ekcd_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Medical content, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Sexual assault, Alcohol, Cancer, and Suicidal thoughts
loxeletters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Vomit, Gore, and Gun violence
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Violence, Death, Injury/injury detail, War, Child death, and Medical content
Minor: Racism, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Incest, and Excrement
librarianmage's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, and Violence
sklu's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
emilm124's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Death
Minor: Child abuse
biblioseph's review against another edition
Moderate: Violence and Gun violence
Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual assault
Spoiler
One of the characters is accused of being a pedophile and "wife beater" as part of a smear campaign. This person also receives death and rape threats. The accusations are false, but its not pleasant to read about.blakethebookeater's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Gore, Violence, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Vomit, Child death, Sexual content, Grief, Cursing, and Body horror
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
featherbrain's review
2.0
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Trafficking, and Vomit
caryndi's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Story-wise, Caliban's War was decent. To be honest, Praxidike was not one of my favorite characters though his storyline was pretty integral to the plot. Bobbie and Avasarala were both great. I felt like we got a tiny bit of insight into Amos' character but pulled the camera back a bit too early.
I was also disappointed by Holden's arc, which was that he apparently had become more like Miller and less like himself, and he didn't want to do this. I feel like we spent a lot of time getting told this and relatively little time actually seeing it play out. There were a couple of good moments based on his fear of the protomolecule and if the book had gone into that more perhaps I would have found it more convincing and fulfilling. Come to think of it, I wasn't super satisfied with Bobbie's emotional arc either, because for someone in denial about having PTSD she sure healed from it awful quick when the story needed her to. So, character development: perhaps not our strong suit here.
On the plus side, this book definitely came through on the promise of weird sci-fi and had some enjoyable political maneuvering. I don't think I could have foreseen the ending (because who could have) but of course it paved the way for the next book in the series nicely.
Recommend? You won't find me raving over this book, but it is a fun read.
Moderate: Gore, Body horror, Gun violence, and Death
Minor: Trafficking, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Child death