Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1)[June 15, 2023]

[Yanique, Thread Master]

This is a Buddy Read for Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey starting June 15, 2023.
Leviathan Wakes

[Mel]

(Reserved for any further scheduling decisions on continuing the series)

[Mel]

Been looking forward to finally getting to this series. Hopefully it can live up to my expectations!

[Noel]

Yanique wrote: "This is a Buddy Read for Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey starting June 15, 2023.
Leviathan Wakes"

OMG This series is so good! Everyone needs to get in on this!

[Nirkatze]

I probably won't reread (I just reread last year) but I am planning on haunting this thread. :)

[Olivia]

Might join to finally finish this series!

[Katie]

I've heard nothing but good things about this one. I'm in~

[Claudia]

Might join this one too!

[Kevin]

I've been wanting to read this series for so long. I'm really excited to see a buddy read for it. Count me in.

[Rob]

Might re-read. i haven't read the last 3 books and it been a few years, so time to do a complete go of it :)

Strangely have books 7-9 in hardcover plus the short-stories in HC too and everything else in kindle. Excuse to get the rest and look nice on the shelf too :)

[Choko]

Spot!

[jess]

Pretty sure im on for this one!!!

[Ann-Marie]

I started this yesterday and finished this afternoon. I have watched the series but not yet read the books, I liked it a lot.

(view spoiler)[It's been quite a while since I watched the series but it seems to me they stayed pretty faithful to the book. This was what I think of when I think of a space opera but with the added bonus of a mystery thrown in the mix. I liked the contrast between Holden's and Miller's outlook on pretty much everything. Will definitely continue the series. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

I read this series the first time when the first season of the TV show came out--I have discovered I can forgive a book for not being like a visual production but I cannot forgive the visual production if it doesn't match the book in my mind, so I watched the show first... then I started watching the TV show, and loved it so much, I had to start the book before I the show was all aired... I actually really like a lot of the changes they made for TV, that didn't happen in the books--I think each medium stands up on its own.

Like, for example: (view spoiler)[The dynamics in the crew--Holden & the Roci folk don't really have much internal friction in the book, but in the TV show they argue a lot in the first season before their dynamic synchs. Also, Naomi's actress plays her a lot more proactive and passionate while book-Naomi is much more introverted... I remember one scene, when they gain ownership of the Roci and are following Fred's instructions to change the ship codes... essentially the VIN number, that in the book, Holden takes charge and makes the final step that would either make everything work or blow them up, partially because he knew Naomi wouldn't want that responsibility. But in the TV show, Naomi just shoves it in and that's that. Both actions fit the versions of the characters in the different media. (hide spoiler)]

I totally agree about Miller v. Holden--I really loved the contrast in those two. (view spoiler)[Miller's chapters especially felt like an homage to Noir. And I think that Daniel Abraham wrote the first draft on the Miller chapters, while Ty Franck wrote Holden's. (hide spoiler)]

Darn, I'm really getting an itch to reread these... if I can cram it in, I may...

[Ann-Marie]

Nirkatze wrote: "I read this series the first time when the first season of the TV show came out--I have discovered I can forgive a book for not being like a visual production but I cannot forgive the visual produc..."

I agree about the differences in the crew relationships book vs show. I am picturing the actors as I read for sure and even though I knew she didn't appear in the books as early as she did in the show (view spoiler)[ I miss Avasarala!!!! (hide spoiler)].

My brother & BIL both read the series and have been encouraging me to read them for years and gladly I enjoyed this enough to want to continue.

[Nirkatze]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "I read this series the first time when the first season of the TV show came out--I have discovered I can forgive a book for not being like a visual production but I cannot forgive ..."

re: Spoiler----I was thinking the exact same thing!!! That is my absolute favorite character... I have several game avatars named after her. I love how they brought her in early in the show. And best actress too.

[Mel]

Nirkatze, I've been wanting to watch the show as well, but have a similar issue with wanting to read a work first. Otherwise the characters and settings get "stuck" as the TV/movie versions. I want the opportunity to visualize myself first.

[Nirkatze]

I find it interesting how most folks I know tend to be one or the other. I don't know that I've met many folk who are like "read it, watch it, it's all good"

A few things I found really interesting--watching the TV show first, there were some things where I was like, wtf? Like Alex's accent--(view spoiler)[a mix of Texas southern with Pakistani ethnicity (hide spoiler)], or the extras they chose for Belters, all being tall and thin... details that aren't explained in the TV series, but by reading the books you're like OH!! What amazing attention to detail!

[Ann-Marie]

Nirkatze wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "I read this series the first time when the first season of the TV show came out--I have discovered I can forgive a book for not being like a visual production but..."

Agree, I love her in everything I have seen her in <3

[Ann-Marie]

Mel wrote: "Nirkatze, I've been wanting to watch the show as well, but have a similar issue with wanting to read a work first. Otherwise the characters and settings get "stuck" as the TV/movie versions. I want..."

For me it's been years since I have watched the first season so it wasn't that bad. I mean the characters' faces are the actors but I think they did a decent job with casting. If I had watched it recently I may be saying something different though so I guess I lucked out?

