Reading and (mosty) watching roundup: The Expanse (finally), Owl House, What If...

[hamsterwoman]

I've been slacking on my reading lately, partly because said reading wasn't gripping me, partly because I've been watching TV and scrolling Yuletide-related posts instead, but I did finish one (1) book, and should post about the other media consumptions stuff, too, so :P

42. James S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse book 1) -- Huh. I've been

Comments

[tinnny]

Huh. I didn't know about the B5 Reboot. I am interested for all of the meta reasons you cite. Definitely worth it just for that!

I have not read the Expanse books, but have seen the first season. There is one scene later where the "blue infestation" (and no, since I haven't read the book and only seen the first season, I still don't know what exactly it is, except for 'some kind of organism') is shown a bit more revoltingly, but the show itself never came across to me as icky or body-horror focused at all. So I would say they toned that down considerably. There is also some vomiting at some point, but honestly, it just reminded me of Farscape and was one of my fave parts of the series. :D

I agree with you on Holden. He was chosen for "pretty" and has nothing else going for him. I also like Naomi and Amos. Naomi sounds like she's very much like in the books. Show!Amos was shown as loyal, yes, but also having a good heart and doing the right thing. Either I overlooked the immoral parts you describe are in the book, or they chose to downplay them.

I really liked Miller, but then I'm into broken noir characters. :)

But overall, your summary isn't making me want to read the books. I've been dithering on that decision for ages, and never got as far as buying the first one.

[hamsterwoman]

I've been watching season 1 of The Expanse, and I think I just got to the "blue infestation" scene. It is indeed way less gross than what was described in the book, and thank goodness for that!

Also, haha, a couple of people have mentioned vomiting in Farscape as a benchmark for vomiting in The Expanse, but either I did not get to the vomiting in Farscape (I intend to go back, but I stopped right around the time the two Johns split up) or it wasn't severe enough for me to remember...

Either I overlooked the immoral parts you describe are in the book, or they chose to downplay them.

Honestly, Amos feels like a fairly different character in the show vs the book. I like the both, and show!Amos seems like he's got more interesting things going on. It's possible book!Amos starts showing some of that same complexity in later books, but on the surface, they feel pretty different. Book!Amos is this big bruiser who reaches for his gun a lot, but I don't get the sense that the other characters think of him as this "mad dog on a leash" which are the vibes I'm getting from the show. Certainly book!Holden doesn't think of him that way (and book!Amos's moral compass loyalty is to Holden, not Naomi).

Naomi feels pretty similar in terms of personality, but whatever her secret in in the show, I didn't get any sense of that in the book. Of course, everything we see in the book is either from Holden's or from Miller's POV, so she could have stuff going on in the background that we just aren't privy to...

I really liked Miller, but then I'm into broken noir characters. :)

You know, funny thing -- I'm actually liking show!Miller. I'm kinda shocked, tbh XD But the combination of the actor doing a great job with the role and the medium being such that you get to see his actions, expressions, and dialogue -- but NOT the endless internal moping that is his POV in the book -- makes a huge difference. At this point in the show, I far, FAR prefer him to Holden, and like him about on par with the non-Holden folks on the Roci.

But overall, your summary isn't making me want to read the books. I've been dithering on that decision for ages, and never got as far as buying the first one.

Yeah, like, I'm glad I tried the book first, because it gives me a baseline, but I think the show as a standalone is a fine way to experience this universe. There is way more gross body horror stuff in the book, and if that's a thing one likes, then that could be a selling point. Or I guess if one specifically likes reading Noir Detective POV, as opposed to just experiencing it in a visual medium? Also, book!Holden is a better character, but not enough better, IMO, that I think he's worth reading the book for. One thing I do miss from the book is the tight-knit nature of the Roci crew -- they have a found family thing going from the start, rather than having to gel into one, as in the show. But that's the only major way in which I've found the book preferable to season-1-so-far, and there are a lot of things pulling in the other direction.