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adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am going to try to avoid spoilers in case anyone else reading this is like I was and wanted to know absolutely nothing about it going into it.
This feels, at its heart, like an extension of The Expanse novel series, or at least that it could take place in the distant future of that universe.
The duo are back to their delicate weave of character development and introduction while dropping in an unknown antagonist like a brick wall. I like the additions from them, it very much reminded me of the interjections with Miller. Enough to intrigue you and provide some information, but not enough to explain everything ahead of time.
What little I didn’t know about this book going into it is that it will be a series, much shorter than The Expanse was, so this book would be setting up things for one or two more novels. I was honestly a little surprised that there wasn’t more worldbuilding for the protagonists in this first book, but now that I finished it I’m almost glad there wasn’t. I really don’t feel like they needed to build out the entire universe in the first book, I probably would have gotten bored with it if that was the case.
There are many allegories and parallels that can be drawn from this, which may or may not be implicit or just inspirational. I like that, and I like that about their writing. I like that there are implications and ties to our own society, both present and past, without hammering the current politics of our world in your face. I like that it lets you get to know the characters and understand them. Maybe like them. Maybe hate them. Root for their downfall or cheer when they are stricken. This book started to do that for me much in the way The Expanse series did.
I’m very much looking forward to the next novel. I hate that I have wildly general idea how this will end already, but I’m along for the ride. I’ve been proven wrong by these two before.
This feels, at its heart, like an extension of The Expanse novel series, or at least that it could take place in the distant future of that universe.
The duo are back to their delicate weave of character development and introduction while dropping in an unknown antagonist like a brick wall. I like the additions from them, it very much reminded me of the interjections with Miller. Enough to intrigue you and provide some information, but not enough to explain everything ahead of time.
What little I didn’t know about this book going into it is that it will be a series, much shorter than The Expanse was, so this book would be setting up things for one or two more novels. I was honestly a little surprised that there wasn’t more worldbuilding for the protagonists in this first book, but now that I finished it I’m almost glad there wasn’t. I really don’t feel like they needed to build out the entire universe in the first book, I probably would have gotten bored with it if that was the case.
There are many allegories and parallels that can be drawn from this, which may or may not be implicit or just inspirational. I like that, and I like that about their writing. I like that there are implications and ties to our own society, both present and past, without hammering the current politics of our world in your face. I like that it lets you get to know the characters and understand them. Maybe like them. Maybe hate them. Root for their downfall or cheer when they are stricken. This book started to do that for me much in the way The Expanse series did.
I’m very much looking forward to the next novel. I hate that I have wildly general idea how this will end already, but I’m along for the ride. I’ve been proven wrong by these two before.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed the narrator and audio quality is the audio book.
In my position now when I finished the book and being able to look back, I rated it higher than I probably would have at times during the reading process.
While quite a lot happens in the plot regarding time and impact of events, but the way it is written it feels rather slow. The plot is described through the eyes of different characters with a lot of focus on their thoughts and feelings and memories which can make the writing style feel slow - this actually reminds me a lot of "Station Eleven" which gave me very similar vibes even though it is a different genre.
Looking back, I am appreciative of this writing style and I think it's the preparation for upcoming books and events.
So far, there is no real hero in the story and they all have questionable character traits. However, I didn't find it very frustrating as they in my eyes aren't very annoying character traits, but felt authentic and like real humans.
Maybe a bit weird, but a big shout-out to describing the disgusting reality of a postapokalyptic life with oily hair, poop mats and menstruation hygiene. XD
In my position now when I finished the book and being able to look back, I rated it higher than I probably would have at times during the reading process.
While quite a lot happens in the plot regarding time and impact of events, but the way it is written it feels rather slow. The plot is described through the eyes of different characters with a lot of focus on their thoughts and feelings and memories which can make the writing style feel slow - this actually reminds me a lot of "Station Eleven" which gave me very similar vibes even though it is a different genre.
Looking back, I am appreciative of this writing style and I think it's the preparation for upcoming books and events.
So far, there is no real hero in the story and they all have questionable character traits. However, I didn't find it very frustrating as they in my eyes aren't very annoying character traits, but felt authentic and like real humans.
