The Expanse Book Series Recap: Every Book Included
The Expanse is a series of science fiction novels by James S.A. Corey. It is set in a future where humanity has colonized the solar system, and follows a diverse cast of characters as they navigate a complex and often dangerous universe filled with political intrigue, space battles, and alien threats. In this article, we will give you a recap of the whole Expanse book series, every book separately.
The Expanse recap
Let us now see the recap of the whole Expanse book series. The series should be finished and it has nine books. If the author, James S.A. Corey, doesn’t decide to somehow do more in the future, this recap should be covering the whole Expanse book series. We won’t be including short stories in the recap, only the main nine books. Check the recaps below.
Leviathan Wakes (2011)
“Leviathan Wakes” is the first book in the Expanse series by James S.A. Corey. It introduces the main characters and sets the stage for the rest of the series.
The story begins with the destruction of the ice hauler Canterbury and the subsequent investigation. James Holden, the executive officer of the Rocinante, a small ice hauler, is drawn into the investigation after his ship picks up a distress signal from the Canterbury. Along the way, he meets Josephus Miller, a detective from Ceres who has been assigned to the case.
As the two men try to piece together what happened to the Canterbury, they uncover a conspiracy involving an alien substance called the protomolecule and a powerful corporation called Protogen. The protomolecule is a mysterious and highly advanced substance that has the ability to transform and adapt to any environment. Protogen has been experimenting with the protomolecule, using it to create weapons and other advanced technologies.
Holden and Miller become embroiled in a dangerous conflict as they try to expose the truth about Protogen and prevent them from using the protomolecule to gain power and control. Along the way, they are aided by Chrisjen Avasarala, a powerful United Nations diplomat who is also working to uncover the truth about Protogen.
As the story unfolds, the characters are drawn into a web of intrigue and danger as they confront the shadowy forces behind the protomolecule and try to prevent a full-scale war between Earth and Mars. The book ends with Holden, Miller, and Avasarala working together to bring down Protogen and prevent the spread of the protomolecule.
Caliban’s War (2012)
“Caliban’s War” is the second book in the Expanse series by James S.A. Corey. It follows the characters introduced in the first book, “Leviathan Wakes,” as they try to prevent a full-scale war between Earth and Mars and face off against a new threat in the form of a rogue Martian marine.
The story begins with the discovery of a dead man on Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s moons. The man is revealed to be a scientist who was working on a secret project involving the protomolecule, the mysterious alien substance introduced in the first book. As the characters try to uncover the truth behind the scientist’s death, they become caught up in a conflict between Earth and Mars, with both sides accusing the other of being responsible for the death.
As the situation escalates, the characters are drawn into a dangerous game of political intrigue and betrayal. Chrisjen Avasarala, a United Nations diplomat, works to prevent a full-scale war between Earth and Mars, while James Holden, the captain of the Rocinante, and his crew are sent to Ganymede to investigate the scientist’s death and try to prevent the protomolecule from falling into the wrong hands.
Meanwhile, a rogue Martian marine named Bobbie Draper becomes caught up in the conflict and must confront her own loyalties and beliefs as she becomes embroiled in the war between Earth and Mars. As the story unfolds, the characters are faced with new threats and challenges as they try to prevent a devastating war and keep the protomolecule out of the hands of those who would use it for evil. The book ends with the characters working together to prevent a full-scale war and bring an end to the conflict on Ganymede.
Abaddon’s Gate (2013)
“Abaddon’s Gate” is the third book in the Expanse series by James S.A. Corey. It follows the characters introduced in the previous books as they deal with a crisis surrounding a massive alien structure known as the Ring Gate.
The story begins with the discovery of the Ring Gate, a massive alien structure that has been hidden in the asteroid belt for centuries. The discovery of the Ring Gate sparks a race to control its power and unlock its secrets, with various factions vying for control.
