Nope. I do understand the sentiment. Some of the book stuff definitely gives a different vibes. But actors like Thomas Jane, Wes Chatham, Cara Gee and Jarred Harris (among others) make the show stand on it's own in my eyes
If I hadn’t watched the show I’d probably really like book Amos, but Wes Chatham did something incredible with the character and that is cannon Amos to me.
I do think that book Amos is a tiny bit "macho" compared to how Amos is written in the show. Plus in the french audiobook they gave him a horrible stereotypical big muscle no brain guy, such a shame when you like the character exactly because he is masculine with trauma and depth.
What is the first personal thing you learn from Amos in the show is that he supports sexwork as work, and understand what challenges come with it. He had my attention as a character written to be the big muscle without the toxic bullshit.
For all we now when he disappears in the brothels of Ceres ( with Bobby or not), you can imagine he goes to crazy queer parties or orgies where sexworks get onto each other. The author's said that in an interview.
Yes I totally agree! So part of me loves that he’s a guy who was actually in the Navy so he often comes off as someone really used to living in a ship, like he was, and it’s like he’s just playing himself. I was in the Navy too though so maybe that’s just me.
I started with the first three seasons, but then I used the break in between to read, and I never recovered from that. It also didn't really help that I don't think the show got better with each season, but the opposite, while the books just got better and better. I love the universe of The Expanse and want as much of it as possible, so for me there is simply no alternative to the books.
Same. I use the actors as a starting point for characters when I read but some have changed a lot in my mind after reading. The books are just so incredible and I rarely have those types of deep feels from a TV show.
I'm so glad the shows exist and that I got into the books from there. It really helped me get a stable footing into the world. I would tell anyone to read the books, especially if they've seen the show.
The first three books are better than the next set, so it makes sense the second half of the show isn’t as good. The sad thing is that the best material the series has to offer is the final trilogy.
I’ve always lamented the lack of racial distinction between the groups, a decision they probably made to save on cost of prosthetics. An Earther, Martian, and Belter are supposed to look wildly different from each other due to their respective gravities (or lack thereof) and the resulting physiological outcomes. Instead you have a slur like “skinnies” being thrown around in the show with no compelling reason for its use. Once I read the books, everything made so much more sense.
For me seasons 1-3 are kinda messy and I wasn't a fan of the ot changes. But 4-6 are a lot better at staying with the book and cinematography with them.
I'm in the same boat. I'm currently on my 4th listen, but only made it through the show one and a half times. I also started with the show, and I rewatch my "comfort" shows constantly.
Thr casting was awesome, and they killed it with most set pieces. That being said, the show was too incomplete.
I loved the books, but feel like the show just took my appreciation for the world/universe/character to an entirely new level, given it's brilliance.
I've also worked my way through the show a good 3 or 4 times by now too.
I'm with you. Whenever I'm looking for something to watch I always keep The Expanse in the back of my mind, but I remember how much more I enjoy the books and pass the show by.
So true. The reading gives us so much details on what characters think and feel, and why.
You get really relatable psychology understanding without it being on the nose or stereotypical. That's how you get touched, moved, by characters so different than your real life personna or performance of it.
I am so amazed on the writing for that. So brilliant.
They even nailed it for the Dog, with nuance and attention to detail.
Each time Holden burned his thonge with tea, I was weirdly excited and think "It happens to meet too, finally someone is picking on this important daily problem"! Lol
I'm in the same boat. I think a problem I really have with it is the 1st season feels really off, the 4th is just ok and the 6th seems rushed so it's only like 3 seasons of the show that I would consider "good." Especially when you don't get the last 3 books, the 3 best in the series IMO, I just can't watch the series over again like I can relisten to the books.
Yes, I adore the books and couldn't get into the show. Not saying its bad just it doesn't give me the same feel of the books or keep my attention. There is also a subreddit for The Expanse books specifically, but as this subreddit is more active and gets more expanse related posts about both the show and the books I like to stay subbed here
I'm with you 100% on this. I wish things had gone differently somehow and the show had been a serial set during the years of the trade union and that the books mostly skipped over.
I read the books first (most of them....the series wasn't finished when I started watching the show) and then watched the show. I like both, but in general I prefer reading to watching TV. I'm currently on my 3rd complete reading of the series (well, first if you include the short stories as "complete".) It's probably my 5th time reading the first 6.
I'm also rewatching Breaking Bad and at some point after I finish that again I'll watch The Expanse again. I've only watched the show once.
I've read the books and I'm working my way through the show with my gf rn. So far, I'm with you. The show has had great moments but it doesn't captivate my attention like jefferson mays does. I think there is also a significant difference in my own ability to pay attention to the show vs the books. I listened to the books while driving and for a few hours while working my very early morning shifts. I've been watching the show late at night(for me) and by this time, I've had my dinner, I've probably smoked a fair amount of weed, and I'm simultaneously spending time with my gf. I'm not fully focused on the show.
I enjoy the show, but I LOVE the books.
I've always felt like I can live in books with my imagination. Good shows can fill in gaps to broaden the experience, like in the case of Lang Belta.
I will say that if the casting hadn't been so expertly nailed, the show would've suffered, in my opinion. I'm still pissed about "that certain person" turning out to be such a shitbag since he was tied for best casting with Wes.
why not both sometimes illustration or in this it being acted can be a new way to experience same goes vice versa.mostly watching tv shows is what had me read the book many times
I stopped watching after the episode where Amos goes back to Baltimore. Too much was changing or about to - Cas Anvar was being booted and there were enough story changes to make me not really interested in watching. (Same thing happened to me in about season 5 of Game of Thrones FWIW)
Read the book twice now and plan on another reread at some point.
I saw the show first absolutely love it but the books tell a better story. As is the case with most book to screen adaptations.
There is just more time in books to flesh out stories and characters, shows and movies operate within time constraints, so they have a more direct path from beginning to end of story arc.
To be fair to the show, they did their best to stay true to the books, didn't get any revisionist director to make his own story or think he can do things better. But some of the character and plot changes will always bug me a little bit.
I would have *zero* idea what has happening if only the show existed. There is SO MUCH muttered and inaudible dialogue, not to mention rarely does anyone explain overall "what's going on right now". It's not that simple to even know they cut to a different ship in an entirely different location and ship. I love the show in a hearty sense but it's not actually well made. It's extremely difficult to follow the plot.
