The Expanse is an epic science fiction television show set several centuries into the future, when we have reached out to make the entire solar system our home.
This is a show has been praised for getting the science right, received better critical reception with each new season, and has a dedicated enough fan base to convince Amazon to pick up and continue the show after SyFy canceled it 3 seasons in.
It is a story about how our fears and ambitions can so often lead to prejudice and tribalism. It is a story about how that prejudice and tribalism must be overcome when humanity faces existential crises. It is a story about how overcoming prejudice and tribalism is damn near impossible.
When considering the epic scope of the story, the complexity of the characters, and the depth of the worldbuilding, there is no currently airing show that I know of that stacks up better to Game of Thrones than The Expanse does, making it a great choice to scratch that post-GoT itch (unless, for some reason, you like fantasy but not sci-fi, in which case I’d love to know why).
But what about the books that the show is based on? How do they compare to the show? And there are so many of them; are they really worth the time?
It is true. There are a lot of books in this series. Eight books have been published so far, with a ninth and final book to be released sometime this year, or possibly early next year. If a series that long is more than you want to commit to, I totally understand. All of that being said: damn, it’s good.
I came The Expanse, both the books and the show, just recently. It’s been on my radar for some time, but since I am working on a science fiction project with a lot of similar worldbuilding elements, I wanted to solidify my vision for my own work before I dove into this one.
So I started reading Leviathan Wakes (book 1 of The Expanse) right around the beginning of this year. I tore through it, and once I’d read it, I convinced my wife to start watching the show with me. I was instantly hooked by both.
It has now been a little over 2 months since I started the first book. My wife and I have finished all 4 seasons of the show (she laments on a near-daily basis that there is no more of it available to watch), and I am halfway through book 7 of the 8 published books. So much of my time over the past few months has been dedicated to The Expanse, and I haven’t regretted a single minute of it.
So, in case you couldn’t tell, I like both. I recommend both. The books are well-written, with complex characters (with one notable exception*), intricately woven plot threads, and a level of vast yet immersive worldbuilding usually confined to epic fantasy. The show translates that well to the screen, aided by solid acting performances, and stunning visuals.
(*The one recurring complaint I’ve heard about both the books and the show is that, out of the extensive cast of fascinating characters, James Holden, the boringest, most vanilla character in the series, was chosen as the main character. While Holden doesn’t bother me as much as he does some of the other fans, I can say with certainty that this story would not be nearly as compelling if it were single-POV and we were in his head the whole time.)
But how are the the book series and the show different? Which is better? If you could choose one or the other to ever read/watch again, which would you choose?
First of all, what possible reason would I have for losing access to one or the other? That seems rather unlikely. And as far as which is better, that’s like asking me to choose between my- it’s the books. The books are better. The show is great, but the books are where it is at.
Now, I want to be clear this is just a matter of personal preference. The show largely stays true to the books, both in the broad strokes of the plot and in the feel of the story. Even the core set of characters are largely similar to their book counterparts.
That being said, there are three key differences in the way they tell the story:
- The show is faster paced. This comes out in some of the small plot changes they made to the show, as well as in the fact that space travel takes less time in the show than it does in the books. I get why they did it; they want each episode to have something exciting in it. But I think the earlier seasons of Game of Thrones showed that you can have whole episodes that are slower and more character-focused without losing your audience. So, this is a difference where I, personally, prefer the ebb-and-flow pace of the books.
- The show introduces characters earlier than they are introduced in the books. This is actually the one change that was absolutely the right choice. Because of the way a book series works (and, more specifically, the way The Expanse is written), the introduction of brand new perspective characters in each book works to expand the scope of the story in a way that wouldn’t translate as well to a show. So, by introducing characters earlier with new story lines, as well as by sometimes combining important side characters, the show does a good job of changing things in a way that better fits the flow of its medium.
- The show increases the focus on interpersonal conflict as opposed to broader sociological conflict. This is where the biggest changes to the characters come in. In the show, characters are much more likely to react in petty, spiteful ways. This leads to the main group of characters taking longer to cohesively come together as a team, as well as introduces moments of drama that are only tangentially related at best to the larger system-spanning conflict. This, again, is probably to increase the excitement of each individual episode. And it also might be truer to life. But I, personally, prefer the larger conflicts, and always felt like the show was losing something just a little when it would use some of its limited time to focus in on smaller conflict instead.
Still, whether you are talking about the books or the show, The Expanse is some solid sci-fi that is worth checking out. And if you have tried the show and have been considering trying out the books, they are well worth it.
And, just as a reference for those of you interested in trying out both series:
- The events of Leviathan Wakes (book 1) is covered in season 1 and the first half of season 2 in the show.
- The events of Caliban’s War (book 2) is covered in the second half of season 2 and the first half of season 3.
- Th events of Abaddon’s Gate (book 3) is covered in the second half of season 3.
- The events of Cibola Burn (book 4) is covered in season 4.
- The events of Nemesis Games (book 5) are hinted at by the end of season 4.
Have you read or watched The Expanse? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments down below!