Leviathan Wakes

This put me through an emotional wringer! At first it was a bit of a slog, and the detective story didn't really draw me in. But then the overall mystery and the political machinations really got me interested, and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Then it seemed like every time we were closing in on a climax and resolution, there would be a new, more difficult threat or challenge. The repeatedly rising tension eventually drove me to look up the plot summary of the last 15% or so, because my nerves just couldn't handle any more “What NOW?!” revelations.

Despite my anxiety, the ending brings together the emotional threads of the story in a pretty damn satisfying way. And the plot elements are resolved, though I found it a little confusing. Or unsatisfying, or something. Without giving spoilers, a big issue that drove the plot in a very urgent way suddenly gets treated as relatively trivial, and it didn't sit right with me, but I guess I can see the argument in the other direction (that it truly became relatively trivial given what develops).

Anyway, this was a really good story with some wonderful characters. Still, I'm not sure I'll read the next one, since the pacing wasn't a terrific match with my tastes. In addition to the ratcheting spiral of tension, there was a lot that could have been trimmed and suited me fine - less navel-gazing by the characters and more economical action scenes would have been nice. But I can also see why people love this book, and might welcome the slower pace and investment in detail. The characters you get to know are beautifully drawn and feel like friends by the end.