Leviathan Wakes

The narrative alternates perspectives between Jim Holden, the executive officer of an ice hauler called the Canterbury, and Detective Miller, a cynical Ceres Station cop. Their paths cross as they investigate a vast conspiracy involving a mysterious alien protomolecule. The dynamic between the idealistic Holden and the world-weary Miller drives much of the first book.

James S. A. Corey is actually a pen name for the writing duo Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who was famously George R. R. Martin's assistant. They wrote the Expanse series collaboratively, often dividing characters and chapters between them. Franck initially created the setting as a pitch for a tabletop role-playing game.

The 2011 novel establishes a tense, three-way cold war between Earth, the Martian Congressional Republic, and the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA). Earth relies on the asteroid belt for resources, heavily taxing the marginalized Belters who live in space. The discovery of the alien protomolecule threatens to destabilize this fragile geopolitical balance.

Leviathan Wakes was nominated for the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. While it did not win the Hugo (losing to Jo Walton's Among Others), it won the 2012 Seiun Award for best translated novel. The success of the book launched a nine-novel series.