Leviathan Wakes
2009
- space warfare
- fiction
- interplanetary voyages
- conspiracies
- fiction, science fiction, general
- american literature
- series:the expanse
The story
When Captain Jim Holden's ice miner stumbles across a derelict, abandoned ship, he uncovers a secret that threatens to throw the entire system into war. Attacked by a stealth ship belonging to the Mars fleet, Holden must find a way to uncover the motives behind the attack, stop a war and find the truth behind a vast conspiracy that threatens the entire human race.
What it’s like
Gritty, lived-in texture on every page: cramped ice-hauler corridors, recycled air, rust and grease, and the hard vacuum outside the hull rendered with unsentimental precision. The prose is brisk and plainspoken, with a dry, wisecracking voice that keeps even tense scenes wry, and the chapters alternate between a freighter crew and a hard-bitten Belter detective, so the book moves through pressurized bars, Ceres's tunnels, and Mars's clean corporate corridors. The vibe is taut and pulpy, a mix of noir grit and sprawling space opera, best suited to a long train ride, a weekend binge-read, or a late-night session when you want momentum over quiet. Its pace is propulsive, with short sections and frequent cliffhangers, and the emotional register runs from gallows humor to real grief, following a band of misfits who grudgingly become a team. Violence is present and sometimes sudden, including ship attacks, firefights, and deaths in the vacuum, though it stays mostly non-graphic and is more chaotic than gory; sexual content is minimal. It suits readers who want hard-edged science fiction with a human heart, political intrigue, and a crew they will follow anywhere.
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