Review of Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey

Eight novels and multiple short stories later and we've done it, we've reached the end of the Expanse line. Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham, the duo behind the pen name “James S.A. Corey”, have chosen to take more of an episodic rather than linear approach to their world/story. Nevertheless, the past two novels have clearly been building toward the series' climax, and it's up to Leviathan Falls, ninth and final novel, to erect the capstone. Does it fulfill the hype?

Leviathan Falls picks up where Tiamat's Wrath left off. The crew of the Rocinante have been reunited, at least what is left of it, and added Teresa Duarte as passenger. Winston Duarte, her father, has found himself in an... altered state of existence due to the proto-molecule and goes off the ranch. The Laconian government wants to know his whereabouts, so they dispatch their best shot at tracking him across space, Colonel Tanaka, a hard-nosed soldier who doesn't take any shit. Strange things begin happening near ring gates, and space-time starts to deteriorate, randomly killing swathes of humans. Feeling the pressure, the crew of the Rocinante are forced to fend off Duarte's attempts to contact his daughter, all the while the universe starts to collapse in on itself around them. Leviathan does fall, question is, on who?

To get the question out of the way quickly, Leviathan Falls delivers on readers' expectations in quality fashion. Where some writers drop the ball or make odd decisions for the final volumes of their series, “Corey” opts to use what has worked for the series—rotating viewpoints, reasonable character realism, and big screen special effects. A major climax does occur specific to the book itself, but does so in a way that feels organic to the preceding volumes, numerous open ends closed off. Overall, the novel is a success in the context of the series.

The details is where things become more subjective. I was not a fan of Zombie Amos, and in Leviathan Falls little is done to alter that. The epilogue attempts to do something with the idea, but likewise makes an effort at selling the whole series short by reducing things to a couple one-liners. It does not completely sell the series short. I get why Corey did as they did. It nevertheless pushes the series toward generic sf when it perhaps needed to take a third option.

I was also not a complete fan of how the other main character arcs are resolved. To be 100% clear, I fully laud Corey for consciously avoiding overtly happy or tragic endings—they did take the 'third option' in several other cases. At the same time, I felt they could have been situated a little differently to better effect. Another way of saying this is, what happens feels more a whim of storytelling than germane to the characters' previous arcs. Not a spoiler, it's fair to ask: why would they do what they do given the track record of the previous books?

Something to laud Corey for is the handling of BIG EVIL. Kept largely off screen, the author duo provide enough information to maintain story momentum, but do not let all the cats out of the bag. There is a sense, but not detailed to the nth degree. This balance allows the reader to feel sensawunda while having just enough of their questions answered to likewise feel satisfaction.

I've gotten dangerously close to spoiler territory, and writing more runs further risk. So, I will end my review by saying, it's likely that if you've read the previous eight novels there is little this review can do to change your mind, which is good. Corey have built an interesting space for the imagination, and Leviathan Falls pulls all the threads together for a splashy, concluding volume that will deliver on most readers' expectations. Character resolutions, big battles, and a (semi) bow tied around the universe, it's likely to leave the reader with a smile of satisfaction. And if I can deliver a parting shot, I think it's fair to say that in the insular world of space opera, the Expanse series can now be discussed as among the all time greats.