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theanswerisbooks 's review for:
Cibola Burn
by James S.A. Corey
June 2022: Whoops, need to get this review out before I start my re-read of book five.
This wasn't my least favorite of these books the first time through, that for some reason was book two (even though I can objectively say that one is a better book, I just prefer this more inferior one for some reason). This is also people's least favorite of the series, and I can see why, I really can. This is actually the only one of these I read in hardcover the first time through. I did the audio narrated by Jefferson Mays the first time on the other eight, but for whatever reason, good ol' Jefferson was unavailable to record this one and it was some other dude, and no thank you. And I think that actually might have worked in my favor. This is one of the few of these books that really works better not in audio, because it starts so slowly, you can get through those parts quicker than you can in audio. By about the middle of the book, though, this one is really cracking.
Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are sent on a peacekeeping mission to be mediators in the conflict between settlers on the planet Ilus/New Terra (depending on how you ask). Avasarala wants to take advantage of Holden's reputation for transparency, so they head out through a gate and to one of the first planets colonized. Belter colonists claimed the planet first, but not "legally" (as if anyone can have jurisdiction here) and when they learned a corporation had chartered an official claim and was coming to either kick them out or cut them out of their profits from mining, things get start badly and start with violence.
It's interesting to see what Corey does with an alien planet for the first time, alternate biologies and ecosystems that are a big part of the plot, and also seeding in clues for the overarching story of the gate-builders and the civilization that ultimately killed them. The conflicts on Ilus are really a microcosm for the tribalism and greed and strains of humanity and hopefulness that are hidden within, that we see play out so broadly in the rest of this series, and that's ultimately why I think this book really works, and why I definitely don't see it as a pointless filler book like some. If you're going to write books about humanity expanding out into the stars, it's good to see what that actual expanse looks like down on the ground.
October 2014: The Expanse is one of those series I sort of accidentally fell in love with. I only sort of liked it at first, while also being terrified by it (the first two books especially could fit comfortably into the horror genre, in my opinion). And then the third book hit and I was suddenly really, really into it. I know if I went back and re-read the first two I would retroactively love them, because that’s what always happens to me in these situations (Farscape and The Dresden Files are the first two series that come to mind when thinking of this phenomenon).
If you haven’t read the first three books (which constitute the first of three trilogies that will eventually make up this series), this isn’t the best place to start, although you certainly can. It’s intentionally written as more accessible than the last two expressly for that purpose. Why anyone would want to start a series in the middle is beyond me, but I suppose it happens.
Anyway, the first three books were all about this strange alien protomolecule being terrifying and transforming things and killing people, but the original trilogy wraps up as you realize it’s all sort of an accidental terror. The protomolecule wasn’t designed as a way to kill people and turn them into scary vomit zombies. It was designed to locate and transform viable planets for future habitation, and it was sent billions of years before humans were even a possible thing that could happen, only it got waylaid. The first trilogy ends with the realization that literally thousands of new habitable planets have opened up for colonization, and that’s where Cibola Burn comes in.
If I had to guess, I’d say that the second trilogy is going to be chronicling humanity’s journey to colonize those planets and the problems they find along the way, only half of which will be coming from alien threats. The other half they will bring with them, as they do in this book. Almost the entire book takes place on or above New Terra/Ilus. It has two names because two groups of people are fighting over it: the colonists who got there first the year before, essentially squatting there and claiming it as their own, and the first ‘official’ colonists, a science team from the RCE corporation. An act of terrorism on the part of one of the colonists goes awry and kills a bunch of people, and that’s where Holden and the crew of the Rocinante come in. The UN and the OPA want him to do his ‘transparency’ thing and work peace between these two peoples before things escalate beyond their control (which of course they do anyway, helped along by the signature Expanse Horrific Thing that always happens in these books). Cibola Burn wasn’t my favorite of the books, but I enjoyed it. It’s a solid piece of space opera featuring characters I’ve grown to love and new ones that are pretty great as well. I’m definitely excited for the remaining books in the series to be published.
As for the third trilogy? Oh, that’s going to be wack, and it’s going to scare me out of my mind, and I’m going to love it, because if this series stays on pace, that’s totally when the baddest of all big bads is going to hit, and it’s probably going to be a blood bath.
