The Expanse Books in Order
The Expanse is the nine-novel solar-system epic by James S. A. Corey - two writers, Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, in one coat - that ran from Leviathan Wakes (2011) to Leviathan Falls (2021) and became the Amazon TV series. It is a future where humanity has split into Earth, Mars and the Belt, and the order question has a clean answer: publication order, because the novellas are set at the moments in the timeline where they were published. The series is complete, which makes this a rare finished marathon. This page maps the nine novels and slots every novella where it belongs (2011–2022).
Where to start
Leviathan Wakes (2011), the door - and a nearly perfect one. It introduces Holden and Miller before the cast widens.
The complete list
Tick the boxes off as you read, or for the bookshelf.
| Year | Title | Series / type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Leviathan Wakes | #1 — start here | |
| 2011 | The Butcher of Anderson Station | novella — beside #1 | |
| 2012 | Caliban's War | #2 | |
| 2012 | Gods of Risk | novella | |
| 2013 | Abaddon's Gate | #3 — closes the first arc | |
| 2014 | The Churn | novella — the Amos prequel | |
| 2014 | Cibola Burn | #4 | |
| 2015 | The Vital Abyss | novella | |
| 2015 | Nemesis Games | #5 — the status quo dies | |
| 2016 | Babylon's Ashes | #6 | |
| 2017 | Persepolis Rising | #7 — the generation jump | |
| 2017 | Strange Dogs | novella | |
| 2019 | Tiamat's Wrath | #8 — the late masterpiece | |
| 2019 | Auberon | novella | |
| 2021 | Leviathan Falls | #9 — the end | |
| 2022 | The Sins of Our Fathers | coda novella — after the finale |
Does the reading order matter?
Publication order, no detours: Leviathan Wakes (2011), Caliban's War (2012), Abaddon's Gate (2013), Cibola Burn (2014), Nemesis Games (2015), Babylon's Ashes (2016), Persepolis Rising (2017), Tiamat's Wrath (2019), Leviathan Falls (2021). The structure changes at book five - Nemesis Games blows up the status quo - and again at seven, where a generation jump resets the board for the last trilogy-inside-the-series. The novellas are short and slot at publication points: The Butcher of Anderson Station (2011) beside the first book, Gods of Risk (2012) after Caliban's War, The Churn (2014) before Cibola Burn - the Amos prequel people love most - The Vital Abyss (2015), Strange Dogs (2017) before Persepolis Rising, Auberon (2019), and The Sins of Our Fathers (2022), the coda set after the finale. Read them at their slots or save them for after Leviathan Falls; either works. Memory's Legion (2022) collects them all
Which one is the best?
Leviathan Wakes (2011), the door; Nemesis Games (2015), the mid-series explosion; Tiamat's Wrath (2019), the late masterpiece.
Related guides
Readers finishing this shelf usually want the map next door: Dune books in order, Bobiverse books in order, Hugh Howey books in order. Every guide follows the same format — the shelf, the entry point, the honest answer about order.
Make it a project
Pick a session size and let the days accumulate — at the pace our reading speed test measures, most shelves above clear in a few weeks of half-hours. Every guide on the books in order shelf follows this same format, and when a book lands, its 8-question quiz is waiting on the original book quiz.
Frequently asked questions
What order should you read The Expanse books in?
Publication order, 2011-2021; novellas slot at their publication points.
Where should I start with The Expanse?
Leviathan Wakes (2011); then straight on in publication order.
How many The Expanse books are there?
Nine novels and eight novellas, complete - a finished saga that ran twelve years and six TV seasons, with Memory's Legion (2022) collecting the shorter work. As of October 2026 this list is current.
What was The Expanse's first book?
Leviathan Wakes (2011) — the first row of the list above.