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Caliban's War

(The Expanse #2)

James S.A. Corey (Goodreads Author)

4.32 · Rating details · 78,645 ratings · 4,608 reviews

We are not alone.

On Ganymede, breadbasket of the outer planets, a Martian marine watches as her platoon is slaughtered by a monstrous supersoldier. On Earth, a high-level politician struggles to prevent interplanetary war from reigniting. And on Venus, an alien protomolecule has overrun the planet, wreaking massive, mysterious changes and threatening to spread out into the ...more

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Paperback, 595 pages

Published June 26th 2012 by Orbit (Hachette)

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Dec 23, 2016 Jeffrey Keeten rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, book-to-film

Things go very wrong in the colony on Ganymede.

”It grabbed an UN Marine in its huge hands and tore him in half like paper. Titanium-and-ceramic armor ripped as easily as the flesh inside, spilling broken bits of technology and wet human viscera indiscriminately onto the ice. The remaining five soldiers ran even harder, but the monster chasing them barely slowed as it killed.

‘Shoot it shoot it shoot it,’ Bobbie yelled, and opened fire.

The creature was a relatively slow-moving human-sized target, ...more

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Jun 27, 2015 Kemper rated it really liked it

Shelves: space, 2015, sci-fi, vast-conspiracy, 2017-reread, expanse

**Reread update 5/17/17**

One big thing that stands out to me going back to this after reading all the available books in the series is that my complaint about distinct bad guys not getting introduced until very late in the stories was addressed. From this point on we almost always have a face of the threat through most of the action, and that’s an improvement that made a great series even better.

I also wanted to check this out again after seeing the second season of the TV series. The show has g **Reread update 5/17/17**

One big thing that stands out to me going back to this after reading all the available books in the series is that my complaint about distinct bad guys not getting introduced until very late in the stories was addressed. From this point on we almost always have a face of the threat through most of the action, and that’s an improvement that made a great series even better.

I also wanted to check this out again after seeing the second season of the TV series. The show has gotten so good that I’m now visualizing all the characters as the actors who play them while reading. There’s also an interesting dynamic in that that the two-headed writer who makes up the James SA Corey name also works on the show, and since they have the advantage of knowing what’s going to happen for the next several books it’s able to shade in lot of character nuance and motivations that were just a little thin and simplistic in the early going.

So now I’m counting the days until the new book publishes and the next season premieres.

(Original review.)
Essentially this is a mix of Game of Thrones and Firefly without all the rape and child burning and people talking like they’re in a western movie.

Humanity has expanded throughout our solar system, colonizing Mars and various moons and asteroids. Since people are always gonna be people, and will therefore suck, political tensions are high between Earth, Mars, and the Belters, and the events of the first book in the series have the threat of war seeming higher than ever. And just like in Westeros everyone is so consumed with their petty scheming and power plays that they’re ignoring the much larger threat that is growing under their noses. So it falls to a crew of misfits running their own ship for profit to step in when the shit hits the air recyclers.

This on-going space opera has sucked me in to its world...er… solar system completely with its spaceships, action, politics, and weird sci-fi elements mixed with just enough humor and emotional weight to give it some heft beyond its pew!-pew! appeal. The characters are well drawn even if they aren’t particularly deep, and their motivations are plainly spelled out in their dialogue. So this is all text, no subtext, but it is entertaining. I particularly liked the new character of Chrisjen Avasarala, a grandmother and UN official from Earth whose little old lady appearance is subverted by her foul mouth and political cunning.

However, the series so far has suffered a bit from not giving us any perspective from the vast conspiracy that is causing so much of the trouble. Granted, some of this has been played as a mystery to solve, but for two books now we’ve gotten no sense of who the bad guys are or what they're planning other than what’s been figured out by the heroes. Both books have finally revealed a kind of mid-level mastermind character near the end, and in both cases these have been full on mustache twirling villains so the threat they pose seems kind of vague and cartoonish.

Still, this one ends on a helluva twist that has me itching to roll right into the next one, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough when I was in the midst of this. I’ll be happily returning to the Expanse series as soon as possible.

Plus, this trailer for the show coming to SyFy based on the series has got me even more excited. ...more

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Apr 12, 2019 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi, audio, own, paperback

Awesome! A+

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

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Jun 25, 2013 Alejandro rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, novel

OK, I liked this book but...

WHERE I HAD READ THIS BEFORE?

I think that at its core, this second book is was too much similar to the first one.

I mean, there is a search for a girl (different age but the same basic idea), a mystery about a threat, and the tensions between the policital powers.

