I was surprised when SyFy decided to launch The Expanse with the story from Leviathan Wakes. Although Leviathan Wakes is the first book in the Expanse series by James S.A. Corey, it also unquestionably the weakest book in the series. Its plot is a bit absurd and it lacks perspective, not to mention the characters aren’t terribly interesting. Instead, I hoped it would begin with Caliban’s War, which I have called the best science fiction novel of the millennium, cramming the events of the first novel in through flashbacks or info dumps.
But the pilot episode makes it clear the show will do the opposite: In bringing Chrisjen Avasarala on immediately, despite the fact she never appears in Leviathan Wakes, they are sort of cramming the events of Caliban’s War into the opening salvo. Avasarala introduces the viewer to the larger conflict between Martians, Belters, and Earthers, which is central to the series at large, but is backgrounded in Leviathan Wakes. This is necessary. This is good. Avasarala is a brilliant character, with richer layers than either of the main characters: Jim Holden and Detective Miller. Her inclusion in the first season of the television show bodes well for how Caliban’s War, the second novel in the Expanse series, will be incorporated into the small screen narrative. But, it doesn’t tell us everything.
Some series/book spoilers.
I am most concerned with how the show will handle the biggest and baddest space marine in the Martian army, Bobbie Fucking Draper. All of the things that are wrong about Leviathan Wakes are largely solved by Bobbie Draper (and Avasarala ). She’s compelling. She’s full of kick-ass action. She’s a woman. She’s gritty and authentic and relatable. She’s cool in a way that Holden and Miller aren’t. Herein lies the problem, though: if The Expanse doesn’t get Bobbie Draper right, the series will ultimately fail. I’ll tell you why.
Caliban’s War is the story of an abducted child, ripped from day care by a group of people trying to leverage an alien molecule for their own gain. Her father, Praxidike Meng, is on a mission to get her back. Of course, he gets some help in the form of do-gooder Jim Holden and his crew, who are on Ganymede to investigate the alien presence they encountered in Leviathan Wakes. Every novel in the series has a one-off story and this is the one for Caliban’s War. I suspect that the second season will focus on this conflict.
The secondary story line, which is interwoven with the preceding and proceeding novels, is a political conflict focused on the cold wars between Mars, Earth, and the Belt, all teetering on the edge of becoming hot. Avasarala and Bobbie Draper sit here, negotiating this tenuous situation. This part of the story has the potential to be Homeland-like in its ability to rivet viewers with political tension. It’s also part of the story dominated by women. It’s a part of the story that relegates Jim Holden and his cowboy Captain America schtick to also-ran status. I can’t help but ask myself, will it get the time it deserves? This is why I say Bobbie Draper’s portrayal will seal the fate of The Expanse one way or another, because all of the volumes from here on out feature women at their core. Well, that and another reason.
That other reason begins with Detective Miller, the ostensible star of The Expanse television show, as played by Thomas Jane. Spoiler alert, Miller dies at the end of the first novel. This is, overall, a good thing, as he’s a backward character, aping the hard-boiled sensibilities of a time that’s relevant neither in our world nor the future Corey imagines. It also begins with Jim Holden, the moral compass of the show—but about as nuanced as a soggy paper bag. The first season of The Expanse will live and die by the viewers’ engagement with the world, with the scope, with the amazing camera angles and tone, not by Jim Holden and Detective Miller. They’re placeholders, to a large degree. The series of novels has survived on the other characters, the ones who step forward in each book to take on a larger role, only to fade away and pop back up in cameos.
Holden is the through line, but only in a way that centers things for the reader. He’s really a vehicle for everyone else. This is why Bobbie Draper is so important to the sustainability of The Expanse. Will she be allowed to shine? Will she become the star of the second season or will she be sidelined in favor of Holden? The history of television points toward yes, meaning that The Expanse will concern itself with Holden and his crew. If this happens, I believe the true flavor of the Expanse series will be lost, leaving us with a humorless Firefly.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about a few other items that I wonder how the show will handle. First, as mentioned earlier, Detective Miller goes kaput. His character lives on, though, in some way, as a digital ghost, acting as Holden’s compass when it comes to the alien presence. I can’t imagine that Thomas Jane is super enamored with the idea of cameo appearances for the next four seasons. How will the alien force manifest itself if not in the shape of Miller? I suspect there will be some shifting on this front away from the novels. It just isn’t practical for Thomas Jane to continue to appear. Given the fact that I have made it clear that Detective Miller is a snooze fest, I consider this no big loss.
The second item that interests me is how the show will handle child abuse and endangerment. SyFy and NBC are not HBO. The Expanse is not Game of Thrones. What will be their tolerance level for showing violence against children? For me, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and the like are neigh unwatchable. I cannot stomach seeing the horror on screen even as I am entirely immune to it in prose. Violence against children in season two of The Expanse could very well be a deal-killer for me and for the network, which is not necessary known for edgy content like some of its cable brethren. I would prefer if they made an editorial decision to imperil adults instead of children, but I have little confidence that will happen.
All of that goes to say, I believe strongly that season two of The Expanse, which I assume will be echoing Caliban’s War, will be the true test of the television series. Leviathan Wakes and season one have a cushion. They have the luxury of exploring a new world and the sense of wonder that entails. It’s when that emotion wears off that The Expanse will have to earn its stripes. And that will only happen if Bobbie Draper and Chrisjen Avasarala shoulder the load.
