Science Fiction
- Publisher : Orbit
- Published : 30 Nov 2021
- Pages : 528
- ISBN-10 : 0316332917
- ISBN-13 : 9780316332910
- Language : English
Leviathan Falls (The Expanse, 9)
The biggest science fiction series of the decade comes to an incredible conclusion in the ninth and final novel in James S.A. Corey's Hugo-award winning space opera that inspired the Prime Original series.
"An all-time genre classic." –Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Hugo Award Winner for Best Series
The Laconian Empire has fallen, setting the thirteen hundred solar systems free from the rule of Winston Duarte. But the ancient enemy that killed the gate builders is awake, and the war against our universe has begun again.
In the dead system of Adro, Elvi Okoye leads a desperate scientific mission to understand what the gate builders were and what destroyed them, even if it means compromising herself and the half-alien children who bear the weight of her investigation. Through the wide-flung systems of humanity, Colonel Aliana Tanaka hunts for Duarte's missing daughter. . . and the shattered emperor himself. And on the Rocinante, James Holden and his crew struggle to build a future for humanity out of the shards and ruins of all that has come before.
As nearly unimaginable forces prepare to annihilate all human life, Holden and a group of unlikely allies discover a last, desperate chance to unite all of humanity, with the promise of a vast galactic civilization free from wars, factions, lies, and secrets if they win.
But the price of victory may be worse than the cost of defeat.
"Interplanetary adventure the way it ought to be written." -George R. R. Martin
The Expanse
Leviathan Wakes
Caliban's War
Abaddon's Gate
Cibola Burn
Nemesis Games
Babylon's Ashes
Persepolis Rising
Tiamat's Wrath
Leviathan Falls
Memory's Legion
The Expanse Short Fiction
Drive
The Butcher of Anderson Station
Gods of Risk
The Churn
The Vital Abyss
Strange Dogs
Auberon
The Sins of Our Fathers
"An all-time genre classic." –Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Hugo Award Winner for Best Series
The Laconian Empire has fallen, setting the thirteen hundred solar systems free from the rule of Winston Duarte. But the ancient enemy that killed the gate builders is awake, and the war against our universe has begun again.
In the dead system of Adro, Elvi Okoye leads a desperate scientific mission to understand what the gate builders were and what destroyed them, even if it means compromising herself and the half-alien children who bear the weight of her investigation. Through the wide-flung systems of humanity, Colonel Aliana Tanaka hunts for Duarte's missing daughter. . . and the shattered emperor himself. And on the Rocinante, James Holden and his crew struggle to build a future for humanity out of the shards and ruins of all that has come before.
As nearly unimaginable forces prepare to annihilate all human life, Holden and a group of unlikely allies discover a last, desperate chance to unite all of humanity, with the promise of a vast galactic civilization free from wars, factions, lies, and secrets if they win.
But the price of victory may be worse than the cost of defeat.
"Interplanetary adventure the way it ought to be written." -George R. R. Martin
The Expanse
Leviathan Wakes
Caliban's War
Abaddon's Gate
Cibola Burn
Nemesis Games
Babylon's Ashes
Persepolis Rising
Tiamat's Wrath
Leviathan Falls
Memory's Legion
The Expanse Short Fiction
Drive
The Butcher of Anderson Station
Gods of Risk
The Churn
The Vital Abyss
Strange Dogs
Auberon
The Sins of Our Fathers
Editorial Reviews
"Corey deftly weaves multiple points of view to create a dense and colorful tapestry of political intrigue, personal relationships, and sophisticated technology that bursts with action but also delivers an introspective view of the characters as they age and reflect on their purpose and the value of their lives."―Booklist (starred review) on Tiamat's Wrath
"As Corey wraps up their epic space opera series, they're running on all cylinders, playing with epic consequences for humanity, and showing that none of their long-running characters are safe from what could come. But they also put together a story that seems all-too-relevant in this day and age: a warning of the dangers that fascism and totalitarianism bring."―Polygon on Tiamat's Wrath
"A standout tale of violence, intrigue, ambition, and hope. ... Corey cranks up the tension relentlessly in this fast-paced story of heroes and rebels fighting for freedom. With enough thrills and intrigue for three Hollywood blockbusters, the novel stands alone nicely, making it easy for new readers as well as diehard series fans to dive right in."
―Publishers Weekly on Nemesis Games
"The science fictional equivalent of A Song of Ice and Fire...only with fewer beheadings and way more spaceships."
―NPR Books on Cibola Burn
"Combining an exploration of real human frailties with big SF ideas and exciting thriller action, Corey cements the series as must-read space opera."
―Library Journal (starred review) on Cibola Burn
"The Expanse series is the best space opera series running at full tilt right now, and Cibola Burn continues that streak of excellence."
―io9 on Cibola Burn
"Corey's splendid fourth Expanse novel blends adventure with uncommon decency."
―Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Cibola Burn
"A politically complex and pulse-pounding page-turner.... Corey perfectly balances character development with action... series fans will find this installment the best yet."
―Publishers Weekly on Abaddon's Gate
"It's been too long since we've had a really kickass space opera. Leviathan Wakes is interplanetary adventure the way it ought to be written, the kind of SF that made me fall in love with the genre way back when, seasoned with a dollop of horror and a dash of noir. Jimmy Corey writes with the energy of a brash newcomer and the polish of a seasoned pro. So where's the second book?"
―George R. R. Martin on Leviathan Wakes
"An excellent space operatic debut in the grand tradition of Peter F. Hamilton."
