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Cibola Burn

(The Expanse #4)

James S.A. Corey (Goodreads Author)

4.14 · Rating details · 44,805 ratings · 2,620 reviews

The fourth novel in James S.A. Corey’s New York Times bestselling Expanse series

The gates have opened the way to thousands of habitable planets, and the land rush has begun. Settlers stream out from humanity's home planets in a vast, poorly controlled flood, landing on a new world. Among them, the Rocinante, haunted by the vast, posthuman network of the protomolecule as th ...more

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Kindle Edition, 593 pages

Published June 17th 2014 by Orbit

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Oct 26, 2013 Neil Hepworth rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: authors-my-students-interviewed

This book was the clunker to end all clunkers. The dud to end all duds. The turd in your soup, if you will. In other words, it was a bad book.

First of all, the book can’t figure out it’s own plot. Twenty pages in and the book thinks it’s going to be about immigration, evil corporations and land rights. Oh, but then it’s not. Halfway in and the book thinks it’s going to be about natural disasters. But then it’s about killer slugs and orbital decay?...neither of which was interesting. At the end, This book was the clunker to end all clunkers. The dud to end all duds. The turd in your soup, if you will. In other words, it was a bad book.

First of all, the book can’t figure out it’s own plot. Twenty pages in and the book thinks it’s going to be about immigration, evil corporations and land rights. Oh, but then it’s not. Halfway in and the book thinks it’s going to be about natural disasters. But then it’s about killer slugs and orbital decay?...neither of which was interesting. At the end, the book thinks it’s going to be about the big, mysterious alien race and object. But just kidding, because nothing is revealed about the mysterious alien race in their completely forgettable and awkward scenes. So, after having finished the book, I’m hard pressed to tell you what it was actually about because none of the plots mattered. The immigration section had no bearing on the later portion of the book. The natural disaster had no bearing on the book. And the final encounter with the aliens was shoehorned in and didn’t matter one whit. Lots of stuff happened but nothing actually happened.

Nor did the plot create any tension or fear. I was never nervous that the bad guy would win or that a main character would get hurt. Nothing. No emotion. No connection. Just irritation that I was five hundred pages in and nothing of consequence had happened. Strike one.

The novel’s characters were equally crap. Holden, our hero, should have been the most interesting, what with Miller floating around in his head, but he spends the majority of his time mediating (without actually mediating) and killing killer slugs. And never has killing space slugs been so boring. Holden’s crew was just as dull: Amos was turned into a two-dimensional good-guy who follows the captain’s orders, but who would be killing you if he wasn't following the captain’s orders. Blah. Alex and Naomi are just sorta there. Did they do anything? I can't remember. All three of Holden’s crew could have been removed from the book and no one would have noticed. Strike two.

What about the other point-of-view characters? you ask. Well, Basia could have been an interesting character as a would-be terrorist seeking redemption for killing people in terrorist-y ways, but instead he mopes and whines.

The antagonist, Murtry (now there’s a name that strikes fear in your heart) was also stupidly two-dimensional, nothing more than a “I love the Comp’ny! and have been charged with protecting the Comp’ny! Therefore, I will smile smugly while I shoot you in the face (or back) with my Comp’ny gun! just to make a point for all these rubes here who need to know that I love the Comp’ny! And an intelligent thought will ne'er enter my brain-box!” type character.

And finally, in the category of Worst Character of the Year, the most egregious of all, scientist Elvi, who single handedly set back the feminist movement by decades. Elvi is a young-ish biologist, who, after experiencing tragedy in the opening chapters, cries crocodile tears at the drop of an estrogen-fueled hat, until our hero, the sexy James Holden shows up. At which point she turns into a 1930’s girl, coming up with every excuse to see sexy James Holden so she can get that mushy feeling inside while she babbles (because, you know, a girl in love can’t help but talk at the speed of light when her secret crush is around), and falls asleep at night dreaming of sexy James Holden running his manly hands all over her body, to the point that she can’t function as a scientist. Until, that is, her fellow scientist (who is not sexy James Holden) suggests that she could do her job better if she just got laid, and oh, he’s available for sex right now. And she accepts his offer. And after she’s gotten some piece of action, she turns back into a cold, calculating scientist. Ah, the magic of sex. Robert Heinlein, eat your heart out. Strike three. Yer out!

This book missed everything that makes science fiction fun to read. Action scenes? Poorly written. Interesting plot? Tissue-paper thin. Compelling characters? Nadda. Brain-twisting science? Nope. Sense of wonder and awe? Never. Strike four...?

Man, I haven’t even touched on the completely pointless algae that makes you go blind subplot, either. Strike five...?

