These things are hybrids between machines and organic life and some of them are waking up. An ancient civilization, the one thought to be responsible for the protomolecule has left ancient remnants of itself scattered around the planet. Globally, New Terra is not a completely lifeless world. The conflict between the colonists and RCE is not the only problem on this new world, even if it is the primary “human-level” problem, so to speak.

A group of terrorists have detonated a bomb on the planet’s main Launchpad, destroying an RCE ship and killing the half the people aboard.

Chrisjen Avasarala, a very high official of the Earth government and a fan-favorite viewpoint character from Caliban’s War, appoints Holden as a mediator with the task of settling the tensions between the people who have made the pilgrimage to New Terra as colonists and Royal Charter Energy (RCE), the company trying to stake a claim for the planet as their own. New Terra is not just a potentially inhabitable planet, it is the first inhabitable planet around a distant star (named Ilus) which also has rich deposits of minerals rare and useful. As in those novels, Corey tells the story through multiple Points of View: Elvi Okoye, one of the scientists on New Terra charged with cataloguing the various life forms and the environment Havelock, a security officer aboard one of ships orbiting New Terra and Basia Merton, one of the first colonists who arrived (squatters, one might say) on New Terra and part of a group unhappy with the RCE. Holden is one of the most famous men in the solar system, thanks to the events detailed in the previous three novels of The Expanse ( Leviathan Wakes, Caliban’s War, and Abaddon’s Gate). Returning as one of the primary viewpoint characters is James Holden, captain of the Rocinate.

Howsoever you cut up the pieces of the whole, all of it makes for a damned fine and fun read. What we have here is a novel with some first contact / planet colonization elements, some ancient alien archaeology/ruins, and political thriller elements, among many other things. Though to be fair, the seeds for this stellar novel were planted in previous volumes, truly expanding what they are attempting with The Expanse. Nothing could be further from the case with Cibola Burn by James S.A. When an author (or in this case author team) is three books into a series, they can easily fall into the trap of going through the motions with the fourth book.

Cibola burn