📚心得【Expanse #4：Cibola Burn】 by Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck, 2014
終於看完第四集了…如bookclub的書友們所說，這集能算是整個系列作的黑歷史了，埋了一堆梗卻也不收整齊，很多地方有"呼嚨讀者"的感覺。
這集也是我覺得主角Holden最不像主角的一集，一些舉止作為與他先前的作風與原則不符，其他角色描述Holden時給予的評價也高得令讀者無法信服。雖然看似只是小問題，但在一個雙作者、其中一位還是劇本家的神作裡面突然出現這樣一大段不太合邏輯的地方，就顯得很突兀。
故事劇情描述Rocinante一行人作為政治協調員到達首顆太陽系外被殖民的類地行星—Ilus，並捲進UN企業與OPA難民的紛爭中。開墾新殖民星球，肯定會多災多難，更何況Ilus作為一顆星球有很多地方並不對勁，人為與自然災害接踵而來，就看Roci一行人如何在保護雙方人馬最大限度安全的情況下招架。
其實整本看完，這集根本能用一個小篇章直接帶過，雖然發生了很多小事，但基本上都是"支線劇情"，對系列劇情而言毫無重要性，讓人看完相對空虛、沮喪，故事也突然從整個文明縮小到一顆星球上，視野的大小變化有些難讓讀者適應。
IMO總分：65分，沒想到會給Expanse這種神作續集這麼低的分數…看完很空虛的普通續作。
核心思想：★★★☆☆ 核心討論議題是否有趣*5
劇情細節：★★★☆☆ 綜觀整體劇情的質與量*4
角色刻畫：★★★★☆ 角色群的必要性與深度*3
科學軟硬：★★★★☆ 是否符合現實物理現象*3
結局滿意：★★☆☆☆ 結局滿意度與有無餘韻*3
易讀程度：★★★★☆ 閱讀時章節是否難消化*2
#Space_Opera #Mystery #Drama #Xeno-tech #Civilization_Relics #Letdown_in_the_series
I finally finished the 4th book... As many book mates said, this volume can be considered the worst one of the entire series. It introduces a ton of plot points without resolving them neatly, and many parts feel like the authors were "pulling one over on the reader."
This book also feels like the one where Holden is least like a protagonist. Some of his actions and behavior don't align with his previous style and principles, and the praise other characters give him feels undeserved and unconvincing to the reader. Although it seems like a small issue, having such a large, illogical section suddenly appear in a masterpiece with two authors, one of whom is a scriptwriter, feels very jarring.
The story follows the crew of the Rocinante as they arrive as political coordinators on one of the first exoplanets colonized by humans — Ilus — and get caught up in the conflict between a UN corporation and OPA refugees. Colonizing a new planet is bound to be full of hardship, especially since many things about Ilus as a planet are just not right. Artificial and natural disasters come one after another, and the story focuses on how the Rocinante crew handles the situation while trying to ensure safety of both sides.
Honestly, after finishing the whole book, I feel like this story could have been summed up in a short chapter. While many small things happen, they are basically "side quests" with no real importance to the overall series plot. This leaves the reader feeling relatively empty and frustrated. The story also abruptly shrinks from a civilization-wide scope to just a single planet, and the change in perspective is a bit hard for the reader to get used to.
IMO Rating: 65 . Didn't expected to give a sequel to a masterpiece like The Expanse such a low score, but it felt empty and deprived.
Core Theme: ★★★☆☆ (*5)
Plot Quality: ★★★☆☆ (*4)
Character Development: ★★★★☆ (*3)
Science Validity: ★★★★☆ (*3)
Ending Satisfaction: ★★☆☆☆ (*3)
Readability: ★★★★☆ (*2)
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