hi a very quick question - I saw that you're reading The Expanse and wanted to ask: is it better to start with the books or with the tv series? thank you in advance ✨
Strap into your crash couch and ready yourself for a hard burn, because given the chance I will ramble on about The Expanse (and thank you for giving me the perfect opportunity to!)
TL;DR: you can go either way! Season 6 (final season for now hopefully, I won't tell you why it actually makes sense to end here for now) airs next Friday, December 10th on Amazon Prime. The final book Leviathan Falls is out now. Read it, watch it, I promise you won't regret it.
The beauty of The Expanse is the fact that you can go either way because even though the show is a faithful adaptation of the books, they are also improved upon by the fact that the book writers (James S.A. Corey is the pen name of Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham) are also very involved in the show. Here's the book vs show timeline by /u/prograft on Reddit:
(Season 6 will cover Book 6 and the trailer suggested it will have some elements of one of the novellas as well)
As with every adaptation, there are changes made in order to meet the constraints of putting words into screen. Timelines will be condensed (The Expanse takes the physics of spaceflight and orbital mechanics very seriously, so travel time is a huge factor. No artificial gravity or FTL spaceflight), some plot lines are shuffled about, but the core of the story is very faithful.
What's also interesting and especially well done in The Expanse is the way characters are handled. A beloved prominent show character Camina Drummer is four book characters condensed together, for example. Some characters are given more compexity and warmth in the show. Some do not appear at all, some are show exclusive and don't appear in the books or given different roles, but again, the beat of the story is consistent. The Belter Creole in the show is also much better in the show because they consulted a linguist.
In addition to that, AFAIK they already know the ending of the nine-book series before the show even aired, so in comparison to say, Game of Thrones, the direction and the focus of the show is already established from the beginning. It did face a setback when it was cancelled after three seasons before being picked up by Amazon, but all in all, it was handled very well.
Still despite how very well done the show is, the books are as excellent, and I'd argue, even better. Ty and Daniel have a very keen eye in building up tension, laying out conflicts, and wrapping up story threads. The books are written in detail-rich, straightforward yet epic prose that, despite the whole bulk of worldbuilding needed to establish the universe, doesn't feel dense at all. Quite the contrary—it's an action packed, fast-paced space opera set in a very cool yet very grounded in real life physics universe, but in its very core its a very human story. The characters feel alive and rich and flawed. The politics and conflicts very close to home. Some of the philosophical theses handled in the books about the nature of humanity have made me lie down on the floor and tear up.
It's not perfect, of course. There are some things put into focus that I deem unnecessary, and some more things which framing I don't quite agree on, and I have a lot of thoughts about how despite how diverse the cast of characters are, it could still be much better.
All in all, both the show and the book series are very well done sci-fi. I'd argue it has earned its place among the classics. Whether you choose to read the books first or watch the series first, you'll be in for a grand time.
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— 3. pet: beloved bastard watching formula e! (with his cone, we dont talk about it since he hates it)
— 6. something i want to buy: my turntable is too wonky so i need to upgrade it… i have this bad boy (which i can somewhat afford) on sight i just have to find the will power to actually buy it hehe
— 8. a meme: i’m not that good at saving memes but this felt right