The only difference is that while the first book, Leviathan Wakes can be read a stand-alone book if you wish, maybe since the authors weren't sure to get the chance of... expanding it (pun intended)... for ...more

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Aug 03, 2013 carol. rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: people who have series OCD and read Leviathan Wakes

Shelves: yawn, awards, sci-fi

Leviathan Wakes was one of my great reads this year (review: http://carols.booklikes.com/post/3263... ). It broke into my reading blahs and set off a trend of great reads. After finishing, I promptly placed a library request for Caliban’s War, out of general interest and just the tiniest bit of series OCD. When it arrived, I was in the middle of monthly reads for my book club, then all hell broke open over at Goodreads, resulting in a loss of reading mojo, quickly followed by reviewing mojo. Bri ...more

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Dec 09, 2013 Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller rated it it was amazing

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.nikihawkes.com

I was a little hesitant to pick up Caliban’s War because the first book (Leviathan Wakes) was so amazing, how could the second book possibly compare? I was even worried I’d get bored because I thought I’d figured out which characters we’d be following and what direction the story was headed… Boy was I wrong! And happy to be so. It was definitely different from the first novel, and didn’t lack any of the adventure and excitement!

As I mentioned, I Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.nikihawkes.com

I was a little hesitant to pick up Caliban’s War because the first book (Leviathan Wakes) was so amazing, how could the second book possibly compare? I was even worried I’d get bored because I thought I’d figured out which characters we’d be following and what direction the story was headed… Boy was I wrong! And happy to be so. It was definitely different from the first novel, and didn’t lack any of the adventure and excitement!

As I mentioned, I thought I knew which characters we’d hear from in Caliban’s War and was pleasantly surprised with the introduction of a handful of brand-new POVs who added fresh perspectives to the story without losing any momentum. Of course, it wouldn’t have been the same without Holden and his crew and I’m thrilled he seems to be the through-line for the series. Some of the new characters are among my favorite so far (specifically Avasarala, the feisty old politician – if I had half of her gusto, I’d be unstoppable!). As always, each character was interesting and well-rounded and I am eager to see who’s featured in the third novel.

The conflicts in this novel are a lot narrower, but by no means less exciting. It’s all working to build this brilliant momentum, and great momentum is what sets apart good books from great books in my opinion. Most of my favorite series have that in common. To that end, Caliban’s War gets an A+ for pacing. It’s that “holyshit-hold-your-breath-until-it-over” type of stuff that I love. I actually had to stop reading it before bed because it would get me too wound up to sleep.

Overall, if you like fast-paced adventure and excitement in your books, you’ll love these! I am certain I will be reading them again.

Recommended Reading: I would hand this series to sci-fi lovers, but it’s definitely a space opera (my new favorite genre). This is also an excellent series to hand someone wanting to try either genre. All I can say is, hold onto your seats – it’s going to be a wild ride! ...more

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Feb 14, 2016 Apatt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi

When I read the first book of The Expanse series, Leviathan Wakes I was not that impressed with it. It was, however, an instant hit with the majority of the sci-fi readership. My main problem was that I did not really care for the main characters. Consequently, I decided not to continue with the series. Then a few months ago Syfy started broadcasting The Expanse Season 1 their adaptation of Leviathan Wakes to practically universal acclaim. I wondered if I may have somehow misjudged the book s ...more

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Feb 20, 2016 Sanaa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-2017-favorites

[5 Stars] That ending. Someone hold me. I wasn't ready for that.

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Sep 03, 2013 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: cthulhu-goes-ph-nglui-mglw-nafh-ct, fanboy-goes-squee, biopunk, zombies-go-braaaaaaaaaains, space-opera, sci-fi, worldbuilding-sf

Re-Read 7/7/18

It's so great doing a re-read. I mean, I was somewhat hesitant at first but it's so rich with detail and the action is perfect. And by action, I don't just mean Bobby in her Goliath suit. I mean Avasarala on her com. :) Avasarala is a FORCE to behold. :)

All in all, though, this second book happens to kick major butt. Venus really stole the show by the end, but all the Powers butting heads was also fun as hell.

Did anyone else whoop when Avasarala and Bobby got on the Rocinante?

It wa ...more

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Dec 17, 2017 Choko rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

*** 4.25 ***

"...“That man’s asshole must be tight enough right now to bend space.”..."

