Game of Thrones in Space?! Syfy mounting The Expanse series: Leviathan Wakes

Time to head on over to the bookstore. A novel called Leviathan Wakes is about to get an awful lot of attention, as Syfy will be mounting a new program based on The Expanse, a book series that's earning this project the nickname, Game of Thrones in space. 

The book series (Leviathan Wakes is the first volume) tells a sweeping, adult saga - a thriller set 200 years in the future as a hardened detective and a rogue ship's captain search for a missing woman and the answer to "the greatest conspiracy in human history." 

Author James S. A. Corey is the pseudonym of collaborators Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Author George R. R, Martin has provided an enthusiastic cover endorsement - it should also be noted that Franck has worked for a number of years as Martin's personal assistant. 

Leviathan Wakes was a nominee for the 2012 Hugo Award for best novel and has received plenty of strong reviews and positive buzz for reinventing the space opera. Syfy president Dave Howe says the project will be their most ambitious series to date. Hear that, Battlestar Galactica fans? Syfy has been moving back towards more high concept traditional sci-f series, with 12 Monkeys and Ascension among their other recently announced projects - it's good to see them moving away from Sharknado programming and looking to up their game again. Academy Award nominated screenwriters Mark Fergus and Hawk Otsby (Children of Men, Iron Man) will both write and executive produce for Syfy. Sean Daniel and Jason Brown of the Sean Daniel Company developed the project along with Fergus and Otsby. "The Expanse is one of the most special pieces of material we've ever encountered and it has been our dream to bring it to life since the moment we read it," Daniel and Brown commented. "We couldn't be more excited to be doing it with this team of all-stars." Alcon president Sharon Hall also enthused, "The Expanse is an addictive, sophisticated, character-driven franchise and Mark and Hawk are the perfect people to steer it. Their script is a totally immersive and accessible sci-fi journey."

So far, there are two other books in the series, Caliban's War and Abaddon's Gate, with a fourth volume, Cibola Burn, due to be released on June 17th. I always love it when you stumble across something that sounds this exciting, that somehow you've managed to stay completely ignorant of! Skimming brief plot descriptions of these novels, they sound utterly fantastic - the kind of sci-fi I haven't read for years. If Syfy follows through on this promise, we could be looking at an even bigger, more involving show than Galactica. Stay tuned as the project evolves...and add these books to your summer reading list!