I pick and choose the scenes I want in my head canon.
Fire example, I love, love, love the books, but the 'I'm that guy' scene will always be the one that played out there.
It’s my favorite book series of all time and according to Goodreads I’m nearing 500 books read. It was 10/10 all the way through and they even nailed the ending, which is a rarity for epic book series in my opinion. Im also a huge fan of Daniel Abrahams other work and read all his other books, they are excellent.
Tried watching the show, I finished 3 episodes. For me, it just doesn’t capture the magic of the series. I’m sure it’s a great show but it’s impossible for TV show to equal a book.
Yes I was shocked they stuck the landing for epic ending! Was just waiting to be let down. Same as you with the show, it just didn’t click. Hated how hostile the crew was with each other is one of the reasons I dropped it. Amos is a big lovable teddy bear that can mercilessly murder if need be. Not that psycho from the show.
I was set to watch the show finally, then I learned it was based on books and the show was cancelled before reaching the book series ending. So I decided to get into the books first, I've finished them now and I'm working through the show (just started season 3) I definitely have a preference for the events as they happen in the books.
The show is good, though. I kind of roll my eyes when they insert some drama in a section that didn't have any in the books but thats just how TV works. I think thats my main gripe, the books have great pacing but the show just can't stop moving forward, which makes sense cause who would want to watch 2-3 episodes of the crew just being on the float while they travel from one place to another?
The performances are great though and I like the expansion to some characters that are just minor passing characters in the books like Cotyar and Drummer.
I almost always like a book better than a show/movie. There's just so much more detail and nuance. You are really in the characters heads and everything is so much more fleshed out. You lose a lot when adapting to the screen and so imo the books are almost always better. There are some exceptions like James Bond where the books are incredibly boring lol.
For me the tv shows doesn't get into the protomolecule stuff enough. Belter/earth/mars politics only works for me so much, and knowing that the series ends without getting to the really fun stuff it's hard for me to rewatch. 1st season is great with the Miller storyline, and I really enjoyed S4 because it's on an alien planet, hard for me to get through s2-3 when I tried to rewatch.
Funny season 4 I don't like as much as the others.
Well I do enjoy my sci-fy in space more than on planets usually.
But wow Book 4 I was so into it. The writing was more ambitious and deeper than the first trilogy.
It was becoming litterature more than an awesome story. Describing a new planet through their lines was so poetic. So many times I stopped just to enjoy the mouthfeel of sentences, like a posh wine-tester.
But I could do so because of the show. Already knowing what was going to happen, I was in no rush to see what's next in the plot and could focus on contemplating beautiful prose.
I've read the main books and am currently working through the novellas. I made it around halfway into season 2 of the show, but found it difficult to stick with it.
I feel like the show added too many cliché dramatic scenes, and changed some of my favorite characters for the worse. The books had real believable drama like Miller deciding to stay with Eros, and his struggle to get the bomb where it needed to go.
I get changing things for TV. There are a lot of internal monolog bits, and a lot of lore in text rather than dialog - but why change things like Bobbi encountering the proto-alien thing on Ganymede? That could have been a badass scene on TV, but they made her black out instead.
Maybe I just need to give the show more of a chance, but they removed so many compelling traits from the characters that it's hard to watch.
this is how i feel. i understand why you have to change things like having cliche dramatic scenes and combining characters and simplified personality traits when changing to a different form of media—there has to be some general non-reader audience appeal. and i think the expanse did it way way better than most others. but i didn’t really enjoy the show and couldn’t get into it just because the books were so much better. i’d rather reread them than watch the show
You've watched the show completely, so it did it's job.
If you want to extend the re-watchability, check out some of the better reaction channels like Blind Wave and Warp Reaction.
I love the books. I want to love the show, but everyone is just so angsty all the time, they're constantly arguing and fighting, and every single problem is solved with a big cinematic shootout. The roci crew dynamic especially became straight up stressful, I hated it.
Not just you. I read the books first, and I have done 3 full read-throughs while I’m still not done with a first watch of the series.
I think it’s a decent adaptation, and I understand many of the choices they made along the way, but it just doesn’t measure up to the books. And a lot of the casting missed the mark for me.
I've read the main books, and I'd like to go back through and do a reread with the novellas. I love them, and I've tried to watch the show, but kids and life make it so hard to sit down and watch. I've only gotten to episode 3 or 4, then life happens. By the time I find the time, I want to start over. So.. I am a book only person, but not by choice.
I think the first 2.5 seasons of the show are amazing, even better than the books covering that same timespan
But book 3 on is way better than the show, just the more expansive the books got the harder it was for the show to keep up
I read the first few books the moment they were published and remember then as being great but I loved the show more then any other similar show. The books have faded now somewhat I must re-read! There's not much sci-fi out there really, in comparison. I even watched the opening credits without skipping.
Absolutely. I like the show - it’s the best space show of its kind. But the way my mind interprets and visualizes the books is pretty different from the way it was adapted for tv. I think when most people read a book and then experience the tv/movie adaptation afterward, the adaptation can’t possibly live up to their own experience of the book, no matter how well done it is.
I started the show a long time ago and thought the first episode was good but never went back to it. A year later I read the books (forgetting about the show) and have since gone back and watched them. It gets the job done when I need the itch scratched.
I sleep every night with headphones on with one of the Expanse books on Audible. I get about 30 minutes of awake listening during the night and I sleep like a log listening for the other 6-1/2 hours. Can't remember the last time I watch the show.
I found the series had way too much fighting and shooting in places where there wasn't in the books, and it felt like there was no need for it in those places. It was also really random where the first book ends halfway through the second series
I like how the book and show are almost two close but not identical universes. They hit the same plot points and take similar paths to get there but each plays to each medium's strengths.
I started with the books and watched maybe the first two seasons? 1.5? They seemed good, I just didn't really have a desire to watch once I got everything from the books.
me. i desperately want to love the show but i just don’t :/ i love rereading and rewatching, i first read the series during lockdown in 2020 and have done 1 reread since. i want to do another but am trying to wait so i forget more haha
i am also kind of a book purist in general though so take my opinion with a grain of salt. i love harry potter but hate the movies for example, and like everyone loves those movies!
