Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (The Expanse Book 1)

I think it might be obvious what brought this choice to mind since recently SyFy has started airing a TV series on this book series.  So, let's address the 800 pound CG gorilla in the room:  This is NOT made by the same folks who gave us Sharknado.  The TV show Expanse is a well done small screen adaptation of the book series.  Yes, there are differences between the two but, it is a case of Vive la difference! Now, we have two very cool science fiction stories to get lost in!

Now, on to the book!  This is a true space opera.  I imagine it helps that James S. A. Corey is actually two authors so, offering them the ability to develop the story in parallel while still maintaining a central theme.  This is something that Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (their real names) manage to do very well.  It's like when children sing songs like Row-Row Your Boat in the round only, these guys are doing that with at the concerto level.  It moves from exposition to cliff hanger and on to the next scene with a certain grace.  I never felt bombarded by tech or period jargon.

There are many characters we get introduced to in this, the first installment of the series but, it's easy to pick out the ones you will see the most of as the story unfolds.  We get to see many of the most familiar archetypes: The Hard-nosed Detective, The 'Boy Scout', The Hard Drinking Lech and many more.  I don't want to give too much away because, this is one of those tales where the fun is in the journey and the journey is often less than predictable.

The scenes and scenery are just as unique and almost as plentiful as the characters.  These also have the added bonus of giving the reader a glimpse in the origination and motivation of the people who inhabit this world.  To me, it brings up the age old question of "nature vs nurture".

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey is an entertaining space opera that will both engage and intrigue most readers.  There are many scenes of harsh violence and some mature discussions all of which lands in the PG13 rating but, not too deeply.