This series had great potential after its riveting start - I really enjoyed the characters and set up from Leviathan Wakes. Books two and three, Caliban's War and Abaddon's Gate, had some great ideas and moments, but the cracks were starting to show. In this book, the house came down...or the batter struck out...after five strikes... (hm...metaphors are not my strong suit...). This book was nothing but fluff and nonsense, and I doubt that I’ll be reading the next one.

It’s just too bad - I really wanted to like this series...
...more

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Aug 02, 2015 Kemper rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, expanse, sci-fi, space, aliens, 2018-reread

In The Expanse humanity has spread out among our solar system, and there have been decades of political tension and hostility among the people of Earth, Mars, and the Belters of the Outer Planetary Alliance. The events of the previous books have resulted in the unlocking of a system of wormhole gates that puts literally a thousand habitable new worlds and all their natural resources within reach.

All the people put their differences aside to begin a new golden age of peace and prosperity as they In The Expanse humanity has spread out among our solar system, and there have been decades of political tension and hostility among the people of Earth, Mars, and the Belters of the Outer Planetary Alliance. The events of the previous books have resulted in the unlocking of a system of wormhole gates that puts literally a thousand habitable new worlds and all their natural resources within reach.

All the people put their differences aside to begin a new golden age of peace and prosperity as they work together to explore and colonize……BWAH HA HA HA! I’m sorry. I couldn’t even finish that with a straight face. I was just messing with you. Actually, most of the people in the future are still short-sighted selfish idiots who suck, just like today, and they promptly begin fighting over the very first planet that has boots on the ground.

A group of squatters from the OPA got to the planet first and set up a half-assed colony as they began mining lithium with the idea of selling it to become independent. The Royal Energy Corporation was given a charter by Earth’s government to survey the planet and exploit its mineral rights. The squatters and the RCE competing claims are complicated by the long history of bigotry and mistrust between the people of Earth and the Belt. Things quickly escalate to violence, and when the governments need a guy with a reputation for honesty and fairness to act as moderator they call on Captain Jim Holden.

So it’s a planet filled with angry people using terrorism tactics against a fanatical security chief for the corporation who will stop at nothing to protect RCE interests. Oh, and there’s lots of alien ruins and artifacts left by a long dead civilization. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything.

As usual Holden and his intrepid crew are trying to do the right thing and save people in the midst of a political tangle and general assholery. However, the first half of this book has both sides so entrenched in their hatred and grudges that I was half hoping that Holden would just throw up his hands and have the Rocinante bomb them from orbit. Things change a bit in the second half when events put everyone in a dire situation, but even then there’s no shortage of talking sphincters making a bad situation worse.

As I’ve said in my earlier reviews, that’s one of the things that I love about this series. There’s an on-going mystery and potential looming threat with all the alien stuff and the way that Holden is connected to it is very clever. The action and sense of tension are well done, and the good guy characters are all likeable and well-drawn so that you actively root for them while feeling the frustration of every set back and problem. The books also have a healthy sense of humor with a variety of one liners or funny beats drawing a laugh out of a reader at the most unexpected moments. The authors also do a superior job of figuring out bad situations to stick the characters in and equally clever ways to get them out of them.

But it’s still the commitment to making the biggest obstacle usually be rotten people of one kind or another that continues to help ground the series and make it really relatable. These people may be squabbling on another planet, but when they argue about who did what to who and use it for justifications for continuing to escalate the violence it’s all too easy to see ourselves in this collection of asshats.

Bonus Material: Check out the trailers for the TV show based on the series here and here. ...more

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Dec 24, 2016 Hannah Greendale rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, space-opera

After taking almost three hundred pages to find its stride, Cibola Burn launches its readers into a tense, high-stakes adventure that lasts to the final page.

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Dec 04, 2017 Gary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The fourth Expanse novel is a bit of a sea change – though a perfectly logical progression from the game-changing events of Abaddon’s Gate. This time the crew of the Rocinante is tasked with mediating a potentially disastrous dispute between corporate interests and belter squatters on the first habitable world discovered on the other side of the ring.
Thrilling action, nail-biting suspense and complex characters are, by now, par for the course in what has become the most consistently and spectac ...more

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Mar 08, 2018 Choko rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

*** 4.25 ***

"... “It was astounding, Bobbie thought, how quickly humanity could go from What unimaginable intelligence fashioned these soul-wrenching wonders? to Well, since they’re not here, can I have their stuff?” ..."

The authors of "The Expanse" series came through again! With a flair for storytelling and a well build set-up to a series starting from book one, "Cibola Burn" comes to us with a set of givens and expectations. The givens are the great world-building, characters we already kno *** 4.25 ***

"... “It was astounding, Bobbie thought, how quickly humanity could go from What unimaginable intelligence fashioned these soul-wrenching wonders? to Well, since they’re not here, can I have their stuff?” ..."

