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books like The Expanse
A curated list of science fiction books with similar themes to The Expanse—hard sci-fi, political intrigue, space exploration, and complex characters.
Books Like The Expanse
Explore a curated roundup for books like The Expanse. We prioritize replay value, depth, and niche-friendly qualities that match the search intent. Scroll the cards, then try the generator for fully personalized recommendations.
Leviathan Wakes
The first book in The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey, blending noir detective storytelling with interplanetary conflict.
Foundational to the series’ tone and universe; essential for fans seeking the same experience.
Children of Time
By Adrian Tchaikovsky, this novel follows the evolution of a genetically modified spider civilization on a terraformed planet.
Offers grand-scale evolutionary sci-fi with deep scientific grounding and alien intelligence development.
The Three-Body Problem
Liu Cixin’s Hugo Award-winning novel introducing cosmic sociology and humanity’s first contact with an alien civilization.
Delivers hard sci-fi with philosophical depth and large-scale existential threats like The Expanse’s protomolecule.
Hyperion
Dan Simmons’ epic blends multiple narrative styles as pilgrims journey to meet a mysterious entity known as the Shrike.
Combines poetic storytelling with advanced tech and interstellar politics, echoing The Expanse’s layered worldbuilding.
Old Man’s War
John Scalzi’s military sci-fi debut about elderly recruits enhanced for combat in humanity’s interstellar wars.
Shares The Expanse’s focus on military ethics, colonial expansion, and advanced warfare in space.
Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir’s scientifically rigorous story of a lone astronaut saving Earth from a solar crisis.
Matches The Expanse’s problem-solving focus and realistic physics, with strong character dynamics.
Aurora
Kim Stanley Robinson’s novel chronicling a generation ship’s failed attempt to colonize a moon in the Tau Ceti system.
Explores societal breakdown and biological limits in deep space, akin to The Expanse’s realism.
The Collapsing Empire
Book one of John Scalzi’s Interdependency series, focusing on a decaying interstellar empire dependent on natural wormholes.
Features political maneuvering and systemic collapse similar to the Belt-Outer planets tensions in The Expanse.
Blindsight
Peter Watts’ dark first-contact novel where a crew encounters a truly alien intelligence near Neptune.
Delivers cerebral, hard sci-fi with existential dread and unconventional consciousness themes.
Revelation Space
Alastair Reynolds’ debut, set in a gritty future with ancient alien artifacts and interstellar conspiracies.
Shares The Expanse’s blend of mystery, spacefaring danger, and slow-reveal cosmic threats.
American Gods
While fantasy, Neil Gaiman’s novel shares The Expanse’s thematic depth and cultural collision on a mythic scale.
Included for its sophisticated narrative structure and exploration of belief systems under pressure—paralleling ideological conflicts in The Expanse.
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