It must be the right time for me and Sci-Fi, because I loved it! Caliban's War is the second installment in the "Expance" series and I actually enjoyed it better than the first one! No, nothing was wrong with the first one either, I even missed our pulp-noir drunken detective with nothing to lose, but fortunately the authors gave us to kick-ass female characters who more than made up for Miller's loss.

"...“ ...more

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Dec 22, 2015 Lindsey Rey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016, favorites, science-fiction

OMG!!!!!! WTF WTF WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

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Jul 05, 2018 Trish rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

In this second installment, we're still following events I already know (more or less) from the show.

After billions of years of being in the Solar system, unable to do what it came here to do, the protomolecule is working hard on finishing its job now, whatever that job is.
We meet a few new players in this second installment, most notably Avasarala and Bobbie. The former is a potty-mouthed deputy to the UN Secretary General, the latter a kick-ass Martian Marine.
These two allow us glimpses at E In this second installment, we're still following events I already know (more or less) from the show.

After billions of years of being in the Solar system, unable to do what it came here to do, the protomolecule is working hard on finishing its job now, whatever that job is.
We meet a few new players in this second installment, most notably Avasarala and Bobbie. The former is a potty-mouthed deputy to the UN Secretary General, the latter a kick-ass Martian Marine.
These two allow us glimpses at Earth and the political crisis the events from book 1 have sparked throughout the Solar system. Avasarala, while being a politician, is actually a good person, swearing so much that any sailor would blush, but ultimately caring deeply about the future. Therefore, she wants to get the people behind Eros as much as Bobbie, who loses her entire platoon to a new version of a protomolecule-human hybrid and swears revenge.
Then, there is also Prax, a botanist and father of Mei - a child with a rare immune disease. While trying to get his daughter back and figuring out who took her and why, he meets Holden and his crew, and they agree to help him.
After some juggling of bureaucratic idiots, Avasarala and Bobbie team up and eventually also meet the crew of the Rocinante, bringing together all four POVs and giving the reader epic space battles and creepy space stations to explore and fight in.
But let's not forget the old players from book one, because they will factor into the events here as well.

Yes, my favourite characters were definitely "grandma" Avasarala and Bobbie, but also the entire environment of the book. I love the future the two authors are bringing to life here as well as the technology - most notably in this book the Martian Marine armor Bobbie wears.

I must say that I'm actually surprised at the number of events I liked better on the show such as (view spoiler). Both elements seem far better developed and thought through on the show.
However, there are also elements that are much more detailed here in the book, such as (view spoiler). Thus, one could say that the show and the books compliment and complete each other, which is actually quite nice.

Now, I've more or less reached the point where I don't know what's gonna happen (have to catch up on the show but there are also only 3 seasons of it and the book events are progressing farther) so it will be interesting to see how I think and feel about people and events from now on. Naturally, I'm most curious about the mystery behind the protomolecule (should we actually get answers) and (view spoiler). ...more

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Sep 07, 2013 Dirk Grobbelaar rated it really liked it

Shelves: acquired-in-2013, books-i-own, must-read-in-2014, science-fiction, must-read-in-2015, must-read-in-2019

Dying she could handle.
Dying without any answers seemed terribly cruel.

I read Leviathan Wakes way back. While I enjoyed it well enough, I wasn’t compelled to rush off and start the next book immediately.

But, here we are. And given that this has now been adapted into a TV series (which I haven’t watched yet), the time has come to pick up where I left off…

“Ladies and gentlemen. This settlement is in security lockdown.”

…and I’m glad that I did! If this book is anything to go by the series is shapi ...more

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Oct 11, 2017 Lori rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Avasarala and Bobbi are great! They get to be a lot stronger than the show.

Love the firefly led into the next book.

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May 02, 2019 Gabrielle rated it really liked it

Shelves: own-a-copy, speculative-fiction, reviewed, thriller, read-in-2019, sci-fi

More like 4 and a half.

Yup, I drank the damn Kool-Aid and now I’m reading this series of inconveniently huge paperbacks. Sigh. What can I tell you: “The Expanse” is everything I could possibly want a space opera to be, both on the page and on the screen. It’s intricately plotted, furiously paced (I have screamed: “One more episode!” at my husband too many times to keep count), filled with awesome and diverse characters, and the world building is amazing. Now my struggle is figuring out how to fr More like 4 and a half.

