Review (Novel): Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey

James S.A. Corey brings us their second novel, Caliban's War, is the sequel to Leviathan Wakes, and the second novel in The Expanse series of novels. The series have been adapted into a television series by Syfy.

Unlike the first novel, which was told from only two points of view, Caliban's War is told from the viewpoint of four different characters, three of which are characters that are newly introduced within this book. While some of these POVs, such as UN Under-secretary Christjen Avarasala, add a great deal to the narrative, others, such as Roberta "Bobbie" Draper, feel completely redundant. While the fourth POV, Praxidike Meng, does develop into an interesting voice throughout the novel, I kept thinking that with a few edits, a majority of the chapters written from his POV could have easily been edited to be told from Holden's POV, thus rendering a majority of his chapters redundant, much like Bobbie's. Prax and Bobbie are thoroughly likeable characters, no doubt, however their chapters added very little to the overall novel.

Now, as for the actual plot, it is fine. It is completely serviceable, only rising beyond fine in a few short moments, before descending back to just fine. One of the main reasons Leviathan Wakes impressed me so much was the fact that it read more like a detective novel set in space than an overly-exaggerated space opera. It began with the mystery of Julie Mao's disappearance, and once that plot thread had concluded, the novel moved onto the mystery surrounding the origins and function of the alien proto-molecule. Caliban's War, on the other hand, focuses primarily on the single plot point of the kidnapping of Prax's daughter. The mystery (or, to be more accurate, mysteries) surrounding the proto-molecule take a back seat, being featured as a sub-plot to the story arch of Prax searching for his daughter. This would be a fine narrative thrust if it was not for the fact that it was overwhelmingly apparent whom had kidnapped her and why from the prologue chapter, completely removing any sense of suspense and mystery from the story. The most interesting (and, perhaps, the only genuine) development was only established in the final two chapters of the book. I took this as a promise that Abbadon's Gate would be a significant improvement over this novel.

While proofreading this post, it became apparent that I sounded like I disliked this book. In truth, I enjoyed it. It was simply a step down from what I loved so much about Leviathan Wakes.

3.5/5

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