The Expanse Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Leviathan Wakes | 2011 | Buy |
| Caliban’s War | 2012 | Buy |
| Abaddon’s Gate | 2013 | Buy |
| Cibola Burn | 2014 | Buy |
| Nemesis Games | 2015 | Buy |
| Babylon’s Ashes | 2016 | Buy |
| Persepolis Rising | 2017 | Buy |
| Tiamat’s Wrath | 2019 | Buy |
| Leviathan Falls | 2021 | Buy |
James S.A. Corey is the pen name for Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who wrote The Expanse together. Abraham was an established fantasy author. Franck was George R.R. Martin’s assistant. They started the series as a tabletop RPG campaign before deciding it would work better as novels.
The writing process is unusual. Franck handles plot and big-picture worldbuilding. Abraham does the actual prose. They pass chapters back and forth, arguing over details until both are satisfied. The result reads like a single voice because they’ve refined it into one.
Leviathan Wakes launched in 2011. It’s set in a future where humanity has colonized the solar system but hasn’t yet reached the stars. Mars is an independent military power. The Belt’s inhabitants are exploited laborers with their own emerging identity. Earth is overpopulated and decaying. Into this tension comes the protomolecule, an alien technology that changes everything.
The series ran nine novels plus novellas. Syfy (later Amazon) adapted it as a television series that ran six seasons from 2015 to 2022. The show was cancelled once, then saved by fan campaigns and Amazon’s acquisition. It’s considered one of the better book-to-screen adaptations in science fiction.
The final novel, Leviathan Falls, wrapped up the story in 2021. Abraham and Franck have said they’re done with The Expanse, though they’ve left room for others to tell stories in the universe.