The Expanse Series

This expansive space opera plunges into a near future where humanity has colonized the solar system, creating a fragile political balance. Tensions simmer between Earth, Mars, and the inhabitants of the asteroid belt, exacerbated by a mysterious alien artifact. The narrative follows a diverse cast of characters whose lives intertwine as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens all of humankind. Readers will be captivated by its intricate world-building, realistic depiction of space travel, and thrilling plot filled with action and profound questions about humanity's place in the cosmos.

Recommended Reading Order

1
Leviathan Wakes
James S. A. Corey
4.3(6110)Add rating
The book is the basis for the first season of The Expanse, a new original series premiering on Syfy in December 2015. Leviathan Wakes is James S. A. Corey's first novel in the epic series the Expanse, a modern masterwork of science fiction where humanity has colonized the solar system. Two hundred years after migrating into space, mankind is in turmoil. When a reluctant ship's captain and washed-up detective find themselves involved in the case of a missing girl, what they discover brings our solar system to the brink of civil war, and exposes the greatest conspiracy in human history. The ExpanseLeviathan WakesCaliban's WarAbaddon's GateCibola BurnNemesis Games The Expanse Short FictionThe Butcher of Anderson StationGods of RiskThe ChurnDrive
2
Caliban's War
James S. A. Corey
4.4(1705)Add rating
The second book in the NYT bestselling Expanse series, Caliban's War shows a solar system on the brink of war, and the only hope of peace rests on James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante's shoulders. Now a Prime Original series. We are not alone. On Ganymede, breadbasket of the outer planets, a Martian marine watches as her platoon is slaughtered by a monstrous supersoldier. On Earth, a high-level politician struggles to prevent interplanetary war from reigniting. And on Venus, an alien protomolecule has overrun the planet, wreaking massive, mysterious changes and threatening to spread out into the solar system. In the vast wilderness of space, James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante have been keeping the peace for the Outer Planets Alliance. When they agree to help a scientist search war-torn Ganymede for a missing child, the future of humanity rests on whether a single ship can prevent an alien invasion that may have already begun . . . Caliban's War is a breakneck science fiction adventure following the critically acclaimed Leviathan Wakes. The Expanse Leviathan WakesCaliban's WarAbaddon's GateCibola BurnNemesis GamesBabylon's AshesPersepolis Rising The Expanse Short Fiction The Butcher of Anderson StationGods of RiskThe ChurnThe Vital AbyssStrange Dogs
3
Abaddon's Gate
James S. A. Corey
4.2(1436)Add rating
For generations, the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt - was humanity's great frontier. Until now. The alien artefact working through its program under the clouds of Venus has emerged to build a massive structure outside the orbit of Uranus: a gate that leads into a starless dark. Jim Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are part of a vast flotilla of scientific and military ships going out to examine the artefact. But behind the scenes, a complex plot is unfolding, with the destruction of Holden at its core
3
Expanse Tom 3 Wrota Abaddona
Corey James S. A.
4.1(541)Add rating
Od pokoleń Układ Słoneczny – Mars, Księżyc, pas asteroidów – był pograniczem ludzkości. Aż do teraz. Obcy artefakt wykonujący swój program pod pokrywą chmur Wenus wyłonił się stamtąd, tworząc olbrzymią strukturę poza orbitą Urana: wrota prowadzące w bezgwiezdny mrok. Jim Holden i załoga Rosynanta są elementem wielkiej flotylli statków naukowych i okrętów wojennych wysłanych do zbadania artefaktu. Jednak w ukryciu rozgrywa się skomplikowana intryga, której celem jest zniszczenie Holdena. Podczas gdy emisariusze ludzkości starają się odkryć, czy wrota stanowią okazję, czy zagrożenie, okazuje się, że największe niebezpieczeństwo przywieźli ze sobą. Na całym świecie sprzedano ponad dwa miliony egzemplarzy powieści z serii Expanse i na jej podstawie nakręcono popularny serial telewizyjny.
4
Cibola Burn
James S. A. Corey
624 pages
22 hours of reading
4.3(2221)Add rating
You can call me a corporation. You can call me a government. I'm the guy here with the most guns, and I say this planet is mine. Now, Captain Holden, was there something you wanted to add? The gates have opened the way to thousands of habitable planets, and the land rush has begun. Settlers stream out from humanity's home planets in a vast, poorly controlled flood. Among them, the Rocinante, haunted by the vast, posthuman network of the protomolecule as they investigate what destroyed the great intergalactic society that built the gates and the protomolecule. But Holden and his crew must also contend with the growing tensions between the settlers and the company which owns the official claim to the planet. Both sides will stop at nothing to defend what's theirs, but soon a terrible disease strikes and only Holden - with help from the ghostly Detective Miller - can find the cure.
