James S.A. Corey—the pen name for Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck—didn't just write a space opera; they built a clockwork universe where every gear turn matters. If you've just finished the show or saw a cool cover in a bookstore, you're likely staring at a pile of nine massive novels and a handful of novellas wondering where to start. Honestly, the Expanse series reading order is simpler than it looks, but there's a specific way to do it if you don't want to spoil the biggest gut-punches in the series.
Most people think you should just follow the timeline. Start at the beginning of the universe and go to the end, right? Wrong.
Doing that is like watching the Star Wars prequels before the original trilogy. You lose the mystery. You see the "how" before you understand the "why." If you read the prequel novella The Churn before you read Cibola Burn or Nemesis Games, you're meeting a version of Amos Burton before you've even fallen in love with the character he becomes on the Rocinante. It robs the story of its weight.
The Publication Order is the Only Way That Makes Sense
If you want the experience the authors intended, you follow the release dates. It's that easy. The authors didn't write these stories in a vacuum; they wrote the short stories to fill in the gaps and expand on themes they were currently exploring in the main novels.
Leviathan Wakes is your entry point. No exceptions. It’s a noir detective story mixed with a high-stakes political thriller. It introduces Holden and Miller, the two pillars of the early series. Once you finish that, you move to the first short story, The Butcher of Anderson Station. It’s a quick read, maybe thirty minutes, and it gives you the brutal backstory of Fred Johnson.
Then you hit Caliban’s War. This is where the scope explodes. You get Bobbie Draper. You get Chrisjen Avasarala. After the high of that ending, you should read Gods of Risk. It’s a smaller story set on Mars that follows Bobbie’s nephew. It feels like a side quest, sure, but it builds the culture of Mars in a way the big books sometimes gloss over.
Next is Abaddon’s Gate. This is the "Ring" book. It changes everything. After this, you must read The Churn. I’m serious. Don’t skip it. It’s widely considered the best piece of writing in the entire franchise. It’s gritty, it’s set in the Baltimore sinks, and it explains how a monster becomes a man.
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Cibola Burn follows. Some fans find this one a bit slow because it's localized on one planet, but it’s essential "Western" sci-fi. Follow it with The Vital Abyss. This is an odd one—it’s told from the perspective of a scientist working on the protomolecule. It’s creepy, clinical, and sets the stage for the later books' more "alien" elements.
Nemesis Games and Babylon’s Ashes are basically two halves of one giant story. Read them back-to-back. Between them, you can slot in Strange Dogs. This story is vital. If you skip Strange Dogs and go straight into book seven, you’re going to be incredibly confused about what’s happening on Laconia. It bridges the gap between the solar system war and the final trilogy.
The Final Act: Persepolis Rising to Leviathan Falls
The final three books—Persepolis Rising, Tiamat’s Wrath, and Leviathan Falls—are a different beast entirely. There is a massive time jump. Characters are older. The stakes aren't just about who controls the Belt anymore; they're about the survival of the human species against things we can't even comprehend.
Between Persepolis Rising and Tiamat’s Wrath, there is a novella called Auberon. It’s a fantastic look at how the Laconian Empire actually tries to run a conquered colony. It’s cynical and smart.
Finally, after you finish the masterpiece that is Leviathan Falls, there is one last story: The Sins of Our Fathers. It serves as the true epilogue to the entire series. It’s quiet. It’s haunting. It’s the perfect comedown after the explosive finale of the main series.
Why Chronological Order is a Trap
I get the temptation. You want to see the world grow chronologically. But the Expanse series reading order is designed to reveal secrets slowly.
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Take The Churn again. If you read it first, you know exactly who Amos is. When he shows up in Leviathan Wakes, he's just a guy you already know. But if you read the books first, Amos is a terrifying enigma. You spend three books wondering what’s wrong with him, and then The Churn hits you like a freight train. That’s the "Aha!" moment you lose if you read chronologically.
Similarly, The Vital Abyss reveals things about the nature of the Protomolecule that would ruin the tension of the first three books. The mystery is the engine of the story. Don't break the engine.
The "Memory's Legion" Shortcut
In 2022, a collection called Memory's Legion was released. This is a godsend for physical book collectors. It contains every single short story and novella in one volume.
If you're buying the books now, get the nine novels and then just buy Memory's Legion. You can flip to the specific story you need at the right time. It’s much cheaper than buying individual digital novellas or trying to track down rare physical prints of the shorts.
One thing to watch out for: Memory's Legion includes author notes at the end of each story. These notes are fascinating. They explain where the ideas came from—like how the entire series started as a pitch for a tabletop RPG or a failed MMO project. Ty and Daniel are very transparent about their process, which adds a whole other layer of appreciation for the work.
Nuances for the Completionists
Is there anything you can skip? Kinda.
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Gods of Risk is probably the least "essential" to the main plot, but if you like Bobbie Draper, you’ll enjoy it. The Last Flight of the Cassandra is a very short story that was originally included in the Expanse Tabletop RPG rulebook. It’s hard to find and doesn't impact the main plot at all, so don't stress if you can't track it down.
However, do not—under any circumstances—skip the novellas entirely. They aren't "filler." In many ways, they are the connective tissue that makes the jump between the "political thriller" era and the "cosmic horror" era of the series feel earned.
The Realistic Timeline of Reading
These aren't short books. Leviathan Wakes is about 550 pages. By the time you get to the later books, they stay around that 500-600 page mark. If you're a fast reader, you're looking at a three-to-six-month commitment to get through the whole thing.
But it’s worth it. The ending of Leviathan Falls is one of the most satisfying conclusions in modern science fiction. It doesn't take the easy way out. It respects the physics and the "hard" sci-fi roots the series established in the first chapter.
Actionable Next Steps for New Readers
If you're ready to dive into the Belt, here is exactly what to do:
- Purchase Leviathan Wakes first. Don't buy the whole box set yet. See if you vibe with the "used future" aesthetic and the dual-perspective storytelling.
- Pick up Memory's Legion early. Having it on your shelf or Kindle means you won't be tempted to skip the novellas when they come up in the order.
- Ignore the TV show timeline. The Amazon/Syfy show is incredible, but it blends characters and events differently. If you've seen the show, start at Book 1 anyway. The internal monologues of characters like Naomi and Bull change your perspective on everything.
- Follow this specific sequence: 1. Leviathan Wakes
2. The Butcher of Anderson Station
3. Caliban's War
4. Gods of Risk
5. Abaddon's Gate
6. The Churn
7. Cibola Burn
8. The Vital Abyss
9. Nemesis Games
10. Babylon's Ashes
11. Strange Dogs
12. Persepolis Rising
13. Auberon
14. Tiamat's Wrath
15. Leviathan Falls
16. The Sins of Our Fathers
This path ensures you get the maximum emotional payoff. The Expanse is a journey about how humanity reacts when the fence around our backyard finally gets knocked down. Read it in the order it was discovered by the world, and you'll understand why it's a modern classic.