---
product_id: 8511585
title: "Caliban's War (The Expanse, 2)"
price: "RM119"
currency: MYR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.com.my/products/8511585-calibans-war-the-expanse-2
store_origin: MY
region: Malaysia
---

# Caliban's War (The Expanse, 2)

**Price:** RM119
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** Caliban's War (The Expanse, 2)
- **How much does it cost?** RM119 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.my](https://www.desertcart.com.my/products/8511585-calibans-war-the-expanse-2)

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## Description

desertcart.com: Caliban's War (The Expanse, 2): 9780316129060: Corey, James S. A.: Books

Review: Better than Leviathan Wakes - I liked Leviathan Wakes, but contrary to how most sequels play out, Caliban’s War really takes things up a level in terms of quality and story. The stakes are higher, the writing feels more focused, and the new characters are all strong additions. Avasarala in particular might be one of the best characters I’ve read in a long time. She could have been done in a really cringe inducing way, but I feel the authors nailed it. I found myself wanting her chapters more than Holden's. Bobbie’s also a standout. Everyone feels more fleshed out this time around. There are still a few corny bits (the crew always needing to get sappy with each other and tear up), and some of the science gets a little hand-wavey (did they just slingshot around a moon like a car drifting around a small house?) but overall it sticks to hard scifi and great paced thrills. As for the physical book from this listing: it came as expected, ISBN matches, and the cover is that newer flexible matte material that I think holds up really well over time. Solid purchase overall. Cant wait to read the rest of the series.
Review: Captivating Story, But Same Shortcomings - *** This is the SECOND book in this series *** As was the case with "Leviathan Wakes" (the first book in this series), the author manages to weave a narrative that is captivating for its mystery, frankness, and interesting characters, but also suffers some signficant, though not fatal, shortcomings in the actual writing of that story. PROS: The author's narrative style, as before, evokes a sort of dirty, well-lived-in, working-man's space drama not unlike "Firefly" or "Star Wars"; there's no window-dressing, no near-magic technologies, no shiny glass-and-polished-metal architecture. In that sense, it's a nice spin on the "new frontier" genre. Things are relatively simple, straightforward, and easy to understand and grasp. Everything feels realistic. The story continues with the same characters as before, only now their social group has been solidified far more; now it's less "people thrown together through circumstance" and more "people pursuing a common goal out of common friendship". To this end, things seem a little clearer and more jovial between the crew members of the Rocinante. And now it's less about a "borrowed without permission" Marian ship, and more about how the Rocinante IS their ship, no question. Again, think of "Firefly" here. And as before with "Leviathan Wakes", the author creates a thoroughly mysterious string of events that are not completely resolved until almost the very end. This keeps the reader wanting to read, even when some scenes slow down or get a bit bogged down with too many details or such. CONS: Some of the same narrative problems from the first book are present here. As before, the author repeatedly offers too little description of certain things, events, or environments. For example, later in the book the characters arrive at a secret base for a final showdown, so you'd expect some scene setting ... instead, it's mostly portrayed as: "Characters exit ship, characters run across landscape, characters go into airlock." We're not given a description of whether this secret base is above or below ground, what it looks like, how big it is, number of people, etc. And this kind of thing is not a one off; this happens on a fairly regular basis throughout the novel. And it's not that the author doesn't know how to be descriptive; there are many scenes where there are no questions as to what's happening, and others where the author actually breaks down the tech or physics involved to make it easier to imagine things. This doesn't happen often enough to break the narrative as a whole, but it does happen often enough to be frustrating. Also as before, the author does a great job of mystery and story building, but when it comes down to the final moments, things just kind of ... end. Not in a "Sopranos", ends in the middle of a scene thing, but "just ends" in the sense that there's no dramatic standoffs or large-scale final shootouts. All the threads are tied-up, and final questions are answered (and a new threat emerges right at the end), but things just happen too fast. The author could do a better job of building situational drama. All in all, this is a good book. Despite various shortcomings and mild frustrations, the author has a captivating narrative style that just kind of pulls you in. The characters are unique and interesting, there are various truly comedic moments to lighten the oppressive atmosphere, and things just feel relatable.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #17,277 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #22 in Hard Science Fiction (Books) #28 in Space Operas #60 in Science Fiction Adventures |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 41,627 Reviews |

## Images

![Caliban's War (The Expanse, 2) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91oFDrzhkqL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Better than Leviathan Wakes
*by D***N on July 3, 2025*

