What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Expanse
Mark Fergus · Series · 2015
If you loved The Expanse, start with Leviathan Falls (James S.A. Corey) — a book on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 films and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Expanse across media.
What hooked you in The Expanse was the way the cold, crushing reality of space forces humanity to confront its own political fragility.
Books on the same thread
Leviathan Falls
James S.A. Corey · Book
Shares 2 threads with The Expanse: Space Opera, Hard Science Fiction.
As the grand conclusion to The Expanse, this book deepens the series’ focus on interstellar politics and the existential weight of technological shifts that threaten to unravel human civilization.
The Three-Body Problem
Cixin Liu · Book
Shares a thread with The Expanse: Hard science fiction.
Like the systemic conspiracies in The Expanse, this story examines how an existential threat forces disparate groups to navigate the collapse of societal order and the dawn of singularity.
The Martian
Andy Weir · Book · 2015
Shares a thread with The Expanse: Hard Science Fiction.
Fans of The Expanse will appreciate the uncompromising focus on hard science, where human ingenuity and grit serve as the only defense against the indifferent lethality of deep space.
The Late Show
Michael Connelly · Book · 2017
Explores: Female Detective, LAPD, Redemption.
This narrative echoes the gritty, ground-level procedural elements found in The Expanse, where a determined detective navigates the complex power dynamics and internal corruption of a massive institution.
Films on the same thread
2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick · Film · 1968
Shares 3 threads with The Expanse: Artificial Intelligence, Hard Science Fiction, Space Opera.
This film shares the philosophical ambition of The Expanse, exploring how humanity’s evolution is irrevocably altered by the discovery of alien artifacts and the rise of artificial intelligence.
Interstellar
Christopher Nolan · Film · 2014
Shares a thread with The Expanse: Hard Science Fiction.
Interstellar mirrors the vast, high-stakes space exploration of The Expanse, emphasizing the desperate sacrifices needed to ensure human survival when faced with the limitations of our current reality.
The Martian
Ridley Scott · Film · 2015
Shares a thread with The Expanse: Hard Science Fiction.
Much like the stranded crew members in The Expanse, this protagonist must rely on scientific problem solving and sheer resourcefulness to survive the hostile environment of an alien world.
The Matrix
Lana Wachowski · Film · 1999
Shares 2 threads with The Expanse: Artificial Intelligence, Cyberpunk.
This film captures the cyberpunk aesthetic and political rebellion of The Expanse, focusing on underground insurgents fighting to reclaim their agency from the oppressive grip of artificial intelligence.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Orphans
The Light and Tragic Company · Podcast · 2025
This audio drama captures the same feeling of isolation and high-stakes survival in a dangerous universe that defined the most intense moments throughout the run of The Expanse.
Revolutions
Mike Duncan · Podcast · 2025
Explores: societal collapse, power dynamics, cyclical history.
Just as The Expanse illustrates the volatile power dynamics of a solar system in flux, this historical account dissects the cyclical patterns of revolution and inevitable societal collapse.
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 investigate the case of a missing young woman. Their search 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.
When is The Expanse set?
The Expanse is set two hundred years in the future. The story takes place across the solar system, where the search for a missing young woman draws a detective and a ship's captain into a dangerous conspiracy that impacts the human race.
Who created The Expanse?
The Expanse was created by Mark Fergus. The television series, which first aired in 2015, follows a detective and a rogue ship's captain as they navigate a vast conspiracy across the solar system while searching for a missing young woman.
Is The Expanse a thriller?
Yes, The Expanse is a thriller set two hundred years in the future. The narrative centers on a missing person case that evolves into a solar system-wide race to expose a conspiracy, involving a hardened detective and a rogue ship's captain.