Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I picked up Leviathan Wakes on the recommendation and reviews on Good Reads. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to the sequel Caliban’s War.
James Corey ( a pseudonym for writers Daniel Abraham and Ty Frank) presents a gritty, action packed thriller set in the near future. All the action is centered around the solar system. In Corey’s vision, we find humanity has Mars as well as the moons and asteroids around Saturn. The inner planets, Mars and Earth, are the cultural and economic powers, while the “Belters” make do on the moons and asteroids near Saturn. Corey presents a world that is very believable, and while not quite a dystopia – certainly is a gritty vision of the future.
The story is told through two point of view characters – Miller, a cynical, hard drinking detective working for security on Ceres and James Holden, the executive office abroad an ice hauler working the route between Saturn’s moons. Miller is the archetype hard boiled detective while Holden is the square jawed idealist. Their stories converge as they are brought together trying to investigate the disappearance of a ship and it’s crew.
The story finds the protagonists face to face with an ancient power that has the power to transform human life. They have to battle evil corporations, corrupt cops, and .. space zombies!
The story is light on science and heavy on action. Some of the action sequences are extremely well written and exciting. The chapters based on Eros are especially well written. However, I couldn’t help but think of this book as a screen play for a very good action video game. The characterization veer into caricature territory (though Miller is a most enjoyable caricature – I am a sucker for Noir!) and the romantic side plot is just not believable.
The author(s) present a future with intriguing possibilities, but they do not really spend much time in building this future. It would have been great to get to know more about the politics between the inner planets and the Belters. The story touches on racism, xenophobia and politics but only does so in the most cursory manner. I am hoping some of these themes are explored in more detail in the sequels ( Leviathan is book one of three in the “Expanse” series).
If you enjoy space opera, good action and a fun read, I would strongly recommend Leviathan Wakes. If you prefer more science in your science fiction, and enjoy world building I would recommend Paul McAuley’s excellent Quiet War series The Quiet War.