Yup, I drank the damn Kool-Aid and now I’m reading this series of inconveniently huge paperbacks. Sigh. What can I tell you: “The Expanse” is everything I could possibly want a space opera to be, both on the page and on the screen. It’s intricately plotted, furiously paced (I have screamed: “One more episode!” at my husband too many times to keep count), filled with awesome and diverse characters, and the world building is amazing. Now my struggle is figuring out how to free up shelf space for them…

“Caliban’s War” begins pretty much where “Leviathan Wakes” (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) left off: Earth has been saved by the skin of its teeth, thanks to James Holden and Joe Miller’s unlikely team work and sacrifice, but that doesn’t mean anyone in the Solar System has had much time to catch their breath. The Ganymede station is attacked and no one seems to know by whom (or what!), the governments of both Earth and Mars are simply itching to launch bombs at each other, and while crashing Eros on Venus was the best option available at the time, it turns out to have had serious consequences… Holden is still shaken up from saving Earth from the protomolecule, and seems to grieve by taking on some of Miller’s less recommendable traits, like extreme snarkiness and being a reckless wildcard who shoots first and asks questions never… He decides to help one of the survivors of the attack on Ganymede, a botanist named Prax Meng, who believes his daughter was kidnapped for nefarious purposes. On Earth, formidable political animal Chrisjen Avasarala works on preventing a System-wide war, and while her intentions are good, her methods can best be called questionable on certain occasions. She enlists the help of Martian Marine (ironic that they use the word "Marine" for soldiers from a desert planet...), Bobbie Draper, a rather intimidating woman who saw things the Martian military would like her not to talk about...

The Earth vs. Mars vs. the Belt conflict strikes me as depressingly realistic: the sign of excellent speculative fiction is that you read it and think to yourself “yup, that would totally happen”, which is absolutely the case with the complicated political mess that is this colonization of the Solar System. The SyFy adaptation is perfectly cast, so I now picture all the characters as they are portrayed on TV, but I must say that I am really pleased with the characterization as the series evolves: while the pacing doesn’t leave much room for deep dives into anyone’s back story, I find them all interesting and endearing in their own weird way. It’s also really lovely to have female characters in sci-fi who are not cookie-cutter stereotypes or defined by their sexuality: they have personalities, are competent at their jobs, flawed and layered.

Obviously, I missed Miller (#rememberthehat), who will always be sexy AF Thomas Jane in my (admittedly dirty) mind, but I was so excited to revisit the Rocinante’s crew (I simply adore Naomi!) and to finally meet Chrisjen Avasarala on the page! I am both fascinated and freaked out by this incredible lady, who makes Machiavelli sound like a garden-variety pencil pusher, and who rocks a million colourful saris. Of course, no Miller POV means the noir detective storyline and tone is gone, but the Firefly-type humor is still there (“If he hadn’t been the executive of the largest government body in the history of the human race, he’d have made a killing promoting health drinks.”), as is the plot’s constant hopping from fire to frying pan, which makes the book hard to put down. The addition of Prax is great, because it gives the reader a scientist’s perspective on the events unfolding, which makes the world building even more complex and interesting.

I don’t think any space opera series will ever top Becky Chambers’ “Wayfarer” series in my nerd-heart, but I’d say this is coming in at a close second. If you liked the first book, keep reading the series! And watch the show! ...more

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Oct 19, 2017 Gary rated it really liked it

The second novel in The Expanse series finds Holden and the crew of the Rocinante trying to stop further attempts to weaponize the protomolecule, with a little help from a Martian marine, a belt-born botanist, and a UN power broker.
As exciting and action packed as the first book, and nearly as good. The ending, while spectacular, doesn't quite pack the emotional punch of its predecessor.

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May 30, 2018 Hannah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

I am buddy reading this series with my boyfriend – which is something we have not done before but which is enhancing my enjoyment of this series immensely. But that meant that I had to take about a month’ break in the middle of the book so that he could catch up – and then he sped up and finished the book around 200 pages before me (which is just rude).

This book starts some time after the events of the first book – and the structure mirrors that one a bit too closely I found. In the prologue we ...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Becky rated it really liked it

Shelves: highly-recommended, horror, science-fiction, 2014, ebook_kindle, mystery-and-thrillers, politicalish, i-want-this, zombies, bad-shit-and-atrocities

Way back in 2012 I listened to the audiobook of Leviathan Wakes, and loved it. It was awesome. And then I picked up a nasty case of "Series Blah" which left me in this emotional hinterland between wanting to continue the series because I really loved the first book, and dreading to read it because either it wouldn't live up to my expectations, or it would be so awesome that I would need more and there was no more to be had, at the time.