5
Nemesis Games
James S. A. Corey
4.5(2023)Add rating
A thousand worlds have opened, and the greatest land-rush in human history has begun. As wave after wave of colonists leave, the power structures of the old solar system begin to buckle. Ships are disappearing without a trace. Private armies are being secretly formed. The sole remaining protomolecule sample is stolen. Terrorist attacks previously considered impossible bring the inner planets to their knees. The sins of the past are returning to exact a terrible price. And as a new human order is struggling to be born in blood and fire, James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante must struggle to survive and get back to the only home they have left.
6
Babylon's Ashes
James S. A. Corey
4.2(61004)Add rating
A revolution brewing for generations has begun in fire. It will end in blood.The Free Navy - a violent group of Belters in black-market military ships - has crippled the Earth and begun a campaign of piracy and violence among the outer planets. The colony ships heading for the thousand new worlds on the far side of the alien ring gates are easy prey, and no single navy remains strong enough to protect them.James Holden and his crew know the strengths and weaknesses of this new force better than anyone. Outnumbered and outgunned, the embattled remnants of the old political powers call on the Rocinante for a desperate mission to reach Medina Station at the heart of the gate network. But the new alliances are as flawed as the old, and the struggle for power has only just begun. As the chaos grows, an alien mystery deepens. Pirate fleets, mutiny and betrayal may be the least of the Rocinante's problems. And in the uncanny spaces past the ring gates, the choices of a few damaged and desperate people may determine the fate of more than just humanity.
6
Expanse T.6 Prochy Babilonu
James S.A Corey
4.0(356)Add rating
Szósty tom bestsellerowej serii The Expanse. Rewolucja dojrzewająca od pokoleń zaczęła się w ogniu i skończy się we krwi. Wolna Flota grupa skorych do przemocy Pasiarzy w czarnorynkowych okrętach wojennych okaleczyła Ziemię i rozpoczęła kampanię piractwa i przemocy wśród planet zewnętrznych. Statki kolonizacyjne kierujące się do tysiąca nowych planet po drugiej stronie pierścieni wrót obcych są łatwą zdobyczą, a żadna flota nie ma dość sił, by ich chronić. James Holden i jego załoga lepiej niż inni znają mocne i słabe strony nowego przeciwnika. Mając do czynienia z silniejszym i liczniejszym wrogiem, znękane pozostałości dawnych potęg politycznych wzywają Rosynanta do desperackiej misji polegającej na dotarciu do stacji Medyna w samym sercu sieci wrót. Jednakże nowe sojusze są równie niedoskonałe jak stare, a walka o władzę dopiero się rozpoczęła.
7
Persepolis Rising : Book 7 of the Expanse
Corey James S. A.
4.4(118)Add rating
NOW A MAJOR TV SHOW ON NETFLIX, this seventh installment in the bestselling Expanse series explores humanity's expansion into new colony worlds, where each planet teeters between collapse and wonder. The aging gunship Rocinante's crew is tasked with maintaining fragile peace amid a tenuous alliance between the inner planets and the Belt, both haunted by a history of conflict. On the lost colony of Laconia, a hidden enemy emerges with a radical vision for humanity, backed by the power to enforce it. As new technologies clash with age-old conflicts, the cycle of war and subjugation resurfaces. Yet, human nature isn't the only adversary; the unleashed forces come with their own costs, reshaping humanity—and the Rocinante—forever. The Expanse series has sold over two million copies worldwide and has been praised for its compelling characters, sharp dialogue, and thrilling action. It has been described as the science fiction equivalent of A Song of Ice and Fire and offers high adventure that stands among the best in space opera. With its cutting-edge technology and unforgettable characters, this series has garnered acclaim from various reputable sources, establishing itself as a significant contribution to the genre.
