A few weeks ago I finished reading Leviathan Falls, the ninth and final book in The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey.

I started the series all the way back in October 2024. Not long before that, in May, is when I got my first e-reader to try to get into reading a little more seriously. I’ve read plenty of other books since then, but The Expanse has been somewhat of a constant for most of the time I’ve been reading. Now that it’s finished, I can confidently say it’s my favorite series I’ve read so far and if you’re at all interested in sci-fi then you need to read it for yourself.

I won’t make you read my own poorly written synopsis, so here’s just a few quick notes on what I really loved about The Expanse.

The first thing I should mention is the scale and depth of the characters. They’re what make the series. You get to know and love so many of them throughout it, and each one feels unique in so many ways. I already know a lot of them are going to be sticking with me for a while.

I also really enjoyed the series’s approach to space sci-fi concepts. “Realistic” isn’t a word I’d use to describe it — not that it matters — but it feels grounded enough internally that there’s still tension in relatively simple actions. Space travel is a good example. You can’t just push your ship as fast as it’ll go — even if the ship can handle it, your body is an entirely different question. There are risks and ways to manage those risks, and that often leads to some gripping moments. Anyway, all that’s to say that I think The Expanse finds a really compelling balance between hard realism and space magic.

What’s next for me?

I had multiple people highly recommend the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown to me. I’ve already read the first book and loved it. I’m currently about halfway through the second book, Golden Son, with plans to keep going.

The recent trailer for the new Neuromancer TV series has got me wanting to try out the book by William Gibson.

Speaking of books with TV adaptations, I’ve heard good things about the Silo series by Hugh Howey so that’s also on my list.

And I’m sure I’m not done with James S.A. Corey either. There are lots of novellas that take place in The Expanse between the main novels that I want to get to eventually. Plus there’s a new series called The Captive’s War that I want to check out.

So you can see I’ve already got a decent backlog. But if you have any recommendations I’d still love to hear them.

— JP