Now I have read it... and I was kinda right on all counts. Way back in 2012 I listened to the audiobook of Leviathan Wakes, and loved it. It was awesome. And then I picked up a nasty case of "Series Blah" which left me in this emotional hinterland between wanting to continue the series because I really loved the first book, and dreading to read it because either it wouldn't live up to my expectations, or it would be so awesome that I would need more and there was no more to be had, at the time.

Now I have read it... and I was kinda right on all counts. So, uhh... Yay me?

I have to say that my last point (that it would be so awesome that I'd feel like I need to continue immediately) was right on the money. That last paragraph was a doozie. Doozey? Doozy? I don't know how to spell that and every version is apparently wrong to my spell-check. In other words, it was crazy. I seriously looked up from my book and stared at my boyfriend across the dinner table like "WHAAAAAAAAAAT??? This book can't just end like that!"

Perhaps I should have expected it... Perhaps it's one of those things that some people are able to predict from time to time. (I'm generally bad at that - so when I say a book is predictable, it's gotta be pretty damn predictable. Just FYI.) But this... THIS last paragraph's revelation hit me like an Earthbound toiletseat to the cranium. I totally did not see it coming and would not even think that this was a thing that could happen, so I wasn't even listening for the incoming whistling sound. (Also, thank you to Dead Like Me for alerting me to the dangers of falling lavatory apparatus. Apparatuses? Eh. Whatever.)

So... I feel like I was right to wait at least until Abaddon's Gate was out to read this, because had I been forced to end like that and then have a wait ahead of me, things mighta got ugly-like. Also, I'd like to add that it's nice to be reading a series that doesn't have multi-year waits in between books. Not namin' no names... but you authors know who you are.

Regarding my other dreaded possibility, that it wouldn't live up to my expectation... This is also a little bit true, for a couple reasons. None of them came anywhere close to overwhelming my enjoyment of the book, but they should be mentioned nonetheless.

First, I listened to Leviathan Wakes on audio, and it was great. However, I read Caliban's War on my kindle app in ebook form, and I kept getting hung up on sentences that, to me, would flow better if commas had been used in them. For example: "Holden felt that way too." I feel like there should be a comma before "too": "Holden felt that way, too." In my mind, it just seems right with the comma, even though technically it's not required, so these bits kept snagging my attention, which was a little irritating.

Secondly, I loved Miller as a character in Leviathan Wakes. He had just the right amount of brash ballbuster and Eagle Scout mixed all in together. Crack a few reticent skulls to get shit done but try not to trample over a helpless little old lady while doing it. I felt that Caliban's War kind of suffered for his absence from it. There were attempts at filling the Miller gap - Holden picking up some Millerisms, for one, and Avasarala's character for another, and Bobbie, too. But it just wasn't really the same. Avasarala felt... well, like a politician. I never really felt like I saw HER as much as the her that people were expected to see. In short, I felt that the characters, while still being great, for the most part, just didn't quite hit the watermarks left from the first book.

Third, the politics in this one didn't work for me as well. I liked that aspect of the first book because it was a sub-plot. It was important, but not to Holden, Miller, or me. This time around, the politicking took center stage, and it just felt awkward. It was both too heavy handed and not explanatory enough. I am not interested in politics and power games as a general rule, so maybe this aspect would work better for someone who is, but it just didn't do much for me.

Lastly, the bookend-type 'little-girl-lost' format was a little bit much in this one. It works, technically, but it felt just a bit manipulative this time around. I think that there could have been a different thread moving the story along.

All of that being said - I still pretty much loved this book. It kept me interested and wanting to know what would happen next. Even though I feel like I have very little time to read anymore, when I pick up this book, I'm right back on Ganymede Station or the Rocinante with the characters, and I love that.

I also love the scope of this series. I was telling my mom about this series during a long drive, and I mentioned that one of my favorite things about it is that it's a possible real future for us (though hopefully sans-protomolecule). There's no Beam Me Up, Scotty, there's no warp drive or anything super-future-technological - there's just realistic advancements of the kind that we'd have in a couple hundred years. Maybe we'll be more advanced than The Expanse predicts, but I won't be around to see it, so for me, it's realistic enough.