As the characters try to navigate the complex political landscape and prevent a full-scale war over the Ring Gate, they are drawn into a dangerous game of intrigue and betrayal. James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are sent to investigate the Ring Gate, while Chrisjen Avasarala, the United Nations diplomat, works to prevent a war between Earth and Mars over the structure.
As the story unfolds, the characters are faced with new challenges and threats, including a mysterious and powerful organization known as the Free Navy, which seeks to use the Ring Gate to gain control of the solar system. The book ends with the characters working together to prevent the Free Navy from using the Ring Gate to launch a devastating attack and bring an end to the conflict.
Cibola Burn (2014)
“Cibola Burn” is the fourth book in the Expanse series by James S.A. Corey. It follows the characters introduced in the previous books as they explore a new planet and encounter rival factions vying for control of its resources.
The story begins with the discovery of a new planet called Ilus, which is rich in natural resources and has the potential to be a new home for humanity. As various factions race to claim the planet, tensions rise and the characters are drawn into a dangerous conflict.
James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are sent to Ilus to help mediate the situation and prevent a war between the rival factions. As they try to navigate the complex political landscape and keep the peace, they encounter a variety of challenges and threats, including hostile indigenous life forms and rival factions with their own agendas.
As the story unfolds, the characters are forced to confront their own personal demons and make difficult choices as they try to prevent a full-scale war and keep the peace on Ilus. The book ends with the characters working together to bring an end to the conflict and find a resolution to the crisis on the new planet.
Nemesis Games (2015)
“Nemesis Games” is the fifth book in the Expanse series by James S.A. Corey. It follows the characters introduced in the previous books as they deal with personal struggles and the aftermath of the events of the previous books, as well as a new threat from a group of rogue Belters.
The story begins with the Rocinante, the spacecraft captained by James Holden, returning to Earth after a long journey. As the crew tries to adjust to life on Earth and deal with the aftermath of the events of the previous books, they are faced with new challenges and threats.
A group of rogue Belters, led by a charismatic and dangerous leader named Marco Inaros, launch a series of attacks on Earth and the outer planets, causing chaos and destruction. As the characters try to stop Inaros and his group, they are forced to confront their own personal demons and make difficult choices as they try to protect their loved ones and prevent a full-scale war.
As the story unfolds, the characters are drawn into a web of intrigue and danger as they confront Inaros and his group and try to stop their attacks. The book ends with the characters working together to bring an end to the conflict and bring Inaros to justice.
Babylon’s Ashes (2016)
“Babylon’s Ashes” is the sixth book in the Expanse series by James S.A. Corey. It follows the characters introduced in the previous books as they struggle to rebuild after a devastating attack on Earth and grapple with the rise of a powerful new enemy.
The story begins with the Rocinante, the spacecraft captained by James Holden, returning to a devastated Earth after a long journey. The planet has been attacked by a group of rogue Belters led by Marco Inaros, causing widespread destruction and loss of life.
As the characters try to pick up the pieces and rebuild, they are faced with a new threat in the form of the Free Navy, a powerful and well-armed group of Belters led by Inaros’ son, Filip. The Free Navy launches a series of attacks on Earth and the outer planets, causing chaos and destruction.
As the characters try to stop the Free Navy and protect their loved ones, they are drawn into a web of intrigue and danger as they confront Filip and his group and try to stop their attacks. Along the way, they are aided by old friends and allies, as well as new characters who join their cause.
The book ends with the characters working together to bring an end to the conflict and bring Filip to justice. However, the aftermath of the conflict leaves the characters and the solar system changed forever, setting the stage for the next book in the series.
Persepolis Rising (2017)
Persepolis Rising is the seventh and final book in the “Expanse” science fiction series by James S.A. Corey. The book is set in a future where humanity has colonized the solar system and tensions are high between the various factions that have emerged.
The story begins with the crew of the Rocinante, a former Martian navy warship, receiving a distress call from a scientist working on a secret project on a distant planet. The crew sets out to investigate, and they quickly realize that the scientist’s project is a weapon that could destroy entire planets.