This wasn't my least favorite of these books the first time through, that for some reason was book two (even though I can objectively say that one is a better book, I just prefer this more inferior one for some reason). This is also people's least favorite of the series, and I can see why, I really can. This is actually the only one of these I read in hardcover the first time through. I did the audio narrated by Jefferson Mays the first time on the other eight, but for whatever reason, good ol' Jefferson was unavailable to record this one and it was some other dude, and no thank you. And I think that actually might have worked in my favor. This is one of the few of these books that really works better not in audio, because it starts so slowly, you can get through those parts quicker than you can in audio. By about the middle of the book, though, this one is really cracking.
Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are sent on a peacekeeping mission to be mediators in the conflict between settlers on the planet Ilus/New Terra (depending on how you ask). Avasarala wants to take advantage of Holden's reputation for transparency, so they head out through a gate and to one of the first planets colonized. Belter colonists claimed the planet first, but not "legally" (as if anyone can have jurisdiction here) and when they learned a corporation had chartered an official claim and was coming to either kick them out or cut them out of their profits from mining, things get start badly and start with violence.
It's interesting to see what Corey does with an alien planet for the first time, alternate biologies and ecosystems that are a big part of the plot, and also seeding in clues for the overarching story of the gate-builders and the civilization that ultimately killed them. The conflicts on Ilus are really a microcosm for the tribalism and greed and strains of humanity and hopefulness that are hidden within, that we see play out so broadly in the rest of this series, and that's ultimately why I think this book really works, and why I definitely don't see it as a pointless filler book like some. If you're going to write books about humanity expanding out into the stars, it's good to see what that actual expanse looks like down on the ground.
October 2014: The Expanse is one of those series I sort of accidentally fell in love with. I only sort of liked it at first, while also being terrified by it (the first two books especially could fit comfortably into the horror genre, in my opinion). And then the third book hit and I was suddenly really, really into it. I know if I went back and re-read the first two I would retroactively love them, because that’s what always happens to me in these situations (Farscape and The Dresden Files are the first two series that come to mind when thinking of this phenomenon).
If you haven’t read the first three books (which constitute the first of three trilogies that will eventually make up this series), this isn’t the best place to start, although you certainly can. It’s intentionally written as more accessible than the last two expressly for that purpose. Why anyone would want to start a series in the middle is beyond me, but I suppose it happens.
Anyway, the first three books were all about this strange alien protomolecule being terrifying and transforming things and killing people, but the original trilogy wraps up as you realize it’s all sort of an accidental terror. The protomolecule wasn’t designed as a way to kill people and turn them into scary vomit zombies. It was designed to locate and transform viable planets for future habitation, and it was sent billions of years before humans were even a possible thing that could happen, only it got waylaid. The first trilogy ends with the realization that literally thousands of new habitable planets have opened up for colonization, and that’s where Cibola Burn comes in.
If I had to guess, I’d say that the second trilogy is going to be chronicling humanity’s journey to colonize those planets and the problems they find along the way, only half of which will be coming from alien threats. The other half they will bring with them, as they do in this book. Almost the entire book takes place on or above New Terra/Ilus. It has two names because two groups of people are fighting over it: the colonists who got there first the year before, essentially squatting there and claiming it as their own, and the first ‘official’ colonists, a science team from the RCE corporation. An act of terrorism on the part of one of the colonists goes awry and kills a bunch of people, and that’s where Holden and the crew of the Rocinante come in. The UN and the OPA want him to do his ‘transparency’ thing and work peace between these two peoples before things escalate beyond their control (which of course they do anyway, helped along by the signature Expanse Horrific Thing that always happens in these books). Cibola Burn wasn’t my favorite of the books, but I enjoyed it. It’s a solid piece of space opera featuring characters I’ve grown to love and new ones that are pretty great as well. I’m definitely excited for the remaining books in the series to be published.
As for the third trilogy? Oh, that’s going to be wack, and it’s going to scare me out of my mind, and I’m going to love it, because if this series stays on pace, that’s totally when the baddest of all big bads is going to hit, and it’s probably going to be a blood bath.