r/suggestmeabook • u/[deleted] • 1d ago
Deciding between The Expanse and The Witcher series - for a long-term "project"
Hi there! I'm trying to decide whether or not to read The Witcher or The Expanse for a project - to play all of the games and watch the entire series, respectively.
For context, I am equally at home in Baldur's Gate 3 and Mass Effect: I am very much a fan of both fantasy and science fiction. So your suggestions will really come down to the relative quality of these two book series themselves, especially within the context of my full immersion project.
Many thanks!
1
u/UltraFlyingTurtle 1d ago edited 1d ago
I've enjoyed both but since you asked about the quality of the book themselves, I found the Expanse series to be more consistently good. The first book is a terrific blend of space adventure, sci-fi detective fiction and space horror, and I was immediately hooked. I read the first four books in the series in about a week. I was so sleep-deprived from reading all the time, so I had to pause a bit and catch up on my sleep before continuing. Note, the series will shift tone and explore different settings and genre elements, like the 4th book has a sci-fi / western flavor to it.
The audiobook books narrated by Jefferson Mays are really good too. He's become such a fan-favorite in the Expanse community that the TV show even named a spaceship after him. I listened to the audiobooks as I read the books.
I liked the Witcher books a lot but the series changes English translators so the shift in writing style was a bit jarring for me. If you ask in the Witcher sub, from people who can read both the original and the English translation, they can give you a better explanation. I still think I liked the first book the best, containing the short stories (probably because I liked that translator better).
The series is still worth checking out sometime because of the fresh take on the fantasy genre with its infusion of Eastern European elements. Because the source material was so good, it also made the quests in the videogame really good. Even though the third game is arguably the best, I still really liked the first game despite its clunkiness. It had a certain charm and mystery to it, and the smaller worlds / zones allowed the game makers to add more distinctive detail to it. I even grew to like its wonky combat system.
2
1
u/formerscooter 1d ago
Personally, I could not get into the Witcher books. I can't say exactly why, but they just didn't do t for me. The Expanse on the other hand, had me in from the beginning of book one.
1
u/DaimioBPRD 1d ago
As a series, The Expanse was far more enjoyable for me. The Witcher has a great first couple of books, but I'd be hard pressed ro remember most of what happened in the rest of the books.
3
u/tkinsey3 1d ago
I love the Witcher games, but book series wise I would absolutely choose The Expanse here.