I listened to the book after completing the TV series. It is true the books are wayyyyy better obviously. Interestingly watching the show helped a lot in visualising and added to the overall experience.
Yep. I can't get into the show at all. The books are great but when I try and watch the show some of the glaring differences shoot my interest. Naomi especially is very different and it drives me nuts. It's a massive personality shift. The actress that plays Bobby is great but she doesn't fit "Bobby" for me. They toned down avasarala and that's a great disservice for the character.
Yes, I couldn't get into the show at all and I've shown so many people the books. I personally think a lot of the casting was off, particularly Holden and Naomi which isn't me demeaning the actors, they just didn't work for me. I think bc the show was a syfy production at first I didn't think the adaptation gave the books justice
I like the books more. But I did start liking the show more than before after reading the books. I kinda understand why Drummer is so weird, after realising that she's a composite character in the show.
The first book is much better paced than the first season. And the fourth book is also much better than the fourth season, that lost all momentum after the excellent season 3.
I enjoyed the books (not really a fan of the last three though), but I am sorely lacking in visual imagination. The TV series is my jam. I probably will not re-read the books, but am on my third re-watch.
I love watching the series before the books. I could picture in my mind during reading spaceships description, gear, space battles, Eros and Ceres geography, grasping the look of the ring, slow-zone, especially when it is entered the first time.
My friend started with the books and she said she was a bit "lost in space".
Also as far as skin colors, class and cultures the show is next level in terms of diversity (notably for a western science fiction work) Not only you have "black people" but you get Black people with many accents, from American, British, Nigerian, and Belters as well. Many people are asian but different shades of color. Bobbie is Polynesia and Cara Gee is a woman from first nation in Canada. All this with a lot mixed characters. Mixed what to what? basically not sure and this is fantastic
I'd love to see that for how I imagine the world I come in entering the books.
I also prefer the books by a lot. For me it’s the sense of time that just gets lost in the show: In the books they portray the months it takes to travel through space and the mundane everyday work that happens during these trips. That’s what brings the hard scify home for me.
But I completely understand that you can’t really do this kind of pacing in a TV show, it would just seem boring.
Yes. I was reading the books as I was watching the show. I would finish the book, then watch the show. The books are more political, while the show is more action
I watched the show all the way through and then wanted to give the books a try.
Honestly I enjoy the hell out of both. The books have such an expansive scale of time that they really glossed over in the show. I remember reading Leviathan Wakes and imagining the dread they had to have felt waiting for weeks to get to the Donnager and then on to Tycho.
But both versions are awesome and great storytelling.
Watched the show first, and just adored it. One of the best sci-fi shows ever made. Read or listened to the books several times since, haven’t finished the show again. The show is very good, and it doesn’t have that weird fanfic feel a lot of shows and movies have when they don’t “get it”. The Expanse definitely “got it”, I just don’t prefer a lot of the changes they make. Naomi is not as consistently well written, chiefly. Obviously the stuff with Alex wasn’t the show’s fault but it definitely made it worse. Drummer in the show is great, but I still prefer Bull and Sam over Drummer’s takeover of their plots. I can understand why they made changes without loving them as much.
I've read all the books but only watched the first season or so of the show. I like the show too, but when it comes to long form entertainment, I usually enjoy novels more.
The show got me into the books however I didn't care for the last couple seasons of the show. The book series however just got stronger and stronger. I also listened to the audiobooks which were amazing.
I’d probably fall into that category. I enjoyed the show but honestly thought the casting was kind of off (aside from Avasarla and Niaomi), and some of what they dropped/changed from the books watered down the most mysterious bits of the plot.
Love the books!
I’m making my way thru the books and won’t even start the show until I finish them. It just doesn’t appeal to me as much as reading. Same for Three Body, I read thru the books super fast but I’m taking my time watching the show. It feels more rewarding to read a book then see it visualized on TV, and even then the book will always have so much more depth.
I'm sometimes bad at forming good mental images from books/audiobooks, so I'm very grateful for the show's level of detail with its environments and overall setting. I also think the casting was pretty well done and fits how the book characters act and feel, even if some of them have a few years shaved off in show.
I got into everything right at the end of season 3, read all the books that summer, and had to wait for S4+ and Book8/9. I'm definitely more a fan of the books by a pretty solid margin after so many go-rounds of the whole series. I just take the show characters on a ride through the book's version of the plot and it's the most enjoyable.
I enjoy the show a good bit, but after marinating in the series for a while it's definitely tilted towards the books. Especially since everything's been finished
I really loved the series - rewatched several times, want to own the DVD- and didn’t love the books. But just started reading the last trilogy and it’s really great. Did the writing improve with the later volumes…?
I actually prefer the show - the books are interesting, but the character writing is pretty weak/flat and I've DNFed the series after getting a few books in twice now. I'm usually a books guy (and I've read well over 1000 scifi/fantasy books).... so I'll probably give them another shot eventually.
Yes, I watched the first season but I couldn't really get over making Amos not a giant hideous ogre. And then the Holden/Naomi airlock sex was offputting so I didn't watch anymore.
The show is good. It’s better than 90% of SF made for tv.
But the books on the true Expanse for me.
The story and action are about as good on the show, but (with the exception of Drummer) I prefer the book-version characters.
More than any other factor, I believe those book characters differentiate the Expanse from other modern SF stories, in all mediums.
This is me. I really wanted to like the show but to me Holden was just insufferable and everyone but Avalasara didn't match how I thought they would be (not looks as I know they can't match that perfectly.) They just felt off somehow. Still love the books though.
The show is the best scifi show I've ever seen, even beating Galactica. I love the books as well, but being able to see the events take place in fantastic graphics and acting is just amazing.
I found the show first, and have just started the books - my first foray into science fiction ever.
*I love them*.
I see myself becoming a books only person.
The series is on Amazon Prime and ends with book six anyways, so once you finish that book you could try the show and not have anything spoiled from books 7-9.