I like the human aspect of the series as well. I don't necessarily think that space-based sci-fi has to have aliens, especially when so often the aliens are just different versions of us. This series actually does happen to have an 'alien', a very dangerous, very adaptive and invasive one at that, but it's still the human aspect that interests me most. How we relate to the dangers that this 'alien' poses to us... how we relate to each other... how we can expand humanity millions of miles throughout our solar system and it's still too small for us to cohabitate. Figures. ...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Algernon (Darth Anyan) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012

It's a pretty safe bet that those who liked the first Expanse book, will enjoy Caliban's War , too. I would add that new readers should start the journey with Leviathan Wakes , and not here, as this is not one of those loosely connected, self-contained, ongoing francizes like The Dresden Files or Vorkosigan Saga. The story picks up a few months after the cataclysmic events described in the debut novel, and will spoil said events for the less cautious reader. My review also may contain spoilers It's a pretty safe bet that those who liked the first Expanse book, will enjoy Caliban's War , too. I would add that new readers should start the journey with Leviathan Wakes , and not here, as this is not one of those loosely connected, self-contained, ongoing francizes like The Dresden Files or Vorkosigan Saga. The story picks up a few months after the cataclysmic events described in the debut novel, and will spoil said events for the less cautious reader. My review also may contain spoilers of this nature for anybody unfamiliar with what happened before.

Daniel Abraham and Ty Frank saw they were on to a good thing with their space opera and decided to change as little as possible, to the point where some of the plot devices are recycled and used in an almost identical way as in Leviathan Wakes, instilling a strong deja-vu sentiment: the main story arc is about chasing a missing girl from one asteroid station to another; James Holden once again decides to emulate the Wikileaks founder and to broadcast dangerous secrets to all and sundry; vomit zombies are still part of the landscape, and Earth, Mars and the OPA are still at each other throats. The epic starts with an explosive conflict between Earth and Mars marines on Ganymede, and keeps gaining steam until a spectacular finale (view spoiler) . I stayed more than one night up into the early hours, unable to stop reading, going for one more chapter, for one more switch in POV, sleep forgotten - so at least I felt that the book is well written and fast paced. This is for me the equivalent of a summer blockbuster movie, and like them it makes me think of popcorn and amusement park joyrides. I got this vibe also in Leviathan Wakes, but it was less glaring there and now I'm having difficulty taking the series seriously.

One of the reasons for my detachment may be the scarcity of scientific speculation, almost abandoned after the built up in the debut novel (view spoiler). Another reason may be found in my lukewarm reaction to the new characters introduced as major POV's. While Praxidike Meng was interesting enough with his exo-botanical credentials and his bumbling attempts at becoming an action man, I found Gunnery Sergeant Roberta "Bobbie" Draper too bland and stereotypical of the Space Marine template. Chrisjen Avasarala is a major political player, and my dislike for her is of a more personal nature, as I don't like people in power who use potty language agressively and then claim this is the only way to gain respect.

I may have some reservations about the depth of characterization and the rigorousness of the scientific detail in this series, but at another level I'm still the kid who enjoys space battles and alien monsters and rides to the outer planets. So I am really looking forward to the next installment. ...more

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Feb 25, 2017 Veronique rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites-5and4-5, 2017

Second instalment of The Expanse.

“Well, you’ve got a full load of torpedoes and bullets, three Martian warships trailing you, one angry old lady in tea withdrawal, and a Martian Marine who could probably kill you with your own teeth. What do you do?”

Always a bit worried with second volumes but Caliban's War is another amazing adventure, very cinematographic, which explains why the series is being filmed for TV. The plot carries on from the events of Leviathan Wakes and once again Holden is one ...more

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Aug 08, 2017 Scott Hitchcock rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, expanse

Book 1: 5*
Book 2: 4.5*

This one took a while to get going whereas the first one I was engaged from the start. Still this book delivers and the ending is fabulous. I hear a lot of readers saying all the books out there are YA and there's no good adult characters. Abraham/Corey delivers in all of his series this one included.

Avasarala who is a new character to this series is multilayered and beyond that just a lot of fun. I'd love to share a glass of scotch with her just to see how she would insul ...more

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Jan 19, 2017 Margret rated it it was amazing

Meet the newest Expanse fan girl! I'm in love!

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Jun 16, 2012 Christian rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed

We readers can be a cruel, vicious pack of jackals, sniffing out a novel's flaws with a singular, Darwinian determination - honing in ruthlessly on the padded protagonist; the fictional filler; the cornflour of creativity. We hate that juddering lurch where a clanging InfoDump forces your eye to reflexively skip a bunch of paragraphs, or when the Enter Stage Left of a Prêt à Cliché stock character snaps you out of the fragile, euphoric equilibrium of the Lost Reader's Trance and back to the tedi ...more

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Nov 08, 2016 Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction

4.5 Stars

I often struggle with sequels, because, in my personal experience, they rarely live up to the perfection of first novels. Therefore, I'm happy to pronounce that Caliban's War was a solid sequel to Leviathan Wakes. I would even go so far as to suggest that it might even be a better novel than the first in some ways.