The authors of "The Expanse" series came through again! With a flair for storytelling and a well build set-up to a series starting from book one, "Cibola Burn" comes to us with a set of givens and expectations. The givens are the great world-building, characters we already know and know what to expect of in the crew of Holden, Naomi, Alex, and Amos, and a whole new Universe, open to us by the Protomolecule and the discoveries of "Abaddon’s Gate". The expectations are to have another adventure full of action, heroics and peril. I think we were delivered plenty of both.

"... “The usual state of nature is recovering from the last disaster,” she said. It was a truism of ecological biologists, and she said it the way a religious person might pray. To make sense of what she saw. To comfort herself. To give the world some sense of purpose or meaning. Species rose in an environment, and that environment changed. It was the nature of the universe, as true here as it had been on Earth.” ..."

Captain Holden and the crew of the Rocinante have been escorting for safety other ships back and forth through the Gate, opening the road for Humanity to unknown part of the Universe. However, just when the crew is starved for landing and some personal TLC, the United Nations and the OPA ask them to do a mission of inter-mediation on the first Earth-like new planet ever discovered, between the small group of Belters who have established a small community there and the Earth mega-corporation for extracting energy, RCE, to which the charter for drilling and exploration has been given by the UN. Neither side feels the other belongs there, but there animosity morphs into hatred when attempts of sabotage lead to human lives lost. Then the game turns and they try to destroy the other, putting innocent people and scientists in the middle.

"... “Figure two-, three-hundred-kilometer-an-hour winds, lightning, torrential rains. You’re far enough inland to avoid the three-kilometer-high tsunami.” “Basic wrath of God package, minus drowning,” ..."

Only the two sides didn't count on the Planet to get involved too and start protecting itself. The Planet is nothing it seems to appear and the humans discover that slowly and to their detriment. The sad and tragic part is that even though the Humans on both sides have a new and much more powerful adversary, they still prefer to go at each-other and make sure the other side suffers more than them. This is what always makes me so sad about our nature - we hate we are in a tough spot, but if we are going down, we always try to take the next person down with us... For an intelligent species, we sure seem to be making the same dumb decisions over and over through history and fiction...

"... “You’re cranky because you’re tired,” Amos said. “You got that I-have-to-save-everyone hangup, so I make it that you haven’t slept in about two days. But listening to people bitch? Yeah, that’s sorta your job. It’s why you make the big money.” “We make the same money.” “Then I guess you’re doing it for the fame and glory.” “I hate you,” Holden said.” ..."

I loved many of the characters here, but there were some, who seemed to be evil just for evil's sake, and I didn't really like that. I did like the actual biological side of the story and it is what made me enjoy it most! Holden was the reliable reluctant Hero we have all learned to love/hate and the rest of the world kind of revolves around him. This is OK, since we do need someone to always make reliable choices - in his case, we can always rely on him to go with his first noble emotion without thinking about the consequences and having the world to have to straighten those after. We can always say after, well, at least he meant well... But my mom always used to say the old adage, "the road to Hell is paved with good intentions..." So true...

Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a good Book!!! ...more

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Jun 19, 2014 Bradley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fanboy-goes-squee, sci-fi, space-opera, worldbuilding-sf, 2018-shelf

Re-Read 9/25/18:

This second read went down SMOOTH. :) Sure, we're out of the Solar System and Holden is attempting to play peacemaker rather than the lone voice of truth, but what he's got on his shoulders is the one-eye'd king in the land of the blind syndrome... AND massive conflict. Not whole Powers breathing down his neck this time, but things get really hairy out on the frontier where law and order is played fast and loose.

Yep. It's a cowboy novel featuring slugs that blind you, a planet li ...more

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Jun 17, 2014 Alex Ristea rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: hardcover, library, science-fiction, series

Never fear folks, the Expanse is back and better than ever! From recent news, we can expect five more novels and I couldn't be a happier bookworm.

Cibola Burn is a massively exciting sci-fi novel—the summer blockbuster of the fiction world. Now, that's not saying that it doesn't have it's deep and emotional moments, but let's face it: we love reading these books because things go boom in space, and futuristic technology kicks ass.

Let me tell you just how good it is. I thought I'd sit down and rea ...more

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Jun 26, 2014 Jordan Rose rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I finished it, due in large part because of my love for the Expanse series overall, as I devoured Leviathan Wakes thru Abaddon's Gate in short order. Cibola Burn, however, fell short of my expectations for many reasons, most of which have already been detailed in previous reviews.

First, the new characters. Basia's story arc was probably the most interesting of the newcomers yet, even still, I found myself becoming bored with his predictability. Havelock, for the most part, I found myself wanting I finished it, due in large part because of my love for the Expanse series overall, as I devoured Leviathan Wakes thru Abaddon's Gate in short order. Cibola Burn, however, fell short of my expectations for many reasons, most of which have already been detailed in previous reviews.