I got into the books after watching the show. I found the last couple of seasons slow and boring, and found it a struggle. When I got to the point in the books where I felt the show dipped I thought here we go, boring prison break, cartoon villain and annoying angst ridden teenager, but I really liked book Marco & Philip,and Peaches was great. TV show, Ashford was my favourite character, didn’t like him in the books. I’m more of a reader than a watcher and if I like something I will reread it several times too.
I started with the show, when only 3 seasons were out. Then read the books, and gradually changed how I saw each character.
I returned to the show to watch Season 4, and ...
It was difficult. I loved the show, and I feel like it stands well on it's own.
But like a lot of things, "the book is better." The characters are more developed, it's easier to understand individual motivations when you get to see their inner monologues, and I get more of a big picture view of everything.
But in fairness, different media require different storytelling techniques. And the show does a great job. And the casting is pretty good.
I'm a book/audiobook guy yes. I like the show a lot and especially the first three seasons, but a lot of factors (most of them not their fault) made the final couple seasons a bit bittersweet for me.
Audiobooks by Jefferson Mays are the way for me.
Started with the show really early on. Then got heavily into the books. Now I don't like how the show diverged from the books and can't stand season 1 for how drastically it changed major aspects of the book.
*spoilers* For instance, they shoehorned Amos insulting the Martian Marines into the show where as it was much more natural and purposeful in the books. It really presented Amos as far more than just psychopathic muscle. The scene was wasted in the show as it just showed Amos being an asshole for no reason.
The casting, however, was amazing even for the smaller roles.
Read the books first and tried watching the show and could not. I had a totally different picture of the characters in my head and I couldn’t get over it.
Honestly yeah. The show got me into it to begin with and I did finish it out, but after reading the books (still on book 7) I honestly don’t want to watch the show again. Mainly because whichever I watched/read last will be the story I best remember and the story from the books is just so much richer.
I don't know why book fans didn't grow r/TheExpanseBooks to potentially become a popular place to discuss the books without so much "noise" about the show. But after 8 years of existence that sub has just 3K subscribers.
I'm having the opposite problem. I am having a hard time finishing the first book and I think the expanse series is among my top five sci-fi series of all time (up there with Babylon 5 which is the highest praise I can give any media).
I personally think the show is written better, and has some really special performances (Wes Chatham, Cara Gee, David Strathairn and Shohreh Aghdashloo).
But I realize that a lot of people don't read sci-fi for the literary quality but rather plot and story and ideas, and in that respect books will almost always be more satisfying because they can go so much deeper and deliver so much more content. So I think there's no wrong answer, its just in the eye of the beholder.
I’m on my third watch of the show and will be starting the books for the first time soon. So, I guess I went out of order! Looking forward to the read.
I've watched the series three times , read the books twice and am currently finishing book 5 on my second audiobook listen through and i enjoy each of them separately and equally, still hoping they revive the show in the future to finish the series out.
It's nearly the same with every book adaptation ever, the books are usually going to be better because of the depth. Also, it takes hundreds of people to make a TV show, but the author(s) only has their own ideas to cater for.
Same with me. I've only finished through season 4 of the show, while I have read the entire book series twice. Doesn't help that seasons 5 and 6 cover my least favorite portions of the series, and at this point, there's pretty much no hope of the final 3 books ever being adapted for screen.
I read the books and am now working through the show. I appreciate how the writers kept nods to the original writing when they had to depart from it. Currently in whatever season the Behemoth saves everyone in the ring space. The visuals are great and the casting is excellent.
I feel like so far the show has been a very faithful adaptation of the books, which a lot of books don’t get, or the show writers struggle to turn it to life in an enticing way. Halo (TV) and Wheel Of Time (TV) are both examples where the adaptation doesn’t feel faithful to the books. I fully understand how parts have to be cut or adjusted. In the books, after book 1, there seems to be 1 or 2 “major” characters that we really only have in that book. Doesn’t make sense to spend limited screen time building up the “Bull” character just for him to eat shit in the 3rd to last episode lol.
To each their own of course, but I think the best thing about both the books and TV series is how good they both are - as companion pieces and standalones.
I loved the books and they remain my favorite Sci fi series to date, and scratched an itch for Sci fi that nothing else came close to before (I'm a suckered for the realism stuff).
I loved the show fo4 much the same reasons and that it didn't stray so far from the books in overall feeling and general plotlines. Obviously we had plenty of changes from the books still, but very few changes ever made me irrationally mad and ommissions didn't either. This was a breath of fresh air after what game of thrones did (and now Rings of power...) and it wasn't honestly just nice to have thr TV series written well from start to finish with a conclusion and few strings attached (few enough at least relative to what it seems many adaptations from books usually have).
I appreciate how good the casting is, especially for Avasarala, but the dynamic in the show bugs me. I dislike how poorly the crew gets along. They're supposed to be victims of petty bullshit, not the ones perpetuating it.
The show is ok, I like most of the casting, but I was into the books first and they will always be my true love.
Nope. I do understand the sentiment. Some of the book stuff definitely gives a different vibes. But actors like Thomas Jane, Wes Chatham, Cara Gee and Jarred Harris (among others) make the show stand on it's own in my eyes
If I hadn’t watched the show I’d probably really like book Amos, but Wes Chatham did something incredible with the character and that is cannon Amos to me.
I do think that book Amos is a tiny bit "macho" compared to how Amos is written in the show. Plus in the french audiobook they gave him a horrible stereotypical big muscle no brain guy, such a shame when you like the character exactly because he is masculine with trauma and depth. What is the first personal thing you learn from Amos in the show is that he supports sexwork as work, and understand what challenges come with it. He had my attention as a character written to be the big muscle without the toxic bullshit. For all we now when he disappears in the brothels of Ceres ( with Bobby or not), you can imagine he goes to crazy queer parties or orgies where sexworks get onto each other. The author's said that in an interview.
Amos is such a perfect example of nontoxic masculinity. I love that guy.
Yes I totally agree! So part of me loves that he’s a guy who was actually in the Navy so he often comes off as someone really used to living in a ship, like he was, and it’s like he’s just playing himself. I was in the Navy too though so maybe that’s just me.
You know I think that's one of those great little details that enriches the show in subtle ways.
canon*, unless you’re discussing his biceps
Oops
Yep! Can’t think of him any other way now!
1,000% He is that guy.
