If you loved
The Expanse
Mark Fergus · Series · 2015
What hooked you in The Expanse was the way massive interplanetary political maneuvers are inextricably tied to the desperate survival of individuals.
Books on the same thread
The Martian
Andy Weir · Book · 2015
Shares a thread with The Expanse: Hard Science Fiction.
If the technical problem-solving and resource scarcity of The Expanse kept you glued to the screen, this book offers a singular, high-stakes focus on human ingenuity against a hostile solar environment.
Empire
Orson Scott Card · Book · 2007
Shares a thread with The Expanse: Political Thriller.
The Expanse excels at depicting complex power shifts, and this story mirrors that intensity by examining the fragile architecture of social collapse and the strategic maneuvering required to navigate it.
The Long Sunset
Jack McDevitt · Book · 2018
Shares 2 threads with The Expanse: Space Opera, Hard Science Fiction.
Much like the interstellar mysteries that drive The Expanse, this narrative balances the vast, daunting scale of first contact with the intimate, high-stakes political intrigue of humanity's future expansion.
All Systems Red
Martha Wells · Book · 2017
Shares 2 threads with The Expanse: Space Opera, Cyberpunk.
Fans of The Expanse will recognize the biting critique of corporate dystopia and sentient artificial intelligence, explored here through a unique, character-driven perspective on autonomy and cold, calculated survival.
Films on the same thread
Interstellar
Christopher Nolan · Film · 2014
Shares a thread with The Expanse: Hard Science Fiction.
This film captures the same sense of awe regarding humanity's survival across the stars that defines The Expanse, emphasizing how scientific reality dictates the desperate choices made by our explorers.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick · Film · 1968
Shares 3 threads with The Expanse: Artificial Intelligence, Hard Science Fiction, Space Opera.
The Expanse draws heavily from this foundational work, particularly in its philosophical approach to artificial intelligence and the existential questions posed by humanity discovering its place in the wider cosmos.
The Martian
Ridley Scott · Film · 2015
Shares a thread with The Expanse: Hard Science Fiction.
If you appreciated the realistic physical stakes and resource-based tension found in The Expanse, this film provides a visceral look at the raw grit required to survive in an unforgiving vacuum.
Serenity
Joss Whedon · Film · 2005
Shares a thread with The Expanse: Space Opera.
The Expanse features a rogue crew fighting against systemic corruption, and this story delivers that same spirit of rebellion, found family, and the moral ambiguity of standing against a totalitarian regime.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Orphans
The Light and Tragic Company · Podcast · 2025
This audio drama captures the claustrophobic tension of survival in a harsh universe, echoing the way The Expanse highlights the fragile existence of those living on the edge of human civilization.
Revolutions
Mike Duncan · Podcast · 2025
Explores: societal collapse, power dynamics, cyclical history.
The Expanse is deeply rooted in the patterns of history and power; this podcast offers a detailed examination of those exact revolutionary dynamics that shape the rise and fall of societies.
Keep exploring
Common questions
What is the primary plot of The Expanse?
The Expanse follows a hardened detective and a rogue ship's captain who join forces to find a missing young woman. Their investigation leads them on a race across the solar system to uncover a massive conspiracy that threatens the future of humanity two hundred years from now.
Is The Expanse set in the distant future?
Yes, The Expanse is set two hundred years in the future. The story takes place across the solar system, focusing on the search for a missing woman and the discovery of a conspiracy that impacts the entire human population during that era.
How would you describe the tone of The Expanse?
The Expanse is a thriller centered on a high-stakes conspiracy. The narrative brings together a detective and a ship's captain to navigate complex events occurring across the solar system, two centuries into the future of human history.
Who created The Expanse?
The Expanse was created by Mark Fergus. The television series, which first aired in 2015, follows the investigation of a missing young woman that evolves into a race across the solar system to expose a significant conspiracy in human history.