؛ فروست: گستره، بیداری لویاتان؛ شابک 9786001822544؛ موضوع: داستانهای معمایی از نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 20م

خوانشگر در این کتاب همراه با خدمه‌ ی ناوچه‌ ای فضایی، و کارآگاهی غمگین، در پیِ کشفِ رازی بزرگ، به ماجراجویی در منظومه‌ ی شمسی می‌رود؛ دیر یا زود، پای انسان، به دیگر سیاره‌ های منظومه‌ ی شمسی باز خواهد ‌شد، بالاخره سراغ سیارک‌ها خواهیم رفت، و روزی که رفتیم چه می‌شود؟ «گستره» در عین حال که یک اپرای فضایی نفس‌گیر است، پرسشهای مهمی در اینباره می‌پرسد؛ همچو بسیاری از داستان‌های علمی‌ تخیلیِ، در زیر پوسته‌ ای ماجراجویانه، پرسشهای ژرف و جدی، درباره‌ ی آینده‌ ی فناوری، و چگونگی استفاده از آن می‌پرسد؛ خوانشگر اپرای فضایی، و از سویی داستانی کلاسیک، و معمایی، و هر از گاهی نیز سری به دنیاهای پر از زامبی می‌زند؛ سریالی نیز با همین عنوان هم ساخته شده و یکی از پرطرفدارترین سریال‌های علمی‌ تخیلی است

نقل نمونه متن:«از کتاب گستره: سرآغاز: جولی؛ هشت روز پیش اسکاپیولای را تسخیر کرده بودند، و جولی مائو دیگر جانش به لبش رسیده بود، و حاضر بود با یک گلوله خلاصش کنند؛ هشت روز اسارت توی کمد، از زندگی سیرش کرده بود؛ دو روز اول را بیحرکت مانده بود، شک نداشت مردان زره پوشی که زندانیش کرده بودند، شوخی نداشتند؛ سفینه ای که در آن زندانی شده بود، تا چند ساعت اول حرکت نمیکرد، و در نتیجه در حالت بی وزنی میان زمین و هوا شناور بود، ضربه های ملایمی به اطراف میزد، تا به دیوارها، و لباس فضایی خویش برخورد نکند؛ وقتی سفینه شروع به حرکت کرد، و قدرت پیشرانه باعث شد وزن پیدا کند، بیصدا آنقدر همانطور سر پا ایستاد، تا پاهایش خشک شدند، بعد به حالت جنینی روی زمین نشست؛ در لباس پروازش ادرار میکرد، به بو و خیسی سوزآورش اهمیت نمیداد، و فقط نگران بود لیز نخورد، و روی خیسی زمین نیفتد، نباید سر و صدا میکرد؛ آنها به او شلیک میکردند؛ روز سوم، فشار تشنگی باعث شد، دست به کار شود؛ سر و صدای سفینه، احاطه اش کرده بود؛ غرش ضعیف مادون صوت موتور پیشرانه، و رآکتور، هیس و تپ تپ همیشگی آهن، و درهای هیدرولیک میان عرشه ها، که دائم باز و بسته میشدند، و ضربه های چکمه های سنگین، که روی عرشه های آهنین راه میرفتند؛ آنقدر منتظر شد، تا تمام صداها محو و دور شدند، بعد لباس فضاییش را از گیره ها باز کرد، و کف کمد گذاشت؛ همانطور که گوش به زنگ بود مبادا صدایی نزدیک شود، به آرامی لباس را باز کرد، و ذخیره ی آبش را خارج کرد؛ آب کهنه بود و بو گرفته بود، ظاهراً مدت زیادی از آخرین بار، که کسی آن لباس را پوشیده، یا تعمیرش کرده بود، میگذشت؛ اما پس از دو روز بی آبی، آب گرم و گل آلودِ داخل محفظه ی لباس، بهترین چیزی بود که در تمام عمرش نوشیده بود؛ باید جلوی خودش را میگرفت، که تمامش را یکجا نبلعد، و بالا نیاورد؛ وقتی دوباره ادرار داشت، محفظه ی ادرار لباس فضایی را بیرون آورد، و همانجا کارش را کرد؛ روی زمین نشست، حالا که به لباس فضاییش تکیه داده بود، و کم و بیش جایش راحت بود، به این فکر میکرد، که چه کسانی اسیرش کرده اند، نیروی نظامی ائتلاف، دزدان فضایی، یا اشخاصی بدتر از اینها؟»؛ پایان نقل