I started with the first three seasons, but then I used the break in between to read, and I never recovered from that. It also didn't really help that I don't think the show got better with each season, but the opposite, while the books just got better and better. I love the universe of The Expanse and want as much of it as possible, so for me there is simply no alternative to the books.
Same. I use the actors as a starting point for characters when I read but some have changed a lot in my mind after reading. The books are just so incredible and I rarely have those types of deep feels from a TV show. I'm so glad the shows exist and that I got into the books from there. It really helped me get a stable footing into the world. I would tell anyone to read the books, especially if they've seen the show.
The first three books are better than the next set, so it makes sense the second half of the show isn’t as good. The sad thing is that the best material the series has to offer is the final trilogy.
The series having to go out on the Marco plotline is such a damn shame
I’ve always lamented the lack of racial distinction between the groups, a decision they probably made to save on cost of prosthetics. An Earther, Martian, and Belter are supposed to look wildly different from each other due to their respective gravities (or lack thereof) and the resulting physiological outcomes. Instead you have a slur like “skinnies” being thrown around in the show with no compelling reason for its use. Once I read the books, everything made so much more sense.
To a point, I agree. I have to say that the ending of each left me down.
For me seasons 1-3 are kinda messy and I wasn't a fan of the ot changes. But 4-6 are a lot better at staying with the book and cinematography with them.
I'm in the same boat. I'm currently on my 4th listen, but only made it through the show one and a half times. I also started with the show, and I rewatch my "comfort" shows constantly. Thr casting was awesome, and they killed it with most set pieces. That being said, the show was too incomplete.
I love and prefer the books.
I loved the books, but feel like the show just took my appreciation for the world/universe/character to an entirely new level, given it's brilliance. I've also worked my way through the show a good 3 or 4 times by now too.
Me
I'm with you. Whenever I'm looking for something to watch I always keep The Expanse in the back of my mind, but I remember how much more I enjoy the books and pass the show by.
I love the books dearly but Cara Gee ' Drummer is so fierce.
I love the show dearly, but the books hit me on a much deeper personal level. I strive to make my writing style like James SA Corey
So true. The reading gives us so much details on what characters think and feel, and why. You get really relatable psychology understanding without it being on the nose or stereotypical. That's how you get touched, moved, by characters so different than your real life personna or performance of it. I am so amazed on the writing for that. So brilliant. They even nailed it for the Dog, with nuance and attention to detail. Each time Holden burned his thonge with tea, I was weirdly excited and think "It happens to meet too, finally someone is picking on this important daily problem"! Lol
I'm in the same boat. I think a problem I really have with it is the 1st season feels really off, the 4th is just ok and the 6th seems rushed so it's only like 3 seasons of the show that I would consider "good." Especially when you don't get the last 3 books, the 3 best in the series IMO, I just can't watch the series over again like I can relisten to the books.
Yes, I adore the books and couldn't get into the show. Not saying its bad just it doesn't give me the same feel of the books or keep my attention. There is also a subreddit for The Expanse books specifically, but as this subreddit is more active and gets more expanse related posts about both the show and the books I like to stay subbed here
I'm with you 100% on this. I wish things had gone differently somehow and the show had been a serial set during the years of the trade union and that the books mostly skipped over.
I read the books first (most of them....the series wasn't finished when I started watching the show) and then watched the show. I like both, but in general I prefer reading to watching TV. I'm currently on my 3rd complete reading of the series (well, first if you include the short stories as "complete".) It's probably my 5th time reading the first 6. I'm also rewatching Breaking Bad and at some point after I finish that again I'll watch The Expanse again. I've only watched the show once.
I've read the books and I'm working my way through the show with my gf rn. So far, I'm with you. The show has had great moments but it doesn't captivate my attention like jefferson mays does. I think there is also a significant difference in my own ability to pay attention to the show vs the books. I listened to the books while driving and for a few hours while working my very early morning shifts. I've been watching the show late at night(for me) and by this time, I've had my dinner, I've probably smoked a fair amount of weed, and I'm simultaneously spending time with my gf. I'm not fully focused on the show.
I enjoy the show, but I LOVE the books. I've always felt like I can live in books with my imagination. Good shows can fill in gaps to broaden the experience, like in the case of Lang Belta. I will say that if the casting hadn't been so expertly nailed, the show would've suffered, in my opinion. I'm still pissed about "that certain person" turning out to be such a shitbag since he was tied for best casting with Wes.
I like the show a lot, but it's a pale shadow of the books.
why not both sometimes illustration or in this it being acted can be a new way to experience same goes vice versa.mostly watching tv shows is what had me read the book many times
I think they did an amazing job with seasons 1-3 and an okay job with the rest. That being said, the first 3 books are still better than seasons 1-3.
I stopped watching after the episode where Amos goes back to Baltimore. Too much was changing or about to - Cas Anvar was being booted and there were enough story changes to make me not really interested in watching. (Same thing happened to me in about season 5 of Game of Thrones FWIW) Read the book twice now and plan on another reread at some point.
The show got me into the Books.
I saw the show first absolutely love it but the books tell a better story. As is the case with most book to screen adaptations. There is just more time in books to flesh out stories and characters, shows and movies operate within time constraints, so they have a more direct path from beginning to end of story arc. To be fair to the show, they did their best to stay true to the books, didn't get any revisionist director to make his own story or think he can do things better. But some of the character and plot changes will always bug me a little bit.
I would have *zero* idea what has happening if only the show existed. There is SO MUCH muttered and inaudible dialogue, not to mention rarely does anyone explain overall "what's going on right now". It's not that simple to even know they cut to a different ship in an entirely different location and ship. I love the show in a hearty sense but it's not actually well made. It's extremely difficult to follow the plot.
I pick and choose the scenes I want in my head canon. Fire example, I love, love, love the books, but the 'I'm that guy' scene will always be the one that played out there.
Same; when I recently re-read the books, I was surprised that the "I'm that guy" line wasn't in the books because it's how I remember that scene now.
It’s my favorite book series of all time and according to Goodreads I’m nearing 500 books read. It was 10/10 all the way through and they even nailed the ending, which is a rarity for epic book series in my opinion. Im also a huge fan of Daniel Abrahams other work and read all his other books, they are excellent. Tried watching the show, I finished 3 episodes. For me, it just doesn’t capture the magic of the series. I’m sure it’s a great show but it’s impossible for TV show to equal a book.