First, the new characters. Basia's story arc was probably the most interesting of the newcomers yet, even still, I found myself becoming bored with his predictability. Havelock, for the most part, I found myself wanting to skip more and more out of boredom as well. It's sad that, almost 300 pages in, the most interesting thing Havelock has done is play paintball with engineers and mull over Belter/Inner 'racism.' But Elvi, good God. I cringe even typing the name. Undoubtedly the absolute worst, most annoying, uninteresting character of the entire series. I don't know how you go from powerhouses like Bobbie, Chrisjen, Bull, and even Praxidike, to the subpar lineup that we have in Cibola Burn. After the first few persepctive changes, I would speedread through Elvi's parts just to get them out of the way. She'd have been more believable as a teenage stowaway aboard the Edward Israel than as an accomplished, respected scientist.

The villain was just as bad. Predictable, utterly two dimensional, and so mind blowingly stupid that it killed any shred of believability he might have had. Then again, the Expanse isn't exactly known for the strength of its villains (the guy Holden and his crew found at the Protogen base, for example).

I waited a long time for this novel's release. I anticipated June 17th like it was something sacred, and now I'm still in a state of disbelief as to how disappointing I found this book to be. Caliban's War and Abaddon's Gate were both so damn good that I read them again before the release of Cibola Burn. I'll keep reading Expanse, as I have faith in the ability of Ty and David to create something extraordinary, but I sincerely hope Cibola Burn isn't a glimpse of things to come. ...more

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Sep 04, 2014 Justin rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

This series as a whole is so poorly-named, that it borders on false advertising. For an ongoing story collectively called The Expanse, each successive book has become smaller, and smaller in scope. Leviathan Wakes had a solar system-wide war, with entire planetary bodies being irrevocably altered in the conflict. Caliban's War had virtually the same plot, but with some different characters, and felt lesser by its very derivative nature. Abaddon's Gate centered on an enclosed area of space, with ...more

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Sep 05, 2013 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: review-copy, aliens, science-fiction

4.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2014/06/25/b...

The Expanse is probably my science fiction series right now, and I think Cibola Burn is the best installment yet.

Why, you ask? Well, unlike the previous books, which I felt started off slow but gradually built up to bigger and better action, Cibola Burn breaks this pattern and kicks things off right away with an explosive conflict you can’t ignore. The mysterious proto-molecule that somehow created a massive ring structu 4.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2014/06/25/b...

The Expanse is probably my science fiction series right now, and I think Cibola Burn is the best installment yet.

Why, you ask? Well, unlike the previous books, which I felt started off slow but gradually built up to bigger and better action, Cibola Burn breaks this pattern and kicks things off right away with an explosive conflict you can’t ignore. The mysterious proto-molecule that somehow created a massive ring structure just outside the orbit of Uranus has turned out to be a gate leading to thousands of habitable planets on the other side. To the annoyance and chagrin of the corporation with the planetary exploration and harvesting rights, a ship of refugees have made it over and settled on the first of such new worlds, claiming it as their own and starting up their own mining operations.

Violence erupts when the company finally arrives to protect what they think of as their property, with the colonists pushing back. This is how the book starts out – literally with a bang. Protagonist James Holden, deemed as the best person to act as mediator in this conflict, is dropped into the middle of things before they can escalate and both sides end up killing each other. The whole situation is a lit powder keg waiting to explode and the atmosphere could not be more intense, and this is all just within the first handful of chapters. There’s none of that “slow climb to the apex”, which is how I described Abbadon’s Gate. Here, you get to the good stuff right off the bat.

But before you think all the action is front-loaded, rest assured that this is not the case. The tension continues to build and it’s safe to say that circumstances get worse for the characters (which translates to “More exciting!” for the reader) before they get better. Cibola Burn is part space colonization story and part space disaster thriller. For those reading this series who might be suffering from proto-molecule fatigue by now, the good news is that while the proto-molecule still plays a big role in the overall story, it takes a backseat to the more dramatic and more human events happening right there on the frontier planet. It’s wild and lawless territory out there, with neither side willing to relinquish control. With no real police force, no courts and no legal system, authority is determined by who has the greatest firepower, and when you’re in a region of space eighteen months from the closest civilization, that there pretty much spells a recipe for disaster.

