The Vital Abyss

by James S. A. Corey

Series: The Expanse (novella)

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A novella set in the hard-scrabble world of James S. A. Corey's NYT-bestselling Expanse series, The Vital Abyss is the secret history of the cataclysmic events that occurred on Eros station, and the revelation of what came after. . . Now a Prime Original series. HUGO AWARD WINNER FOR BEST SERIES Somewhere in the vast expanse of space, a group of prisoners lives in permanent captivity. The only company they have is each other and the Belters who guard them. The only stories they know are the triumphs and crimes that brought them there. The only future they see is an empty life in an enormous room. And then the man from Mars came along . . . The Expanse Leviathan Wakes Caliban's War Abaddon's Gate Cibola Burn Nemesis Games Babylon's Ashes Persepolis Rising Tiamat's Wrath Leviathan Falls The Expanse Short Fiction The Butcher of Anderson Station Gods of Risk The Churn The Vital Abyss Strange Dogs Auberon… (more)

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Another side story, this time concerning the prisoners that the Belters captured from the original Protogen project in Leviathon Wakes.

All the prisoners have been put into one large room and are continuously watched over from above by the Belters who guard them. For them, after their crimes, there is no future, nothing at all, beyond the walls of this room.

And then, one day, or night, the man from Mars turns up and begins to offer hope, if only to one of them, but which one will it be?

A really good novella, that can be read as soon as the Belters have taken them prisoner, or anytime thereafter.

Next up in the series is Cibola Burn. (

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5t4n5 | Mar 12, 2024 |

Nice backstory of one of the scientists who worked on the protomolecule. Actually one of the novellas I enjoyed most so far, in spite of the topic. It has a very nice style of storytelling which sets it apart from everything else in the series, I think. (

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adastra | Jan 15, 2024 |

I think my favourite thing about these books is how seamless and well written movements through time are done. The going back and forth from the current time/story and into character's back stories is so well done. Not clunky or annoying. You don't start resenting one story or wishing they would just move on with the fore story. Both are equally good and hold my interest completely. (

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beentsy | Aug 12, 2023 |

Reflections of a recovering, sociopathic scientist. (

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Kavinay | Jan 2, 2023 |

I cannot help it anymore. I unabashedly adore and devour, from beginning to end, anything by this duo, in this series. This is a fabulous turn-about of fair play, again, putting us into the mindset of someone we wouldn't expect to end up in: an imprisoned Protegen Researcher from Book 1, while taking place before book one and basically thought book three. It's fabulous and I have feelings, and so many comparison's to Peaches and The Family Mao drug use in her introduction. (

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wanderlustlover | Dec 27, 2022 |

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The Expanse (novella)

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Memory's Legion by James S. A. Corey

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The Vital Abyss

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2015-10-15

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The Expanse (novel series)

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A novella set in the hard-scrabble world of James S. A. Corey's NYT-bestselling Expanse series, The Vital Abyss is the secret history of the cataclysmic events that occurred on Eros station, and the revelation of what came after. . . Now a Prime Original series. HUGO AWARD WINNER FOR BEST SERIES Somewhere in the vast expanse of space, a group of prisoners lives in permanent captivity. The only company they have is each other and the Belters who guard them. The only stories they know are the triumphs and crimes that brought them there. The only future they see is an empty life in an enormous room. And then the man from Mars came along . . . The Expanse Leviathan Wakes Caliban's War Abaddon's Gate Cibola Burn Nemesis Games Babylon's Ashes Persepolis Rising Tiamat's Wrath Leviathan Falls The Expanse Short Fiction The Butcher of Anderson Station Gods of Risk The Churn The Vital Abyss Strange Dogs Auberon

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Somewhere in the vast expanse of space, a group of prisoners lives in permanent captivity.

The only company they have is each other and the Belters who guard them. The only stories they know are the triumphs and crimes that brought them there. The only future they see is an empty life in an enormous room.

And then the man from Mars came along . . .

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