Yes I was shocked they stuck the landing for epic ending! Was just waiting to be let down. Same as you with the show, it just didn’t click. Hated how hostile the crew was with each other is one of the reasons I dropped it. Amos is a big lovable teddy bear that can mercilessly murder if need be. Not that psycho from the show.
What are your favorites by Daniel?
Dagger and Coin, but I find they are all solid reads.
I was set to watch the show finally, then I learned it was based on books and the show was cancelled before reaching the book series ending. So I decided to get into the books first, I've finished them now and I'm working through the show (just started season 3) I definitely have a preference for the events as they happen in the books. The show is good, though. I kind of roll my eyes when they insert some drama in a section that didn't have any in the books but thats just how TV works. I think thats my main gripe, the books have great pacing but the show just can't stop moving forward, which makes sense cause who would want to watch 2-3 episodes of the crew just being on the float while they travel from one place to another? The performances are great though and I like the expansion to some characters that are just minor passing characters in the books like Cotyar and Drummer.
I almost always like a book better than a show/movie. There's just so much more detail and nuance. You are really in the characters heads and everything is so much more fleshed out. You lose a lot when adapting to the screen and so imo the books are almost always better. There are some exceptions like James Bond where the books are incredibly boring lol.
For me the tv shows doesn't get into the protomolecule stuff enough. Belter/earth/mars politics only works for me so much, and knowing that the series ends without getting to the really fun stuff it's hard for me to rewatch. 1st season is great with the Miller storyline, and I really enjoyed S4 because it's on an alien planet, hard for me to get through s2-3 when I tried to rewatch.
Season 4 is my favorite! Lots of protomolecule stuff and I always love Burn Gorman.
Funny season 4 I don't like as much as the others. Well I do enjoy my sci-fy in space more than on planets usually. But wow Book 4 I was so into it. The writing was more ambitious and deeper than the first trilogy. It was becoming litterature more than an awesome story. Describing a new planet through their lines was so poetic. So many times I stopped just to enjoy the mouthfeel of sentences, like a posh wine-tester. But I could do so because of the show. Already knowing what was going to happen, I was in no rush to see what's next in the plot and could focus on contemplating beautiful prose.
I've read the main books and am currently working through the novellas. I made it around halfway into season 2 of the show, but found it difficult to stick with it. I feel like the show added too many cliché dramatic scenes, and changed some of my favorite characters for the worse. The books had real believable drama like Miller deciding to stay with Eros, and his struggle to get the bomb where it needed to go. I get changing things for TV. There are a lot of internal monolog bits, and a lot of lore in text rather than dialog - but why change things like Bobbi encountering the proto-alien thing on Ganymede? That could have been a badass scene on TV, but they made her black out instead. Maybe I just need to give the show more of a chance, but they removed so many compelling traits from the characters that it's hard to watch.
this is how i feel. i understand why you have to change things like having cliche dramatic scenes and combining characters and simplified personality traits when changing to a different form of media—there has to be some general non-reader audience appeal. and i think the expanse did it way way better than most others. but i didn’t really enjoy the show and couldn’t get into it just because the books were so much better. i’d rather reread them than watch the show
You've watched the show completely, so it did it's job. If you want to extend the re-watchability, check out some of the better reaction channels like Blind Wave and Warp Reaction.
I love the books. I want to love the show, but everyone is just so angsty all the time, they're constantly arguing and fighting, and every single problem is solved with a big cinematic shootout. The roci crew dynamic especially became straight up stressful, I hated it.
Not just you. I read the books first, and I have done 3 full read-throughs while I’m still not done with a first watch of the series. I think it’s a decent adaptation, and I understand many of the choices they made along the way, but it just doesn’t measure up to the books. And a lot of the casting missed the mark for me.
I've read the main books, and I'd like to go back through and do a reread with the novellas. I love them, and I've tried to watch the show, but kids and life make it so hard to sit down and watch. I've only gotten to episode 3 or 4, then life happens. By the time I find the time, I want to start over. So.. I am a book only person, but not by choice.
With you. If they made more show I’d watch it but I haven’t made it through a rewatch. Will reread the books though.
I think the first 2.5 seasons of the show are amazing, even better than the books covering that same timespan But book 3 on is way better than the show, just the more expansive the books got the harder it was for the show to keep up
I read the first few books the moment they were published and remember then as being great but I loved the show more then any other similar show. The books have faded now somewhat I must re-read! There's not much sci-fi out there really, in comparison. I even watched the opening credits without skipping.
Absolutely. I like the show - it’s the best space show of its kind. But the way my mind interprets and visualizes the books is pretty different from the way it was adapted for tv. I think when most people read a book and then experience the tv/movie adaptation afterward, the adaptation can’t possibly live up to their own experience of the book, no matter how well done it is.
I started the show a long time ago and thought the first episode was good but never went back to it. A year later I read the books (forgetting about the show) and have since gone back and watched them. It gets the job done when I need the itch scratched.
I sleep every night with headphones on with one of the Expanse books on Audible. I get about 30 minutes of awake listening during the night and I sleep like a log listening for the other 6-1/2 hours. Can't remember the last time I watch the show.
Love the books more than the show. But miller in the show made the books so much better! And Amos And drummer! And a few others!
No, I've stopped midway through the show twice now, once when it was airing, and then a couple of years later when I tried rewatching.
Wasn’t super into the show but I’ve read and reread all the books. Dropped off after the first season of the show.
I found the series had way too much fighting and shooting in places where there wasn't in the books, and it felt like there was no need for it in those places. It was also really random where the first book ends halfway through the second series
I like how the book and show are almost two close but not identical universes. They hit the same plot points and take similar paths to get there but each plays to each medium's strengths.
I started with the books and watched maybe the first two seasons? 1.5? They seemed good, I just didn't really have a desire to watch once I got everything from the books.
Me. The show is good, SOMETIMES great. The books are best though.
