Leviathan Wakes

[sawyl]

Another short set of book thoughts, this time on Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey, noms de plume for Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Set against the backdrop of a heavily colonised solar system, the action follows a ship's captain and an obsessive detective as they get caught up in a brewing war between Earth, Mars, and the asteroid belt.

The action begins when a young woman is taken prisoner by space pirates, a detective on the asteroid Ceres is assigned to look for her, and the hauler Canterbury locates a distress signal from the woman's ship. When the Cant's rescue mission goes wrong and it's XO, James Holden, points the finger at Mars, while Detective Miller's increasingly obsessive pursue of Julie Mao kidnappers threatens to embarrass his employers. As the novel unfolds, the two plots eventually converge, with Holden and Miller facing down the very worst that the universe can throw at them.

There's an awful lot to like about Leviathan Wakes. The plotting is masterful, neatly tying up its loose ends through a series of increasingly impressive climaxes, whilst also taking the time to nod at everything from Firefly to The Thing to the current crazy for zombie novels. Narrative duties are split between Holden, who is Captain Honorable, and Miller, who has more than a touch of the Man in the Hat from xkcd about him, and both characters are well drawn and rather enjoyable. While it may not be the most profound book in the world, Leviathan Wakes is big and fun and supremely aware of its own genre roots. Perfect holiday reading.