Cibola Burn (The Expanse, 4)

I have two problems with Cibola Burn: firstly, that I really wanted it to return us to alien antagonists over humanity being rubbish (it doesn't); and secondly, that I've now read Nemesis Games (because this wasn't SO disappointing that it stopped me picking up the next book). And while I was disappointed by Cibola Burn even while I read it, it’s even harder to be objective about it in the wake of the rollercoaster that follows it. Don’t get me wrong: there’s the usual incendiary plot which inevitably had turning the pages at a rate of knots as I wondered what would happen next (Corey is brilliant at potboiling, after all). Some of it (related to the protomolecule and the planet’s past) is fascinating. But far too much focuses on people being awful to one another, and I never warmed to the new POV characters. However, I was invested enough in the series to keep reading and I am awfully glad I did.

The fourth book in The Expanse sequence. I have read very little sci fi but this series of books has gripped me and Cibola Burn represents a slight change of gear, milieu and pace, but more generally continues with the same winning formula. The books are written to a rigid template of alternating chapters each from a characters POV. It was a nice surprise to encounter Bobbie early on and a shame that she only emerges again at the end. Overall this book is more planet bound than some and resembles a western and frontiersmen in the early wild west in parts- Chuck in the usual Holden crew as unlikely peacemakers; a psychotic corporate security man who is trigger happy and a bunch of scientists and townspeople on a newly colonised planet and there’s a recipe for conflict and dirty deeds. Underpin all this with the geography of this restless planet - some killer slugs and ancient alien artefacts and structures that seem to be reawakening and this is a level of peril that mirror the space ships above - themselves at risk throughout along with their crews. The plotting is labyrinthine and still manages gripping tension whilst allowing some characters to develop and blossom . This volume both embeds recent narrative arcs in the series whilst also putting them under a more slow burn microscope- it’s a different pace at times and there’s much to take in but cibola Burns slow burn delivery soon hots up.

I read book 3 of The Expanse series way back in September 2017. I promised I was going to jump into the rest of the series ASAP. I have had Cibola Burn sitting on my bookshelf since December 2017, so I obviously bought it for myself as a Christmas present of something. Did I read it? No. Despite NOT reading it I have continued to BUY the books in the series, and have bought all the way up to book 8! I can only assume at the back of my mind I’m hoping to pace it out for when the last book is eventually released. Anyway, whatever the reason, I finally picked up Cibola Burn and gave it the time it deserved. I absolutely loved being back in the world of James Holden and his crew. Given that this is essentially the start of a “new trilogy” it came as no surprise that outside of the crew of The Rocinante (I still haven’t read Don Quixote either by the way) there are very few returning characters. The new POV characters were brilliant in my opinion. The authors (yes, it’s two people) work this story brilliantly and its resonance with the past is clear to see. The argument throughout is one that has plagued mankind for centuries “Just because you got here first doesn’t make it yours”. The story plays out between the big fat corporation who says they own the land because they have paperwork – and the people who just went there without asking permission. James Holden and his crew are called in to “keep the peace” and let’s just say, things kick off from there. Despite the book being almost 600 pages, I read it in a few days (that’s fast for me). I was completely sucked in, as I remember myself being with the other books in the series… which reminds me… There is obvious history here from the previous books, so if you haven’t read the others, I would say you should go back to the beginning. They truly are excellent, and I’m just kicking myself that I didn’t continue reading ages ago. At least I have the books to keep me going until the last one comes out. I loved this, and I am making a promise to myself to read the next one in May (edit – only now finding this incomplete post in my drafts – I thought I had finished this and posted it last month – apologies the “thing” is obviously affecting my output here). To conclude, not just as a single book, but as a series up to this point, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The fourth book in The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey, Cibola Burn, was released on June 17, 2014 and I devoured it in three days. Things are going well for Corey right now as earlier this year it was announced that SyFy has decided to make a television series out of The Expanse books, ordering a first season of 10 episodes, describing it as their "most ambitious" series and "Game of Thrones in space." Then, just a few weeks after Book 4 (Cibola Burn) of the series was published, they learned that Book 3 (Abaddon's Gate) won the prestigious Locus Award for Best Science Fiction. Other books that have won the Locus award include classics of the genre like Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov, Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis and 3 of the 4 books in the Hyperion cantos by Dan Simmons. Great company! As you can see from my review, Abaddon's Gate is a really good book, but the truth is that Cibola Burn is possibly even better! Abaddon's Gate is like a roller-coaster, a thrilling ride that ends with an "oh ****!" sequence that completely upends the set of rules we thought the Universe was abiding by, opening up the story to dizzying set of possibilities. Cibola Burn is not as "big" a story as Abaddon's Gate, but it is even more suspenseful (which I did not even think was possible). Cibola Burn is really more like a very good Western. After the events of the previous book (*spoiler alert*), there are now thousands of star systems, with who knows how many habitable planets, for humanity to expand to. So, basically there is a land rush on, and Cibola Burn is set on Ilus, one of the first planets that has been colonized by former Belters (people who were born and raised in space, in the Asteroid Belts). However, a mega-corporation named Royal Charter Energy who gets a charter from the United Nations to explore the planet (which they call New Terra) and its resources (especially it's very import lithium deposits). But by the time the RCE ship gets there, Belter colonists have been there for more than a year and someone plants a bomb and destroys the landing pad, damaging the main shuttle, killing the official UN representative (and most importantly) preventing RCE from getting a secure foothold on the planet. Because even the fastest ship would take the better part of a year or more to get to the planet (and even signals from Earth take several hours to be transmitted), the humans are on their own trying to settle what is essentially a property dispute in a jurisdiction where the rules are "TBD." This is basically a wild, wild west scenario. So, how will humans in the future advanced civilization deal with an uncivilized situation rife with conflict? This is the powder keg that Corey has set up as the primary explosive force behind the plot developments. For the first time in the series, the entire book basica...

This 4th novel of the Expanse series for the first time fleshes out the tension between the Belters and the inner planet people. Belters plant a flag on the first new planet discovered as a result of the ring, and some of the settlers/OPA types are willing to use terrorism to protect their claim. A corporate entity from Earth lands a contingent on the new planet with a bloodthirsty head of security to protect the rights of the corporate entity to the planet's riches. Rights and jurisdiction are unclear and the planet itself is so dangerous as to make it potentially uninhabitable. James Holden is brought in as a mediator. The tension is there from the start. The ghost of Miller advises Holden but his statements are often obscure. Miller's old partner Havelock works for the crazy corporate head of security.