Leviathan Wakes is the first book in the New York Times bestselling Expanse series, now a Prime Original series. With thanks to Mr Tea Leaves for his Review!

Leviathan wakes is a well thought out and devilishly plot-building Space Noir. Following the perspectives of a cynical private security cop, Joseph Miller and the well meaning reluctant captain Jim Holden, both are incredibly flawed but endearing characters put through extraordinary circumstances in a very believable near future take on Human colonisation of our solar system.

I personally found this series to be a breathe of fresh air compared to other well known sci-fi intellectual property, which always seemed to give a uncanny sense that humanity will all end up in some liberal utopian society removing all the egregious flaws that humanity possess.

Leviathan Wakes is the start of an epic 9 book space opera, not including the novellas, of a near future depiction of human colonisation of around 300 years from now. Humans have colonised Mars and much of the asteroid belt between Mars and Venus. What I found fascinating by this is the geopolitical ramifications between the colonies of earth, Mars and the asteroid belt very much akin to the colonisation of the Americas. In this instance, The Belters (People of the belt), with their own language and culture who want Autonomy from the mother planet (Earth). On top of that, water has become the new currency with Earth running out of its natural source and Mars wanting to terraform to create its own sustainable supply now rely on the Belters to mine ice from the belt for earth and Mars’ consumption. This creates a great deal of political tension which causes the creation of the Outer Planetary Alliance, ‘the OPA’. who are considered the terrorists of the solar system.

Intriguing enough, but all of this is thrown into chaos as an extra-solar biological entity is discovered on a moon of Saturn, Phoebe. This biological entity pushes the tension to breaking point as each planetary entity seeks to control it.

Throughout you’ll find yourself being pulled from one grey area to the next, never settling on who is in the right and who is in the wrong. If i had to discuss similarities with another franchise it would be Philip K Dick’s ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ which of course became the movie, Blade Runner. This feeling is reinforced when comparing Miller’s Character to that of Deckard, humanely-flawed law enforcement. In short, just like Blade Runner I loved it!

About the Book

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

Jim Holden is an officer on an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew discover a derelict ship called the Scopuli, they suddenly find themselves in possession of a deadly secret. A secret that someone is willing to kill for, and on an unimaginable scale. War is coming to the system, unless Jim can find out who abandoned the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money – and money talks. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and Holden, they both realise this girl may hold the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries and secret corporations, and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.

The Expanse is the biggest science fiction series of the last decade and is now a major TV series.

About The Author

James S. A. Corey is the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. In addition to writing the novels and short stories of The Expanse, they wrote and produced the television series of the same name. Daniel lives with his family in the American southwest. Ty will tell you where he lives when and if he wants you to come over.

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