I liked Leviathan Wakes, but contrary to how most sequels play out, Caliban’s War really takes things up a level in terms of quality and story. The stakes are higher, the writing feels more focused, and the new characters are all strong additions. Avasarala in particular might be one of the best characters I’ve read in a long time. She could have been done in a really cringe inducing way, but I feel the authors nailed it. I found myself wanting her chapters more than Holden's. Bobbie’s also a standout. Everyone feels more fleshed out this time around. There are still a few corny bits (the crew always needing to get sappy with each other and tear up), and some of the science gets a little hand-wavey (did they just slingshot around a moon like a car drifting around a small house?) but overall it sticks to hard scifi and great paced thrills. As for the physical book from this listing: it came as expected, ISBN matches, and the cover is that newer flexible matte material that I think holds up really well over time. Solid purchase overall. Cant wait to read the rest of the series.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Captivating Story, But Same Shortcomings
*by A***Y on October 22, 2013*

*** This is the SECOND book in this series *** As was the case with "Leviathan Wakes" (the first book in this series), the author manages to weave a narrative that is captivating for its mystery, frankness, and interesting characters, but also suffers some signficant, though not fatal, shortcomings in the actual writing of that story. PROS: The author's narrative style, as before, evokes a sort of dirty, well-lived-in, working-man's space drama not unlike "Firefly" or "Star Wars"; there's no window-dressing, no near-magic technologies, no shiny glass-and-polished-metal architecture. In that sense, it's a nice spin on the "new frontier" genre. Things are relatively simple, straightforward, and easy to understand and grasp. Everything feels realistic. The story continues with the same characters as before, only now their social group has been solidified far more; now it's less "people thrown together through circumstance" and more "people pursuing a common goal out of common friendship". To this end, things seem a little clearer and more jovial between the crew members of the Rocinante. And now it's less about a "borrowed without permission" Marian ship, and more about how the Rocinante IS their ship, no question. Again, think of "Firefly" here. And as before with "Leviathan Wakes", the author creates a thoroughly mysterious string of events that are not completely resolved until almost the very end. This keeps the reader wanting to read, even when some scenes slow down or get a bit bogged down with too many details or such. CONS: Some of the same narrative problems from the first book are present here. As before, the author repeatedly offers too little description of certain things, events, or environments. For example, later in the book the characters arrive at a secret base for a final showdown, so you'd expect some scene setting ... instead, it's mostly portrayed as: "Characters exit ship, characters run across landscape, characters go into airlock." We're not given a description of whether this secret base is above or below ground, what it looks like, how big it is, number of people, etc. And this kind of thing is not a one off; this happens on a fairly regular basis throughout the novel. And it's not that the author doesn't know how to be descriptive; there are many scenes where there are no questions as to what's happening, and others where the author actually breaks down the tech or physics involved to make it easier to imagine things. This doesn't happen often enough to break the narrative as a whole, but it does happen often enough to be frustrating. Also as before, the author does a great job of mystery and story building, but when it comes down to the final moments, things just kind of ... end. Not in a "Sopranos", ends in the middle of a scene thing, but "just ends" in the sense that there's no dramatic standoffs or large-scale final shootouts. All the threads are tied-up, and final questions are answered (and a new threat emerges right at the end), but things just happen too fast. The author could do a better job of building situational drama. All in all, this is a good book. Despite various shortcomings and mild frustrations, the author has a captivating narrative style that just kind of pulls you in. The characters are unique and interesting, there are various truly comedic moments to lighten the oppressive atmosphere, and things just feel relatable.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thoughtful and exciting space opera, with great characters
*by C***A on March 23, 2016*

While I very much enjoyed the first book in this series, I think this, the second one, is even better! The plot is very tight and interesting, and the various POV threads come together elegantly. I admire the subtleties here; too often in space opera there's the Good Guys and the Bad'uns, and while that is true here to an extent, the Good Guys also have factions, some of which head into Bad'uns territory, and many of which are at odds with each other more for political than moral reasons. The characters are also very well-drawn, better than they were in #1 in my opinion. We get to know Holden's crew more than we had, and their characters developed even more than they had in #1. The new additions are also compelling. Bobbie is a Martian Marine forced by circumstance to broaden her worldview. Prax also has to grow past what he thought he was capable of, and he does, though not necessarily happily. And- there is Avasarala, who I completely adore. She is unique in my reading as being: a devoted grandma; a loving wife to a poetry professor; and an Indian woman who insists on wearing saris even to business meetings... and also one of the top powerful politicians for Earth, and ruthless in that job- plus she swears like a sailor. After encountering each other, she and the other Good Guys do bat heads about priorities and values- but they are also capable to listening and working out functional compromises. I had not realized when I started this series that it's 6 books- I'd thought a trilogy! But I am eager to read #3. Very recommended for fans of space opera who appreciate some thinkiness therein! I think you could start here, but reading #1 will give you more background.

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*Product available on Desertcart Malaysia*
*Store origin: MY*
*Last updated: 2026-02-21*