Kevin's Watch

Anyone watching this space opera TV show based on Leviathan Wakes and the subsequent Expanse stories? Pretty good so far. You can watch the first 4 episodes on the Syfy channel's website:

www.syfy.com/theexpanse/episodes

I finished watching the first 4 episodes of this show and it's fantastic. Can't wait for more.

Just wondering if anyone else has watched this. It's a really great show.

Finished the last episode of The Expanse season 1. Pretty exciting show. Can't believe I have to wait a whole year for season 2.

I've heard a lot of good things, but I don't know how to actually watch this in the UK.

I thought the first episode was confusing due to the poor writing, but I have to say I'm intrigued enough to keep watching.

I stopped watching after episode 4. Just because I had no real urge to.

I think it's probably harder to follow if you haven't read the books. I read all the books quite a while ago. I thought the TV series was good.

The books are definitely worth reading and include quite a bit more detail.

Just finished the first book. Haven't watched the series yet, but I'm curious about it. Do you recommend finishing the book series first?

Watched a couple of episodes (i have not read the books) and wasn't drawn in. Something about the dialog, interior sets (exterior FX is quite good) and acting made me start to question why I was still watching and sure enough I gave up. I really like the premise though and believe if the production had a different feel I'd be a regular viewer.

Sorus wrote:Just finished the first book. Haven't watched the series yet, but I'm curious about it. Do you recommend finishing the book series first?

Not necessarily. Though I personally have read all the books and novellas associated with The Expanse universe.

Disclaimer: I've never read the books (they're on the list, along with the Witcher books).

I love this show. Yeah, the first season can be a little hard to push through, but man... The last season was just awesome, and I can't wait until the next one (even if I have to renew my Amazon Prime).

[Syl] wrote:Disclaimer: I've never read the books (they're on the list, along with the Witcher books).

I love this show. Yeah, the first season can be a little hard to push through, but man... The last season was just awesome, and I can't wait until the next one (even if I have to renew my Amazon Prime).

I don't know how much time you have, considering work and kids and marriage and such activities of daily living, but if you have a commute to work, or some block of time where you're doing something that you could have headphones on and listen, I HIGHLY recommend listening to the books on audible. for one thing, the guy who reads them, Jefferson Mays, is just freaking BRILLIANT. he does the voice inflections without sounding weird, i.e. women's voices. and you just don't want to miss Chrisjen Avasarala's cursing!!(she curses WAY more in the books!) NO ONE can curse like Avasarala!! hahahaha. for another thing, the show, good as it is, and it's good, a really great adaptation, it's all squished together so of course, you miss a lot just only having seen the show. I had read the series (well the first 6 books, up through Babylon's ashes) twice before I saw the first season of the show and I still thought it was an excellent adaptation. THEN I listened to it on audible...omg...sooo so good. Jefferson Mays is so good. I have not read the most recent book (the 7th) nor have I seen season 2 of the show. I totally want to listen to it again before watching more of the show! lol!!
anyway, that's my endorsement.
I love this series.
prior to reading it, I thought The Gap was as good as it gets for space opera. (or the first 3 books of Foundation)
but the expanse has taken that spot in my personal cannon!!

I'm Murrin wrote:I've heard a lot of good things, but I don't know how to actually watch this in the UK.

you should be able to watch it on Amazon Prime now Murrin, it's moved from SyFy to Amazon.

Sorus wrote:Just finished the first book. Haven't watched the series yet, but I'm curious about it. Do you recommend finishing the book series first?

but yes, i'd highly recommend reading (or listening to it on audible, see my post above regarding that) the series before watching the tv show.
it's written in sort of trilogies,
Leviathan Wakes, Caliban's War, and Abaddon's Gate comprising the first "section" of the series and I think the first 3 or 4 seasons are based on those 3 books. they do pretty good job sort of condensing the story in my opinion.
(surprised that DLB found the writing for the tv series "poor" because I thought they did a great job)



the real reason I bumped this thread is because i'm listening again to the novels on audible and i'm finding that, this time through, there are a lot of thoughts about the ideas and themes in the books that I'd really like to discuss, or see what other people think about them particularly some of the stuff that pertains to a couple of the threads in the Close (i.e. in the most current book one of the characters says "consciousness is a property of matter") and there are other themes as well, there are 3 political sort of factions, Mars, Earth, and The Belt that are at odds with one another and also themes of "other" and what is "other" and what is "human", etc. this is probably my 4th or 5th time through these books and it's taken this many readings (listenings) for me to get past the characters and the story to some of the themes and ideas so I was wishing for other people to talk about that stuff with. SO GET READING YOUSE!!

I've read them all except for the most recent novel.