I was so happy to receive an ARC of Mercy Of Gods.

I went into this with the expectation of it being similar to the Expanse. Wow was I wrong!
Alien invasion, scientific researchers used for their skills. And life threatening decisions, not just for our main characters but the entire human race!
At times towards the beginning of the book I felt this quite heavy going. But as I progressed further the story flowed a lot better and became much easier to read.

I found the story so original and encapsulating. And it's safe to say that the rest of the series will be pre ordered and read on release day.

”I think some important scientific questions have finally been answered. Alien life exists, and they are assholes."

This is the hardest book to describe without giving anything away.
If anything, know it has my glowing, excited approval and don’t read anything else and just pick up this book.

The Carryx ruled the stars for epochs and they brought fire, death, and chains to Anjiin - the planet humans have made their home.

This centres around a strange, awkward, haphazard little biologist team which are chosen as the top of the crop by the Carryx to work for them.

“You're joking."
“Of course I am," Campar said. “It's how I keep from spending all day screaming. What do you do?"

This book is incredible.
It is heavy but also touches on the mundane. How life continues on even in the face of the end. People still need to eat, to pee, to wash.

The team have to reframe their circumstances. They’re not scared, they are curious. They aren’t slaves, they are achievers.
How do humans react when everything is uprooted? Violence? Madness? Depression? Humour? Sex? You see the extremes: giving in to being led like dazed animals on a slaughterhouse or mounting a doomed rebellion.

Despite this being science fiction about an alien invasion, it is also intimately humane and relevant. Spiralling thoughts, anxiety, and depression. Feeling you’re not enough. Dealing with uncertainty.

Between one step and the next, he'd had an epiphany about the vastness and strangeness of the universe and his place in it. The insignificance of one boy on a strange planet in the vastness of galaxies. For a moment, his mind had reached out to the farthest ends of the universe, and he'd felt the weight of his life, his ego, his struggles as less than a feather. Then I came back to myself and refocused on my sock, he'd said, and they'd both laughed.

I know I haven’t touched on the characters, but that’s because there are a myriad and it is hard to pin down a standout. They all bring such different outlooks which creates such a strong and fascinating dynamic.

A powerful study on human instinct, relationships, and primal tendencies.

Thank you to Orbit for providing an arc in exchange for a review!

A brilliant beginning to another series, both entertaining and dealing with serious and interesting questions of collaboration and survival. I've been a fan of 'The Expanse' for years, and my expectations were already quite high when I started reading the book, and yet it more than delivered. It might not be to everyone's taste, but personally I appreciate that this is a more grounded tale, less space opera-y than many other modern novels, with different characters that each have their own voice and never cross the line into being heroes or villains because the plot needs them to.

The only bad thing about this book is that now I have to wait until the sequel comes out instead of waiting and devouring the series in one go. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review:

This was a very interesting and thought-provoking start to a new SF series! I loved the author's Expanse series, and so when I heard about this book I was immediately intrigued. Luckily for me, I received an ARC, and was able to read this, and the author did not disappoint.

Compared to Leviathan Wakes and the rest of the Expanse series, this book felt slightly slower and more thoughtful- of course, it is the first in the series and so had to lay the basis for the world and plot to expand in future books, but because of this it felt less suspenseful than Leviathan Wakes.

The world-building was rich and complex, and I loved the descriptions of the alien species. Our characters were well-developed and generally fun to follow, though I will admit to being less taken with some of the POVs included.

Overall, this was an interesting start to a new SF series, and I look forward to following where the story goes in the next books!

Utterly addictive

I finally read my first S.A. Corey book and started with The Mercy of Gods. I got caught up in the hype and wasn't quite ready to dive into The Expanse series, given its length of eight books.

The Mercy of Gods was brilliant. Set in the distant future on a planet where humans have lived for over 3,000 years, the story unfolds in a civilization that has forgotten its origins and started anew. This new human society faces a severe threat when the alien race, the Carryx, arrives and takes away the brightest humans. The kidnapped humans are then forced to compete against other alien species, with extinction as the price of failure.

There were several things that really drew me into this novel. The concept itself was incredibly captivating. This story reminded me a bit of Red Rising and Hunger Games but with a darker and more “sciency” undertone I appreciated that the aliens felt truly alien, rather than just humans with different appearances. Aliens are not supposed to act like humans as lots of modern franchises tend to do. S.A. Corey also did a phenomenal job at consistently adding intriguing layers and twists to the plot which consistently made me want to come back to the story – the stakes are really high!