7
Expanse T.7 Wzlot Persopolis
James S.A Corey
4.1(312)Add rating
Wzlot Persepolis to siódma część bestselerowej serii Expanse. Na tysiącu połączonych siecią wrót gwiazd zasiedlonych przez ludzką ekspansję, nowe kolonie starają się znaleźć własną drogę. Wszystkie planety balansują na granicy między zapaścią a cudem, zaś załoga starzejącego się okrętu Rosynant ma pełne ręce roboty przy utrzymywaniu delikatnego pokoju. W olbrzymiej przestrzeni między Ziemia a Jowiszem planety wewnętrzne i Pas zawiązały ostrożny i niepewny sojusz, wciąż nawiedzany przez upiory historii i uprzedzeń. Tym czasem na utraconym świecie Lakonii ukryty wróg ma nową wizję dla całej ludzkości... i siły, by ją narzucić. Nowe technologie ścierają się ze starymi i dzieje ludzkich konfliktów wracają do antycznego wzoru wojny i podboju. Jednak natura ludzka nie jest jedynym wrogiem, a uwalniane siły mają swoją cenę. Cenę, która zmieni kształt ludzkości oraz Rosynanta w nieoczekiwany sposób i już na zawsze... Na całym świecie sprzedano ponad dwa miliony egzemplarzy powieści z serii Expanse i na jej podstawie nakręcono popularny serial telewizyjny.
8
Expanse T.8 Gniew Timat
James S.A Corey
4.4(296)Add rating
8
Tiamat's wrath
James S. A. Corey
4.6(49387)Add rating
Thirteen hundred gates have opened to solar systems around the galaxy. But as humanity builds its interstellar empire in the alien ruins, the mysteries and threats grow deeper. In the dead systems where gates lead to stranger things than alien planets, Elvi Okoye begins a desperate search to discover the nature of a genocide that happened before the first human beings existed, and to find weapons to fight a war against forces at the edge of the imaginable. But the price of that knowledge may be higher than she can pay. At the heart of the empire, Teresa Duarte prepares to take on the burden of her father's godlike ambition. The sociopathic scientist Paolo Cortazar and the Mephistophelian prisoner James Holden are only two of the dangers in a palace thick with intrigue, but Teresa has a mind of her own and secrets even her father the emperor doesn't guess. And throughout the wide human empire, the scattered crew of the Rocinante fights a brave rear-guard action against Duarte's authoritarian regime. Memory of the old order falls away, and a future under Laconia's eternal rule - and with it, a battle that humanity can only lose - seems more and more certain. Because against the terrors that lie between worlds, courage and ambition will not be enough...
9
Leviathan Falls
James S. A. Corey
4.5(40261)Add rating
The ninth and final novel in James S. A. Corey's Hugo Award-winning series brings the decade's biggest SF saga to a stunning conclusion. With the fall of the Laconian Empire, thirteen hundred solar systems are liberated from Winston Duarte's rule. However, an ancient enemy, responsible for the demise of the gate builders, has awakened, reigniting the war against humanity. In the desolate Adro system, Elvi Okoye leads a critical scientific mission to uncover the truth about the gate builders and their destruction, risking her own safety and that of the half-alien children involved in her research. Meanwhile, Colonel Aliana Tanaka searches for Duarte's missing daughter and the shattered emperor. On the Rocinante, James Holden and his crew strive to forge a new future for humanity from the remnants of the past. As formidable forces threaten to obliterate all human life, Holden and his unlikely allies uncover a final chance to unite humanity, promising a vast galactic civilization free from conflict, lies, and secrets—if they succeed. Yet, the cost of victory may be more devastating than defeat. This thrilling conclusion is a deeply satisfying end to a remarkable space opera series, praised for its compelling characters, engaging dialogue, and high-stakes adventure.

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16 hours of reading
4.3(28)Add rating
Na Marsu experimentuje vědec s novým typem motoru, který jednoho dne umožní lidstvu cestovat ke hvězdám. Skupina trestanců na vězeňské stanici vyhloubené v nitru asteroidu nemá ani ponětí, jaká katastrofa se na všechny valí. Šéf podsvětí se připravuje opustit rodnou planetu sužovanou přelidněním, znečištěním a chudobou. Rodina bojuje s protivenstvím na kolonizovaném cizím světě, kde nalezla nový domov. To vše, a mnohé další, najdete v této neobyčejné povídkové sbírce.
The Expanse 1-3
James S. A. Corey
3 volumes
4.7(938)Add rating
The first three novels in James S. A. Corey's New York Times bestselling epic science fiction saga the Expanse - now a major television series. "Interplanetary adventure the way it ought to be written."- George R.R. Martin Humanity has colonized the solar system, but two hundred years after migrating into space, mankind is in turmoil. When a reluctant ship's captain and washed-up detective find themselves involved in the case of a missing girl, what they discover brings our solar system to the brink of civil war, and exposes the greatest conspiracy in human history. Leviathan WakesCaliban's WarAbaddon's Gate