Maybe a bit weird, but a big shout-out to describing the disgusting reality of a postapokalyptic life with oily hair, poop mats and menstruation hygiene. XD
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Xenophobia
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.
When I saw that a new book was coming out from the author of The Expanse I was very excited to see what more we would be getting from his imagination. Unfortunately this book didn't work for me.
The Mercy of Gods is a good 400 pages. The first 80-100 or so we spend it on the research of Dafyd's team. Honestly I was bored before the actual story even started. The characters at no point were engaging, Dafyd least of all. I'm sure the start was meant for us to get to know the characters but it did nothing of that. The focus was so much on the research and very little on their personality. Flat and not memorable.
When the story did actually start it was hard to care about anything that happened to our characters. There was also a very annoying love triangle in the middle of it. It felt very young for the ages of some of these characters.
When we do get to the actual plot there are some interesting things there. A spy amongst them is the most interesting one I feel, since we aren't quite sure who they are. Slowly they share more about themselves. Being on a planet with the Caryx it was interesting to see other species. But once it comes down to it, we got too little of the other species. They got the room to explore but they rarely did. Only Dafyd seemed to want to step out of their comfort zone. Too bad he is such a wet blanket.
The only things that I truly appreciated about how it dealt with some of its mental health. There was a panic attack of one of the characters. And another character who has depression and was not doing so well when she ran out of her meds. I think that was pretty decently dealt with and one of the most realistic things about this book.
All in all this book had dissapointed me. I am not sure if I will pick up book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
Depression
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was excited when I heard James S. A. Corey, the authors of one of my all time favorite series (not just sci-fi series), The Expanse, were creating a new series starting with The Mercy of Gods. Despite a few minor quibbles, I really enjoyed the initial entry into The Captive’s War. The story follows a research team, with a heavy focus on research assistant Dafyd Alkhor, as they deal with the trauma of an alien invasion and their subsequent abduction.
I thought the world-building was strong (not really a surprise with this duo) and enjoyed the premise that humanity inhabited a planet (Anjiin) with no idea/recollection/history of how they arrived on the planet thousands of years ago. The native environment was interesting, and I liked reading about it and the various research projects related to Anjiin’s natura flora and fauna. Spending time on Anjiin’s environment nicely set up the contrast with the Carryx ships and home world, including being introduced to various alien races subjugated by the Carryx.
The story starts slowly, with the authors taking their time introducing various members of the research team, the science, and some Anjiin history. Once the Carryx – a hive-minded alien race whose sole purpose appears to be to conquer, destroy, or enslave other races – launch their attack on Anjiin the pacing picks up. While the characters aren’t especially well developed, feeling a bit flat at first, there are hints of potential growth, and I was fully invested in their fate – especially once they got to the Carryx world.
While the story deals with alien races, spaceships, invasions, and battles at its heart it deals with trauma, and how people react to it. I thought the authors portrayed the various reactions to trauma in a realistic manner be it shutting down, seeking revenge, violence, subservience, and other coping mechanisms. I also appreciate the frank portrayal of mental health.
Despite one minor quibble regarding character development, The Mercy of Gods was an extremely enjoyable and thoroughly engaging read. The world is interesting, the characters and aliens fascinating, the pacing and plot are entertaining, and the writing style is pleasant.
I thought the world-building was strong (not really a surprise with this duo) and enjoyed the premise that humanity inhabited a planet (Anjiin) with no idea/recollection/history of how they arrived on the planet thousands of years ago. The native environment was interesting, and I liked reading about it and the various research projects related to Anjiin’s natura flora and fauna. Spending time on Anjiin’s environment nicely set up the contrast with the Carryx ships and home world, including being introduced to various alien races subjugated by the Carryx.
The story starts slowly, with the authors taking their time introducing various members of the research team, the science, and some Anjiin history. Once the Carryx – a hive-minded alien race whose sole purpose appears to be to conquer, destroy, or enslave other races – launch their attack on Anjiin the pacing picks up. While the characters aren’t especially well developed, feeling a bit flat at first, there are hints of potential growth, and I was fully invested in their fate – especially once they got to the Carryx world.
