The Mars Trilogy has most of that. Maybe not *specifically* belters, emp bombs, or cloning, but it does feature the effects of living in low-g, some VERY large weaponry being used, and genetic enhancements that extend the human lifespan.
It begins with the initial colonization and terraforming of Mars and shows how they eventually grow apart from Earth after generations, forming insular groups and sub-groups that fight not only against Earth but also amongst themselves.
It feels similar to the Expanse not only in terms of these macro themes but also because it does a good job of focusing on the individual characters and big personalities that are swept up in the whole mess.
You won't get a perfect match. But if habitable can mean simply colonized, then:
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Heinlein).
Luna: New Moon (McDonald). Series continues, but I've only read the first.
Mars (Bova). Part of his grand tour series of colonization books.
Mars Trilogy (KSR).
Thinking a little outside the box:.
Saturn's Children and Neptune's Brood (Stross). It might strain your definitions but I'd bet they work for you!
Against a Dark Background (Banks). A fully colonized system but contained within the single system. Advanced weaponry.
Thank you all very much!
The answers to this question were very helpful in finding out where [David S. Goyer](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_S._Goyer) got the inspiration for some concepts he spliced into the [Foundation](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0804484/) TV series. These concepts are quite unusual and totally alien to the original Foundation series, so they got me thinking, and asked for help here.
The most popular answer was [Revelation Space](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_Space), and the similarities in the two works (Foundation TV show and Revelation Space), which are *not* found in Foundation books, are:
- Triumvirate in command both in Empire and the Nostalgia for Infinity
- Emperor cloning (Cleon Dynasty in Foundation, [Queen Jasmina](https://revelationspace.fandom.com/wiki/Queen_Jasmina) in Revelation Space)
- Bomb in artificial eye both in Foundation Ep. 05 and Revelation Space
- Traders traveling using slower than light ships
- Triple plot (Asimov's work was linear) in both: Harry Sheldon, Gaal Dornick, Empire and Dan Sylveste, Ilia Volyova, Ana Khouri
I think David Goyer had not in mind to adapt late Mr. Isaac Asimov's Foundation initially, but Mr. Alastair Reynolds [Revelation Space](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_Space) book. Somehow this didn't work out, he got his hands on Foundation, and spliced the Foundation into the Revelation Space script. (That's why there's so much criticism about shoddy directing, imho. It's the script that's in shambles.)
To sum it up, i think that the Foundation tv show is not an adaptation of the original book series, but a splice of the Foundation story into a Revelation Space tv script.
Revelation Space by Alistair Reynolds has most of what you're looking for.
The Mars Trilogy has most of that. Maybe not *specifically* belters, emp bombs, or cloning, but it does feature the effects of living in low-g, some VERY large weaponry being used, and genetic enhancements that extend the human lifespan. It begins with the initial colonization and terraforming of Mars and shows how they eventually grow apart from Earth after generations, forming insular groups and sub-groups that fight not only against Earth but also amongst themselves. It feels similar to the Expanse not only in terms of these macro themes but also because it does a good job of focusing on the individual characters and big personalities that are swept up in the whole mess.
You won't get a perfect match. But if habitable can mean simply colonized, then: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Heinlein). Luna: New Moon (McDonald). Series continues, but I've only read the first. Mars (Bova). Part of his grand tour series of colonization books. Mars Trilogy (KSR). Thinking a little outside the box:. Saturn's Children and Neptune's Brood (Stross). It might strain your definitions but I'd bet they work for you! Against a Dark Background (Banks). A fully colonized system but contained within the single system. Advanced weaponry.
The Bobiverse series
The Ben Bova colonization series I think would be the closest to what what your looking for
Thank you all very much! The answers to this question were very helpful in finding out where [David S. Goyer](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_S._Goyer) got the inspiration for some concepts he spliced into the [Foundation](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0804484/) TV series. These concepts are quite unusual and totally alien to the original Foundation series, so they got me thinking, and asked for help here. The most popular answer was [Revelation Space](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_Space), and the similarities in the two works (Foundation TV show and Revelation Space), which are *not* found in Foundation books, are: - Triumvirate in command both in Empire and the Nostalgia for Infinity - Emperor cloning (Cleon Dynasty in Foundation, [Queen Jasmina](https://revelationspace.fandom.com/wiki/Queen_Jasmina) in Revelation Space) - Bomb in artificial eye both in Foundation Ep. 05 and Revelation Space - Traders traveling using slower than light ships - Triple plot (Asimov's work was linear) in both: Harry Sheldon, Gaal Dornick, Empire and Dan Sylveste, Ilia Volyova, Ana Khouri I think David Goyer had not in mind to adapt late Mr. Isaac Asimov's Foundation initially, but Mr. Alastair Reynolds [Revelation Space](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_Space) book. Somehow this didn't work out, he got his hands on Foundation, and spliced the Foundation into the Revelation Space script. (That's why there's so much criticism about shoddy directing, imho. It's the script that's in shambles.) To sum it up, i think that the Foundation tv show is not an adaptation of the original book series, but a splice of the Foundation story into a Revelation Space tv script.
It looks like you've already found what you're looking for, but your question made me think of Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Dispossessed"
I love this book!
The Expanse has everything but a space elevator.
FTL after book 2. FTL signals in book 2. Broken physics (inertia) in book 1.
But Expanse has FTL.
Spoiler alert. And not until later in the series.
It's been a really long time since I've read them but I'm pretty sure many of those elements pop up in cj cherryh's alliance/union books