Caliban’s War: Politics Comes to The Expanse

In my review of Leviathan Wakes I mentioned that the title of the first novel in The Expanse referred to the Leviathan, the gigantic sea creature from biblical tradition that embodies a monstrous, virtually uncontrollable force. In this second installment, James S. A. Corey once again draws on a literary figure.

Caliban, one of the characters in The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, is a monstrous-looking creature under the power of the sorcerer Prospero, who tries to control him but whom he also rebels against.

Once again, the reference fits what we find here rather well: different factions trying to exploit a monster that won't be tamed without a fight.

That said, this second novel improves on Leviathan Wakes in virtually every respect. Without changing much of the formula, it makes the most of the excellent universe we already know to develop more characters, broaden the implications of the conflict and tell a story that's easier to follow.

All while retaining the action, scientific detail and detective-mystery element that were already there in the first installment.

The Plot of Caliban's War

The story picks up after the events of Leviathan Wakes, with Earth, Mars and the Belt maintaining a precarious political balance.

On Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons, a military incident sparks a crisis between the Solar System's two great powers. And there's more behind it than the usual disputes between Earthers and Martians.

Meanwhile, the protomolecule keeps evolving on Venus, and the Rocinante's crew continues getting caught up in conflicts far bigger than themselves.

Amid all this, we meet Prax, a scientist from Ganymede searching for his missing daughter who ends up working alongside Holden and his crew.

That last point provides an obvious link to the first book. Whereas in Leviathan Wakes we followed Miller as he searched for Julie Mao, here we have another missing-person investigation: Prax's daughter.

So the detective element that the authors use to move the story forward and uncover the different sides of the conflict is still there.

But the biggest change is that we now get to see what's happening from many more points of view, particularly within Earth's political institutions and the Martian military.

And it does the novel a world of good.

More Characters, More Politics and Better Storytelling

One of the distinctive features of Leviathan Wakes was its narrative structure, alternating chapters between Holden and Miller. Two very different characters who let us see the same conflict from opposing perspectives.

The problem was that it kept our attention on just two characters, limiting what we could learn about everyone else and other events. The authors also crammed in so much that it was sometimes hard to keep up with everything that was going on.

In Caliban's War the perspectives expand to include Prax, Bobbie Draper and Chrisjen Avasarala alongside Holden. And strangely enough, with more characters and a more developed political plot, I found the story considerably easier to follow..

Maybe that's because we already understand how the Solar System works, its factions and many of the characters. Or perhaps the authors have found a better balance between action, dialogue and the development of events.

Either way, everything feels better organized. A lot still happens, but you have time to understand why it matters, and the entire story is easy to follow.

Avasarala Is Absolutely Brilliant

For me, the most interesting character in this second installment is Chrisjen Avasarala.

Her position in Earth's administration lets us see political tensions from somewhere the first novel couldn't take us. Not just relations between Earth, Mars and the Belt, but also the competing interests within Earth's own government.

Avasarala is intelligent, manipulative when she needs to be, and remarkably adept at handling the people around her. Her dialogue also provides some of the book's best moments, with that mix of sharpness, sarcasm and political experience that defines her character.

Her chapters show that some leaders' decisions aren't about what's best for the population, but about personal rivalries and private interests, with people trying to exploit every situation. Basically, like Succession but in space.

This adds a dimension that was already present in Leviathan Wakes, but which now takes center stage.

And as I said in the previous review, one reason I like the universe of The Expanse so much is that its conflicts and people's reactions feel believable. That includes the politicians.

Bobbie Draper and Prax

The other big addition is Bobbie Draper, a Martian marine who gives us a better understanding of Mars's military mentality.

Until now we'd seen the political differences between the various factions, but Bobbie adds a more personal perspective on the Martian military, its discipline and how its soldiers see their relationship with Earth.

Her presence also allows the authors to explore one of the most interesting aspects of these novels: how the physical conditions of each environment affect the characters, the weapons they can use and the technology available.

Prax, meanwhile, is probably the new protagonist I found least interesting. His search matters to the story and works well as a narrative thread, but he appeals to me less than Avasarala or Bobbie. There's a reason those two will keep kicking ass in later books in the series.

In any case, having multiple perspectives benefits the whole story, because each brings different information. And as their stories begin to connect, you gain a better understanding of every aspect of the problem they're facing..

Holden and the Rocinante's crew also continue to develop, gradually moving beyond the relatively simple, clichéd characters we met at the beginning of the series.

Ganymede and the Science of The Expanse

One thing I love about these novels is how James S. A. Corey builds a technologically advanced future while keeping it bound by physical, political and economic limitations that seem quite reasonable.

In Caliban's War we still get interesting details about space travel, gravity and how weapons work, but the book also digs deeper into aspects of its universe that usually receive far less attention.

Ganymede is the best example.

This moon of Jupiter is one of the main food-production centers for the populations of the Belt and the outer planets. Its agricultural infrastructure is vital to millions of people living in places where growing food is genuinely difficult.

And the book explores an idea that's sadly familiar in our own reality: a battle can have consequences far more significant than military casualties or destroyed facilities..

If you damage a food-production center that other colonies depend on, you create an economic and humanitarian problem that can spread far beyond the site of the fighting.

And we're not talking about conventional farming. On an icy moon, far from the Sun and without a suitable atmosphere, producing food requires artificial facilities, energy, protective systems and fairly complex infrastructure.

I like that the authors take the time to explain these things, because they give the universe a consistency few works of science fiction manage to achieve.

The Action Wears You Out

Everything involving weapons and military action also continues to stand out.