Justin Landon used to run Staffer’s Book Review. Now he kinda blogs at justlandon.com. Find him on Twitter for meanderings on science fiction and fantasy, and to argue with him about whatever you just read.
I would argue the weakest of the books was the fourth installment, not the first. The fourth had little to no character development, felt very constrained and not “expansive” at all, and pretty low stakes compared to the rest of the books.
As far as Holden goes, I liked the fact that he was an absurd do-gooder whose blind adherence to his own moral compass created a whole host of problems; sometimes honesty isn’t always the best policy. He is a good foil to Avasarala (who I adore) and her cold blooded political calculus and maneuvering. It is this tension that makes their interactions so memorable.
I am just hoping SyFy does the entire series justice and delivers another fantastic space opera to TV.
@1 – Cibola Burn is actually my favorite of the set so far! (As I will explain here at great length in a couple of days…)
@@@@@ Stefan: I look forward to your reasons! Always good to get another perspective on things.
I honestly felt that Caliban’s War is my least favorite book the series. I think there were some really important crew moments in this book such as the continuing growth of Holden and Naomi’s relationship, how the kidnapping of the child affected Amos, setting up one of the best lines of character development in a book I’ve read recently, etc. However, I was really underwhelmed with how the plot progressed and in many ways it felt that it was doing some of the exact same things that the first book did.
I will agree with Avarsala and Bobbie being cool characters but I’ve liked most of the characters that have been given viewpoints.
I think each of the three following books all did something different, which is why Caliban’s War feels so weak in hindsight because it didn’t really do anything all too different from Leviathan Wakes. Abaddon’s Gate gave us the arc of Holden being held accountable for his past actions and his recklessness. Cibola Burns gave us an entirely alien setting and Murtry who is one of my favorite villains of all time. Finally, Nemesis Games gave the crew’s backstories and is seemingly putting into motion the next few books of the series.
In comparison to these, Caliban’s War just didn’t do as much for me.
Your review was very thought provoking though and I enjoyed being able to take a break in everything I have to get done today and read it.
Once more I have to disagree with your take on these characters. The point of Holden is that he’s incredibly naive and causes at least as many problems as he solves, which then Avasarala and others of her ilk must deal with. Neither Holden or Miller are heroes, although they like to think they are, although they are doing the best they can( that’s also part of the point). Their flaws are what drive the plot. You’ve got to look a little deeper.
However, I do think that the Rocinante and its crew are the heart of the series. They are the characters who appear in every book, and the conflict of the solar system is seen through their eyes. The crew itself is a microcosm of the different cultures in the system, and their ability to work together shows that there is some hope, no matter how idiotic governments can be. It’s the small, so-called unimportant people who are making things better.
I also am not a fan a Avasarala. She seems more like a funny idea than an actual person. “Look, let’s have a grandmother, but let’s have her cuss ALL THE TIME! It’s gonna be a laugh riot!” Well, no, not so much. Avasarala is also flawed. She thinks she has a much better grip on the situation than she actually does, and she gets the rug totally pulled out from under her. Her hubris is her downfall, just as Miller’s nihilism is his and Holden’s is his naivete.
Bobbie does kick ass, though. Total agreement.
Also it wouldn’t be hard for Miller to film a bunch of scenes in advance which can be used as cameos for the next few years.
We’re getting pretty good at splicing people together.
It’s not like there’s much violence against kids directly shown in the book. Sure, it’s made clear that people are using sick children as subjects for a super soldier program, but apart from one dead kid, it’s not shown on page. There’s no reason why the TV show can’t follow this approach.
The big question will be, who’s big enough to play Bobbie? Pretty much every scene someone points out how huge she is, so they’re going to need an actor who towers over everyone else. (Or just have her acting from on top of a box in every scene ;)
As for Miller’s reappearances, as he’s a sort of hallucination I don’t think they’ll need to seamlessly insert him into scenes, if he looks a bit wonky that might even work better.
I disagree, Leviathan Wakes is not the worst novel in the series. I find this sentiment, “unquestionably the weakest book,” to be a little extreme. Clearly, that’s questionable. And, why would you pick up the ensuing novels, if the 1st didn’t grab your attention? All other arguments rendered invalid from that point on.
I watched the first episode that was released early. I saw Avasarala seeming to both condone and enjoy torture.
I didn’t get that from the books.
I also didn’t understand hauling a Belter all the way to Earth for this.
I’d argue that 3 is easily the weakest of the bunch (LW can’t be, or we wouldn’t have gone on to the rest of the series); it’s a getting-there book, setting us up for what is to come. But where I really disagree is concerning Holden and Miller — there’s a reason that the books drag considerably when away from either of these characters (whatever form we may find them in) or those shipping with Holden. As for Draper, when I came to book 4 I actually had to look the character up, while the others walked out front and center — that’s surely the mark of a memorable and deeply important character. I agree with much of what the commenters say above.
Considering Captain America is by far the most interesting character in the MCU for me, its safe to say that I disagree with your assessment on what constitutes interesting, and I’m glad there are still people who cater to my story tastes.