Like all the previous books in the series, Cibola Burn is told from the perspective of a handful of point-of-view characters. The cast has expanded yet again, changing up all the key players except for Holden, who as the main protagonist has kept up a constant presence in all four books now. For the first time in this series, however, I became partial to his chapters. In books 1-3, I’d always felt that Holden’s character was eclipsed by more powerful and interesting personalities (in Leviathan Wakes, by Miller; in Caliban’s War, by Chrisjen Avasarala, my favorite potty-mouthed UN politician; and in Abbadon’s Gate, by Bull) and he’d never managed to capture my attention. That is, until now. What changed? It’s not like the other POV characters here were any less compelling. But somehow, Holden definitely came into his own in Cibola Burn. As someone who’s always so sure of his moral position, it’s a new experience to see him try to compromise for the sake of keeping the peace, and when the situation devolves, his leadership skills are put to the test.

In fact, all the POV characters – Holden, Basia, Havelock and Elvi — were enjoyable to read about in their own way. Compared to a relatively weaker cast in the last book, Cibola Burn was a much more engaging read for this reason. The only character I didn’t care for was Murtry – and not because he’s the villain. I notice the authors seem to have a tendency to paint the “bad guys” in this series as really BAD guys, all super evil psychopaths with terrible motives and inflexible attitudes. While it leaves little room for doubt who you should be rooting for, that doesn’t add much to the person or situation. Other characters who sometimes lack in depth is an occasional issue I encountered, but the baddies seem to have it the worst.

Still, if that’s my only complaint, and it’s a minor one at that, this book is clear a winner in my eyes. Like I said, I found this to be the most exciting and powerful book so far. When a strange planet that no one understands turns against colony and corporation alike, the notion of people putting aside their differences to help each other survive becomes a central theme, and all the while the clock is ticking. It’s really no surprise that the series is heading to TV, being the perfect mix of science fiction chills-and-thrills with the passion and weight of human drama. Fans of The Expanse will eat this book right up. And if you haven’t started this series yet, what are you waiting for? ...more

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Oct 17, 2018 Samir rated it liked it · review of another edition

Not on the same level as the previous installments but still good.

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Nov 22, 2016 Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

4.0 Stars

This might be my least favourite book in the series so far, but that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it. At this point, I find it comforting to read about my beloved recurring characters.

I was particularly intrigued by the political uncertainty outlined in the beginning of the novel. I really enjoy reading about the tension between the various interplanetary groups. Unfortunately, the story didn't quite live up to the potential of this setup. A few of the new characters were a bit fla ...more

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Aug 01, 2016 Vladimir rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016, owned-read

I dalje odlična zabava.. kraj malo škripi ali sve u svemu ja sam zadovoljan!!!

Sa nestrpljenjem čekam nastavak...!!!

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Sep 25, 2018 Trish rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

It's utterly fitting that this fourth volume in the The Expanse series is about the exploration of an entirely new planet in another solar system since it is also the first book where I don't know what will happen because the TV show has not caught up to the book series yet.

After the protomolecule has built the Ring and humans have gone through, finding the station connecting us to all kinds of planetary systems, humans want to leave Sol and live some place else. The problem? Well, it's mostly ...more

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Oct 24, 2017 Lori rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A lot better than the last one, still some bits where I lost interest.

The regular cast is great. Alex and Naomi got bigger parts. Miller is back from the word salad either.

"You’re like Peter Pan, she says. When a child died, Peter Pan would fall halfway with them. So they wouldn’t be scared.

Weird. And that’s a kid’s story? Anyway, it’s not me, the investigator says (Miller), smiles at her. Holds her hand. I don’t go for half."

Although these guys don't have any problem with killing characters, I ...more

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Jul 03, 2015 Mr. Matt rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, aliens, sci-fi

Just when I thought I was getting tired of the Expanse ... Cibola Burn takes humanity through the mysterious gates built by the protomolecule, to a thousand habitable worlds. The new worlds promise a rebirth for humanity. No more population controls, no more crowded, polluted planets, no more scraping a subsistence living in an air pocket on a planetoid. A thousand Edens await; however, as Detective Miller reminds us, you gotta watch the doors and corners.

Just because humanity made it to a new E Just when I thought I was getting tired of the Expanse ... Cibola Burn takes humanity through the mysterious gates built by the protomolecule, to a thousand habitable worlds. The new worlds promise a rebirth for humanity. No more population controls, no more crowded, polluted planets, no more scraping a subsistence living in an air pocket on a planetoid. A thousand Edens await; however, as Detective Miller reminds us, you gotta watch the doors and corners.

Just because humanity made it to a new Eden, it doesn't mean that we left humanity behind. On New Terra, the very first post-solar colony, two factions are squaring off: belter refugees and a corporate, UN sanctioned expedition. The refugees are jealous and protective of their rights as squatters. The RCE expedition is jealous and protective of their rights as granted by the UN charter. When as act of terrorist vandalism accidentally kills hundreds, real trouble ensues. Murtry, the driven security chief of RCE, finds himself the nominal head of the RCE faction and he will be damned if he allows this group of squatters to trample on the UN Charter. Smelling trouble, the UN and OPA send in a mediator - Holden.

