From a New York Times best-selling and Hugo award-winning author comes a modern masterwork of science fiction, introducing a captain, his crew, and a detective as they unravel a horrifying solar system wide conspiracy that begins with a single missing girl.

Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.

Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, the Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations - and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the Universe.

The Expanse

Leviathan Wakes
Caliban's War
Abaddon's Gate
Cibola Burn
Nemesis Games
Babylon's Ashes
Persepolis Rising
Tiamat's Wrath
Leviathan Falls
Memory's Legion

The Expanse Short Fiction

Drive
The Butcher of Anderson Station
Gods of Risk
The Churn
The Vital Abyss
Strange Dogs
Auberon
The Sins of Our Fathers

Listening Length

20 hours and 56 minutes
Author

James S. A. Corey
Narrator

Jefferson Mays
Audible release date

June 30, 2017
Language

English
Publisher

Hachette Audio
ASIN

B073HBQXMT
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
See all details

Read & Listen

Switch between reading the Kindle book & listening to the Audible narration with Whispersync for Voice.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $12.99 after you buy the Kindle book.

Your audiobook is waiting!

Click above for unlimited listening to select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection — yours to keep (you'll use your first credit now).
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.

Learn more about membership

List Price: ~~$34.21~~

You Save: $4.28 (13%)

By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use

Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

People who viewed this also viewed

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

Caliban's War
James S. A. Corey
10,937
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Abaddon's Gate: The Expanse, Book 3
James S. A. Corey
9,653
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Leviathan Falls: Expanse, Book 9
James S.A. Corey
18,570
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Memory's Legion: The Complete Expanse Story Collection
James S. A. Corey
1,236
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Drive: An Expanse Short Story
James S. A. Corey
453
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial

People who bought this also bought

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1
Dennis E. Taylor
7,387
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Dune
Frank Herbert
63,037
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir
80,610
in Hard Science Fiction

Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Artemis
Andy Weir
12,928
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Red Rising
Pierce Brown
14,375
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial

Related to this topic

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

Salvage Rat: Salvage Rat, Book 1
Larry N. Martin
87
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Rebel Stars: Books 0-2
Edward W. Robertson
67
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
The Cordova Vector: Brace Cordova, Book One
C.Steven Manley
48
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
The Last War: The Last War Series, Book 1
Peter Bostrom
693
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial
Finder
Suzanne Palmer
461
Audible Audiobook
$0.00 Free with Audible trial

Product details

Listening Length	20 hours and 56 minutes
Author	James S. A. Corey
Narrator	Jefferson Mays
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	June 30, 2017
Publisher	Hachette Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B073HBQXMT
Best Sellers Rank	#420 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #3 in Space Exploration Science Fiction #7 in Space Opera Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) #7 in Hard Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

5 star		74%
4 star		21%
3 star		4%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all customer images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Virginia Dad

After much delay, finally took the bait and am glad I did.

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2017

Verified Purchase

I hate to follow the crowd with my reading choices so I was slow to try the expanse series. Now I know better. This was a good read. If you get past nit-picking the technological and astrophysics details, then you can settle back and enjoy the ride. The pace really makes this work. I watched the first couple of episodes of the TV series and hesitated to read the books because I was not interested in reading about palace intrigues and politicking. I'm glad that I finally bit the bullet and bought the book because the authors - it's actually two - do a great job weaving the politics into the plot without dragging out the story. I did like the characters and though the detective was particularly interesting. But overall, the pacing is just well done. If you want engaging material, then look no further. I bought this as a Kindle special and bought the 2nd book in the series at full price as soon as I finished this one. I'd call it a great space opera but it all takes place in our solar system, so maybe it's more accurate to call it great "solar opera." Whatever you call it, it's a great epic tale.