Probably my favourite part of the novel is that it felt horror-like in parts. The haunting scenario of a sophisticated alien race forcing humanity into a deadly game, were particularly compelling.

I have two minor nitpicks. First, I didn't fall in love with any of the characters, although Dafyd, the protagonist, was definitely my favorite. The characters are not bad though. Second, while the aliens felt incredibly "non-human," the humans felt almost…too human? Given that this human civilization has lived on another planet for 3,500 years, I expected their culture to be significantly different from Earth's in 2024. While there were some differences, I hoped to see more substantial cultural changes. However, I understand that the authors might have aimed to keep the humans relatable for readers, especially considering the aliens are not relatable at all, which could explain why they felt so much like modern humans.

Fortunately, the plot was so compelling that this didn't detract significantly from my enjoyment of the story.

I would definitely recommend adding this book to your tbr.

4.5

Thanks to Orbit for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

After having read and loving The Expanse series I was made up to see a new book from the author duo James SA Corey and beyond excited when orbit accepted my request on netgalley and started almost immediately.

I absolutely flew through The Mercy of the Gods, it was such a compulsive read and I enjoyed every single page. I loved the characters, the world building was great … overall, it was a very solid start to new series! I honestly can’t think of a single negative and cannot wait for the next instalment… the scope feels big and I am intrigued at where it’s all going.

The best way I’d summarise this book is with this quote …

“I think some important scientific questions have finally been answered. Alien life exists, and they are assholes.”


4.5 rounded up

James S. A. Corey thrilled readers with The Expanse series. Therefore expectation is high for this, and hopes that the magic that made The Expanse can be replicated. Launching a new series, The Mercy of Gods is an epic, engaging and entertaining beginning. Straight from the off, I was drawn into this tale of alien invasion - the characters are well drawn, the writing whizzes along without feeling rushed. It is a book that will make you hope the sequel isn't too long coming. Overall, if you loved The Expanse, then this is a must. If you're new to Corey's writing, this is a very good starting point.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Many readers were excited when the start of a new series –a trilogy– was announced by the two authors behind pen name James S.A. Corey. With the epic The Expanse as heritage, nothing less than yet again a remarkable space opera was expected. And now, the first part of The Captive’s War is finally about to arrive. NetGalley offered a free DRC in exchange for a review which I didn’t want to miss.

With only a little over 400+ pages it’s not an oversized book, and I expected things to evolve rapidly because of that. That, however, didn’t. The story starts on a human planet called Anjiin. Humans know they originated from another place, but they have forgotten how that went and how their ancestors arrived here. Therefore one can assume that the story takes place far in the future. Yet, everything is very familiar. Names of places and people often have a somewhat “exotic” feel, but apart from that, we seem to be looking at a 20th-21st century Earth in terms of how society works and how people lead their lives. The people we meet are part of a team at a university, investigating ways to line up the genetics humanity brought to Anjiin with the ones that originated on the planet. They finally had success in that when the Carryx arrive. Up until then, humans had found no evidence of other life in the universe. This first encounter is not a success. One out of eight humans is immediately killed, and some others are enslaved and brought to the Carryx homeworld.

When the story gets at the point where humans arrive at that homeworld, a quarter of the book has passed. Some initial world building has taken place and the protagonists got introduced, but in essence not much has happened. Too many characters, which remained underdeveloped so far, made connecting with any of them impossible. After this quarter, only very little of the different characters, their position in the team, their relationships towards each other, any strengths or weaknesses, stuck. At that moment I decided to start all over and take notes. I made a list of characters I encountered with some useful information about them. I re-read this first quarter diagonally while creating the list, and by doing that, at least some of the protagonists started to come to live a little bit.

I had good hopes the story would explode from then on, being on a new planet and with my improved grip on the characters and background. The book, after all, is said to be the beginning of a new space opera. A space opera, to me, is a story that expands over many worlds, taking up a lot of physical space in the galaxy, and that has some battles and events that change the course of humanity. By that definition, The Mercy of Gods is no space opera though. Maybe the story will evolve into one later, but this book is confined to a limited space and despite my hopes, it remained that way. The setting was limited to the university of Anjiin in the first quarter, and continues on a very small portion of the Carryx homeworld in the rest of the book. Some intermezzos with “the swarm” here and there –which are imho rather boring to read– suggest something bigger is up, but in this book that doesn’t happen. The plot remains small in scope, in events, in inter-personal relationships. I’d rate the book as okay-ish, nothing more. There is potential for the bigger story, but it’s not showing yet. Installment one is basically a long-winded introductory story. I keep hoping the next volumes of the trilogy will be as exciting as The Expanse was, but for now, that is by far not the case.

