Book 15 - On the Brink of Galactic

Title: Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1)

Author: James S. A. Corey

Genre: sci fi

Now that is a damn fun sci-fi romp.

I found out about this book by getting into the Amazon prime series named for the book series (The Expanse), and while I am verrrry pleased it led me to this book - and the rest of the series if I decide to continue - it did impact the reading experience. The first season of the TV series is just about a shot-for-shot remake of the first half of this book. And that's not a bad thing - no, I'm impressed that the series maintained the integrity. It does mean, however, that when the first season ended and the book didn't, I had this nagging feeling that the story had come to a natural break, even as the book continued on for an entire other half.

Besides all that, though, this is a fresh sci-fi story that reinvigorates my love of the genre. Even though the two main characters are men (Men in science fiction?? No way...), their perspectives are entirely different and absolutely absorbing. They are each as frustrating, flawed, and fully-formed as real people - as is the diverse cast that revolves around them. My patience for flat books that don't bother to explore the innumerable facets of our world, let alone a fictional one, is at an all-time low, and this book swept me right up in its arms with women in power, men with emotions, and tons more trope-busting gems that I hope to see in the rest of the series.

Rating: 🍓🍓🍓🍓