Series: The Expanse #1
Published by Orbit on June 15, 2011
Genres: Science Fiction
Pages: 572
Format: Paperback
Humanity has colonized the solar system – Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond – but the stars are still out of our reach.
Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, the Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for – and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.
Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.
Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations – and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.
Book-To-Film Comparison
Leviathan Wakes vs. The Expanse (season 1)
- The show develops the side characters. Avasarala’s POV warrants special mention because it gives us insight into what’s happening in the Inner planets. Plus, she’s a sassy lady and makes cussing an art.
- The book gives depth to Miller’s character. Miller shows his investigative skills, and characters takes action to push forward the plot (unlike the show, things don’t happen by coincidence).
- In the book, characters are morally gray. We’re compelled to question their intentions and righteousness—who is the good guy? What cost are we willing to pay for progress? Is there a limit to how far humanity should strive? Are the stars really better off without us (as Miller comments)?
More thoughts on the book to follow in my review!
Discussion Guide
- Many people, including Miller and the crew of the Rocinante, call James Holden a righteous man, a good man, and even the best man they know. How does he demonstrate his goodness? How does he fail to live up to his reputation for righteousness?
- Holden and Miller are both described as uncompromising in their beliefs, which causes them to come into conflict on multiple occasions. How do they each demonstrate this trait? Do you agree with their decisions? Are their times when it would have been better for them to relent and collaborate with each other?
- When he learns new information, Holden broadcasts it to the world. Miller disagrees with him on the basis that Holden should verify the information and get the bigger picture before sharing it with everyone. Do you believe that truth should be shared immediately with everyone? Why or why not?
- Miller has hallucinations of his ex-wife and later Julie Mao. Why do you think he has hallucinations? What do these hallucinations signify about him?
- Holden names the Rocinante after the horse of Don Quixote, who’s known for chasing after windmills. What is the significance of this name?
- After telling Miller why Miller doesn’t have any friends, Fred John calls Miller “friend” (p. 468). What is a friend? Who decides when you’re friends?
- Miller contemplates that he’d “been a cop for too long,” and he feels a “presentment of exhaustion at the thought of reconnecting to humanity” (p. 483). Is it ever too late to change? Do you believe there may be a time when it’s not worth reconnecting or reconciling with others?
- The Inners hold power and speak cleanly, polished. In comparison, the Belters live in squalor and speak a blending of languages. What commentary does Leviathan Wakes make on class, race, and colonialism?
- Fred Johnson asks Dresden, “You’ll give me all the kingdoms of the Earth if I just bow down and do one act of worship for you?” (p. 410) What does this biblical allusion suggest about Dresden? About Protogen? About society? What parallels do you make to our world?
- Dreden believes that the civilization that created the protomolecule two billion years ago were “already gods at that point” and that humanity can and must catch up to that civilization (418–420). Do you agree with Dresden’s belief that science can save humanity? Do you believe that the pursuit of progress is worth the sacrifices that Dresden made to achieve his goals? What price is, or is not, worth paying?
- What is the meaning of justice when you’re trapped in a corrupt system?
- In the end, a suicidal ex-cop saves Earth. How does Miller’s actions subvert the hero trope? What does this subversion tell us about the nature of heroes? About humanity?
- What are the dangers of turning people into symbols and icons at the expense of their names and characters? If you were in Fred Johnson’s position, would you also use Miller’s death as a tool—turn him into a martyr for the Belt—or would you make known the “genuine, flawed, conflicted” person he actually was?
Let’s Chat
📚 Have you read Leviathan Wakes or watched The Expanse show?
📚 I’d love for you to share your response to one of the discussion questions above!
Leviathan Wakes was my book club’s May 2020 pick. Our June pick is The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski.
Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight says
I have only watched the show so far, though I keep swearing I am going to read the books! Especially because like you said, Miller is so much more developed in the books. I had no connection to him whatsoever in the show, which seemed odd because he is seemingly really important! Though I will say having Avasarala’s POV is genius, as I heard she doesn’t show up until later in the books. And she is my (and everyone else’s) fave, for the obvious reasons! I love that the characters are so morally gray in the books too- I definitely WILL read them but the page count seems so daunting!
Darren Schwindaman says
These are great questions!
“Many people, including Miller and the crew of the Rocinante, call James Holden a righteous man, a good man, and even the best man they know. How does he demonstrate his goodness? How does he fail to live up to his reputation for righteousness?”
I think the writers’ values shine through here, and their ethos through Holden is “do the next right thing.” Holden’s journey throughout the book is to wrestle with what the next right thing is. In the case of answering the Scopuli’s distress beacon, that’s an easy call. But things get much messier from there as events escalate. If Holden does have a failing, it’s that maybe he has to learn how to operate within the larger context and gain some maturity about what the next right thing is, and how doing that has larger ripple effects. The books, even moreso than the show, seem to engage with media and reputation. In that context, the book Holden is always a real person, and I like that it shows how someone like that might operate knowing there’s a big reputation about him out there. A virtue of Holden is that he never gets carried away by his celebrity, and is able to focus on ‘the next right thing.’
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction says
I haven’t read or watched this, so I can’t add much to the conversation, but I do think it’s interesting that the characters are more morally gray in the book. I really love morally gray characters, so I would miss this in an adaptation.
Crystal (Kester) says
Yes, I love stories with morally gray characters. I think the adaptation did show some moral grayness, but it was more clear in the book.