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 21/04/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

flag 96 likes · Like · see review

Feb 09, 2011 Becky rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012, politicalish, reviewed, zombies, audiobook, favorites, horror, leg-hump_worthy, science-fiction, highly-recommended

Confession Time: I'm very bad at categorizing genres and sub-genres, so it didn't dawn on me that Leviathan Wakes would be considered a "space opera" until I saw it in the genre listing on the book's Goodreads page. I still don't really know what that is (space opera, not a Goodreads page), despite having read the Wikipedia page and stuff. I think of "space opera" and this comes to mind:

Probably not the same thing. But I did realize that my last attempt at reading a "space opera", The Warrior's ...more

flag 95 likes · Like · see review

Feb 17, 2018 Philip rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, hugo, author-man, space-opera

3.5ish stars.

Good, old-fashioned outer space sci-fi. It's obviously influenced by the old-school greats, and if I'm being honest, doesn't add a lot of novelty to the genre, but it broke me out of a deadly reading slump for which I'll be forever grateful. Who knew such a chunkster could be such a fast read?

There's some awesome world-building going on, particularly the disparity between the inner and outer planets, and the differences in physiology of their respective inhabitants. The tension betw ...more

flag 93 likes · Like · see review

Aug 01, 2018 Coffee&Quasars rated it liked it · review of another edition

Edit: demoting this to 3 stars because the 4th simply hasn’t been sitting right with me and has generally been haunting my dreams.

I’d describe this novel as ‘extremely okay’. It’s well-written, has plenty of heartwarming and funny moments, likeable characters (for the most part) and plenty of action and intrigue from the get-go as well as consistently throughout. I can absolutely see why they made this into a TV show (which influenced me to read this in the first place), BUT... there’s somethin ...more

flag 95 likes · Like · see review

Sep 23, 2018 David - proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, group-reads, 2018-reads, space-opera, accountant-buddy-reads, kayla-is-awesome, mel-likes-it-that-means-its-awesome

5 "blinded me with science" stars!

I'll write a full review when I have time to really put all my thoughts together. But right now I can say this is one of my favorite science fiction novels ever!

I absolutely loved the way the science of this universe was incorporated into this story. From the way people had different body types based on the different rates of gravity of their worlds, to how the various types of spacecraft all worked in unique ways, the science was very well established and adde ...more

flag 116 likes · Like · see review

Jan 18, 2018 Dan Schwent rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-books, 2018

James Holden is a crewman on an ice mining ship near Saturn that runs across an abandoned ship and quickly finds itself ambushed. But what does that have to do with a detective on Ceres tasked with finding a missing rich girl and bringing her back to Earth?

I'm only seven years late to the party on this but what's the point of watching a TV show based on a book without being able to annoy everyone by pointing out the differences? One of my earliest memories was watching the re-release of the orig James Holden is a crewman on an ice mining ship near Saturn that runs across an abandoned ship and quickly finds itself ambushed. But what does that have to do with a detective on Ceres tasked with finding a missing rich girl and bringing her back to Earth?

I'm only seven years late to the party on this but what's the point of watching a TV show based on a book without being able to annoy everyone by pointing out the differences? One of my earliest memories was watching the re-release of the original Star Wars in the theater 1981-ish so I've always been interested in space stories. This one was more Firefly than Star Wars but I liked it quite a bit.