Through all of this I kinda thought we were tapping a dry well. The book was interesting, moved along at a decent clip, but kinda, well, dull. Not much was happening. And then everything started happening. Detective Miller was back as an incarnation of the protomolecule, probing, exploring, investigating. Where did the beings that created the gates go? What happened to them? His investigations actually awake the planet's defense mechanisms. Suddenly we have life or death struggle both in space and on the planet.

Not only is the RCE fighting the colonists, but the planet itself is striking against humanity. In a very cool twist, life as we know it on Earth and New Terra are incompatible. And why shouldn't they be? Evolution took a very different direction on each planet. A small, microscopic organism discovers that humans make the perfect hosts and multiply like mad in their eyes, blinding everyone ... everyone except Holden.

All of this finally comes to a head in an alien structure where we finally catch a glimpse of what it was that destroyed the protomolecule's civilization.

Four stars. The book started off slow - too slow for my tastes - but ended with a gripping tension. These books continue to entertain. Each has a mystery that more or less drives the entire series. With each book, more is revealed of the mystery. Very cool, although I am starting to wonder where exactly the entire series is going. I feel like I am just getting to the real punch. What will happen when humanity finally bumps into whatever it was that killed off the protomolecule's creators? How will that resolve? At the pace the series is moving, are we looking at the SF equivalent of The Wheel of Time series? ...more

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Nov 02, 2014 Algernon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2014

[9/10]
The fourth book in the Expanse Universe continues the tradition of reinventing the series with each new installment. If the first one was a mix of hard-boiled detective investigation and zombie apocalypse in space, the second was mostly about open warfare between the main three factions in the future Solar System (The Earth, Mars and the Outer Planets alliance), the third a homage to Arthur C Clarke Rama novels, the best way I can find to characterize the latest is "cowboys and aliens", wi ...more

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Jan 24, 2014 Rob rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, audio-book, not-a-bookclub-club, read-2014, own, author-male

Executive Summary: This one felt very different from the rest of the series to me. Whether or not that is a good thing will largely depend on the reader I suspect.

Audio book: Erik Davies is OK. Originally I was pretty indifferent about the narrator change for this book. I was never particularly attached to Jefferson Mays. I had sort of of hoped that as this was the first book released in hardcover maybe the change was due to them getting a better reader.

Turns out that wasn't the case. For the m ...more

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Feb 19, 2019 James Trevino rated it really liked it · review of another edition

If I think of this as a stand alone sci-fi book it would probably get a 5 star rating. But this is part of The Expanse series and so far it is the weakest of them all. That should tell you how much I love this series.

Ciobola Burn is slower than the previous volumes and, just like them, it introduces a some new POVs next to the ones of the Roccinante crew. The problem here is that the new POVs all fail to some extent. Basia, Elvi and Havelock are interesting characters but they don't come out goo ...more

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May 25, 2014 Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: my-library-catalogue

I love this series – the plot, the characters, the humor, the world building… all of it. I was excited for this one in particular because when I first started The Expanse a couple of years ago I thought it was only going to be a trilogy. Cibola Burn (and Nemesis Games) felt like bonus books. I’m super thrilled the story is not over!!!

As always, this Expanse book had an excellent mix of familiar and new POV characters – an element that has always kept these novels fresh and exciting for me. Of al I love this series – the plot, the characters, the humor, the world building… all of it. I was excited for this one in particular because when I first started The Expanse a couple of years ago I thought it was only going to be a trilogy. Cibola Burn (and Nemesis Games) felt like bonus books. I’m super thrilled the story is not over!!!

As always, this Expanse book had an excellent mix of familiar and new POV characters – an element that has always kept these novels fresh and exciting for me. Of all the non-Rocinante crewmember POVs we’ve met, I unfortunately enjoyed the ones in this book the least. They just couldn’t compete with Avasarala, Bobbie, or even Bull… but they were still good because I don’t think these authors could write crappy characters if they tried. I’ve mentioned before that strong characterization is my favorite part about this series, in part because they always feel like real people, flaws and all. It’s fantastic.

Admittedly, I expected the story to go much broader from this point (it is, after all, The Expanse series), especially after the vast potential and new revelations discovered in Abaddon’s Gate. But the scope of Cibola Burn maintained a fairly narrow scope (not that it wasn’t just as enjoyable, mind you). Having it different than my expectations didn’t disappoint me like many other novels have, but instead made me appreciate how consistent these authors are. They don’t jump the story ahead of what is feasibly possible just to advance the plot. As a result, all of the progression the solar system makes feels natural and unforced. Human ambition never goes beyond what is technologically possible, and I love that consistency. Not to mention that it was still wildly interesting even without fast expansion.

