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Leviathan Wakes
August 2017: Space Opera
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Leviathan Wakes - James S.A. Corey (4 1/2 stars)
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I thought this sounded familiar. I must have seen the television series being promoted. Somehow I seem to like sci fi on television more than I do in book form . . .I grew up watching a lot of Star Trek and still kinda like seeing a rerun now and again.
I enjoyed this very much when I first read it, but its scope is so large that by the time book 2 came out, I really had forgotten a lot of details and would probably have to re-read book 1 just to get re-familiarized with the world and characters. So I've put off reading the rest of the series. I really have to be in the mood for this sort of epic as it's so full of stuff, and so much of it is politics, which I don't really enjoy.
Excellent review, Cora. It's now on my TBR, but it may be a while before I tackle a new series (well, behind a couple titles of my short list.) Can I consider it a stand alone?
Denizen wrote: "Excellent review, Cora. It's now on my TBR, but it may be a while before I tackle a new series (well, behind a couple titles of my short list.) Can I consider it a stand alone?"It does not end on a cliff hanger and the mysteries of the book are resolved, but the ending did leave me wondering how it would impact the universe of the book.
4 1/2 stars
Leviathan Wakes is the first book in The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey. The universe is on the brink of war. Humans have expanded in our solar system. They have spread to Mars and are busy terraforming the planet and building the best military operation in the solar system. Others have moved to the outer belt - the moons of the gas giants or the asteroids in the asteroid belt. In the outerbelt resources are priceless as they must get their oxygen and water from elsewhere. Tensions between these three sides (Mars, Earth, and the Outer Belt) are high and all out war is only a spark away.
Meanwhile James Holden is second in command on an ice harvesting ship in the asteroid belt. A distress signal picked up by the ship is about to thrust his crew into the middle of the conflict holding a match. On one of the space stations in the outer belt, an officer in a mercenary security force is assigned a case to find a missing heiress and return her to her well connected family on Earth. As he searches for the girl, it soon becomes clear that this is more than a simple kidnapping job. These two men find themselves in something bigger than they thought possible.
I really liked this story. I have found that I enjoy science fiction detective stories. The characters were interesting and complex. I liked the camaraderie of Holden's crew and Miller's (the detective) noir personality. The plot was well done with plenty of action as well as philosophy and politics to keep my interest. The science seemed plausible but not too heavy. They dealt with gravity, speed of space travel, and the vacuum of space in ways that rang true to my inexpert mind. This series was made into a TV series that won a Hugo for the adaptation. I am will definitely look it up on my Amazon Prime TV subscription.