Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey, 582 pages

From The Expanse, "Dulcinea": "In the 23rd century, humans have colonized the Solar System. The UN controls Earth. Mars is an independent military power. The inner planets depend on the resources of the asteroid belt. Belters live and work in space. In the Belt, air and water are more precious than gold. For decades, tensions have been rising - Earth, Mars and the Belt are now on the brink of war. All it will take is a single spark…"

This is my first time reading this book series and it is fascinating. Generally the futuristic scifi I consume is more like Star Trek, where humanity's future is mostly positive even if still fraught with the problems imperfect beings are plagued with.  Leviathan Wakes is not like that: the future is grimy and grim. The best AND the worst of humanity has been flung into the solar system, creating vast canyons of moral grayness, raw hope, and desperate actions.

Levianthan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

 

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, 572 pages, ⭐⭐⭐

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.