Leviathan Falls
Ratings360
Average rating4.5
Finally done with the whole series, what a ride. Amazing books, not so good books, page turners in good and bad, up and downs, Characters you love, Enemies you hate, stories that go this way and that way. Overall very amazing.
But how was the last book. Ok, good enough, not that great like the one before, but overall good. And the ending was very good as well. So, overall I can't complain and can only recommend the whole series to everyone who enjoys good Sci-Fi
When I really think about it, it's pretty impressive to finish a series well and in a timely manner. I think The Expanse might be the first big series to manage both since Harry Potter. Lots of series finish on time but poorly (Hunger Games, Game of Thrones TV), or take forever but finish well (???), or are stuck in limbo and could easily never finish (Game of Thrones, Name of the Wind, Locke Lamorra). I think JK Rowling deserves a lot of credit for publishing regularly and ending the series well, and so does Corey.
I thought it ended in just about the only way it could have, and each character's arcs made sense. The end is the right amount of sad, the right amount of sympathetic to villains, and the right amount of messy. I appreciated that the series wasn't too “tied up with a bow” tidy. Lots of small but fairly important things never got followed up on (Alex's first wife, Naomi's son), because that's how life goes. At the same time, we often saw minor characters become major characters in later books, and this is a great addition. It's fun to see them again, and it makes you reevaluate their past decisions in light of what you now know about their motives, which works really well. Captain Singh was one of my favorite characters, so seeing Tanaka's viewpoint adds a lot of depth to his interactions with her. This approach still gives character development, just via an ensemble. It keeps things fresh in such a long series.
The whole series is about two questions:
1. what do we do when we come across an alien thing?
2. if the aliens are dead, what could have happened to them?
This overall makes it a great extended meditation on the Fermi Paradox, and I'm very glad I took the deep dive.
Loved this series so so much! As someone who isn't huge on Sci-Fi this has definitely opened my eyes to what a brilliant genre it can be!
Everything was wrapped up brilliantly and don't get me started on that epilogue
Sad to see this epic come to an end. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it, I only wish I would get to SEE the end of it on TV as well.
I thought this book started a little slow, more than once I'm checking the page count wondering how it can wrap up in the pages left to read. I'm honestly not sure about how I feel about the ending. I feel slightly let down that there was so much build up to discovering the secrets of the “builders” and their enemy only to close the gates. LOTS of unanswered questions but that was never really what this story was about I suppose, even though the nerd in me wants answers. The best ending is rarely the one you want. At least its not a Stephen King time loop ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Having Amos show up at the end give me hope for a follow-on story
They stuck the landing perfectly. That's not an easy thing to do in any situation, but especially when you've created such an epic and large narrative over the course of eight novels.
It was a fitting end to the series. Arcs of completion for everyone. I would have liked a bit more finality with a few other characters but overall somehow Corey pulled off a non disappointing ending.
Solid ending to a very good series.
Jefferson Mays provides a good narration. However, I found the ending a bit difficult to follow. For me it seems to require close reading. Anyway, I went back and reread the final two chapters in text.
I reckon one needs to read the earlier books in the series first. Otherwise, I think they may have a bit of trouble understanding things.
4+ stars.
After 8 books of varying quality I was hoping for a power final chapter of “The Expanse”, but alas - the book was pretty mediocre and the ending was super disappointing for me. I won't go into any details, but in hindsight I kind of regret picking up the series in the first place.
I sensed after a couple of books that the authors were struggling with both the development of the main story line (it was barely moving for a while) and the main characters, but I guess I became a victim of the sunk cost fallacy and my endless optimism that things would improve.
This 9-volume series has been fantastic from start to finish and the final book doesn't disappoint. It's always sad when a saga that you've enjoyed comes to a close. Without giving any spoilers, let's just say the authors honor their characters well in how they bring the series to a close. This may well be my favorite science fiction series now. I'm amazed at how well written it is, without being in any way derivative or predictable.
Just plain fantastic.
Broke my heart a little to say goodbye to this series, but it was such a fantastic finish. It could easily have been two books, but it moved at a breakneck pace keeping my ears glued to the story (because audiobook) while still going deep in concept and character.
This series is a true masterwork of science fiction.
The series is over, maybe the best one I've ever read, and its final entry a fantastic finale. While the final third of the series isn't my favourite of the lot, there isn't a single book in the Expanse universe that I don't love, and the nostalgic points in this finale leave me wanting to start the whole bloody series over again.
Hard to believe the series is done, and I've been putting off writing my review so I could have some time to digest it. What did I think of Leviathan Falls? I think it was terrific. In terms of the series as a whole, I think this book caps off what is likely my favourite of the “trilogies”, and I like the arc that the three trilogies created together. I liked the new character of Tanaka, and the culmination of the characters of Jim, Amos, Alex, and Naomi. While I had kind of anticipated the large beats this book might take in terms of it's plot, it was wonderfully written - in an exciting and stirring way. Even if you anticipate the twists and turns - it's the details that make The Expanse really pop. Even out in the orbit of some planet on the other side of the galaxy, or inside the weird ring space, the writers have been terrific at making characters and situations relatable - and I think that's a hallmark of The Expanse. This isn't a story about heroic archetypes - it's a story about regular blue collar folks caught up in plans much larger than they are - and the lengths to which they are willing to go. I'm going to miss my friends on board The Rocinante - but I'm eager to see what James SA Corey has in store for the future, assuming Ty and Daniel decide to work together again. Cheers, beltalowdas!
Well, that concludes a nine, 500 page book series. Around book 4, I knew I'd keep following these characters no matter what. I'd say they really stuck the landing here.
The series managed to be impressively consistent while taking creative risks. Tying most of the loose ends together after crafting such a sprawling story is pretty darn impressive from my perspective.
The Expanse books are mostly about how humans continue to be human no matter what situations they find themselves in. There is an almost folksy quality to the writing that I appreciate.
I feel well-rewarded for my time investment in this series and have developed a genuine emotional attachment to the four principal characters. Farewell Rocinante.