Nightmares and Dreamscapes discussion

This is the Buddy Read for Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey, Book 9 in the Expanse Series.

I'm excited to get started on this today!

Terry wrote: "I'm excited to get started on this today!"

Me too! Looking forward to finding out how this all ends.

I started listening a bit today, only made it into chapter 1. Going to try and finish up my Charlie Parker book first, then I’ll really focus on this one. I’m nervous and excited to see how it wraps up!

I got started as well, read up to ch8 and I like the start. I’m finding myself holding my breath wondering how this ends!

I feel the same. I got started on this as well and nervous about what happens especially with what the last book did to me. 😂🤣

Kristen, I’m reading three books right now so I won’t be that speedy with this. Plus, it’s the last book and I want to know but I also want to savor it. #conflictingemotions LOL

I've made it to the end of Ch13. (view spoiler)[ This stuff with Amos is just crazy! (hide spoiler)]

Terry wrote: "I've made it to the end of Ch13. [spoilers removed]"

I got there the other night as well. It’s absolutely crazy. I don’t even know (view spoiler)[if he’s safe anymore. I would be like Naomi and freaked out as well. (hide spoiler)] LOL!

Ginger wrote: "Terry wrote: "I've made it to the end of Ch13. [spoilers removed]"

I got there the other night as well. It’s absolutely crazy. I don’t even know [spoilers removed] LOL!"

I keep feeling like (view spoiler)[ he's still the same old Amos, though. Wishful thinking I believe. (hide spoiler)]

I've made it up to ch24 now. (view spoiler)[ Such high stakes for everyone, I'm feeling so much stress right along with them all!

I felt sorry for Jillian, but you just can't ever trust the bad guys! (hide spoiler)]

Terry wrote: "I've made it up to ch24 now!"

I got there today as well and just (view spoiler)[knew that once Jillian decided to follow down that path, everything would get screwed.
Dang! Not only did she die and all her crew, but their most promising ship got destroyed.

I’m starting to wonder if every time Cara has interaction with the BFE, that’s when Amos has his seizures. (hide spoiler)]

Yeah, the stakes are high with everything right now. It’s so stressful.

Terry wrote: "I've made it up to ch24 now.”

I am up to chapter 24 as well.

I agree Terry, I (view spoiler)[ felt bad for Jillian too. She realized she was wrong and then sacrificed herself to save them. Poor Alex too.

And Amos is creepy for sure. So curious to see what happens with him as now he seems literally indestructible. (hide spoiler)]

Did anyone catch, when they’re interviewing the citizens, the one guy says “my name is Charles Parker”. For a split second I was like wait, what am I reading right now? Haha

Kristen wrote: "Terry wrote: "I've made it up to ch24 now.”

I am up to chapter 24 as well.

I agree Terry, I felt bad for Jillian too. She realized she was wrong and then sacrificed herself to save them. Poor ..."

Haha, Charlie is everywhere!

Kristen wrote: "Did anyone catch, when they’re interviewing the citizens, the one guy says “my name is Charles Parker”. For a split second I was like wait, what am I reading right now? Haha..."

I caught that as well. I thought, "Wait? What book am I reading right now?!" hahaha

I just got to the beginning of 31. I'm not (view spoiler)[sure what to think about Amos right now. He basically told Elvi that you need to quit experimenting on these kids. You're done. And I don't disagree with him.

He's always the protector for anyone that seems to need it. Someone weaker, smaller, younger that will get taken advantage of. Peaches, Teresa, and now Cara (aka Sparkles). And when he takes on that role, he gives them a nickname. LOL!!

I still think he's good"ish" but not sure what he's become or turning into.

And now I'm not sure if Duarte is helping the situation or not?!
What do you think? (hide spoiler)]

Lots of questions and excited to see how this turns out!

Ginger wrote: "I just got to the beginning of 31. ..."

Yeah, I love (view spoiler)[ Amos as the big protector. His character fits that role so well. I can’t help but feel like he’s the Amos of old, just enhanced in weird ways, lol.

As for Duarte, I think he’s delusional and feels like he’s doing what is best for humanity and doesn’t understand humanity enough any more to realize that he’s wrong. So not necessarily a bad guy, just to much envisioned grandeur as the god-emperor. Don’t know how this can be resolved! (hide spoiler)]

I’m up to ch39 now. (view spoiler)[ Everything still feels so hopeless with only 100 pages left! I’m so nervous…😁 (hide spoiler)]

Terry wrote: "As for Duarte..."

Up to Chapter 31. Yep, you nailed it with (view spoiler)[the description of him and what he thinks is best for humanity.
I agree. I'm not sure how this is going to get resolved! (hide spoiler)]

So I couldn’t put the second half of this book down. I finished up this morning. Not going to say a word, but can’t wait for everyone to finish.

Terry wrote: "So I couldn’t put the second half of this book down. I finished up this morning. Not going to say a word, but can’t wait for everyone to finish."