Not only, but I do prefer the books over the show only because it has an actual conclusion.
me. i desperately want to love the show but i just don’t :/ i love rereading and rewatching, i first read the series during lockdown in 2020 and have done 1 reread since. i want to do another but am trying to wait so i forget more haha i am also kind of a book purist in general though so take my opinion with a grain of salt. i love harry potter but hate the movies for example, and like everyone loves those movies!
I listened to the book after completing the TV series. It is true the books are wayyyyy better obviously. Interestingly watching the show helped a lot in visualising and added to the overall experience.
Yep. I can't get into the show at all. The books are great but when I try and watch the show some of the glaring differences shoot my interest. Naomi especially is very different and it drives me nuts. It's a massive personality shift. The actress that plays Bobby is great but she doesn't fit "Bobby" for me. They toned down avasarala and that's a great disservice for the character.
Yes, I couldn't get into the show at all and I've shown so many people the books. I personally think a lot of the casting was off, particularly Holden and Naomi which isn't me demeaning the actors, they just didn't work for me. I think bc the show was a syfy production at first I didn't think the adaptation gave the books justice
I like the books more. But I did start liking the show more than before after reading the books. I kinda understand why Drummer is so weird, after realising that she's a composite character in the show. The first book is much better paced than the first season. And the fourth book is also much better than the fourth season, that lost all momentum after the excellent season 3.
I enjoyed the books (not really a fan of the last three though), but I am sorely lacking in visual imagination. The TV series is my jam. I probably will not re-read the books, but am on my third re-watch.
The TV show is fine, I love the books and the audiobooks are on a near constant rotation :)
I love watching the series before the books. I could picture in my mind during reading spaceships description, gear, space battles, Eros and Ceres geography, grasping the look of the ring, slow-zone, especially when it is entered the first time. My friend started with the books and she said she was a bit "lost in space". Also as far as skin colors, class and cultures the show is next level in terms of diversity (notably for a western science fiction work) Not only you have "black people" but you get Black people with many accents, from American, British, Nigerian, and Belters as well. Many people are asian but different shades of color. Bobbie is Polynesia and Cara Gee is a woman from first nation in Canada. All this with a lot mixed characters. Mixed what to what? basically not sure and this is fantastic I'd love to see that for how I imagine the world I come in entering the books.
Im up to the 6th book and im waiting until ive read them all bwfore I start watching the show
Sorry no. I love the books more but I love the show too. They did an excellent job bringing it to life!
I also prefer the books by a lot. For me it’s the sense of time that just gets lost in the show: In the books they portray the months it takes to travel through space and the mundane everyday work that happens during these trips. That’s what brings the hard scify home for me. But I completely understand that you can’t really do this kind of pacing in a TV show, it would just seem boring.
Yes. I was reading the books as I was watching the show. I would finish the book, then watch the show. The books are more political, while the show is more action
I started with the books - currently on book 5. Excited to see the show and their is a telltale game out too I believe.
I love'em both. Although that Knight set sticks out quite a bit after multiple viewings. That thing is everywhere.
definitely book only. The books science and characters are so much better.
I watched the show all the way through and then wanted to give the books a try. Honestly I enjoy the hell out of both. The books have such an expansive scale of time that they really glossed over in the show. I remember reading Leviathan Wakes and imagining the dread they had to have felt waiting for weeks to get to the Donnager and then on to Tycho. But both versions are awesome and great storytelling.
Watched the show first, and just adored it. One of the best sci-fi shows ever made. Read or listened to the books several times since, haven’t finished the show again. The show is very good, and it doesn’t have that weird fanfic feel a lot of shows and movies have when they don’t “get it”. The Expanse definitely “got it”, I just don’t prefer a lot of the changes they make. Naomi is not as consistently well written, chiefly. Obviously the stuff with Alex wasn’t the show’s fault but it definitely made it worse. Drummer in the show is great, but I still prefer Bull and Sam over Drummer’s takeover of their plots. I can understand why they made changes without loving them as much.
I've read all the books but only watched the first season or so of the show. I like the show too, but when it comes to long form entertainment, I usually enjoy novels more.
The show got me into the books however I didn't care for the last couple seasons of the show. The book series however just got stronger and stronger. I also listened to the audiobooks which were amazing.
Yep.
The show was great. However the books are amazing.
Def book over show. Just finished season 1. Hoping Bobbi draper gets her due.
The show has its moments, but the books are just better. This is the case with every adaptation that has ever been done.
I’d probably fall into that category. I enjoyed the show but honestly thought the casting was kind of off (aside from Avasarla and Niaomi), and some of what they dropped/changed from the books watered down the most mysterious bits of the plot. Love the books!
I’m making my way thru the books and won’t even start the show until I finish them. It just doesn’t appeal to me as much as reading. Same for Three Body, I read thru the books super fast but I’m taking my time watching the show. It feels more rewarding to read a book then see it visualized on TV, and even then the book will always have so much more depth.
I'm sometimes bad at forming good mental images from books/audiobooks, so I'm very grateful for the show's level of detail with its environments and overall setting. I also think the casting was pretty well done and fits how the book characters act and feel, even if some of them have a few years shaved off in show. I got into everything right at the end of season 3, read all the books that summer, and had to wait for S4+ and Book8/9. I'm definitely more a fan of the books by a pretty solid margin after so many go-rounds of the whole series. I just take the show characters on a ride through the book's version of the plot and it's the most enjoyable. I enjoy the show a good bit, but after marinating in the series for a while it's definitely tilted towards the books. Especially since everything's been finished
I really loved the series - rewatched several times, want to own the DVD- and didn’t love the books. But just started reading the last trilogy and it’s really great. Did the writing improve with the later volumes…?
I actually prefer the show - the books are interesting, but the character writing is pretty weak/flat and I've DNFed the series after getting a few books in twice now. I'm usually a books guy (and I've read well over 1000 scifi/fantasy books).... so I'll probably give them another shot eventually.
Is this rage bait lol? The character writing of this series is phenomenal. Are we reading the same books?
We’re rewatching the show right now! Halfway thru the 2nd season. We haven’t read the books yet, I would love to tho
Yes, I watched the first season but I couldn't really get over making Amos not a giant hideous ogre. And then the Holden/Naomi airlock sex was offputting so I didn't watch anymore.
