Cibola Burn (Expanse #4) by James S.A. Corey

Science Fiction

From Goodreads:

The gates have opened the way to thousands of habitable planets, and the land rush has begun. Settlers stream out from humanity's home planets in a vast, poorly controlled flood, landing on a new world. Among them, the Rocinante, haunted by the vast, posthuman network of the protomolecule as they investigate what destroyed the great intergalactic society that built the gates and the protomolecule.

But Holden and his crew must also contend with the growing tensions between the settlers and the company which owns the official claim to the planet. Both sides will stop at nothing to defend what's theirs, but soon a terrible disease strikes and only Holden - with help from the ghostly Detective Miller - can find the cure.

At the end of the last book we left after the crew of the Rocinante helped open the gates to thousands of world.  Two years later we find them headed to a mission to keep the peace between two different groups on the first planet to be opened.  The crew’s old friend the protomolecule has been there and left danger for the new arrivals.

Like the three previous books Cibola Burn is non-stop science fiction adventure.  There is the friction between the two groups, a sudden world wide storm, killer slugs, a disease like condition, ships in orbit without power, and people who think death is better than giving away one inch of the planet. 

All of this comes together to make another great story in the Expanse series.  Cibola Burn can be read as a stand-alone.  While the back-story from the previous books is mentioned only a small part is needed in Cibola Burn.  Like the back-story the most important world building for this story is done in Cibola Burn. The only element that is a big carry over is the character building that has been done for Holden and his crew.  The rest of the story is filled with characters new to the series. 

There is a hint of what will happen in the world of the Expanse in the Epilogue.  I think Holden and crew will be back in another exciting and interesting adventure some time in the future.

Orbit published Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey in 2014.