Reviews

La Guerre de Caliban by James S.A. Corey

kingjerwi's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

onako's review against another edition

5.0

Excellent! SF at its best!

cionaoithlaoidh's review against another edition

4.5

the beginning kind of dragged for me, just because the whole plotline about holden's dark night of the soul after eros was boring as fuck. it really shouldn't have been, honestly, but it mostly just annoyed me how naomi switched up after the first book. like... she was the one telling holden that miller wasn't a bad guy, and that he was right to

kill dresden

, but then in this book she's talking about how he was a half-cocked wildcard? it was just a weird change-up that didn't really seem earned. 

i absolutely adored the plotline with bobbie and avasarala, though, and once holden chilled the fuck out the crew dynamics were fun and top-tier. plotline was also extremely solid. that cliffhanger was a war crime, though 

leafybookrat's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

deltabelta's review against another edition

4.0

Quite a bit better than its predecessor, as it focuses more on the human cost of war in detail rather than glancing over it. The new POV characters are a mixed bag. Prax is kind of meh; his personality is 90% just "a dad". Bobbie is a little better, if only because it's amusing to see a soldier accustomed to combat thrust into the complex world of politics. Avasarala, however, is definitely my favorite character in the series so far, and definitely elevated the novel.

ehizabeth's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

hotearsjack's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Not quite as great as the first entry in the series. However it is still interesting and takes the plot in an exciting direction. 

lo_oneill's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

jamelon13's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jfaberrit's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 Stars is probably more fair than 4, since it is a really good chapter in the Expanse series, working well as a well-defined entry within a larger series. Without rehashing the plot, the clear strengths here are the female characters, particularly Avasarala, whose TV incarnation has been rightfully held up as perhaps the finest example of applied foreign policy/poli sci on TV today. In the book, her character is a little more straightforward and a lot more foul-mouthed, but the authors do an admirable job of trying to show a broader political context for what might otherwise be a spaceship and laser battle story. Draper is fantastic here as well, as are Amos and Alex in supporting roles and frequent comic relief. To the extent there are weaknesses, it's a little unclear how Holden and gang keep ending up directly in the middle of everything, the Jim-Naomi personality thing is a little flat at times, and Prax is kind of a wet blanket whose sections I sometimes wanted to get through to get back to Draper or Avasarala. Still, it was exciting, more thoughtful than one might have expected unless you've seen season 2 on SyFy, and a fun read overall. On to book 3.