[Mel]

Nirkatze wrote: "I find it interesting how most folks I know tend to be one or the other. I don't know that I've met many folk who are like "read it, watch it, it's all good"

Haha, I should say there are exceptions? Or perhaps like most things, it just depends. If my interest in a book is low, I don't mind watching it, since I probably won't pick up the series otherwise, so there's effectively nothing to spoil. Hm, although come to think of it... I quit Shadow and Bone and WoT after a couple episodes, so maybe it just proves that I can tell what I'll like.

Oh! Exception though! Good Omens. *mutters* That was it's own thing though due to religious trauma. I *wanted* to read it, but didn't want to put myself through a painful ordeal. When the show came out a work friend convinced me that the tone of the story wasn't too intense, plenty irreverent, and that I might like it. And damn... did I ever! Seriously, that show got me through 2019. When having a bad day at work we would text each other fanart of the Ineffable Husbands. So excited for the sequel coming out next month, so please excuse the tangent. :)

[Nirkatze]

Good Omens is my Official Favorite Book. I love the footnotes!!! They make me laugh so much. The TV show did a great job, though one of my favorite scenes didn't make the cut. Also super excited for the sequel!

I love it when showrunners pay attention to so much detail. Like in the Expanse--there's a scene, I think in the first episode, (view spoiler)[when Miller pours himself a drink, and the liquid makes a spiral down into the glass, instead of straight down. I looked at that and I was like Coriolis Effect!!! It made me so excited. And the bird flapping outside the window, with slower wingbeats because of lower gravity? Those details made me so so so happy! And even the opening scene, with the flip and spin and showing that acceleration/thrust=fake gravity--all these made me so happy. (hide spoiler)]

I really love all of those sciencey bits in the book--I like it when books are close enough to the science in fiction that I learn new things.

[jess]

Hey folks!

Im also excited for Good Omens! Been too long! (Never read the book)

Normally im a read-then-watch gal but the opposite hete. Im only 14% in but really enhoying so far. It moves fast!

[Nirkatze]

Eh, so even though there's only 4 days left in June and I have 10 BRs left to do, I'm jumping in for a good reread. Can't resist!

End of Chapter 5, I think... (view spoiler)[I read an interview with the authors that when Ade says "Jim, there's something you should know--" she was going to tell him she was also sleeping with Shed. For some reason, almost everyone one I've watched the TV series with thought she was going to tell him she was pregnant--which not only doesn't jive with her "don't get serious, this is just sex for fun" character, but would also be a really dick move for someone who knows they're going to die...

What do y'all think? What was she going to say? (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 8 (view spoiler)[I really like the way Miller's detective instincts show through in his chapters--how he lists details without making conclusions, or just absorbs a scene and lets his back brain work. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 9 (view spoiler)[I love that Amos punctuates his liquor shots with a profanity, and after 10 shots he still hadn't repeated himself. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

The narrator of this series recently took over the Pendergast series, after the death of Rene Aubergenois, around book 20... fitting replacement... similar voice type...

Distinctive enough voice that I recognized it, despite reading few Expanse books, the last few years, since catching up around book 7 and just waiting for new releases...

[Nirkatze]

Well, Goodreads was being uncooperative, so I finished the book without writing down any more thoughts. Still love this series, and the audio was an interesting try. I think I prefer narrators who do more distinct voices--and he really did nothing to make the Belter accent or Mars accents distinct. Still, general reading was fine.

[Choko]

I really enjoyed this, but I have a bit of an issue with Jim Holden. He is one of those earnest, wide-eyed, grown up in safety, not truly aware of real life consequences to his impulsive, idealistic actions dude, and he truly is dangerous by acting on impulse, while judging easily others without taking responsibility for his own choices... I get so mad with him, it's not even funny! He dares to judge Miller?!?? Miller is my favorite character and I think he doesn't get the respect he deserves at all!!! As Nirkatze said, his chapters are a total nod to the Noir genre and I love that!

I haven't watched the show... I am not good with allotting time for TV nowadays, but maybe I should try it out...

I didn't get to comment much because of the GR fail all day yesterday... I really like where the book went, but not vibing with the main character always makes it hard to explain that you still like the book as a whole...

[Nirkatze]

Yeah--did you catch all the Don Quixote references? Holden is very much that--he goes tilting at windmills without a thought to what effects it will have...

Fortunately, he does have a lot of growth during the series. Miller makes a big impact on him.

I also love Miller--and I love his portrayal in the TV show too. I love how he's described as having a "basset hound face"--just makes me think of earnest face with big sad eyes...

[Ann-Marie]

I am an Amos girl all the way!!!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Miller boy?... later on, it's Bobby & Avasarala...

I really like Miller, and (view spoiler)[the ways he gets to return occasionally, throughout the series, as an avatar of the alien tech (hide spoiler)]

Jim has a real knack for fucking up the galaxy, with the best of intentions... luckily, things work out for the most part, over time...

[Nirkatze]

Ann-Marie wrote: "I am an Amos girl all the way!!!"

Ditto! Amos & Miller!

And Bobby & Avasarala!

