Leviathan Wakes

Leviathan Wakes is a 2011 science fiction novel by James S. A. Corey, the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. It is the first book in the Expanse series, followed by Caliban's War, Abaddon's Gate and Cibola Burn.

Leviathan Wakes was nominated for the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the 2012 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.^[1][2] The series is being adapted for television in 2015 as The Expanse by Syfy.

Synopsis

Leviathan Wakes is set in a future in which humanity has colonized much of the solar system, but not interstellar space. In the Asteroid Belt and beyond, tensions are rising between Earth's United Nations, Mars and the outer planets.

By chance, Jim Holden, executive officer of an outer planets ice freighter, and his crew – his second-in command Naomi Nagata, the pilot Alex Kamal and the mechanic Amos – witness the destruction of their ship, and on Ceres, police detective Miller is searching for the runaway Earther Julie Mao. Both men eventually find themselves entangled in a conspiracy by an Earth-based corporation to weaponize an alien replicator molecule, which is released on Eros Station to disastrous effect as war breaks out between the inner planets and the outer settlements.

After commandeering a Martian corvette, dubbed the Rocinante, Miller, Holden and his crew help the leader of the Outer Planets Alliance, Fred Johnson, neutralize the threat. The alien growth that has consumed Eros eventually settles on Venus, beginning to transform the planet.

Reception

Critical reception for Leviathan Wakes has been positive,^[3][4] with Kirkus Reviews giving the novel praise.^[5] The book's action sequences were highlighted by SF Signal,^[6] and Tor.com wrote that the book had a "satisfying volume completion".^[7] George R.R. Martin described Leviathan Wakes as a "kickass space opera" (comment printed on Caliban's War; Ty Franck works as his assistant), with Locus Online also praising the book.^[8] Wired.com's GeekDad praised the novel for not containing "overly-complex descriptions of the way governments and corporations work" or "made-up words and cryptic names".^[9]

Sequels

Leviathan Wakes was followed by the novel Caliban's War in 2012 and Abaddon's Gate in 2013. It was announced in 2012 that Orbit Books had ordered a further three books in the Expanse series, in addition to five novellas set in the same universe.^[10] The first of these sequels was announced in September 2013 as Cibola Burn^[11] and was released on June 17, 2014 in hardcover, Kindle, and on Audible in the US.^[12]

Television series

On April 11, 2014 Syfy announced that they ordered a direct-to-TV series based on the Leviathan Wakes and "The Expanse" series. The cable network ordered 10 episodes, produced by Alcon Television Group (ATG). Academy Award-nominated screenwriting duo Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (known for the films Children of Men and Iron Man) wrote the pilot; they will continue to serve as writers, as well as executive producers.^[13]

References

External links

• The authors' blog
• The series' web site