The Vital Abyss

An Expanse Novella

By: James S. A. Corey

Narrated by: Jefferson Mays

From New York Times best-selling author James S. A. Corey...

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 comes along....

Set in the hardscrabble solar system of the Expanse, The Vital Abyss deepens James S. A. Corey's acclaimed series.

©2017 James S. A. Corey (P)2017 Little Brown Publishing Group

Interesting background for a background figure

It was interesting to hear this background story for Cortazar, giving us a bit of understanding of how he might have become the enabling sociopath we know. I did get a bit confused with the timeline: we went straight from Eros to the Gates in an eyeblink, and I wondered if I might have skipped a bit. Towards the end, Jefferson Mayes' rendition of The Martian has an amusing echo of Ron Swanson.

A little insight between the books

Illuminates the gaps in the books and fills the narrative. Not necessary to read but nice to have read it.

Short, but interesting

This is a short side story that gives a little background for one of the Protogen scientists. It is an interesting peek into his mind, since it seems he'll be an important part of the next books. It's by no means essential though.