As narrow as the story might have felt, the things that happened in this novel will definitely have galaxy-wide ramifications… I can’t wait to see how they’re going to cope next! The broadness of the concept (particularly involving the protomolecule and its origins) always makes me feel so immersed these books.

Overall, Cibola Burn was a great continuation of the story (the next book, Nemesis Games, was even better! Review to come…). If you are a Firefly fan, or if you’re even looking to dip your toes in the space opera genre, give this series a try!

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.nikihawkes.com ...more

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May 19, 2017 Veronique rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, favourites-5and4-5

4.5 - 4th book in series

“Captain,” Amos said with mock surprise. “Have you actually learned from your past? Is this a new thing you do now?”

It is becoming a monthly treat to come back to the Expanse to have my next fix. As per the other novels, the narration is shared by Holden on one side, the constant, and a new set of characters on the other. I love it that certain secondary protagonists do keep appearing since this reinforces the world-building. I also really appreciated how Corey doesn't j ...more

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Apr 28, 2016 Robyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016

I found the challenges of the planet, the scientists rushing around to save things, Holden's interactions with the protomolecule, the idea of a new frontier, etc all absolutely fascinating and lots of fun. But I didn't like the moustache-twirling evil villain (I found him unbelievable) or the lack of female viewpoints in this. (Elvi is a great character but also problematic.) Man oh man, though, I am looking forward to the next one!

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Mar 14, 2018 Veronica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, buddy-read

A new book in this exciting space opera means a new crisis for Holden and his crew to face. The gates to hundreds of new worlds have been flung open and mankind – not having actually earned this discovery through any effort of its own – is eager to charge through the door, taking all of its ingrained prejudices with it.

"A vast new frontier has opened up for us. We have the chance to create a new society, with untold riches beyond every gate. But this world has treasure, so instead of figuring o A new book in this exciting space opera means a new crisis for Holden and his crew to face. The gates to hundreds of new worlds have been flung open and mankind – not having actually earned this discovery through any effort of its own – is eager to charge through the door, taking all of its ingrained prejudices with it.

"A vast new frontier has opened up for us. We have the chance to create a new society, with untold riches beyond every gate. But this world has treasure, so instead of figuring out the right way to divide up the damned galaxy, we’ll fight over the first crumbs we find."

One such new world is already the setting for the first of many new conflicts to come. A ship full of refugees from the disaster at Ganymede, having been turned away from several ports, have decided to take their chances by going through the gates early and settling on a habitable planet on the other side. They’ve dubbed the planet Ilus and have begun their own mining colony as a means of financially sustaining themselves in the long-term. They’ve done this without any legal or governmental authority however because the normal protocol would have been to send in a scientific team first, to study the planet and its ecosphere for a few years before declaring it safe for human habitation. So, when a ship bearing the science team, and carrying the legal charter naming the planet and its resources as the property of Royal Charter Energy (RCE), arrives, it sets up a classic us versus them scenario. Humans being humans, it’s not long before violence ensues.

It’s into this tempest that, for reasons that don’t become clear until the very end, The Powers That Be on Earth and in the Outer Planet Alliance (OPA) elect to send James Holden. His goal? To serve as official mediator in an already tense situation.

"We have hauled every tribalist, territorial, monkey-brained mistake humanity ever made through the gate and made soup with them here. This thing you’re about to do? Please let this be the one mistake we don’t make."

Humans aren’t the only threat, though, because the planet is littered with ruins and artifacts left behind by the ancient civilization that created the protomolecule. It doesn’t take long for the planet to assert itself as a direct challenge to human survival. Whether or not this common threat unifies or further divides the two sides of the conflict provides an interesting and, at times, disheartening examination of human nature.

"About the time one-celled organisms on Earth were starting to think about maybe trying photosynthesis, something turned this whole damned planet off. Took it off the grid, and killed everything high enough up the food chain to have an opinion. If I’m right, the thing that did that’s not entirely gone."

As the lynchpin of the series, Holden once again serves as a POV character and, once again, we get three new POV characters to add to the mix. Except that two of them aren’t really new. Readers will have met these two before, one in the first book in the series and the other one in the second book. They make for interesting choices and following their paths through the story added a sense of familiarity to the otherwise alien landscape in which the story is set.

The series remains as much a character driven story as it ever has been. There is insight into every angle of the conflict, neither side wholly right nor wholly wrong. It’s this very human focus that gives this science fiction series it’s heart, that keeps it grounded despite the threat of advanced alien lifeforms, killer slugs, space battles, and natural as well as man-made disasters. It’s a story that reminds us that striving to be better, to do better, doesn’t always mean that we get there. Sometimes, maybe even most times, we’ll fall short of our lofty goals…but there’s meaning in the trying.