As they try to figure out what to do about this weapon, they are caught in the middle of a conflict between the various factions in the solar system. The Outer Planets Alliance, a group of outer solar system colonies, has declared war on the inner planets, and the Rocinante crew finds themselves fighting on both sides as they try to prevent the weapon from being used.
Meanwhile, the protomolecule, a mysterious alien substance that has played a central role in the series, begins to exhibit strange and dangerous behavior, leading the crew to suspect that it may be responsible for the weapon.
As the conflict escalates, the Rocinante crew is forced to make difficult choices and confront their own personal demons as they try to prevent the weapon from being used and bring an end to the war.
In the end, the crew of the Rocinante is able to successfully disable the weapon and bring an end to the war, but at a great personal cost. The book concludes with the crew of the Rocinante setting off on a new mission, leaving behind the events of the past and looking towards the future.
Tiamat’s Wrath (2019)
Tiamat’s Wrath is the eighth book in the “Expanse” science fiction series by James S.A. Corey. The book is set in a future where humanity has colonized the solar system and tensions are high between the various factions that have emerged.
The story picks up where the previous book, Persepolis Rising, left off, with the crew of the Rocinante, a former Martian navy warship, setting off on a new mission to explore a distant alien world. As they explore the planet, they discover that it is home to a mysterious alien race known as the Laconians, who have been manipulating events in the solar system for centuries.
As the crew of the Rocinante tries to learn more about the Laconians and their motivations, they become caught up in a conflict between the Laconians and another alien race, the Free Navy. The Free Navy, a group of outer solar system colonies, is determined to use the Laconians’ advanced technology to conquer the inner planets, and the Rocinante crew finds themselves fighting on both sides as they try to prevent this from happening.
As the conflict escalates, the crew of the Rocinante is forced to make difficult choices and confront their own personal demons as they try to prevent the Laconians’ technology from falling into the hands of the Free Navy and bring an end to the war.
In the end, the crew of the Rocinante is able to successfully prevent the Free Navy from obtaining the Laconian technology, but at great personal cost. The book concludes with the crew of the Rocinante setting off on a new mission, leaving behind the events of the past and looking towards the future.
Leviathan Falls (2021)
On Laconia, Winston Duarte is slowly recovering from his conscious mind being turned off from a time-skip event. He overcomes the effects through his sheer will to protect his daughter Teresa Duarte. After his recovery, he projects himself into Trejo’s mind, who is in the Sol system reconquering it for the Laconian Empire. Duarte thanks Trejo for holding the Empire together but tells him they were thinking too small with their attention. Duarte then vanishes from Trejo perspective and orders his ship to do a hard burn back to the Laconia system.
By the time Trejo returns, Duarte had already then left the state building on Laconia. Trejo dispatches Colonel Aliana Tanaka to find him, giving her the highest level of clearance, second only to his own. She investigates the area on Laconia where Teresa took her walks, and tracks Duarte to the cave Amos Burton lived in. She goes further into the cave network and discovers a place where the repair drones bring things to pools of some sort where they are repaired.
Tanaka determines that Duarte left in some sort of small ship; he could be anywhere in any of the systems in the Ring network. She decides the best way to find him is to use Teresa as a lure, so she sets out to find her. Her investigation turns up a relative of Duarte who runs a girls’ boarding school on one of the colony worlds, and decides to investigate it as a likely location for Teresa to be sent.
Elvi is investigating the Adro Diamond aboard the Falcon with a full science team, Xan, and Cara. They use The Catalyst to trigger interactions between Cara and the Jupiter-sized diamond to dive into The Library, putting Xan in the Catalyst containment chamber during the ‘dives’ to isolate him so he and Cara don’t have any interactions and also so he can act as a control subject. Some of Cara’s experiences during the dives bleed over into Amos, on the Roci.