This novel provides a lot of character development to the cast of misfits introduced in the first book, along with introducing a several new characters. I particularly appreci ...more

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Oct 08, 2016 Carlos rated it it was amazing

Books like this get me excited, they are a fast read, exciting and very interesting, the characters are believable and deep. This is Science fiction at its best .

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Jun 06, 2014 Nathan rated it really liked it

Shelves: author-male, read-2014, sci-fi, rated-4-star

Fantasy Review Barn

Maybe I just have a thing for elderly ladies that take charge and make everyone around them dance to their music. Maybe I am a much bigger fan of a basic space opera than I ever will be of detective noir. Maybe I just really didn’t enjoy a race through a space station of ‘vomit zombies’ that seemed to go on forever in the first book of this series.

Whatever the reason, I found Caliban’s War to be a much stronger outing than Leviathan Wakes.

The first book of the series set the s Fantasy Review Barn

Maybe I just have a thing for elderly ladies that take charge and make everyone around them dance to their music. Maybe I am a much bigger fan of a basic space opera than I ever will be of detective noir. Maybe I just really didn’t enjoy a race through a space station of ‘vomit zombies’ that seemed to go on forever in the first book of this series.

Whatever the reason, I found Caliban’s War to be a much stronger outing than Leviathan Wakes.

The first book of the series set the stage for this highly accessible sci-fi series. It was at its core a detective story as two protagonists searched for a missing girl. Of course it dissolved into something different; intersystem warfare and a nasty biological oddity that ended up being the most important part of the story…until it was pushed into the background again.

To me this is where the series shines. I am interested in the alien thing, but I a much bigger fan of the more personal sci-fi the two authors are creating. So imagine my joy to learn that the alien thing stays in the back and menaces, really only flaring it’s ugly head when the pesky humans poke at it a bit, and the story instead focuses on the doings of the people spread around the solar system. Caliban’s War opens up the cast; loose cannon Holden is back but is joined by three other POV’s and a damn entertaining secondary cast.

I loved the new characters. Bobbie, the Martian Marine (human born on Mars, get Marvin out of your head), is the exact opposite of any stereotyped character you have read. A well-muscled large woman who excels at what she does and suddenly must figure out a new game as well. Prax is a scientist one can’t help but hope for; the search for his missing daughter is real and emotional. But the star, the single person that would keep me reading his book even if the rest of it wasn’t as good as it was, is Avarasala.

Let’s talk about Avarasala, shall we? An elderly woman of Indian heritage, loving wife and grandma, and one of the major players in the political game that is the U.N. and its relations with the outer planets. She is just friggen awesome. Pulling strings all over the political landscape while cussing up a storm and making everyone around her blush is great; the fact that she is doing it out of genuine concern for the solar system is even better. While events both books have centered around the doings of Holden throughout it is Avarasala who seems to have an ounce of control in a situation rapidly losing it.

While Caliban’s War left the noir behind, it still is a book with a fair amount of pulp. It is smart and believable, small in scale and has a fair amount of heart. But it has its share of over the top moments, plenty of humor (often in moments that would otherwise be fairly grim), and of course, zombie like things.

Is it strange that the driving force of this series, the protomolecule that has the various factions on edge, is my least favorite part? Perhaps. And two books in I admit I don’t dislike it quite as much as I did at first. But even with my slight ambivalence to the alien threat to the system I am glad to be catching up with this series. There is just so much goodness here.

4 Stars ...more

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Oct 04, 2015 Richard rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

9/10

Spaceballs, was this good or what! I had some slight trepidation going into this for a couple of reasons; I’d just finished a 5 star book which usually means the next book I read gets a lower score as it can’t keep up with the previous story; I wasn’t blown away away by the first book like some reviews led me to believe I would be and their reviews of the follow up weren’t as positive; My favourite character from the previous story wasn’t going to be around and the one who was didn’t exactly 9/10

Spaceballs, was this good or what! I had some slight trepidation going into this for a couple of reasons; I’d just finished a 5 star book which usually means the next book I read gets a lower score as it can’t keep up with the previous story; I wasn’t blown away away by the first book like some reviews led me to believe I would be and their reviews of the follow up weren’t as positive; My favourite character from the previous story wasn’t going to be around and the one who was didn’t exactly make me weak at the knees.

