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A review by kp_hobbitreads
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
4.0
#1 Leviathan Wakes: ★★★★☆ | 4 stars
Leviathan Wakes is the first book in an epic science fiction space opera series that takes place a few hundred years in the future when humanity has colonized the solar system including the Moon, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt.
Jim Holden is the XO of a mining vessel which transports ice from the rings of Saturn to stations in the Belt. But, when they hear a distress call from a ship called the Scopuli, things go south - fast. Jim & his crew come into possession of a secret worth killing for that has the ability to launch the entire system into war.
Detective Miller is assigned a case by his captain on Ceres Station - find a missing girl and ship her home. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA) a group of rebel Belters fighting for independence from Mars, Miller discovers that the girl may be the key to a much larger mystery.
The world of Leviathan Wakes is messy. There is a lot animosity between the inner planets and the outer planets. In the Belt, water and air are worth killing for. And, as Miller regularly reminds people, Ceres has cops - not laws. Belters resent Earthers for talking their resources and being able to breathe air freely. Earthers have a hard time thinking of Belters as humans. And, Mars wants to be the superpower, not Earth. One of the most interesting things about this story is that for the first half of the book, it's like a two-in-one deal: one half epic space opera and one half noir detective novel. The story jumps back and forth between perspectives - and I was always bummed to leave one story line, but so excited to get more information about the other.
The characters are fantastic. They feel real. They are flawed and complicated and unbearably human. Holden and Miller provide such a great contrast to each other. Holden is idealistic - almost to the point of naivety. While Miller is cynical and prefers his morality with more gray. But, I find their world views work for their story lines. Holden's crew needs someone to look to, and Miller needs that gritty world view to help him navigate his case. Neither is right, but neither is wrong either. And, that makes for compelling storytelling.
Three Thoughts:
1. I love the found family vibe of Holden, Naomi, Amos & Alex. And, I think the story needed that to keep it from being too emotionally draining. They provided a bit of counterweight to all the bad stuff that was happening.
2. Amos is a menace. And, I love him for it.
3. Despite the massive scope of this story, it never felt overwhelming. And, I think you can credit that to the characters. They grounded the story and kept me invested until the very last page.
Overall, I think this is a fantastic start to a series, and I can't wait to pick up Caliban's War to see where the story goes next.
content warnings: violence, death, murder, injury/injury recovery, gore, body horror, bigotry, alcoholism, kidnapping, confinement, mentions of rape/sexual assault (off page), genocide, suicidal ideation, suicide
Leviathan Wakes is the first book in an epic science fiction space opera series that takes place a few hundred years in the future when humanity has colonized the solar system including the Moon, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt.
Jim Holden is the XO of a mining vessel which transports ice from the rings of Saturn to stations in the Belt. But, when they hear a distress call from a ship called the Scopuli, things go south - fast. Jim & his crew come into possession of a secret worth killing for that has the ability to launch the entire system into war.
Detective Miller is assigned a case by his captain on Ceres Station - find a missing girl and ship her home. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA) a group of rebel Belters fighting for independence from Mars, Miller discovers that the girl may be the key to a much larger mystery.
The world of Leviathan Wakes is messy. There is a lot animosity between the inner planets and the outer planets. In the Belt, water and air are worth killing for. And, as Miller regularly reminds people, Ceres has cops - not laws. Belters resent Earthers for talking their resources and being able to breathe air freely. Earthers have a hard time thinking of Belters as humans. And, Mars wants to be the superpower, not Earth. One of the most interesting things about this story is that for the first half of the book, it's like a two-in-one deal: one half epic space opera and one half noir detective novel. The story jumps back and forth between perspectives - and I was always bummed to leave one story line, but so excited to get more information about the other.
The characters are fantastic. They feel real. They are flawed and complicated and unbearably human. Holden and Miller provide such a great contrast to each other. Holden is idealistic - almost to the point of naivety. While Miller is cynical and prefers his morality with more gray. But, I find their world views work for their story lines. Holden's crew needs someone to look to, and Miller needs that gritty world view to help him navigate his case. Neither is right, but neither is wrong either. And, that makes for compelling storytelling.
Three Thoughts:
1. I love the found family vibe of Holden, Naomi, Amos & Alex. And, I think the story needed that to keep it from being too emotionally draining. They provided a bit of counterweight to all the bad stuff that was happening.
2. Amos is a menace. And, I love him for it.
3. Despite the massive scope of this story, it never felt overwhelming. And, I think you can credit that to the characters. They grounded the story and kept me invested until the very last page.
Overall, I think this is a fantastic start to a series, and I can't wait to pick up Caliban's War to see where the story goes next.
content warnings: violence, death, murder, injury/injury recovery, gore, body horror, bigotry, alcoholism, kidnapping, confinement, mentions of rape/sexual assault (off page), genocide, suicidal ideation, suicide