The Mercy of Gods is the first book in a new sci-fi series from those who brought us The Expanse and what a superb start to the series it is!

There are so many fantastic elements to this book.

Firstly, the alien species themselves. The reader is drip fed information about them and their intentions as it is uncovered by the protagonists, which provides a great experience of discovery and intrigue .

Secondly, the surviving humans.. We follow a group of mixed personalities, each with their own issues and vulnerabilities and we get to experience their respective POVs throughout the book. The way these are portrayed in such a terrifying setting is so well done and it's hard not to be invested in their lives as they navigate their new surroundings.

Thirdly, the world building. I found this spot-on. It is awe-inspiring but believable, without being too much. There are some wonderful explainers as well as plenty of mystery remaining.

Finally, the story itself. It is set up to be something truly epic whilst covering themes key to what it is to be human and the challenges we face in life, both big and small. The arrival of the Carryx was a real highlight, with so much tension, uncertainty and terror in the mix. There is some subtle and not-so-subtle foreshadowing throughout, and I cannot wait to see what happens next. The ending really does set things up nicely too!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Orbit books for an ARC of this brilliant book!

I was initially wary of how anything could compare to The Expanse, which I adored but - I had to keep reminding myself - took a while to really gel with. However, by a quarter of the way through The Mercy of Gods, I was completely invested. The tension and sense of creeping terror were on par with what I felt reading Premee Mohamed's Beneath the Rising trilogy - and there were similar themes here too. I absolutely could not put this book down - I haven't been this gripped by a book in a while, and found myself picking it up again every spare minute I had. I can't wait for the next instalment, but I am very aware I've probably got at least a year of doing so ahead of me!

<i> I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book (thank you NetGalley & Orbit), but that doesn’t impact any of my opinions or feelings apart from the fact that now I will need to wait even longer for the next book <i/>

Imaginative, intriguing and highly complex.

This was the first book that I have read from these authors, and I must say it was an excellent introduction. I was initially captivated by the description months ago when I first saw it and added it to my TBR. So I was obviously overjoyed when I received an ARC.

This book was amazing, I finished it in little under two days (would have been one, but alas there is no rest for the wicked when it comes to university work). The story delves into a more academic setting than I was expecting but it was done in such a wonderful way that none of it felt overbearing or confusing. The academia of the world was handled perfectly, as soon as it was beginning to get too long it moved into something else. Honestly, I applaud the writers for their pacing and timing because of how expertly it was executed.

The world set up is incredible, the other species are imaginative but also plausible. There are so many twists and turns, secrets upon secrets that I cannot wait to discover. The characters are extremely complex and developed and the way in which they are written makes them seem like real people. The story itself is inspired, and I cannot wait to see where the authors take it.

The balance in this novel is just superb, between the character development, plot and subplots, academia and action. I am actually shocked at how well it was all handled as it would have been so easy to ruin the story if just one of these aspects weren’t so perfectly balanced. The cover is also amazing, it pairs perfectly with the descriptions in the book and really brings the setting to life.

My only issue with the novel is that now I’ll need to wait so long for the next instalment.

Huge fan of the expanse series so I was super excited to see a new series released.

Really interesting characters both human and alien. Look forward to the rest of the series.

The Mercy of Gods is the first book in the new series called The Captive’s War. The Carryx has waged wars and enslaved different species across the galaxy for centuries. They descend on Anjiin and the human population is slaughtered and captured. The brightest humans on Anjiin are taken to the Carryx world-palace to join prisoners from other species. Dafyd Alkhor is captured along with the rest of his science team. He is set up to be the champion of humanity as well as its betrayer.

This was a really great start to the series and I really enjoyed it. It was easy to become invested in the story and the characters. I liked the different character dynamics. The story is told from different POV’s and each one was equally enjoyable. It has some really interesting themes such as control and colonialism as different species are forced under the rule of the Carryx. The writing was really good and I loved the ending. 4.5 stars rounded up to a 5 because I had a really great time with this.