I admit it: I only watched the first season of The Expanse, and that was years after it originally aired. I guess it was because it was initially released on SyFy, and I was a cable cutter. That said, I thought the show was really good, but I think I was phasing out of long-form TV, so it fell to the wayside, and I never went beyond. Imagine how surprised I am to not only have read the novel it’s based on, but absolutely love it!

Leviathan Wakes is a fantastic ride. Yes, the characters and galaxy are a bit generic — its main characters are a mining Captain with a moral code and a world-weary detective who must operate in a galaxy on the brink of a Mars-Earth war. How many times have we seen stuff like this? However, it’s their journey through this galaxy that’s the truly thrilling part.

Holden and Miller, the captain and detective, respectively, are intelligent characters with emotional depth, and this is all beautifully conveyed on the page as they move through the galaxy trying to solve the mystery before them. They start on seemingly separate quests, but soon find their paths cross and heads butt as they seek answers and deal with the repercussions of their actions. The galaxy is a big place with a lot of heavy-hitters, and they are all throwing their weight in this ring, especially when certain truths come into the light.

The characters truly hit rock bottom, and James S.A. Corey (Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) beautifully captures that in this novel. Holden’s morality gets him into more trouble than it does good, but it’s one of his standout qualities I looked for when things got tough. Miller’s glum demeanor, all warm and depressing, felt like a blanket I could suffocate myself in. I love my stories to have some oppression (and depression) that characters can fight their way through, and Leviathan Wakes swims (spacewalks?) in it.

The true threat in this novel is corporations, their thirst for power, and the toxicity we keep inside ourselves as much as it is unstoppable biological threats. Lessons are learned, and sacrifices are made as the story winds its way toward its fantastic conclusion, something that has me yearning to read the next novel in the series.