No one lived forever. But you fought for every minute you could get. Bought a little more with a lot of hard work.
...more

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Feb 16, 2015 Kevin Kelsey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: _library, read-2015, read-2016

A departure in their method of storytelling. It's nice to see that the authors aren't one trick ponies. In some ways this might be the strongest entry in the expanse yet. In other ways, it isn't quite as strong. I have a hard time placing my finger on why exactly, but it's not my favorite. I suspect that it will be a favorite for many though. It's wickedly fun, and a solid entry in a terrific series. Now the waiting for 'Nemesis Games' begins.

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Jan 10, 2014 Dara rated it liked it

Shelves: scifi, space-opera, series, read-2015, reviewed, expanse

Made it a little past 25%. I hate all of the POV characters. The plot has no depth or nuance. Everything escalates to violence at the drop of a hat, making the story boring and predictable. I hope the TV series improve on the books because there's so much potential.

UPDATE:
Turns out that I lemmed the book right before it got good and interesting. I stick by some of my previous assertions (escalating to violence quickly, POV characters aren't great) but the story did find some urgency and complexi ...more

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Mar 22, 2016 Richard rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi

7.5/10

Another enjoyable outing in what is probably the best sci-fi series I've read so far to date. Whilst not the best in the series for me, there are new themes addressed here with a slight shift from the previous novels. The layout is the same, 4 different POV's with only Holden been the link from the last ones (excluding prologue and epilogue) but a slight change being that this one starts off quite intense as supposed to the others which are slow builders.

I liked the pacing of this novel, w ...more

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Feb 28, 2018 Olivia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

I'm a bit disappointed that the authors keep introducing new characters, just after I finally got attached to the new characters introduced in the previous books. I miss Avasarala, is all I'm really saying.

Cibola Burn feels like the weakest book so far. The strength of this series is the crew and here they're mostly separated from each other.

I must admit, I was a bit bored this time around. The characters came across as passive, mostly just swept around by the plot. The antagonist feels very ge ...more

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Apr 13, 2017 Sanaa rated it liked it · review of another edition

[3.5 Stars] It's not the best book in the series, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. It's a lot of the same from before which is why this doesn't get as high of a rating as the others. It's good, very good, but not as exciting as the previous books (or as ingenious).

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Sep 12, 2013 Mpauli rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: genre_sf, genre_space-opera, fatality-finish-him, orga_read-in-2015, rating_2-stars, setting_distant-planets

That book is rather difficult to judge and I thought long and hard about it. It has 4 star moments, like the scenes with the recurring cast, the interludes and the epilogue that hints towards the return of some beloved characters from the second book.

Unfortunately the rest of the book lost me completely. A year has passed after the events of the last book and humans start to colonize new planets.
And already on the first planet we have issues between the Belter settlers and a UN research company That book is rather difficult to judge and I thought long and hard about it. It has 4 star moments, like the scenes with the recurring cast, the interludes and the epilogue that hints towards the return of some beloved characters from the second book.

Unfortunately the rest of the book lost me completely. A year has passed after the events of the last book and humans start to colonize new planets.
And already on the first planet we have issues between the Belter settlers and a UN research company that wants to experiment on the planet.
Holden and his crew are sent there to negotiate.

All in all we get 3 new povs next to Holden. Bassia, who's a Belter settler that gets involved with the resistance against the UN company.
Havelock, a crew member of the UN company's space ship parked in the orbit of the planet.
And Elvie, who's a doctor of micro-biology and part of the research team.

Unfortunately none of the characters connected with me and I wasn't invested in any of their personal stories. There sole purpose seemed to be to get eyes up to every crew-member of the Rocinante. During the course of the book Bassia gets paired up with Alex, Havelock with Naomi and Elvie with Holden and Amos.
I actually have no clue why the authors refuse to give us the povs of Alex, Naomi or Amos. Instead they create highly constructed situations to pair up the new characters with them.

Regarding theme and plot we also get almost the same morale as we already got in Abaddon's Gate. No matter where humans go, they will always have different interest and they will always end up fighting each other. The setting and the players are different, but the morale stays the same and only rehashes book 3.
So, what we're left with are still likeable characters from the Rocinante, a tiny bit of overall development and a lot of filler material. It's like seeing a forgetable episode of a good tv show. The show is still good, you probably won't go on forums and raise the pitch-fork crowd against the episode, cause it wasn't so bad that you feel the need. It was simply that, what the Goodreads two star rating says...it was okay. ...more

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May 29, 2014 Jason rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, read-2014

5 Stars

This is such an amazing series. It has everything for the sci-fi geek to love. Each book brings something new to the table and all feature such an amazing cast.

I truly love this series and cannot wait to read more.

I highly recommend this series to science fiction lovers. This is a blockbuster series that will appeal to a large fan base. These books are so much freaking fun to read...Go and get them...

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