203 people found this helpful

Helpful

LE~Heureux

Leviathan a Good Read even After Watching The Expanse Series

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2018

Verified Purchase

I usually find movies depart so far from the book it ruins the read. After finding, then binge watching The Expanse on Amazon Prime, I HAD to get the books. Leviathan Wakes was very enjoyable. It paints a broader picture that helps me appreciate the nuances of the show. I particularly enjoyed getting a better understanding of Miller. I love the little details the book has (eg: the vice cops rant in the bullpen about the department report system screwing up his work - that's a bit of reality I know well from 36+ years of cop work.). Such details might not even factor into the plot but they provide a richer appreciation of the characters. They seem grounded in a reality that shows the author(s) know what life really is like. Miller's insights into the post shooting trauma often referred to as PTSD are a good example, as is the book's examination of situational ethics Vs standing on principle. It is great how REAL the story seems. Despite being science FICTION, the technology they have in the books seems very plausible developments of real things we already have in 2017 that really might happen in 200 more years. (eg: rail guns, personal data devices, facial recognition). I hope lots of Expanse fans try the books. I got the Kindle set, in part to show my support of Jeff Bezos for saving The Expanse from premature termination. What I got is the richer experience of watching AND reading the saga. It would be out of this world if Amazon underwrites future seasons of the show that continue to faithfully represent the rest of the book series as well as seasons 1 to 3 have.

134 people found this helpful

Helpful

mindseye18

Great beginning.

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2017

Verified Purchase

I was worried about starting this book after watching the show on SyFy. I thought the show would be one big spoiler for the book. Well the show is great and so is the book. I knew basically were it was going but the book expands on the show in great and beautiful detail. I learned more about the characters and their motivations. As well as more details about the over arching politics of the solar system. I am excited to start the next book.

147 people found this helpful

Helpful

Tony M.

Too many F bombs

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2019

Verified Purchase

I downloaded this book with the expectation of reading an enjoyable sci-fi book and then I found that this thing is filled with F bombs. In general they were usually unneeded. A simple adjective would have been quite sufficient.

164 people found this helpful

Helpful

Sean Farrell

An exciting start for a promising series.

Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2017

Verified Purchase

Since it seems like George R.R. Martin is not exactly going to be putting out the next installment in his epic series any time soon, I really felt like I needed another one to get into in the meantime. With the SyFy show based off these books, "The Expanse", gaining traction, I thought why not give sci-fi a try. I was not disappointed. This first installment only hints at the politics of the universe the authors have created, though I suspect we will get more detail about it in the following installments, but suffice it to say they do a great job setting up a believable world in which humanity has spread out into our solar system, having colonized Mars, the asteroid belt, and beyond. As can be expected of human nature, over the centuries of this arrangement, people in different places have come to have varying degrees of distrust for people from other locations, making the possibility of war ever-present. Amidst this environment we are introduced to a missing-girl case on Ceres Station being investigated by private security Agent Miller and the adventures of Jim Holden and his crew, who are trying to find out who attacked their ship. These 2 plots and the fate of the galaxy all wind up intertwining in intriguing and exciting ways. The story moves along at a quick pace, but still allows time to develop the characters and the world they populate. It is a thrilling tale that you will have a hard time putting down, even if you don't normally read science fiction, and which will leave you eager to get started on the next in the series.

72 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Liz Barnsley

Just brilliant.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2018

Verified Purchase

I started watching the t.v. adaptation of “The Expanse” and a little way in, loving it, decided to read the books first. Always prefer it that way round and “Leviathan Wakes” is simply brilliant, a rollercoaster ride through space – a proper epic that holds all your attention first page to last.

A classic tale at the heart of it, a small, motley and eclectic crew who may hold the fate of the universe in their hands, face off against varying powers, battles galore, with plenty of richly layered characters all set against the backdrop of a beautifully imagined future world.

A heady mix of space opera, drama, horror and science fiction, Leviathan Wakes drowns your senses, messes with your heart rate, keeps you up at night and has a disturbingly relentless feel to the more horrifying moments. All this whilst attaching you to the characters in an emotional way that makes you crazy when the bad things inevitably happen.

I adored it – I don’t think I’ve read a book this long in such a short time ever – that cliche about not being able to put it down was almost literally true in this case.

Fantastic writing, clever, intelligent plotting and a visceral, visual feel to it that digs deep, Leviathan Wakes is one of my favourite reads ever. No messing.

Bring on Caliban’s War is what I say.

Highly recommended.

56 people found this helpful

Robert Nielsen

Underwhelming

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 21, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book had a lot of promise but unfortunately didn't live up to it. It opened well, I was interested in the characters, the setting and the plot (especially the mystery). Unfortunately, these were not well-developed as the plot went on and became something of a slog by the end. There were certainly plenty of good moments, but nothing particularly great or special.