No surprise here. It’s been hard to read anything else since I’ve gotten into the second half as well!

Ginger wrote: "Terry wrote: "So I couldn’t put the second half of this book down. I finished up this morning. Not going to say a word, but can’t wait for everyone to finish."

No surprise here. It’s been hard to ..."

It’s been this way for me on all of these Expanse books, lol. They’ve been so good.

Just finished up Chapter 39. Three words to describe my reaction at the end of that chapter. Oh. My. God!
(view spoiler)[Holy space balls, did Holden just inject himself with protomolecule and Miller is back?!! (hide spoiler)]

Hot damn, this is getting crazy.

Ginger wrote: "Just finished up Chapter 39. Three words to describe my reaction at the end of that chapter. Oh. My. God!
[spoilers removed]

Hot damn, this is getting crazy."

I about fell out of my chair when that happened!

Ginger wrote: "Just finished up Chapter 39. Three words to describe my reaction at the end of that chapter. Oh. My. God!
[spoilers removed]

Hot damn, this is getting crazy."

I just got up to that same spot! Wow, I can’t even imagine where this is going.

Ok, I finished this off last night, and I am still at a loss for words. I just went through and read all of the comments and I was feeling the same way as you guys along this final ride..... just wow..... I still don't have my thoughts together on this.

But what a fantastic series this was!! Epic is the only way to describe it, and I am bummed it is over.

Denis (deez_bookish_adventures) wrote: "Ok, I finished this off last night, and I am still at a loss for words. I just went through and read all of the comments and I was feeling the same way as you guys along this final ride..... just w..."

I absolutely agree, Denis. I’m going to really miss not having another one of these to start next month. It’s been a terrific series.

I finished last night. I couldn't agree more Denis and Terry. What an ending!

(view spoiler)[I wasn't surprised with Holden sacrificing that way since it was a common occurrence of his.

How Duarte was killed by Tanaka was intense and nuts. She was definitely a broken person and used rage & fear to mask it. What a crazy character. I really hated her and feared her by the end. She definitely was a survivor if nothing more.

I was crying when I realized that the Roci crew were splitting up and that the alien highway would be completely dead to them and everyone else.
I loved the ending and it felt right to me. I knew that everyone couldn't be together forever. I loved how Amos ended up making it after-all (alien vampire...ha!!) and ends up still alive by the time the travel pods could travel fast in space. Can you imagine meeting him for a first time?! hahaha

Having Miller with Holden at the end was perfect. Those two characters together were just so great together. I was so happy with that and it made me realize how much I'd missed his character. (hide spoiler)]

I have many thoughts (obviously, see above...haha) about this series and ending. I'll leave it here for now. I'm so glad I read this. It's been the best sci-fi series that I've read so far. I became so emotionally invested with all of these characters. What a ride!

I just finished up. Damn, that was emotional.

(view spoiler)[ It really was a perfect ending. Alex leaving really got me. He ended up being one of my favorite characters. He was just so solid and always there for everyone.

So sad for Naomi, but Jim’s death with Miller was sort of poetic I agree. In a way I’m sure Naomi always expected an ending like this with Jim.

The jokes about Amos being un-killable throughout the series turning out to be a foreshadowing of what was coming was great too.

(hide spoiler)]

So sad this series is over. I’ve really enjoyed reading it along side everyone. At first I thought the one book a month would be too much, but I’m glad we did it this way. Agree, one of the best series I’ve ever read.

I figured we’d all feel the same about this. (view spoiler)[ I agree about it just feeling right that Miller was there with Jim at the end. I’d been secretly hoping something like that was going to happen. It felt right for him to sacrifice to save everyone.
I also liked the dichotomy we end up with at the end of Duarte. He had the right idea ultimately, but had moved so far beyond human that he couldn’t make the only decision right for humanity that Jim ultimately did. Was he a bad guy, kinda, considering he wanted to be the god-Emporer, but he also thought he was doing the best for us as a species. Jim made the right decision I think.
Certainly end up feeling bad for Naomi and Teresa who pretty much lose everything except Amos and Muskrat. But it was what was bound to happen. Same for Alex, although we can hope he made the rest of his life the best with his family.
And the epilogue with Amos at the end really put a smile on my face (although that must have been hard to live beyond everyone he was close to). But an excellent representative for humanity at the cusp of the new civilization that would happen with the discovery of the FTL travel at the end. Maybe there is room for a new series now?? I hope. (hide spoiler)]

I also agree with everyone that this was super fun. Really glad we read this together. Made it even more enjoyable for me. Look forward to more in the future!

I'm glad that everyone loved this by the end and finished it with me. It was such a great series and I felt the same Kristen. I wasn't sure if the one book a month was going to be feasible but it was! And not only was I able to do it, I was able to keep up with the plot with no issues and looked forward to the beginning of the month to start the next one! LOL

I'm really glad we did it like this and finished. It's been a fantastic series and I'm so sad it's over.

