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Anne's Reviews > Caliban's War
Caliban's War (The Expanse, #2)
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Excellent second book in The Expanse series.
James Holden and his crew are back, still out in the stars trying to do a little good.
And along with them, some new faces step into the spotlight.
Bobbie Draper is a marine from Mars who is the only survivor of what looks to be more of the freaky alien thingamabob from the first book.
Because of this, she ends up as a pawn by her superiors, thrown into shark-infested political waters without knowing how to swim, and has to learn a whole new skill set. She needs to figure out how to not only survive but how to make a difference.
Chrisjen Avasarala is a big muckety-muck politician from Earth. I loved her. She's ruthlessly cunning and willing to underhand things to get shit done. But if you scrape the layer of ice off the top, she has a soft & gooey center.
She's my favorite character by far and I want to be her when I grow up.
And these aren't the only new additions.
There is also Prax Meng, botanist on Ganymede, whose young immunocompromised daughter has been taken off-world by the very doctor he trusted to keep her alive. The planet he calls home is collapsing because the alien protomolecule is spreading, but he refuses to give up, determined to search the universe to find her.
All he needs to do is find a crew willing to risk everything for one little girl.
There's no point in trying to explain the plot because this is one of those books that is dense with realistically flawed characters, intense political machinations, high-stakes action, and a cameo at the end that will knock your socks off.
Highly recommended for sci-fi fans.
James Holden and his crew are back, still out in the stars trying to do a little good.
And along with them, some new faces step into the spotlight.
Bobbie Draper is a marine from Mars who is the only survivor of what looks to be more of the freaky alien thingamabob from the first book.
Because of this, she ends up as a pawn by her superiors, thrown into shark-infested political waters without knowing how to swim, and has to learn a whole new skill set. She needs to figure out how to not only survive but how to make a difference.
Chrisjen Avasarala is a big muckety-muck politician from Earth. I loved her. She's ruthlessly cunning and willing to underhand things to get shit done. But if you scrape the layer of ice off the top, she has a soft & gooey center.
She's my favorite character by far and I want to be her when I grow up.
And these aren't the only new additions.
There is also Prax Meng, botanist on Ganymede, whose young immunocompromised daughter has been taken off-world by the very doctor he trusted to keep her alive. The planet he calls home is collapsing because the alien protomolecule is spreading, but he refuses to give up, determined to search the universe to find her.
All he needs to do is find a crew willing to risk everything for one little girl.
There's no point in trying to explain the plot because this is one of those books that is dense with realistically flawed characters, intense political machinations, high-stakes action, and a cameo at the end that will knock your socks off.
Highly recommended for sci-fi fans.
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Reading Progress
May 10, 2024
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Started Reading
May 10, 2024
– Shelved
June 10, 2024
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Finished Reading
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♥︎ Heather ⚔
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Jun 10, 2024 05:33AM
Great review, Anne! Love the show gifs! I've gotta check out this series eventually and actually get back to the show too- really good. Glad you enjoyed it!
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It's such a great series so far! I need to get back to the show, too.
This series is SO damn good. I struggle to not just re-read it over and over and over.
I can't believe I've been missing out!!!
Did y'all watch the tv show? does the show follow the books? because i gotta say i was thoroughly confused by the end of season 3. so i never watched seasons 4 and 5. i figured i just was not smart enough to follow along.
I watched the first season and decided to read the books. The first season was a lot like the first book, but you know how that goes. I'm planning on watching the whole thing once I'm done with all the books.
It's hard to say which is better: the books or the show? Okay, the books ARE better but the show rocks, even tho it deviates a little bit from the books, not as much in content but in chronology. And I also love badass Chrisjen. If I didn't have such a large TBR list, I'd be re-listening to the audiobooks.
Good to know that the show is going to keep the main story! And I know what you mean by wanting to give the good stuff a re-listen. These audiobooks are excellent.
Dan wrote: "It's hard to say which is better: the books or the show? Okay, the books ARE better but the show rocks, even tho it deviates a little bit from the books, not as much in content but in chronology. A..."thanks for the info! maybe i will listen to the book and then watch a season. do it like that.
That's a good idea! I don't have the discipline for that right now. Pretty sure I'd end up just binging one or the other.
Great review, Anne! So glad you’re enjoying this series. I just picked up Abaddon’s Gate (#3) after a hiatus, and I’m instantly reminded of how much I love these books. Excited to hear your thoughts on the next one!
I've got it on hold now, Alex! I'm excited to get back to this world, too.
The authors are involved in the TV series so I think that gives it extra cred.
I didn't know that, but now that you say it, it makes a lot of sense.
One of the authors, Ty Franck, and one of the actors, Wes Chatham (Amos Burton), have a podcast: Ty & that Guy. In the beginning they discussed the series, behind the scenes, did interviews with other actors, show runners, directors, make-up artists, ... Nowadays they talk of series and movies they love.
That's really cool! I had no idea.
Anne wrote: "I watched the first season and decided to read the books. The first season was a lot like the first book, but you know how that goes. I'm planning on watching the whole thing once I'm done with all..."I did not like this book, was iffy on the third and gave up. But I really, really enjoyed the tv series! They give a little more balance to the characters that the writers didn't get a chance to develop. You are right, it is binge-worthy; I often would watch two or three at a time. You can tell they are part of George R.R. Martin's writing posse--they know how to keep you hooked.
Sc-fi is hard because it easily jumps from different and exciting to waaaaay too science-y. Sometimes I think that makes audiobooks especially hard in this genre because the weird names and planets and pseudo-science jargon.