Stupid Richard. These were foolish things to think of, this book rocked! One thing that instantly helped the story was the addition of different points of view, whereas the first book alternated between 2 viewpoints this one alternated between 4. This gave more scope of the universe, different viewpoints and opinions to progress the story, characters who weren’t bell ends and were actually pretty funny and kick ass. It all added up to a big win, especially when you add in an interesting plot and some recurring issues from the first novel.

The story takes a little time to get going (this is possibly the only flaw I can think of) but then again you’re having to be introduced to new people and their parts of the universe and what their function is in the greater context of things so I can forgive that. Once things got to around 20% - 25% mark it flew by with it being hard to put the book down and do other things. Stupid work and social things getting in the way!

The writing is top notch, as I say it was hard to put down. The two authors feel like they’ve come on in terms of style since the first one with no areas which needed polish. I didn’t feel blown away by the science elements (which is a good thing as I’m no scientist) but it felt like there was the right amount in it to be a good mix of action, characterisation, science, phew-phew and weird ass spit zombies.

I can’t wait to read the next in this series now, anticipation for the next novel is high (which will no doubt mean disappointment for me!) especially with that last sentence in the epilogue. Things were tied up nicely with the main plot strands but there are plenty of answers that I need going into the next one. A perfect blend of satisfaction and salivation leading to a well-deserved 5 stars.

If you like this try: “Red Dwarf” by the BBC ...more

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Jun 17, 2015 Mr. Matt rated it liked it

Shelves: aliens, 2015, sci-fi

A young girl on a Ganymede space station is kidnapped. Shortly thereafter the fragile peace between Mars and Earth is broken when a mutated human attacks and single-handily destroys not one but two squads of Space Marines. Distrust between the two powers runs high and it is not long before that erupts into a shooting war. Both suspect the other of nefariously plotting to turn a secret supply of the protomolecule into a weapon of mass destruction. Meanwhile, back on Venus, the protomolecule is bu A young girl on a Ganymede space station is kidnapped. Shortly thereafter the fragile peace between Mars and Earth is broken when a mutated human attacks and single-handily destroys not one but two squads of Space Marines. Distrust between the two powers runs high and it is not long before that erupts into a shooting war. Both suspect the other of nefariously plotting to turn a secret supply of the protomolecule into a weapon of mass destruction. Meanwhile, back on Venus, the protomolecule is busy transforming the planet - building something. It is in this simmering stew of distrust and tension that Jim Holden is tossed into. Chaos ensues.

This book was not as strong as the first. Partly, I think, this is due to the fact that a lot of mystery has been taken out of the equation. I know that the protomolecule is an artifact of an alien civilization. I know that it is programmed to hijack organic matter. I know that bad people in faceless corporations are willing to bend the rules to make a quick buck off of this terrifying thing. I know that unscrupulous scientists want to study it. If they can only crack the code they can fundamentally transform human evolution. The only mystery left is what exactly is happening on Venus, but that is pretty much left out of this story.

Caliban's War is largely more of the same. An unscrupulous corporation has sold a sample of the protomolecule to a rogue element of the UN military. They hope to develop it as a first strike weapon for use against Mars. Unfortunately, people keep forgetting that they just can't contain or control it. Things go awry and all hell breaks loose. Toss in Jim Holden, the quest for the little girl, and his urge to share everything with everyone and you have bedlam.

Three and a half stars rounded down to three. A little long. Too much focus on politicians. Felt like a bit of a rehash of the first book. Did like the ending, however. That perfectly set up the next book and went a long way to unraveling what the heck was happening on Venus. What is intriguing to me is mystery. There was not enough of it in this book.

...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Kevin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Holy hell - this is great science fiction. I gave the first book in the series four stars, but I'm going to change it to five, if that's possible. This is not only some of the most action-packed sci fi I've ever read, but it's also got some of the best characters I've ever read in sci fi. The remaining crew of the Rocinante is back again, along with some new characters, of course. One standout character that's new in the second book is a female politician who is as smart and believable a charact ...more

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May 01, 2016 Derkanus rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Summary:
On Ganymede (a Jovian moon sporting crops for the outer planets, where many Belter women go to give birth), a young girl named Mei (who has Myers-Skelton Premature Immunosenescence requiring daily medication) is taken out of class by her doctor (Dr. Strictland) and a lady posing as her mother. They take her to a lab containing a glass case housing someone infected by the protomolecule.

Martian marine Bobbie (Roberta Draper) is patrolling Ganymede. Her squad's comms drop out and they are ( ...more

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