Told using two different viewpoint characters, Leviathan Wakes is the story of a war unfolding between Earth, Mars, and the Belters, denizens of various asteroid settlements. Someone tries their damnedest to shift the blame around, though.

The Miller thread was by far my favorite. The down and out detective won me over with his sheer doggedness, losing everything in the process of finding a missing girl that no one actually wanted him to find. The thread with Holden and his ragtag gang reminded me of Firefly quite a bit. Their asses went from the frying pan to the fire so many times they should have been burned beyond recognition. When the two threads finally converged, I knew I was in for the long haul.

Leviathan Wakes is very hard to put down. It's written in an accessible style and is light on the science, though its portrayal of space and space travel is a lot harsher and leaning toward what life in space might really be like than a lot of science fiction. There's action, humor, intrigue, pretty much everything you'd want from a science fiction adventure story. It's not a perfect book, though. Sometimes the characters make a few too many snarky remarks and sometimes they do outright stupid things. Other than that, I've got no complaints.

I don't take a lot of chances on series that aren't yet completed but I'm glad I took a chance on this one. Leviathan Wakes is the best first book in a sf/fantasy series I've read in years. Four out of five stars. ...more

flag 95 likes · Like · see review

Nov 08, 2013 Rick Riordan rated it it was amazing

It had been a while since I'd read a straight-up space opera sci fi, so I gave it a try and loved it.

I especially liked the scope of the novel, which is set a few centuries in the future, when humanity has colonized much of the solar system but still has not reached the stars (or found alien life). Sadly, human politics and jingoism haven't changed much. Earth and Mars are in an uneasy alliance, and the humans living out on the asteroids of "the Belt" feel like exploited colonists. A fringe grou ...more

flag 87 likes · Like · see review

Jun 29, 2017 Samantha rated it liked it

3.75 - This space opera meets crime noir is a great start to a series I'm looking forward to continuing! ...more

flag 93 likes · Like · see review

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

flag 83 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Play Book Tag: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey 5 stars	1	7	Jun 27, 2021 03:19PM
Space Opera Fans : April 2021 READER Leviathan Wakes by Corey	19	43	May 06, 2021 12:41PM
Mount TBR 2021: April Buddy Read - Leviathan Wakes	11	17	Apr 15, 2021 01:38AM
SciFi and Fantasy...: "Leviathan Wakes" Sci-Fi First Impressions no spoilers	99	491	Jan 02, 2021 02:02PM
SciFi and Fantasy...: "Leviathan Wakes" Finished Reading(Spoilers Away!)	76	694	Jan 01, 2021 08:24PM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Videos About This Book

68 comments

Genres

Science Fiction

6,152 users

Fiction

2,109 users

Space > Space Opera

910 users

Space

403 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

373 users

Audiobook

333 users

Fantasy

311 users

Mystery

303 users

Horror

244 users

Adult

207 users

See top shelves…

About James S.A. Corey

James S.A. Corey

16,791 followers

Other books in the series

The Expanse (9 books)

Books by James S.A. Corey

More…

Articles featuring this book

Catch Up on These Big Sci-Fi and Fantasy Series

Would you like to get lost in space? Explore a magical kingdom? Get caught up in the drama of murderous robots? Well, my fellow readers,...

Trivia About Leviathan Wakes (...

10 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Leviathan Wakes

“There's a right thing to do," Holden said.
"You don't have a right thing, friend," Miller said. "You've got a whole plateful of maybe a little less wrong.” — 130 likes

“What kind of half-assed apocalypse are they running down there?” Amos said. “Give ’em a break. It’s their first.” — 100 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

Leviathan Wakes

(The Expanse #1)

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Videos About This Book

Genres

About James S.A. Corey

Other books in the series

Books by James S.A. Corey

Articles featuring this book

Trivia About Leviathan Wakes (...

Quotes from Leviathan Wakes