[Ann-Marie]

I definitely liked Miller more in the book than I did on the show. And Avasarala <3

About the later books (view spoiler)[how weird will it be since Alex was killed off on the show because the actor is a creepy perv irl? My brother & BIL have been trying to get me to read these for forever and both said it isn't terrible but I have concerns..... (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

re: Alex--TV show comparison spoilers through end of TV series. (view spoiler)[the producers say they were planning to kill Alex there before the whole pervy thing came out--and there is another character (who the TV show had already killed off, I think) who dies in that same way, and it's a big impactful scene in the books.

The TV show makes a lot of differences--combining characters, increasing roles or removing them--but it all works pretty well... from what I remember it keeps all the major story beats in place but also adds some behind the scene things, like the Avasarala scenes in S1.

What specifically are you wondering about--what will be weird? I'm curious, but I can't quite pinpoint what you mean in the comment... ^^ This is at least my third reread of the series, but it'll be the first full reread since I didn't reread when the last book came out. (hide spoiler)]

Rereading these books is definitely making me want to watch the show again. It'd be fun to do an FBR watchparty. ^_^

[Nirkatze]

So... I just realized... only the first book in the series ever had a thread request in. Are folks interested in continuing?

[Choko]

Yes!

[Ann-Marie]

Nirkatze wrote: "re: Alex--TV show comparison spoilers through end of TV series. the producers say they were planning to kill Alex there before the whole pervy thing came out--and there is another character (who th..."

Re the death (view spoiler)[So I do not mind spoilers so my brother & BIL told me that Alex in the show took Fred Johnson's death in the books so now I have how the story continued in the series in my head but the books will obviously be different and it will be significant since Alex is one of the main characters. I don't know, I am probably making more of it than I need to... (hide spoiler)]

[Ann-Marie]

Nirkatze wrote: "So... I just realized... only the first book in the series ever had a thread request in. Are folks interested in continuing?"

I would but for a while the beginning of the month was overloaded but now it seems like things have been over-corrected, at least for the books that interest me. If book 2 is scheduled for the 15th of the month I will participate but may start a bit earlier or later than the official start date.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "re: Alex--TV show comparison spoilers through end of TV series. the producers say they were planning to kill Alex there before the whole pervy thing came out--and there is another ..."

Honestly, the Rocinante crew isn't always the most important characters in the story... (view spoiler)[they tend to get involved alot, but sometimes, they're kinda peripheral to the larger events... (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Re the death..."

re: re: the death--(view spoiler)[The TV show takes us right up to a 20 year time jump in the books... I don't think there's much in the TV series past Alex's death--only a couple episodes? So like the very end of book 6. Not much difference. Just they're mourning Fred instead of Alex... someone else doing piloting...

And honestly, while Naomi, Holden, and Amos's storylines in the post-time-jump books stand out to me, Alex's story is pretty tangential to Bobbi's from what I remember...

I'd definitely be curious to hear your thoughts if we read all the way to that point! (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

re: scheduling the series

Do we want to push things to say, 20th, or 25th, or something like that? Away from the mid-month crowd?

[Choko]

Whatever you guys decide, I am cool:)

[Ann-Marie]

Plan for whatever works for the majority for sure! And as for the death (view spoiler)[Alex died at the end of Season 5. I am just going to go with it but I may do a re-watch of each season after I read the books! Again brother & BIL spoilers which I am fine with advised the first few seasons (I guess the Sy-Fy ones?) align pretty well with the books but the later seasons took more license with book chronology? It's been a while since I watched so I think it will be interesting to see how the show reflects the books. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Ann-Marie wrote: "Plan for whatever works for the majority for sure! And as for the death [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I haven't watched the show, but I think the early books kinda have to be translated more chronologically...

Once the gate system is opened up, the show had more leeway to play around, do things concurrently/etc...

If the show was just going to do 1 season, 1 book, they would have needed to last 9 seasons, and that's generally a big ask... you never know what's going to be that successful...

I heard it's a real shame the series ended when it did, tho, because it was building towards the final arc of the book series... (hide spoiler)]

[Mel]

This June has been almost a wash, but I'm starting late, and hopefully will be caught up for book 2 whenever y'all want to start - 15th, 20th, 25th... I'm good.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Mel wrote: "This June has been almost a wash, but I'm starting late, and hopefully will be caught up for book 2 whenever y'all want to start - 15th, 20th, 25th... I'm good."

time for a 36hr bingefest, to catch up ;)

[Ann-Marie]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Mel wrote: "This June has been almost a wash, but I'm starting late, and hopefully will be caught up for book 2 whenever y'all want to start - 15th, 20th, 25th... I'm good."

time for a 36hr bingef..."

I keep saying I want a "do nothing" weekend but I haven't been able to make it work sadly.

[Nirkatze]

LOL

I'll go ahead and put in requests for the 23rd then, going forward.

[Choko]

Nirkatze, you are awesome!!!

[jess]

5 star read for me. Will def continue just not sure when. Even tho ive seen the series, id forgotten some things. And interesting choice how the leadup to Miller’s (view spoiler)[ death was changed a bit. So i was surprised by that. (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

That whole last sequence was awesome!!! Creepy and intense!

I am glad you enjoyed it, Jess!