And I agree with all of the spoilers! Everything just felt right with the conclusion and all of the characters paths.

Terry wrote: "I figured we’d all feel the same about this. I agree about it just feeling right that Holden was there with Jim at the end. I’d been secretly hoping something like that was going to happen. It fel..."

The more I think about it, the more I think it (view spoiler)[ is perfect that Amos lives forever. It just fits so well with his character arc throughout the series as the “last man standing”. For anyone else, I’d say it would be a punishment - living that long after everyone you love is gone. Not for Amos though. It was well established that he didn’t process things in the same way as everyone else. The way I envision it, he would be sad for a minute when someone died, then would go on doing what he had to do. He just didn’t carry that grief. Like he told Teresa (I think it was her) - he says something like “I’m good anywhere”.

Naomi’s ending kinda broke me. She understood who Jim was and that he needed to do it, but it was so sad when she says that, after rescuing him from Laconia, she finally saw him back to himself after injecting himself with the protomolecule, and she wishes it could’ve been them that brought him back. So she loses Jim, Alex, and her ship all at once. She is still grieving Filip and never has any clue he survived. So much loss but she accepts it and keeps going. She was such a great character.
(hide spoiler)]

Anyone else feel like they don’t know what to do with themselves now?

Kristen wrote: Anyone else feel like they don’t know what to do with themselves now?..."

Very well said Kristen. I like that.

And Yes, I do feel that way! I haven’t quite finished the last novella, but I feel lost without more. These characters were like a part of every day life for us the last 6 months.

Kristen wrote: "Naomi’s ending..."

Yes! I feel like her (view spoiler)[characters beginning and ending was the saddest for me. Not only did she lose the man that she’s loves but she doesn’t know what ever happened to her kid. I’ve always wanted to know what happened to Filip and lo and behold, he’s the main character the in short story, The Sins of My Father, #9.5.
I’m really glad I just started this now because of it.

I think you’re right on Amos. He’s the most capable of surviving for so long. I think his upbringing in Baltimore with the physical, sexual and emotional abuse made it easy for him to just carry on. He grew up not getting too attached because if he did then the attachment would be used against him and he’ll always be a survivor. That’s why I had such a gut punch reaction when he died the first time. I just couldn’t believe it.

It makes sense that he lives the longest and survives it all. 😂🤣 (hide spoiler)]

Yeah, I got so attached to this series and the characters. I’m sad it’s over too!

Ginger wrote: "Kristen wrote: "Naomi’s ending..."

Yes! I feel like her "

So true! Totally agree on both points.


I’m definitely curious to read the last novella and glad we still get a little taste of it. I’m going to start it today. Always thought that part of it was kinda strange. (view spoiler)[ He changes his last name to Nagata, and then we never see him again. It made you think he saw the good in his mom after realizing what an a**hole is father was and would reunite with her somehow. How sad for her to think he died with his father for the rest of her life. Hoping this one sheds some light on that situation. (hide spoiler)]

Kristen wrote: "I’m definitely curious to read the last novella and glad we still get a little t..."

It was a plot point that I always wanted resolved too. I thought when this ended that (view spoiler)[I just wouldn’t get what I wanted. 🤷🏼‍♀️😂
And then he showed up in #9.5. So happy about that! (hide spoiler)]

Kristen wrote: "Anyone else feel like they don’t know what to do with themselves now?..."

Yes, I am reading other stuff but this is still with me. I have a couple of the shorts I still have not read, but only book 9.5 has any interest to me. I think I will read that one in the near future and then lay this series to rest.

It was a bitter sweet ending to an amazing series. I am glad I read it with everyone in here. :)

Ginger wrote: "Kristen wrote: "I’m definitely curious to read the last novella and glad we still get a little t..."

It was a plot point that I always wanted resolved too. I thought when this ended that I just wo..."

I just finished Sins of Our Fathers and thought it was a great little extra ending to the series. I knew going in that (view spoiler)[ Filip was the main character, but it was cool to see Nami, Anna’s daughter. She was one of the characters I was curious what happened to. How strange that Nami’s family fled Earth because of the rocks Filip dropped and now here they are.

This gave me the answers I was looking for with Filip. I had forgotten that Naomi threw herself out the airlock to escape, so he also thought she was dead. It makes it even more tragic in my opinion.
(hide spoiler)]

Kristen wrote: "I just finished Sins of Our Fathers and thought it was a great little extra ending to the series..."

I finished this one tonight too. I really liked it too and wish for another 9 books to keep this story going. I’m going to miss all of these characters!

I loved how (view spoiler)[Filip just knew that he had to do something about Jandro since he’s the same type of guy like his father.
I really wanted to keep this short story going and find out what happens next to the town of Beta and whether Filip will make it! (hide spoiler)]

I finished the novella as well. Not going to call it closure, but at least it let us know what happened.

Terry wrote: "I finished the novella as well. Not going to call it closure, but at least it let us know what happened."

That's how I felt too.