In Leviathan Wakes I highlighted how the space battles were handled, with distances, acceleration and trajectories determining what ships and their crews can do.

Here we find that same attention to detail, but it also extends to different combat situations.

Using a weapon aboard a spaceship isn't the same as firing one in a pressurized facility or somewhere with gravity different from Earth's. The physical conditions matter, and the characters have to adapt their decisions accordingly.

What's more, the authors manage to introduce these details without overwhelming you. They explain enough for you to understand what's happening and why certain decisions make sense.

That balance between adventure and science is precisely one of the reasons I enjoy The Expanse..

Action, Investigation and Horror: A Formula That Still Works

Despite the greater emphasis on politics, Caliban's War is still a novel packed with action. It's not exactly Asimov , after all.

The investigation into the disappearance of Prax's daughter retains the detective element of the first book, while the events on Ganymede and military tensions bring confrontations and some seriously intense situations.

And it's all tied to the protomolecule, which remains the series' most distinctive and, at the same time, least believable element.

Here, creatures reappear that bring certain passages of the book quite close to the horror genre, although I still think this is one of the least interesting parts of the series.

The monsters serve their purpose: to pose a threat capable of upsetting the existing balance and driving the story forward. Even so, I still think the work is at its best when it develops human conflicts or describes a military situation rather than trying to frighten us, though it succeeds at that too.

In any case, the pacing is excellent and the different plotlines always leave you wanting to read on.

Caliban's War: Book vs. The Expanse TV Series

If you've read my previous review, you'll know I think it's worth enjoying both the books and the television adaptation..

In the case of Caliban's War, the story unfolds mainly during the second half of season two and the first six episodes of season three.

The adaptation retains the essential events and characters, although it makes quite a few changes to how they unfold.

One of the most important is that Avasarala appears from the TV show's first season, whereas in the books we don't meet her until this second installment.

I think that's a good decision by the show, because it develops the political side earlier and explains more clearly how the rival factions' politics and Earth's interests work.

There are other interesting changes too, without getting into major spoilers:

• Soren is absent from the adaptation. His role in the book's political plot is removed, and some of the situations involving Avasarala are reorganized.
• The clashes with the hybrids are different. The series changes how certain scenes play out, particularly those involving Bobbie, aiming for a more visual and dramatic result.
• Bobbie's development is different. Her relationship with the Martian military and the circumstances shaping her decisions unfold differently.
• The conflict between Earth and Mars gets more screen time. The series expands on certain military and political situations that are handled more compactly in the novel.
• Events are rearranged. As in the first adaptation, timelines, situations and supporting characters are changed so the various plotlines work better on television.

Despite these changes, I think the adaptation preserves virtually everything that matters..

The differences also give each version something interesting. The series can show political and military situations beyond the protagonists' perspectives, while the book delves much deeper into their reasoning and the universe's scientific and technical details.

The two complement each other very well. If you've already seen the show, it's worth reading the novel, especially for the deeper political dimension and the details about Ganymede and the battles.

And if you haven't watched The Expanse yet, the adaptation also has plenty to offer.

The Best and Worst of Caliban's War

The best thing about this second installment is that it manages to build on the foundations of Leviathan Wakes without losing what made it work..

We get more characters, more politics and an ever-expanding universe, but the story is easier to follow. I really appreciate that, since one of my problems with the first installment was precisely the sheer number of events.

I also think the new characters fit in very well. Especially Avasarala, who brings a fascinating political perspective and some of the novel's best dialogue.

Bobbie is another excellent addition, while Prax, although he plays his part perfectly well, interests me less than the other two.

As for world-building, I loved everything related to Ganymede. Its economic importance to the people of the Belt, the problems caused by the fighting and the consequences for food supplies all help explain how this Solar System works.

And we still get superbly developed action, with technical details that make the situations believable and help us understand why the characters make particular decisions.

On the negative side, I still find the creatures linked to the protomolecule less interesting than the human conflicts.

Not every point of view is equally engaging either, although that wasn't a significant problem for me while reading.

In fact, the main difference compared with Leviathan Wakes is that I hardly ever had to stop and remind myself what was happening or how we'd got into a particular situation.

Conclusion: Is Caliban's War Worth Reading?

Yes, especially if you enjoyed Leviathan Wakes..

I think it's a better second installment, one that makes excellent use of the groundwork laid by the first to develop a bigger universe, more interesting characters and a much richer political dimension.

It also keeps what I liked most about the first novel: relatively believable space science fiction, with technologies that have limitations, societies that depend on one another and conflicts rooted in very human economic and political interests.

All of this is told through a hugely enjoyable adventure that keeps you eager for the next chapter. There's even a final cliffhanger that makes you want to start the third book immediately, Abaddon's Gate..

Where the authors laid the foundations of The Expanse in the first novel, here they really begin to take advantage of what that universe can offer.

And there's still so much left to tell.

Caliban's War: Book Details

Item	Information
Title	Caliban's War
Spanish title	La guerra de Calibán
Series	The Expanse
Book	2 of 9
Author	James S. A. Corey
Authors behind the pseudonym	Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck
Genre	Science fiction, space opera
Original publisher	Orbit
Original publication	June 26, 2012
First Spanish edition	Ediciones B / Nova, 2017
Spanish translation	David Tejera Expósito
Length	624 pages in the Orbit edition; 640 in the 2017 Spanish edition
Setting	Colonized Solar System
Main characters	James Holden, Chrisjen Avasarala, Bobbie Draper and Prax Meng
Rating	4/5