While the story deals with alien races, spaceships, invasions, and battles at its heart it deals with trauma, and how people react to it. I thought the authors portrayed the various reactions to trauma in a realistic manner be it shutting down, seeking revenge, violence, subservience, and other coping mechanisms. I also appreciate the frank portrayal of mental health.
Despite one minor quibble regarding character development, The Mercy of Gods was an extremely enjoyable and thoroughly engaging read. The world is interesting, the characters and aliens fascinating, the pacing and plot are entertaining, and the writing style is pleasant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Violence
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Slavery
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, War
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Cannibalism
Minor: Animal death, Excrement, War
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I received a proof copy from Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, injury, body horror, gore, death, murder, death of parent (off page), genocide, colonialism, war, confinement, depression, grief, panic attacks, suicidal ideation, drug use, vomit
--
As a big fan of The Expanse I was of course really excited about a new series from Daniel and Ty and while this first instalment didn’t blow me away in the same way that Leviathan Wakes did, The Mercy of Gods has still set up a super engaging and intriguing new space opera, this time with actual aliens as prominent characters.
The story follows a highly acclaimed biological research group made up of a variety of personalities on a planet called Anjiin that humanity came to long ago, whose time in the limelight is seized when an alien race known as the Carryx invade. The Carryx ship away those who are deemed the best in society and put them to the test against other species on how useful they can be to their new overlords.
The synopsis highlights the character of Dafyd as the MC much in the same way that The Expanse does with Holden however, again this series follows multiple perspectives of key characters both of the human research team and that of the aliens. The latter perspectives are what fold this story that initially starts off as a first contact, post-apocalyptic survival narrative into a wider space opera. Additionally little epitaphs that separate each part of the book denote that we are in fact watching the story of the fall of the Carryx unfold.
If you’ve read anything by Daniel and Ty before then you’ll recognise their compelling narrative style that immediately folds you into the story and packs in the emotion with all the character arcs. This first book of the series definitely seems to be focused on predominantly laying the foundations for the characters, their personal journeys and the part that they will be playing as the series goes on. In this sense Dafyd’s character who I was a little indifferent to at the beginning does really shine through by the end. The other characters that really stood out to me were Jessyn and Campar.
The plot is full of moments of action that are written as well as you’d expect from this duo and whilst the story itself is one about humanity facing colonialism on an extra-terrestrial scale the commentary is still very relevant to the real world.
Whilst the scope of the universe that the story is set in is vast with a wide variety of worlds and different alien cultures, besides physical descriptions of settings that are otherworldly it all mostly keeps to a very familiar and human scale at this stage. However, I am looking forward to seeing more of this universe in the books to come and am super intrigued to see where the story goes next!
Final Rating 4.25/5 Stars
**I received a proof copy from Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, injury, body horror, gore, death, murder, death of parent (off page), genocide, colonialism, war, confinement, depression, grief, panic attacks, suicidal ideation, drug use, vomit
--
As a big fan of The Expanse I was of course really excited about a new series from Daniel and Ty and while this first instalment didn’t blow me away in the same way that Leviathan Wakes did, The Mercy of Gods has still set up a super engaging and intriguing new space opera, this time with actual aliens as prominent characters.
The story follows a highly acclaimed biological research group made up of a variety of personalities on a planet called Anjiin that humanity came to long ago, whose time in the limelight is seized when an alien race known as the Carryx invade. The Carryx ship away those who are deemed the best in society and put them to the test against other species on how useful they can be to their new overlords.
The synopsis highlights the character of Dafyd as the MC much in the same way that The Expanse does with Holden however, again this series follows multiple perspectives of key characters both of the human research team and that of the aliens. The latter perspectives are what fold this story that initially starts off as a first contact, post-apocalyptic survival narrative into a wider space opera. Additionally little epitaphs that separate each part of the book denote that we are in fact watching the story of the fall of the Carryx unfold.
