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

[giallarhorn]

I actually have no idea if I want to continue reading the series and I was skeptical about trying to watch the show, too, although I've now dipped my toe in

I think The Expanse is the one rare occasion where I've continued to watch the show, but I never felt the urge to pick up the books past the first? Partly because it feels like the show keeps a lot of the stuff I like (the worldbuilding, space, divisions along cultural/political lines instead of one big human empire, etc), but also it felt like the characters got tweaked to fit the show vs the book? So I guess they're kinda parallel, but running along just slightly different axis?

he had this idealistic "I will just tell people the facts and it'll be for the best" view AND that other people called him out on the consequences of those idealistic impulsesYeah, Holden is...kinda meh as a main character? I kinda regulated him to a 'what happens when an idealistic person gets dragged into a tense political minefield that's very messy and starts setting off everything', which...is

Expanse + What If...

[hamsterwoman]

I think The Expanse is the one rare occasion where I've continued to watch the show, but I never felt the urge to pick up the books past the first?

That seems to be what I'm leaning towards as well, and, yeah, that's very unusual for me, since I'm much more of a reader than TV watcher. And it's exactly as you say, because the show does a really good job of running with the aspects I liked best (i.e. the worldbuilding)

'what happens when an idealistic person gets dragged into a tense political minefield that's very messy and starts setting off everything', which...is interesting for moving the plot along? But then it's all like 'Holden, you're the one Good Person'Yep. I find the first part of that neat, though not infinitely interesting -- like, I wouldn't want an entire series of Holden blundering about setting off mines with his idealism (excellent metaphor btw), but I have zero interest in "Holden you're the One Good Person" stuff, I find. That just doesn't feel like a realistic reaction to me, given the world that's set up. Or

Re: Expanse + What If...

[giallarhorn]

That just doesn't feel like a realistic reaction to me, given the world that's set up. Or, like, it might be from a few damaged people looking for a martyr to follow, but not universally

I remember it gets a little better once things start getting way, way complicated? Mostly cause the cast expands a lot with each season, and the Roci crew each gets more separate arcs, though I think at one point someone explicitly tells Holden not to go into an already messy situation, cause he'll just make it worse XD

I'm hoping Naomi gets some actual arc or something before the Holden thing, at least...

I think she does get her own arc before they're all official couple type? It's been a while, but her and Holden are mostly on/off till about s4, so she does get some time to her own self between then!

but we better start punching each other. POW! SPLAT! POW! (I mean, I know, comics. But my suspension of disbelief apparently has limits even for comic book things. :P) Right? Good old fistcuffs, LOL. I guess at some point, they figured they had to

B5

[hamsterwoman]

Or if they'll drop that in favor for the episodic everyone likes to see?Oh, hm, I hadn't thought of that, but I guess a departure from novel-in-space could be the biggest change, if JMS was interested in redoing it that way. I suspect he still wants to tell a single coherent story, though

Re: B5

[giallarhorn]

departure from novel-in-space could be the biggest change, if JMS was interested in redoing it that way. I suspect he still wants to tell a single coherent story, though...

I do hope he keeps the same format of one big continual linked show since it was such a cool thing! But in terms of reinvention to modern times, it'd be interesting to see if the narrative structure keeps to that or does something else entirely different?

I'm thinking of it kind of as an author translating their own work, after the fact -- the new language gives you a different set of tools you can work with, and a different set of limitations, but you still know the core of the message

Ohhhh, that's a neat way of thinking about it! I didn't think of it even as a re-translation, but more of a revisiting an old work- but I guess a lot has changed in media since then, so it becomes more of a reinvention than the old thing? Or as the whole Ship of Theseus question- is it the same in a different lens, or is it a new thing?