Leviathan Wakes

Starred review from March 14, 2011
Corey (the shared pseudonym of Ty Franck and Hugo-nominated fantasist Daniel Abraham) kicks off a sprawling space opera series with this riveting interplanetary thriller. Relations among Earth, Mars, and the unincorporated "Belter" settlements of the asteroid belt and outer planets are rarely more than cordial. When ice hauler Jim Holden investigates an emergency beacon on a derelict Belter ship, he findsâand broadcastsâevidence that it was attacked by Mars forces. Burnt-out Ceres Station detective Joe Miller is puzzled by a drop in organized crime violence and an oddly compelling case involving a missing Earth heiress and a cutting-edge biochemistry company, Protogen. As interplanetary civil war heats up, egged on by the aggressive IRA-like Outer Planets Alliance, Holden and Miller fight and think their way through a sticky web of politics, corporate secrets, and a possible alien invasion. The strong characterization and excellent world-building will have readers jonesing for the planned sequels.

March 1, 2011

A rare, rattling space opera—first of a trilogy, or series, from Corey (aka Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck).  

Humanity colonized the solar system out as far as Neptune but then exploration stagnated. Straight-arrow Jim Holden is XO of an ice-hauler swinging between the rings of Saturn and the mining stations of the Belt, the scattered ring of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter. His ship's captain, responding to a distress beacon, orders Holden and a shuttle crew to investigate what proves to be a derelict. Holden realizes it's some sort of trap, but an immensely powerful, stealthed warship destroys the ice-hauler, leaving Holden and the shuttle crew the sole survivors. This unthinkable act swiftly brings Earth, with its huge swarms of ships, Mars with its less numerous but modern and powerful navy, and the essentially defenseless Belt to the brink of war. Meanwhile, on the asteroid Ceres, cynical, hard-drinking detective Miller—we don't find out he has other names until the last few pages—receives orders to track down and "rescue"—i.e. kidnap—a girl, Julie Mao, who rebelled against her rich Earth family and built an independent life for herself in the Belt. Julie is nowhere to be found but, as the fighting escalates, Miller discovers that Julie's father knew beforehand that hostilities would occur. Now obsessed, Miller continues to investigate even when he loses his job—and the trail leads towards Holden, the derelict, and what might prove to be a horrifying biological experiment. No great depth of character here, but the adherence to known physical laws—no spaceships zooming around like airplanes—makes the action all the more visceral. And where Corey really excels is in conveying the horror and stupidity of interplanetary war, the sheer vast emptiness of space and the amorality of huge corporations.

A huge, churning, relentlessly entertaining melodrama buoyed by confidence that human values will prevail.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from April 15, 2011

In the far future, a delicate balance exists among the Belters who work the rigs and haulers that mine the Asteroid Belt for precious water resources, the Earthers who try to maintain control of a solar system slipping from their grasp, and the Mars Navy, which seeks an independent Mars. When an ice hauler uncovers evidence of an apparent attack by the Mars Navy and a police detective on the Ceres Space Station is assigned a dead-end kidnapping case, the subsequent incidents spark an intergalactic crisis that threatens to exterminate the human species. Writing as Corey, coauthors Daniel Abraham (see above review of The Dragon's Path) and Ty Franck successfully blend top-notch space opera with noir detective fiction in an original tale that features a compelling plot and achingly believable characters. VERDICT Fans of large canvas space opera in the tradition of David Weber's Honor Harrington novels as well as readers who enjoy fast-paced hard sf with a dash of noir should relish this remarkable series opener, a standout addition to any collection.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.