Saturday 27 September 2014

SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW: The Expanse 4: Cibola Burn - James S A Corey


Release Date: 05/06/14
Publisher:  Orbit

SYNOPSIS:

The gates have opened the way to a thousand new worlds and the rush to colonise has begun. Settlers looking for a new life stream out from humanity's home planets. Illus, the first human colony on this vast new frontier, is being born in blood and fire. Independent settlers stand against the overwhelming power of a corporate colony ship with only their determination, courage and the skills learned in the long wars of home. Innocent scientists are slaughtered as they try to survey a new and alien world. James Holden and the crew of his one small ship are sent to make peace in the midst of war and sense in the heart of chaos. But the more he looks at it, the more Holden thinks the mission was meant to fail. And the whispers of a dead man remind him that the great galactic civilisation which once stood on this land is gone. And that something killed them. Cibola Burn is the exhilarating fourth novel in the New York Times bestselling Expanse series, following the Hugo-nominated Leviathan Wakes, Caliban's War and Abaddon's Gate.


REVIEW:

I’ve enjoyed quite a lot of the authors work from the various genres but for me this one has felt more than a little flat as is seemed quite simplistic plot wise as well as fairly predictable which took a lot of the fun out of the story. Add to this quite a slow pace and all round I wasn’t that impressed with this, the fourth offering in the series.

Whilst the prose was OK and the dialogue alongside the characters acceptable all round felt that this was more of a filler than taking the story to new heights almost as if it was to fulfil a contract over giving the reader something to enthuse over. Sadly a disappointing read for me but as I have enjoyed a lot of the author’s work before I will keep an eye on future outings but in this case if the next Sci-Fi is as flat as this I won’t be diving into it again.

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