Back in 2011, I kept seeing this book called Leviathan Wakes at my local Barnes and Noble store. I would pick it up and thumb through it. I thought it looked like something I would want to try out. But I never did.
Then Caliban’s War came out the next year. Again, I did not purchase it. I only thought about it. I couldn’t commit. When Abaddon’s Gate hit the bookshelves in 2013, I knew that I had probably been missing out on a great tale.
So, I purchased the first book in the series, and never looked back. I read the Leviathan Wakes and immediately purchased the next two books in sequence. I read them and learned that I would have to wait until the next year for the story to continue.
When I heard a rumor the series would be adapted for the small screen, I couldn’t have been more pumped. It was great. Book and television series. I was living it up. Then I heard SyFy was going to cancel the series after the third series. Thankfully, Amazon picked it up.
This year is a bittersweet experience. The television series came to an end with the final episode airing on January 14, 2022. The book series ended when Leviathan Falls was released on November 30, 2021.
Typically, I am sad to see a series I have enjoyed come to an end. This might not be the case with this series. Don’t get me wrong. It is an incredible read and a thoroughly enjoyable experience on the small screen—better than much of the swill and braindead shows that pass for entertainment these days.
Series one, four, and five were 10 episodes long. Series two and three both had 13 episodes. And that was perfect. As detailed and intricate as the storylines were in the novels, the 10 episodes were good, but the 13-episode seasons allowed the showrunners to develop the books. They included important subplots often neglected in adaptions.
But this final season felt like a dagger to my heart. Six episodes were nowhere near enough to bring about a conclusion to the series. Why did the adaption end after the sixth season? It was a perfect place to cut it off. The seventh book takes place decades after the end of book six, Babylon’s Ashes.
I own this series on DVD and will purchase the sixth season when it comes out. I just wish it could have been twice as long. Then I read an article on the Screen Rant website that said the final three books may be adapted in other mediums. Movies? One could hope…but then you run the risk of neglecting important subplots. Though I am not a purist in that regard.
As for the final book of the series: I started reading it last week. It too seems abbreviated, almost as if it is in a hurry to end. Maybe I am just bitter about no longer anticipating the next book or season. Now, I just need to find a replacement. Has anyone seen Foundation on the Apple streaming service?
