There are a lot of well known science fiction franchises out there. Ofcourse everybody has probably heard about Star Wars and Star Trek. Unless, to use a science fiction term, you have been living offworld. But in the world of science fiction novels, there are so many well written stories, that in many ways they sometimes rival these established franchises. A couple of years back I came across the novel Leviathan’s Wake written by James S.A. Corey (which is actually a pen name of two writers). It set up an epic science fiction universe, with a great storyline, and fantastic characters. The first novel paved the way for the sequels, and to date 6 novels have been published in what has become known as The Expanse.
Caliban’s War is the second novel and pretty much picks up the story where the first part left off. On Mars we meet a female supersoldier called Bobbie. When her entire platoon gets killed by a monstrous creature, she is the sole survivor. It seems the deadly protomolecule, that was believed to have been killed, has somehow managed to survive. But who is behind this? With both the Earth and Mars government on the brink of all out war, it is up to Jim Holden and the crew of the Rocinante, heroes of the first novel, to find out the truth. A fact that is easier said than done. With a massive conspiracy and Holden’s own fears threatening the survival of the entire universe, time is running out….for everyone.
Caliban’s War has been a page turner from start to finish. Where Leviathan’s Wake started off somewhat slow, this book pretty much comes running out of the gates from page 1, and does not stop until the finish. A book such as this can only work if you can feel what is at stake and a establish a bond with the characters. And in that regard the book succeeds on both counts. Jim Holden and the rest of the crew of his ship, were already great in part one. But in this book we get to know them even better, and as such care about them even more. But also the new characters, most notably Bobbie and the foulmouthed, old but incredibly strongwilled lady Avasarala, were very worthy additions.
What I liked about this novel is the threat that looms over everything. You constantly feel a sense of doom that there is something very wrong, and that not everything is as cut and dry as it may seem. Without spoiling the ending for you, expect a massive cliffhanger that will leave you hungry for more. Luckily that more is already there, as you can keep on reading by checking out part 3, Abaddon’s Gate. And if you are not into reading, the books have been turned into a television series called The Expanse. I have yet to see this one for myself, but from what I have heard it is supposedly very good. I highly recommend Caliban’s War for everyone who loves good science fiction, with great characters and a touch of conspiracy.
I give Caliban’s War a 9 out of 10 score.
I loved Leviathan Wakes! I watched the Expanse Season 1 which does a reasonable job of covering much of Leviathan and some of Caliba (The Show introduced your foul mouthed politician from season 1 for instance and ended before the Novel). I have Caliban’s war to read but haven’t had the chance. Absolutely amazing, good on you for reading and writing about it!
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Thank you very much. I hope to get started on the Expanse tv series somewhere this year. No big surprise that things have been altered for the series, thst usually happens 😊 Hope you will enjoy Caliban’s War..it is in my opinion even better than Leviathan Wakes (yes, that is hard to believe I know 😊)
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Yeah. I realise certain things work in books and not tv and vice versa. The TV series works
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I watched The Expanse on Netflix a few months ago and I really enjoyed it so I immediately sought out the books. I only recently started reading Leviathan Wakes and I’m absolutely loving it.
I’ve read far too many Sci-Fi novels that drown in their own made-up jargon. Leviathan seems more interested in keeping its prose down to Earth (no pun intended), and I’ve found it to be a much easier read because of it. Can’t wait to read Caliban’s War now!
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Leviathan Wakes is truly awesome. I love the way it has been written, and it really gets you drawn into a storyline that is the set up for something much bigger, trust me, the best is yet to come 😊 I hope to get started on the tv series as soon as I have some time 😊
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The author(s)’s name sounds vaguely familiar but I can’t say I’ve heard of the book or tv series. Not that that means much. I effectively live under a rock most of the time.
That said, I am interested now. Very much so. You’re single-handedly giving a shitton of new material to one day read/watch. Congrats?
(24hrs a day ain’t enough though…)
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Haha, yeah I know right. I had a few days off, which is so nice to finally catch up on some things. But yes, this is seriously good stuff. I don’t know if the tv series is as good as the novels it is based on, but even it contains only a fraction of the excitement of the novels, it will be awesome. Now if only I could get a year off somehow…🤔🤔
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Great review! I love a good sci-fi novel. I haven’t seen The Expanse, but I’ve heard good things about it. Having read this post, I’ll probably go for the books first!
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The books are really great, especially if you like good sci-fi writing. I like how these books make the set up for a very believable sci-fi universe. It is a difficult feat to accomplish, but the writers do a very good job with it 😊
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