The Expanse Books in Order
The Expanse is a space-opera saga by James S. A. Corey (the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) following the crew of the Rocinante as humanity, spread across a colonized solar system, confronts an alien protomolecule that reshapes its future. The nine-novel arc is rounded out by a set of novellas and short stories collected in Memory's Legion.
Publication order
In the order the books were originally released.
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Buy on Amazon2011 · James S. A. Corey
When ice-hauler officer James Holden recovers a distress beacon and watches his ship destroyed, he stumbles onto a conspiracy that threatens to…
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Buy on Amazon2012 · James S. A. Corey
An uneasy peace fractures when something monstrous slaughters a squad of soldiers on Ganymede, the breadbasket of the outer planets. As Earth and…
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Buy on Amazon2013 · James S. A. Corey
A vast alien ring structure has opened beyond the orbit of Uranus, drawing ships from every faction toward the unknown. Holden and the Rocinante crew…
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Buy on Amazon2014 · James S. A. Corey
With the ring gates open, a wave of colonists rushes through to settle alien worlds. On the contested planet Ilus, refugee squatters and a corporate…
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Buy on Amazon2015 · James S. A. Corey
While the Rocinante undergoes repairs, its crew scatters to confront their pasts across the solar system. As Naomi, Amos, Alex, and Holden pursue…
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Buy on Amazon2016 · James S. A. Corey
In the aftermath of a devastating assault on the inner planets, the rogue Free Navy under Marco Inaros holds the system hostage. A battered alliance…
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Buy on Amazon2017 · James S. A. Corey
Decades have passed, and the thousand colony worlds beyond the gates have settled into an uneasy order centered on Medina Station. That fragile peace…
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Buy on Amazon2019 · James S. A. Corey
Under the iron rule of the Laconian Empire and its near-immortal high consul, the scattered remnants of resistance plot against an enemy that wields…
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Buy on Amazon2021 · James S. A. Corey
The Laconian Empire's reckless experiments have provoked the unseen entities that destroyed the alien gate-builders, and the threat now endangers all…
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Companion & related books
Short-story collections and companion titles in this series.
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The Butcher of Anderson Station
2011 · James S. A. Corey
This novella follows Fred Johnson before he became the leader of the Outer Planets Alliance, back when he was an Earth military officer. It recounts…
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Buy on Amazon2012 · James S. A. Corey
This short prequel tells the story of Solomon Epstein, the Martian engineer whose accidental discovery of an efficient fusion drive transformed space…
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Buy on Amazon2012 · James S. A. Corey
Set on Mars, this novella centers on David Draper, the teenage nephew of marine Bobbie Draper, while she is away dealing with the fallout of events…
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2014 · James S. A. Corey
This novella reveals the origins of Amos Burton on a violent, poverty-stricken Earth, in the slums of Baltimore. It follows the young man he was…
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Buy on Amazon2015 · James S. A. Corey
Told from the perspective of a scientist imprisoned for his role in the protomolecule experiments, this novella explores the inner life of the…
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2017 · James S. A. Corey
Set on the colony world of Laconia after settlers passed through the ring gate, this novella follows a young boy named Cara and her family living…
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Frequently asked questions
What order should I read the The Expanse books in?
Publication order — Recommended by the authors (James S. A. Corey / Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) and widely echoed by booksellers and library catalogs Start with “Leviathan Wakes.”
How many books are in the The Expanse series?
We list 9 books by James S. A. Corey , published between 2011–2021.
Where can I buy the The Expanse books?
Each title above links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted an error? We continuously correct the catalog.