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Kalibanov Rat (2012)

by James S.A. Corey(Favorite Author)

4.23 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Science Fiction

publisher

Laguna

series

Expanse

review 1: It's rare that a second book in a set is just as good if not better than the first, but this one was. To be fair, I may just be partial to the 2 new protagonists (in addition to James Holden who's still in this one) - a tough-as-nails sailor-mouthed world leader Indian grandma in a sari, and a Martian Marine who's a consummate soldier who happens to be an unusually large woman. I'm a giant sucker for well-written powerful female characters in sci-fi. Loved it.
review 2: Leviathan Wakes was a good book. It was a sort of fast-paced, hold-the-hard-stuff Sci-fi yarn, mixed with a William Faulkner Noir detective novel. Caliban's War takes what was good about the first book and cranks it up that final notch, ensuring that the Expanse Series, and this book, sits with ... moreall of my other favourites.What makes Caliban's War so beguiling is its grounded sense of self. Sci-fi can be guilty of running away with the fantastic. The technology is everything and the human story is lost. James S.A Corey (both parts, thereof) has done something quite remarkable here, in that the universe (well solar system) in which this book is set is just so very real. The technology, though considerably in advance of our own is just as slipshod and fallible, the problems that we have on a daily basis are still there to be seen. There are no transporters, or lightspeed ships, or ridiculously intelligent AI machines, it really is just quite gritty, and earthy, and real. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this for me is something that's a little bit brave on behalf of the authors: they haven't shied away from creating delays in the system. Travel times are long, but not boring, messages take a while to get through, and all of this adds an extra dynamic to the piece. I'll explain that bit in a moment, but the sense of distance and scale created, and Jim Holden and the Rocinante's Role in it create a sort of swash buckling high seas adventure that's sorely missing in other 'harder' sci-fi. It's all just a little more human.I said I would talk about dynamics. What I mean here is the additional element of scheming politics that has been woven deftly in to the piece. Avasarala is shrewd, intelligent and wily, working with the tools at her disposal, using the limits of the technology available to her advantage in a dangerous (though not overworked or painfully complex) game of political cat and mouse. It was to this novel what Miller's noir detective was to the first, and it gave it just that little something extra.It is also clear that both authors love the genre. This novel isn't entirely original, but instead it is given the feel or vibe of Firefly. There's more than a hint of Joss Whedon here, and instead of it appearing like plagiarism, it is lovingly crafted and feels more like a homage.As I said with the first novel, it is clear that one of the authors works quite closely with George R.R. Martin. The narrative structure is such that there are chapters from the perspective of various key characters. It's a bit like A Song of Ice and Fire, but in space. It is hear that my only (and minor) criticism falls. While the chapters are nominally named, and the perspectives are intended to align with individual characters, there isn't a huge amount of variety in the narrative voice, and on one or two occasions, the thoughts and feelings of characters slipped through in to another character's chapter. That, and some of the aspects of internal struggles, of emotions and backstory feel just a little bit wooden or contrived. None of this really detracts from the story, though, and not enough for me to give this any less than a five. It is a ripping yarn and a fantastic piece of science fiction as it should be, with just the right level of twist at the end. I cannot wait for Abaddon's Gate. It's sitting on my shelf. It's calling to me. less

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