In fact, far too often a first novel holds a pretty self contained story, and then the second novel serves almost as a set up novel for the trilogies conclusion, leaving us with some sort of cliffhanger, and not offering a satisfying conclusion. I think I started to realize that rarely does a second novel improve over the first. In that two month delay, my enthusiasm began to wane.
So, when Caliban’s Wake first came out, I was excited for it, yet, there was a delay between when the print version came out, and all my favorite Speculative fiction bloggers were raving about it, and when the audio version came out. Simply put, I found the beginning kinda meh, and the ending pretty kickass. It took me a while to engage with the story, to get a handle on the characters and become invested in the world. Yet, I ended up listening to it, and liked it. I’m actually less of a Hard Scifi guy that most fans, and tend to like more explody, almost pulpish scifi, over intricate space operas and wasn’t sure where Leviathan Wakes fell within the genre. While I love science fiction, the description of the novel didn’t really capture me.
Honestly, if it wasn’t nominated for an Audie, and wasn’t on my list as a participant in the Armchair Audies event, I’m not sure I would have listened to the novel. Well, that, and because the novel had Vomit Zombies. Leviathan Wakes was a novel last year that I listened to mostly because it was nominated for ALL THE AWARDS, most particularly in the science fiction category of the Audies. Fans of Leviathan Wakes should not hesitate to jump into this latest tale of the Expanse, and for those new to the world, what are you waiting for? It’s has a fully contained story, new characters that actually enhance the story and true emotional impact through a realistic portrayal of broken characters. It’s a second novel that doesn’t suffer from the tradition second novel’s fate. Quick Thoughts: From the very first page, Caliban’s Wake had me enthralled.
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