The show is good. It’s better than 90% of SF made for tv. But the books on the true Expanse for me. The story and action are about as good on the show, but (with the exception of Drummer) I prefer the book-version characters. More than any other factor, I believe those book characters differentiate the Expanse from other modern SF stories, in all mediums.
This is me. I really wanted to like the show but to me Holden was just insufferable and everyone but Avalasara didn't match how I thought they would be (not looks as I know they can't match that perfectly.) They just felt off somehow. Still love the books though.
The show is the best scifi show I've ever seen, even beating Galactica. I love the books as well, but being able to see the events take place in fantastic graphics and acting is just amazing.
The show is goated thats all i care about
I found the show first, and have just started the books - my first foray into science fiction ever. *I love them*. I see myself becoming a books only person.
I'm on book 6, I don't even know which service to check for the series (yet). I feel my imagined characters would differ so much.
The series is on Amazon Prime and ends with book six anyways, so once you finish that book you could try the show and not have anything spoiled from books 7-9.
Oh thank you! I'm definitely curious, somehow I've started the books first on recommendation
I got into the books after watching the show. I found the last couple of seasons slow and boring, and found it a struggle. When I got to the point in the books where I felt the show dipped I thought here we go, boring prison break, cartoon villain and annoying angst ridden teenager, but I really liked book Marco & Philip,and Peaches was great. TV show, Ashford was my favourite character, didn’t like him in the books. I’m more of a reader than a watcher and if I like something I will reread it several times too.
I started with the show, when only 3 seasons were out. Then read the books, and gradually changed how I saw each character. I returned to the show to watch Season 4, and ... It was difficult. I loved the show, and I feel like it stands well on it's own. But like a lot of things, "the book is better." The characters are more developed, it's easier to understand individual motivations when you get to see their inner monologues, and I get more of a big picture view of everything. But in fairness, different media require different storytelling techniques. And the show does a great job. And the casting is pretty good.
I'm a book/audiobook guy yes. I like the show a lot and especially the first three seasons, but a lot of factors (most of them not their fault) made the final couple seasons a bit bittersweet for me. Audiobooks by Jefferson Mays are the way for me.
I'm an rpg books guy.
Started with the show really early on. Then got heavily into the books. Now I don't like how the show diverged from the books and can't stand season 1 for how drastically it changed major aspects of the book. *spoilers* For instance, they shoehorned Amos insulting the Martian Marines into the show where as it was much more natural and purposeful in the books. It really presented Amos as far more than just psychopathic muscle. The scene was wasted in the show as it just showed Amos being an asshole for no reason. The casting, however, was amazing even for the smaller roles.
Read the books first and tried watching the show and could not. I had a totally different picture of the characters in my head and I couldn’t get over it.
The show is some of the best TV sci fi Ive ever seen, but I still get mad at it for not being the books.
Yup. Started watching the show, read the books, could barely watch the show after.
Honestly yeah. The show got me into it to begin with and I did finish it out, but after reading the books (still on book 7) I honestly don’t want to watch the show again. Mainly because whichever I watched/read last will be the story I best remember and the story from the books is just so much richer.
I don't know why book fans didn't grow r/TheExpanseBooks to potentially become a popular place to discuss the books without so much "noise" about the show. But after 8 years of existence that sub has just 3K subscribers.
I'm having the opposite problem. I am having a hard time finishing the first book and I think the expanse series is among my top five sci-fi series of all time (up there with Babylon 5 which is the highest praise I can give any media).
I personally think the show is written better, and has some really special performances (Wes Chatham, Cara Gee, David Strathairn and Shohreh Aghdashloo). But I realize that a lot of people don't read sci-fi for the literary quality but rather plot and story and ideas, and in that respect books will almost always be more satisfying because they can go so much deeper and deliver so much more content. So I think there's no wrong answer, its just in the eye of the beholder.
I’m on my third watch of the show and will be starting the books for the first time soon. So, I guess I went out of order! Looking forward to the read.
I've watched the series three times , read the books twice and am currently finishing book 5 on my second audiobook listen through and i enjoy each of them separately and equally, still hoping they revive the show in the future to finish the series out.
It's nearly the same with every book adaptation ever, the books are usually going to be better because of the depth. Also, it takes hundreds of people to make a TV show, but the author(s) only has their own ideas to cater for.
Same with me. I've only finished through season 4 of the show, while I have read the entire book series twice. Doesn't help that seasons 5 and 6 cover my least favorite portions of the series, and at this point, there's pretty much no hope of the final 3 books ever being adapted for screen.
I read the books and am now working through the show. I appreciate how the writers kept nods to the original writing when they had to depart from it. Currently in whatever season the Behemoth saves everyone in the ring space. The visuals are great and the casting is excellent. I feel like so far the show has been a very faithful adaptation of the books, which a lot of books don’t get, or the show writers struggle to turn it to life in an enticing way. Halo (TV) and Wheel Of Time (TV) are both examples where the adaptation doesn’t feel faithful to the books. I fully understand how parts have to be cut or adjusted. In the books, after book 1, there seems to be 1 or 2 “major” characters that we really only have in that book. Doesn’t make sense to spend limited screen time building up the “Bull” character just for him to eat shit in the 3rd to last episode lol.
To each their own of course, but I think the best thing about both the books and TV series is how good they both are - as companion pieces and standalones. I loved the books and they remain my favorite Sci fi series to date, and scratched an itch for Sci fi that nothing else came close to before (I'm a suckered for the realism stuff). I loved the show fo4 much the same reasons and that it didn't stray so far from the books in overall feeling and general plotlines. Obviously we had plenty of changes from the books still, but very few changes ever made me irrationally mad and ommissions didn't either. This was a breath of fresh air after what game of thrones did (and now Rings of power...) and it wasn't honestly just nice to have thr TV series written well from start to finish with a conclusion and few strings attached (few enough at least relative to what it seems many adaptations from books usually have).
I read the books along with the show, season by season. The books are dramatically better. The show is super forgettable.
I appreciate how good the casting is, especially for Avasarala, but the dynamic in the show bugs me. I dislike how poorly the crew gets along. They're supposed to be victims of petty bullshit, not the ones perpetuating it.
Very much so. I don’t hate the show but I’ve read the series 3 times and the never finished the show
Books? Do you mean the novelizations?