Part of the problem was Miller's crime noir plot. The problem is that if you've read one noir plot, you've read them all. His plot was predictable, unoriginal and I found it hard to care about someone who cared so little about themselves. A world-weary alcoholic cop obsessed with a beautiful missing girl he hopes to rescue (and hopes she will rescue him) is an over-used cliche (why does the girl always have to be beautiful, would he not care if she was ugly?). Miller was best when he had someone else to bounce off, alone he was just too miserable. Also the obsession over Julia was really weird, the ending tried to make it sound noble, but it was just creepy.

Holden was better, especially as he had a crew to interact with, but these characters never got much depth to them. The world-building was similarly shallow and half-hearted, there was no nuance or shades to political struggle. Making Earth one unified blob without any diversity of opinion or action just seemed lazy. Making cities/stations where everything is dreary and decadent gets repetitive and dull. The villain was cartoonishly evil and just lazy. There were also a few holes in the plot and timeline.

However, what really made this a 3 star book was the ending. Without spoiling anything, throwing alien/zombie/hivemind/extermination was really out of place and didn't work well at all. By the end it got so absurd that I couldn't take it seriously. Even the characters comment on how bizarre it was and how it resembled magic, which is a bad sign (if you're writing hard sci-fi things have to make at least some sense). A lot of mystery novels put so much work into building the mystery that when the final reveal comes it's anti-climatic and that's how the ending felt to this.

28 people found this helpful

Alyssia Cooke

Unexpected and unpredictable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 6, 2019

Verified Purchase

If there was ever a book that simply didn't go where I was expecting, it would be this one. It's rare that an author manages to throw such mammoth curve balls and make it seem not only in keeping but also simply the way things had to go, the natural order of things. I really enjoyed this and honestly, I think I enjoyed just about everything here with no disappointments or let downs.

The concept is fantastic and Corey executes it well with a witty and engaging narrative filled with characters who, even if I might not always like them very much, I certainly cared about. They are three dimensional and utterly human, with all the flaws and chaos that involves. Corey writes well and is equally adept at tension, action, humour and more touching moments. His dialogue flows well, always in keeping not only with the characters but events as well.

I'm thrilled to discover this is a series that I certainly will sink my teeth into!

9 people found this helpful

Danimal

The expansive is just 5 star

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2020

Verified Purchase

Okay so I watched the tv show before I started this book series and Of course the brilliance of the show meant I couldn’t miss out on more content through the books. My only disappointment with this book is how much is missing. Normally you get more from a book and the screen equivalent never matches up but in this instant after finishing book 1, I’d say the show nailed how it should have been written. This is like a good first draft and what has become the brilliance of the show. Don’t get me wrong the book is still 5 star, easy to read, great story telling, just it could have been so much more.
Still highly recommended

8 people found this helpful

MR A BAKER

Leviathan Wakes, reader sleeps!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2021

Verified Purchase

Thought I'd try it as it was hyped up, got great reviews and sounded interesting but it's just so boring! I want a book that I struggle to put down, not one that I have to convince myself to pick up. Don't get me wrong, it does have exciting parts, but they're too few and far between that all interest was lost before I even made it half way through. After reading the first chapter, I felt kind of conned into believing that the rest of the story would be similar to that setting, but instead it's the complete opposite. It's like watching a movie which you think is going to be an action film. The opening scene is a gunfight, so you get all excited only to find out that it's a courtroom drama.

The story could probably be half the length if it didn't snake it's way through the plot and instead, just got straight to the point! The final straw for me was when one of the main characters was going through his emails and instead of just writing 'Miller was looking through his emails when he received a call' it decided to literally read through his emails only for him to delete them, as they were uninteresting and of no relevance to the story at all. Why?? What was the point??

I'm just glad the box set was unavailable as I would probably have bought that going by the reviews.

5 people found this helpful

See all reviews

Leviathan Wakes Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Read & Listen

Enjoy a free trial on us $0.00

Buy with 1-Click $29.93

People who viewed this also viewed

People who bought this also bought

Related to this topic

Product details

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Enjoy a free trial on us

$0.00

Buy with 1-Click

$29.93