Konrad Schulz Frau Dangelmaier
The Expanse - Leviathan Wakes
Book report
Authors:
• James S.A. Corey is the pseudonym for Daniel James Abraham and Ty Corey Franck
• Franck developed some ideas for a failed MMO game, Abraham saw his ideas and wanted to
turn them into a novel with Franck, since he has experience as a writer
• Book is split in two, to make the writing easier for both, one half by Franck, the other one my
Abraham in an alternating fashion
Worldbuilding:
• Year 2350
• Humans colonized the solar system (or: expanded into the solar system)
• After a war for independence, Mars is now an independent military power, the MCRN
• Behind Mars lies the Asteroid Belt, the people there live on stations inside the biggest
asteroids
• The Belt is dependent on resources from earth and mars
• Even after the war, there is still tension between earth, mars and the belt
• The Protomolecule is an extrasolar object, alien in origin, which uses biomass to grow
Characters:
James Holden:
Born on earth and former Soldier for the UN Navy, after that executive officer onboard the
Canterbury. He is a qualified leader and an idealist, who doesn’t think everything through. Gets along
with all people, Belter or Martians not excluded
Josephus Miller:
Born in the Belt on Ceres. Had an Ex-wife. Works as a cop on Ceres for Star Helix Security. Has a
flexible morality and is a nihilist.
Naomi Nagata:
A born Belter. After working with the OPA, she took a job on the Cant as engineer. Always has Amos
by her side. Also wants to do what’s right, but the Belt comes first for her.
Amos Burton:
Born on earth with a rough childhood. Took a job on the Canterbury with Naomi as engineer. Very
tough with a lack of empathy, which is why he sticks to Naomi’s side. Naomi is like a boss and sister
for him
Alex Kamal:
Born on Mars. Former Pilot for the MCRN, now pilot of the Canterbury. Proud Martian, but very
friendly and reliable crewmate
Julie Mao:
Daughter of a wealthy man on earth, who is running the Protogen company. She ran away from
home to help the Belt
Fred Johnson:
Leader of Tycho station. Dark past in the UN Navy. Earther, yet helps Belters
Plot Summary:
• Holden, Naomi, Amos and Alex follow a distress beacon
• Distress beacon was a trap, Canterbury was destroyed, Holden tells whole system
• The MCRN Donnager picks the crew up, tells them it wasn’t the Martians
• Donnager gets destroyed, Holden and crew escape again
• Meanwhile: Miller gets job to find Julie, gets fired, still tries to find her
• Fred Johnson takes Holden and crew in and gives them a new mission
• Holden and crew fly to Eros to find an OPA agent
• The crew and Miller find Julie dead at the same time and team up
• Eros is on radiation lockdown, the crew must escape
• Holden and Miller investigate, rest of crew flees to the Roci
• Eros is a giant experiment with the protomolecule, Miller and Holden escape narrowly, but
Eros is completely infected
• Holden and crew find the Anubis, learn about a Protogen research station
• The Protogen station gets attacked, the crew learn everything about the protomolecule
• Miller and Holden have a conflict because of Holdens ideology, but make up and decide to
ram Eros with the Nauvoo into the sun
• The Nauvoo didn’t hit Eros, because the asteroid dodged the ship using the protomolecule
and is now on collision course with earth
• Miller, who stayed on Eros with a bomb, ventures inside eros, hoping to blow it up from
inside, but finds the infected Julie is steering the asteroid unknowingly
• He convinces her to crash into venus instead, sparing earth and teaching Holden how to deal
with his idealism
Recommendation:
• For people who like realistic science fiction an absolute must
• TV-Series is deemed the best Sci-Fi show to date, because of its incredible attention to
realism (nothing for weak stomachs!)
• Much more to read and watch, very interesting take on human moral
