Concept art of Julie Mao, season one’s runaway heiress. Image : The Art and Making of The Expanse, published by Titan Books © 2019 Expanding Universe Productions, LLC.

We are just weeks away from The Expanse’s fourth season, its first to premiere on Amazon Prime, and we could not be more excited. Or so we thought...until we got a look at The Art and Making of The Expanse, which is packed with drool-worthy concept art, behind-the-scenes photos, and other fun tidbits from the series.


Any Expanse fan will want to get their mitts on this gorgeous and hefty book, which features an introduction by Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham, who co-write the Expanse novels as James S.A. Corey; the authors also weigh in throughout, along with showrunner Naren Shankar and other members of the crew and cast.

The book, which focuses exclusively on seasons one to three, is set for release on November 26, just ahead of The Expanse’s premiere on December 13 (and certainly in time for any sci-fi lovers on your holiday list). But io9 has a bunch of vivid images to share with you exclusively today.


First up is the image at the top of the post by concept artist Tim Warnock of North Front Studio . It’s also featured on the book’s cover. It shows season one’s Julie Mao—who leaves her rich-girl life behind on Earth when she runs away to the Belt—aboard the doomed Anubis.

Next, we see North Front Studio’s concept art for Ceres, a former mining colony that’s become the biggest station in the Belt, and is also a key location in season one.

Image : The Art and Making of The Expanse, published by Titan Books © 2019 Expanding Universe Productions, LLC.


Here we have sketches and notes made while designing a flight suit for the Rocinante’s chief engineer, Naomi Nagata.

Image : The Art and Making of The Expanse, published by Titan Books © 2019 Expanding Universe Productions, LLC.


James Holden (Steven Strait) and Naomi Nagata (Dominique Tipper) film a zero-gravity scene for season one on a blue-screen stage.

Image : The Art and Making of The Expanse, published by Titan Books © 2019 Expanding Universe Productions, LLC.


The Rocinante isn’t the only ship that appears on The Expanse; here we see some North Front Studio concept art for one of Earth’s UN Navy Leonidas-class escort ships.



Image : The Art and Making of The Expanse, published by Titan Books © 2019 Expanding Universe Productions, LLC.


The signature blue that indicates the presence of the protomolecule is clearly apparent in this North Front Studio concept art, which shows the ominous Ring that opens up at the end of season three.



Image : The Art and Making of The Expanse, published by Titan Books © 2019 Expanding Universe Productions, LLC.


The Art and Making of The Expanse will be published by Titan Books on November 26, 2019; you can order a copy right here. The much-anticipated fourth season of The Expanse arrives December 13 on Amazon Prime.


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