Leviathan Falls
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | November 30, 2021 |
| Founder | James S. A. Corey (pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) |
| Products | Science fiction novel |
Leviathan Falls is a science fiction novel authored by James S. A. Corey, the collective pseudonym of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. It serves as the ninth and concluding installment in the The Expanse series. The announcement of its title and cover art took place during an online fan event on September 16, 2020, with the book officially published on November 30, 2021. Its name references the series' opening novel, Leviathan Wakes. The work secured the 2022 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.
Plot summary
Building upon the events of Tiamat's Wrath, the enigmatic "dark gods" or "ring entities" escalate their hostile actions against humanity by manipulating physical laws and inducing unconscious states. Winston Duarte emerges from a semi-catatonic condition possessing newfound insights into the Ring-Builders and a capacity to transmit visions into others’ minds. He establishes contact with Admiral Trejo, who is reclaiming control over the Sol system for the Laconian Empire, expressing both gratitude and his expansive imperial ambitions before disappearing. Colonel Aliana Tanaka is assigned to track down Duarte.
Tanaka follows Duarte’s trail to Amos Burton’s former hideout and infers that he departed aboard a small alien craft. She employs Teresa Duarte—who escaped Laconia alongside the Rocinante crew—as bait. Concurrently, Elvi and her team examine the Adro Diamond, a Ring-Builder artifact activated through protomolecule modifications, which unveils the Ring-Builders’ evolutionary background as a hive-minded species originating from a world resembling Europa.
The Rocinante crew—comprising Jim, Naomi, Alex, Amos, and Teresa—maneuvers to avoid Laconian forces while Naomi coordinates an underground resistance movement. At the New Egypt colony, they encounter Tanaka; after a confrontation involving gunfire, they flee to Draper Station in the Freehold system where Laconian troops await. Tanaka presents Trejo’s ceasefire proposal: an alliance with the resistance contingent on returning Teresa. The crew declines; however, resistance operative Jillian Houston independently accepts. Tanaka eliminates Jillian’s guards and searches Draper Station; amid assaults by dark gods devastating one system’s lifeforms, the Rocinante escapes via the ring gate.
Amos convinces the group to support Elvi’s research into the Adro Diamond. Mistakenly, Tanaka trails another vessel to Bara Gaon system where an early transit of a colony ship triggers shared memories among those within ring space; following this event, attacks by dark gods cease.
At Adro, Cara and Amos undertake a joint dive into the diamond. Duarte manifests in their visions, proposing humanity integrate into his hive mind initiative as a defense against the ring entities. These shared memories propagate like an infectious agent as Duarte begins assimilating humanity. For ethical reasons, Amos persuades Elvi to halt further dives with Cara. Seeking psychiatric assistance for symptoms caused by shared memories, Tanaka learns that Laconian scientists discovered Duarte’s alien ship on the Ring Station surface; both she and the Rocinante crew proceed there. Naomi agrees to Trejo’s terms, sharing dive data with the resistance; Trejo commands Tanaka to capture Duarte or assume command as additional vessels lose contact due to Duarte's hive mind influence.
Within ring space, Tanaka, Teresa, and Amos perform a dive to access the Ring Station, provoking Duarte’s ire. Jim injects himself with live protomolecule and experiences Joe Miller’s vision, who aids in unlocking the station. Holden, Tanaka, and Teresa enter to confront Duarte amid an extensive space battle between underground-Laconian forces and ships under Duarte's control.
Miller reveals that Ring-Builders harnessed energy from an alternate dimension powering gates but inadvertently harmed its inhabitants—the dark gods—who retaliated against both them and humanity. At the station’s core, Duarte connects himself to forge his hive mind as a means to delay dark god assaults.
Teresa fails in her attempt to sway Duarte; Tanaka kills him, terminating the hive mind but unleashing dark gods upon humanity; she also dies in the process. Jim interfaces with the station to hold back dark gods while Teresa escapes and commands ships to exit slow zone. The Rocinante crew disbands: Alex retires to Nieuwestadt system; Amos, Naomi, and Teresa return with Elvi to Sol. Jim sacrifices himself by destroying the Ring Station, severing dark gods’ connection and causing ring gates to collapse; communication is lost with 1,300 colony systems.
The epilogue takes place 1,000 years later depicting humanity’s advancement in faster-than-light travel; a federation delegation from The Thirty Worlds arrives on Earth and is welcomed by Amos Burton.