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Leviathan Wakes (First story of The Expanse)

Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1)Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A good story set against a brilliant vision of the future solar system. I love the setting so much, especially all the political interplay. The characters were a bit of a reach for me at first, especially Miller's obsession with the dead girl. I get the career cop angle, the need to solve the case, but sometimes it got a little creepy, especially because Miller was so damaged.

By the middle of the story, after the arcs come together in a moment of delicious pov storytelling (master stroke!), the focus resolves better, and Miller ascends. Holden's crew is great too, and I like Fred & Julie too. Suddenly I'm really enjoying the story (with all the political machinations and interplanetary stratagems) because of the characters and their motivations.

The story takes off at this point, and you must grip tight. It's really impossible to put down, and I am so excited, because... there are so many more stories in the series. Struck gold again. :-)


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