It is about a conflict in the Solar System that involves the polities Earth, Mars, the Asteroid Belt and the outer planets, and a powerful extraterrestrial biological von Neumann probe.

[1][2] One of eight short stories and novellas published by James S. A. Corey, entitled "Gods of Risk", takes place directly after the events of Caliban's War.

Earth and Mars are engaged in an uneasy and tense ceasefire from the war that Protogen had started, and exert dual control over Jupiter's moon Ganymede, an important agricultural hub for the Belt.

Mei's father Praxidike "Prax" Meng, a botanist whose life work has been destroyed in the destruction resulting from the battle, fruitlessly searches throughout the cascading societal breakdown for his daughter.

Before the Rocinante crew can explore the lab more to determine what was being done there, a massive flare up in the shooting war between Earth and Mars leads to bombardment of the moon's surface.

Bobbie deduces that Avasarala's assistant is feeding information about her actions to a set of political opponents including UN Admiral Nguyen and Undersecretary Errinwright.

These political opponents assign Avasarala to travel to Ganymede on a yacht owned by business tycoon Jules-Pierre Mao on an ostensible relief mission.

Although this is clearly a thinly veiled attempt to remove her from the political equation for some time, and also reveals Nguyen's faction is working together with Mao towards some unknown purpose, Avasarala is powerless to refuse.

The crew lands on the Io base, where Amos and Prax rescue Mei along with other immunodeficient children, and Bobbie kills the last alien soldier using her knowledge about its capabilities.

Avasarala is promoted, Prax is hired to oversee efforts to restore Ganymede, Bobbie returns to Mars, and the Rocinante begins freelance contract work, now unaffiliated with the OPA.

Critical reception for Caliban's War was predominantly positive,[3][4] with Kirkus Reviews noting that the book could be enjoyed as a standalone novel but was "best appreciated after volume one".

[5] Wired.com's Geek Dad and Publishers Weekly both praised the novel, with GeekDad citing the book's "believable human personalities and technology that is easily recognizable" as a highlight.

[6][7] Tor.com gave an overall positive review for Caliban's War, but noted that there was "some rather tiresome dialogue in the cards, as well as an overabundance of laughably transparent politics, and a couple of at best cartoonishly characterised bad guys".