Caliban's War By James S.A.Corey Book Review

 Caliban's War 

(The Expanse #2)

By James S.A. Corey 

Published Year: 2012

Page Count: 520 pages 

Medium Used: Kindle PW 

Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Political Intrigues, 2026-read. 

Rating : 4.85/5 😀😀😀😀😀

This is my second time reading this book. This time I have managed to get to the end. The first time I remember Dnf-ing at 65% and writing a 1 point review on my blog. I guess I was too prudish and naive to focus much on the fast paced, engaging narrative. This time around, I didn't pay much heed to Avasarala and her habit of using expletives in every sentence and that made me enjoy the unfolding story. 

In book 1, the proto molecule that has consumed the Eros space station is pushed off into Venus and it has been slowly smoldering and cooking in there ever since. This book( book 2) starts with mutual firing between Earth UN armies and Mars armies stationed in the orbit around Ganymede station. A monstrous creature with immense strength and ability to render bullets and gunshots ineffective attacks the UN troops who take the fight to the Martians. All of the ground personnel are killed by it except Bobbie, a Martian marine, before attacking whom, the monster blows itself up. Ganymede station happens to be the bread basket of the outer planets and also a safe, secure place where mothers can give birth to children without them catching birth defects. This incident with the monster is a secret that only the high authorities of Earth UN and Mars know. Shortly after the attack by the monster, there is a spike seen in the surface activities of Venus and also a mirror array crumbles onto the surface dome on Ganymede. Many people are killed, displaced by the war and many others are left to die on Ganymede with a few survivors fleeing the escalating tensions between inner planetary forces on the station. 

One among the effected is Praxidike Meng. He is a botanist involved in the research and growth of soybeans on the station. His young daughter, Mei,is kidnapped by someone prior to the monster's attack and despite being effected by starvation, lack of self care, he seeks help from someone, anyone on the station, to help find his daughter. Right at the time, James Holden, comes to the Ganymede station on the orders of his OPA head, Fred Johnson to deliver food and supplies for the refugees. He and his crew decide to help Prax find his daughter because they conclude that her disappearance has something to do with the war that is ravaging the station and also they notice the presence of proto molecule in the lab where she was taken before being shipped off the station. Holden is shocked and scared beyond describe by the protomolecule's appearance and he confronts Fred Johnson who then fires him for impertinence. 

Later Crisjen Avasarala, an executive of the UN Earth, learns of the duplicity of her bosses who might be having a hand in the situation unraveling on Ganymede and is sent on a diplomatic mission to the station. Before she leaves, she enlists the services of Bobbie the Martian who survived the monster's attack on the station. Enroute, she joins with Holden and with some unforeseen help and assistance, undermines and sabotages the plot to release the protomolecule  monsters onto Mars and the solar system. Holden blows up a ship full of Vomit Zombies, Bobbie tackles a proto monster, Prax and Amos find the missing child, Mei - unharmed and grown during the period of her kidnap. Avasarala brings to light the chicanery of the masterminds behind the plot. 

It is a very intriguing yet simple read. I was surprised at how good my memory was from the first read almost two years back. I highly recommend this to all series lovers! 👌