I had been wanting some space opera lately, so when I was gifted with a Kindle this Christmas, I snatched Leviathan Wakes on several friends' recommendations. I devoured it in 3 days, and I came away pleased and interested in the next part of the trilogy.





I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, and I think it was a good thing I had no expectations going in. Again, I liked it. I'm going to get the next book.

I think I liked the story despite itself. It was very... I'm going to make up a word here and call it Guyfi, as that's the best way I can describe a lot of the scifi I've read over the last year. It's an attempt by a scifi writer to write a more multicultural and varied world and point of view, and there is a lot more attempts to include modern ideas of feminism and varied views of religion. As much as I love the genre, it is still white, white, extra white, all layered over old dude despite major in roads from the last few decades. Guyfi is not a bad thing (it is an good thing), but it does come across as not exactly right. Something does not ring true, and then you, as a reader, can't be fully immersed in the world.

The universe of the Expanse is structured around the idea that it isn't race or gender that make someone a second class citizen: it is if someone is born planetside or in space. From Mars is still secondary to being born on Earth, but you're still better than a Belter, a spacer. Besides the large physical differences between humans born in a gravity well vs on a space station, Belters view people from Earth as from an area of privilege that can't be crossed. Earthers can't relate because they grew up under a sky and the surety that they would not run out of air.

I liked that. It was good to see that sort of real racism that develop. But, it just didn't work for me. Maybe it was the two protagonists. Holden comes from a place of privilege as an Earther and a man that he can't see it, must be told about it. Miller is a Belter that just tells me about all these things that non-Belters don't get. I'm told, not shown, even though his character is in the book to demonstrate this view for me.

The other issue for me was the female characters. There were only two types of women we got to meet: tough women that were smarter, better on their job than any man, and were comfortable in their sexuality; or, they were cold, emotionally closed off to do their job or because of trauma, and were left a little wanting about more of their character motivations. There multiple women in power positions, and it is never commented on that they are "ladies in power", which I appreciated. But, you never see female characters interacting together, only told through dialogue that this woman and that woman were friends (before she died). While Naomi is awesome, she is the only female through much of the book, and she is viewed very heavily through the lens of the protagonist that is in love with her. Which is frustrating because, again, Naomi is awesome. The second female lead turns into a plot device after her introduction, and one of the protagonists "falls in love" with her without ever meeting her, just knowing her through detective work and cyber stalking. It was played as creepy, for the most part. Again, told not shown any of their agency. It was, again, frustrating. I saw the bones of something awesome, and it didn't mesh right.

I wrote all that, but I liked the book. I was confused by the attempt at noir and horror (I am not interested in the vomit zombies but the idea of the alien lifeform sounds cool) because it did not exactly work together, but from the preview of the next book, I think that has smoothed out.



I like it and recommend it to people! You should try it! ...even though I wrote all of the above with criticisms. You can give something you like concrit. But, I did like the book. It was one of the more modern space operas I've read, if that makes sense. A great deal of scifi gets stuck in this very particular idea of "this is what scifi future looks like", and it was nice to get something different, as a reader.