Cibola Burn cover

Cibola Burn

The Expanse • Book 4

4.51 ABR Score (156.7K ratings)
★ 4.23 Goodreads (129.8K) ★ 4.68 Audible (26.9K)
20h 7m Released 2014 Sci-Fi

Why Listen to This Audiobook?

Jefferson Mays turns a planet actively trying to kill its colonists into something that feels less like sci-fi and more like a slow-motion disaster you cannot look away from.

  • Great if you want: colonial politics colliding with alien horror on a hostile world
  • Listening experience: slow-burn escalation — tense, atmospheric, earns its 20 hours
  • Narration: Mays handles a sprawling cast with distinct, lived-in voices throughout
  • Skip if: you found books 1–3 too slow — this one is slower

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About This Audiobook

Humanity's expansion through the ring gates leads to a deadly clash on New Terra, where Belter refugees and corporate colonists fight over mining rights to a resource-rich world. When violence erupts between the desperate settlers and Earth-backed forces, James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante arrive to mediate what appears to be a straightforward territorial dispute. However, the planet harbors remnants of an ancient alien civilization, and their technology begins awakening in response to human interference, threatening to destroy everyone caught in the crossfire.

Jefferson Mays delivers another masterful performance in this fourth Expanse installment, seamlessly shifting between the distinct voices of Belter refugees, corporate executives, and alien archaeologists. His measured pacing allows listeners to absorb the complex political tensions while building genuine dread as the alien mysteries unfold. The narrator's ability to convey both intimate character moments and vast cosmic horror makes the audio format particularly effective for this story's blend of human drama and otherworldly terror. Mays transforms technical exposition about alien artifacts into compelling narrative threads that propel the twenty-hour runtime forward with consistent momentum.