―Charles Stross on Leviathan Wakes
"High adventure equaling the best space opera has to offer...
"As Corey wraps up their epic space opera series, they're running on all cylinders, playing with epic consequences for humanity, and showing that none of their long-running characters are safe from what could come. But they also put together a story that seems all-too-relevant in this day and age: a warning of the dangers that fascism and totalitarianism bring."―Polygon on Tiamat's Wrath
"A standout tale of violence, intrigue, ambition, and hope. ... Corey cranks up the tension relentlessly in this fast-paced story of heroes and rebels fighting for freedom. With enough thrills and intrigue for three Hollywood blockbusters, the novel stands alone nicely, making it easy for new readers as well as diehard series fans to dive right in."
―Publishers Weekly on Nemesis Games
"The science fictional equivalent of A Song of Ice and Fire...only with fewer beheadings and way more spaceships."
―NPR Books on Cibola Burn
"Combining an exploration of real human frailties with big SF ideas and exciting thriller action, Corey cements the series as must-read space opera."
―Library Journal (starred review) on Cibola Burn
"The Expanse series is the best space opera series running at full tilt right now, and Cibola Burn continues that streak of excellence."
―io9 on Cibola Burn
"Corey's splendid fourth Expanse novel blends adventure with uncommon decency."
―Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Cibola Burn
"A politically complex and pulse-pounding page-turner.... Corey perfectly balances character development with action... series fans will find this installment the best yet."
―Publishers Weekly on Abaddon's Gate
"It's been too long since we've had a really kickass space opera. Leviathan Wakes is interplanetary adventure the way it ought to be written, the kind of SF that made me fall in love with the genre way back when, seasoned with a dollop of horror and a dash of noir. Jimmy Corey writes with the energy of a brash newcomer and the polish of a seasoned pro. So where's the second book?"
―George R. R. Martin on Leviathan Wakes
"An excellent space operatic debut in the grand tradition of Peter F. Hamilton."
―Charles Stross on Leviathan Wakes
"High adventure equaling the best space opera has to offer...
Readers Top Reviews
G. CoaleA. F. MellDi
Firstly Leviathan Falls has a pleasing circularity about it, with many situations a repeat of similar ones earlier in the series - particularly the first 3. Yet even with this it doesn’t feel stale rather it feels “right”. The ending whilst not full of unicorns and rainbows suits the series down to the ground and leaves a feeling of everything having slotted into its rightful place. The epilogue is particularly nice. Messrs Weber and Martin could do worse than look at this as a brilliant example of how to conclusively end a series. Whilst I bounced off of the time gap between books 6 and 7 this book more than the rest justifies the change to get to this conclusion. Bravo and well done to the 2 authors. I recently saw a tweet from the authors account where the series is better thought of as 3 duologies and a trilology, and this intrigues me enough to go back to the start. And now to watch the conclusion of the TV series, which unlike its close cousin GOT has wonderfully evolved into its own thing too. Well done again to the authors. Five stars for the conclusion 4 stars over all for the series.
John_C
It was always going to be a difficult task to bring The Expanse to a close, but they have pulled it off. For my taste, I found the book a little heavy on the metaphysical side and a little light on swashbuckling action. However, despite a touch of predictably, the book is true to the events, relationships and scars of earlier books. It’s a rare pleasure to finish the final book in such a long running series and feel that it was the right way to end the story. This book achieved that, and more.
pheasant_plucker
I've only read the prologue but I'm certain the rest of the book will be to the same high standard and I can't wait to get stuck in!
Ernest Lilley
James S.A. Corey does a spectacular job of wrapping up this wonderful ennealogy (yes that's really a word). Like Star Wars, it's really a trio of trilogies, the first about the creation of the ring, the second about the war with the OPA, and the third set decades later, about the Laconian Empire. Throughout it all though, it's been about the ringbuilder's legacies. On the one hand, they left us a galaxy-spanning system of stargates and 1300 habitable worlds. On the other, they left us in the crosshairs of whoever wiped them out, and here at the end of the series, there are not so subtle clues that the killers are sharpening up their knives and coming for humanity. The Laconian empire is cracking apart, the mad emperor is missing, his heir is hiding out on the Rocinante with Holden and the gang, and Laconian Colonel Aliana Tanaka is out to find both daughter and emperor. If she's lucky, she'll get to kill Holden in the process. Elvi, the scientist we first met on Illus in Cibola Burn, is on a research ship in the middle of nowhere trying to get information from the Ring Founder's library artifact, and watching the fabric of space unravel bit by bit as the Founder's nemesis closes in. Alex will guide the ship where it has to go, following his heart where it leads. Naomi will take all the data and come up with a plan that might just work, while trying to put Jim back together after years of torture. Amos will hold things together by sheer force, and provide the solid center that the crew relies on, while Holden will do what he always does. Pick out the biggest windmill and charge straight at it. Neither the crew of the Rocinante nor the pair of writers that make up James S.A. Corey will let us down. A fitting conclusion to the saga, and some nice surprises towards the end. Excellent and highly recommended. (originally published on Goodreads)
Ana BananahammockJam
What started as amazing scfi-fi/space opera has become a young adult romance novel. I'm 200 pages in and I'm already sick to death of every single character having the exact same personality and "quirky" humor. The authors seem more concerned with taking every opportunity to divert into interpersonal relationships between strong diverse females and their emotional and weak male counterparts. If you havent enjoyed the change in TV and movies in the last decade this is just more of the same. On the other hand if all you require from yuor entertainment is it checks the right boxes of pushing "the message" then you'll really like this half baked crap.