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A review by beaconatnight
Leviathan erwacht by James S.A. Corey
3.0
Roughly, there are two kinds of science-fiction books. There is hard science-fiction, which has a heavy emphasis on the science, and there are softer forms, going more with the fiction. The Expanse falls squarely into the latter category. Usually, I'm more strongly drawn towards the exposition of ideas, but from time to time I enjoy a well-written example of science-fiction that resembles stories from the fantasy genre.
The strongest aspect of the book is its amazing world building. There are three intergalactic fractions: Earth (governed by the United Nations), Mars (governed by the Martian Congressional Republic), and the Belt (consisting of the asteroids that make up the rest of the colonized solar system). There are latent conflicts between Earth and Mars, but together they suppress the Belt, from where they get important natural resources. In a lose sense, the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA) is an institution that advocates the Belters' interests, often by military (or terrorist) means.
As with many science-fiction and fantasy books, each chapter follows one of two characters, Earther Jim Holden (who is executive officer on a transport ship, the Canterbury) and Belter Joe Miller (who is a police detective in the Belt). Holden and his crew receive a distress signal, but when they cannot find any occupants they are attacked by another ship and the Canterbury is destroyed. Things get hot politically when Holden sends out a signal claiming that they were attacked by Martian forces. Meanwhile, Miller is ordered to find and bring back Julie Mao, the daughter of a wealthy Belter who became active in the OPA army. The Holden crew gets involved with Fred Johnson, a former war hero who later became the "Butcher of Anderson Station" because he ordered a strike that led to a massacre, but who is now fighting for the rights of the Belters.
Both protagonists get closer to what is really going on, unraveling that the unleashed conflict is just a distraction and that the real ground pin to recent events is the discovery of a strange organic substance. The substance was made very long ago by aliens from far out of the solar system with the intention to use it on the Earth's early biosphere in order to create something, but it somehow got intercepted by Saturn. This substance was replicated by the real wirepullers and tested on the people of Eros to find out what exactly it can be used for. Holden and Miller decide that this material needs to be destroyed.
There is a lot to take in, but it's amazing how light-weight the writing style really is. There is hardly a paragraph that is not exactly relevant for the events at hand, and the details of the background setting are repeated when necessary, so you never feel like there is too much information to keep in mind. To be honest, it reads a lot like a Star Wars novelization, the story being packed with action and enjoyable characters. Another thing that I very much liked was the horror elements. That was something I didn't expect to find in this book and I would have liked if it had played a bigger role in the narrative.
Admittedly, there is not much depth to the characters and their interactions never seem natural. However, their banters and disagreements are good fun and often serve a purpose and lead to cool developments. Actually, in this respect it reminded me of Iain M. Banks. Over-the-top and very 80s in nature (in a 2011 book), but a hell of a lot of fun!
Somewhat in the same vein, some crucial plot threads are initiated with the help of a sledgehammer. For instance, Miller is obsessed with Julie (the girl he is send to look for), which often helps to keep him in the plot long after any other sort of motivation is gone. Moreover, Holden's impulsive decisions to release sensitive information lead to conflicts that are a bit forced. This may seem like criticism, but I felt this really added to the novel's charm.
So, while I'm not immediately planning to get back into the action with the second book in the series, I'm really looking forward to continue at some point. Especially since now that I have Audible, because I'm sure that this is the kind of book I would really enjoy to listen to in audiobook form.
Rating: 3.5/5
The strongest aspect of the book is its amazing world building. There are three intergalactic fractions: Earth (governed by the United Nations), Mars (governed by the Martian Congressional Republic), and the Belt (consisting of the asteroids that make up the rest of the colonized solar system). There are latent conflicts between Earth and Mars, but together they suppress the Belt, from where they get important natural resources. In a lose sense, the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA) is an institution that advocates the Belters' interests, often by military (or terrorist) means.
As with many science-fiction and fantasy books, each chapter follows one of two characters, Earther Jim Holden (who is executive officer on a transport ship, the Canterbury) and Belter Joe Miller (who is a police detective in the Belt). Holden and his crew receive a distress signal, but when they cannot find any occupants they are attacked by another ship and the Canterbury is destroyed. Things get hot politically when Holden sends out a signal claiming that they were attacked by Martian forces. Meanwhile, Miller is ordered to find and bring back Julie Mao, the daughter of a wealthy Belter who became active in the OPA army. The Holden crew gets involved with Fred Johnson, a former war hero who later became the "Butcher of Anderson Station" because he ordered a strike that led to a massacre, but who is now fighting for the rights of the Belters.
Both protagonists get closer to what is really going on, unraveling that the unleashed conflict is just a distraction and that the real ground pin to recent events is the discovery of a strange organic substance. The substance was made very long ago by aliens from far out of the solar system with the intention to use it on the Earth's early biosphere in order to create something, but it somehow got intercepted by Saturn. This substance was replicated by the real wirepullers and tested on the people of Eros to find out what exactly it can be used for. Holden and Miller decide that this material needs to be destroyed.
There is a lot to take in, but it's amazing how light-weight the writing style really is. There is hardly a paragraph that is not exactly relevant for the events at hand, and the details of the background setting are repeated when necessary, so you never feel like there is too much information to keep in mind. To be honest, it reads a lot like a Star Wars novelization, the story being packed with action and enjoyable characters. Another thing that I very much liked was the horror elements. That was something I didn't expect to find in this book and I would have liked if it had played a bigger role in the narrative.
Admittedly, there is not much depth to the characters and their interactions never seem natural. However, their banters and disagreements are good fun and often serve a purpose and lead to cool developments. Actually, in this respect it reminded me of Iain M. Banks. Over-the-top and very 80s in nature (in a 2011 book), but a hell of a lot of fun!
Somewhat in the same vein, some crucial plot threads are initiated with the help of a sledgehammer. For instance, Miller is obsessed with Julie (the girl he is send to look for), which often helps to keep him in the plot long after any other sort of motivation is gone. Moreover, Holden's impulsive decisions to release sensitive information lead to conflicts that are a bit forced. This may seem like criticism, but I felt this really added to the novel's charm.
So, while I'm not immediately planning to get back into the action with the second book in the series, I'm really looking forward to continue at some point. Especially since now that I have Audible, because I'm sure that this is the kind of book I would really enjoy to listen to in audiobook form.
Rating: 3.5/5