If you’ve read anything by Daniel and Ty before then you’ll recognise their compelling narrative style that immediately folds you into the story and packs in the emotion with all the character arcs. This first book of the series definitely seems to be focused on predominantly laying the foundations for the characters, their personal journeys and the part that they will be playing as the series goes on. In this sense Dafyd’s character who I was a little indifferent to at the beginning does really shine through by the end. The other characters that really stood out to me were Jessyn and Campar.
The plot is full of moments of action that are written as well as you’d expect from this duo and whilst the story itself is one about humanity facing colonialism on an extra-terrestrial scale the commentary is still very relevant to the real world.
Whilst the scope of the universe that the story is set in is vast with a wide variety of worlds and different alien cultures, besides physical descriptions of settings that are otherworldly it all mostly keeps to a very familiar and human scale at this stage. However, I am looking forward to seeing more of this universe in the books to come and am super intrigued to see where the story goes next!
Final Rating 4.25/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
Loved The Expanse, didn't love this - for a few reasons.
1) this felt much more like the classic "white man's scifi." Just wasn't as interesting and felt like it had a much narrower, mansplainy audience (not that the authors are neckbeards, but that the people who seem to like it are the "well, actually" type).
2) way too dark for my taste. Just so much senseless violence, death, and gore for no other reason than to establish a colonizer. I see way too much of that in real life to enjoy a fictionalized version, and I'm honestly tired of colonizers (or colonizer sympathizers) writing colonial violence as entertainment, even if villainized. It's just trauma porn and contributes to desensitization of seeing it happen to real life people. Reading this book made my mental health plummet (sad result after the jubilation of discovering a new SA Corey series).
3) almost all the characters were insufferable, and they were all extremely privileged. Literally everyone else was murdered. Almost feels like a self-victimizing colonial fantasy.
Maybe the story gets better - it seems like the payoff is still at least a hundred pages away - but the mental health dip and trauma of explicit (fictionalized) colonial violence is stopping me from getting there. Maybe I'll pick it back up later, maybe I won't, but right now I'm gonna read something way less white and depressing.
1) this felt much more like the classic "white man's scifi." Just wasn't as interesting and felt like it had a much narrower, mansplainy audience (not that the authors are neckbeards, but that the people who seem to like it are the "well, actually" type).
2) way too dark for my taste. Just so much senseless violence, death, and gore for no other reason than to establish a colonizer. I see way too much of that in real life to enjoy a fictionalized version, and I'm honestly tired of colonizers (or colonizer sympathizers) writing colonial violence as entertainment, even if villainized. It's just trauma porn and contributes to desensitization of seeing it happen to real life people. Reading this book made my mental health plummet (sad result after the jubilation of discovering a new SA Corey series).
3) almost all the characters were insufferable, and they were all extremely privileged. Literally everyone else was murdered. Almost feels like a self-victimizing colonial fantasy.
Maybe the story gets better - it seems like the payoff is still at least a hundred pages away - but the mental health dip and trauma of explicit (fictionalized) colonial violence is stopping me from getting there. Maybe I'll pick it back up later, maybe I won't, but right now I'm gonna read something way less white and depressing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, War
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Excrement, Classism
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It definitely feels like a first book in a series, as in the entire book is world building and set up. BUT as per the synopsis of the book, the reader is learning what's what along with all the characters. That said, my only issue was the pacing was a little weird, but all the scenes felt necessary so idk why it felt so slow.
1. Characters? 1
2. World-building/setting? 1
3. Plot? .5
4. Originality? 1
5. Writing? 1
6. Pacing? 0 - Pacing was way off, along with a kind of meandering plot... I wonder if it would have been a more concise story if told from less POVS.
7. Did I cry? 0 - surprising considering what was happening!
8. Will I remember it? 1 - most definitely.
9. Enjoyment? 1
10. THE end. 1 - nailed the ending.
7.5/10 = 3.75/5
Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of the book and the chance to leave an honest, voluntary review.
1. Characters? 1
2. World-building/setting? 1
3. Plot? .5
4. Originality? 1
5. Writing? 1
6. Pacing? 0 - Pacing was way off, along with a kind of meandering plot... I wonder if it would have been a more concise story if told from less POVS.
7. Did I cry? 0 - surprising considering what was happening!
8. Will I remember it? 1 - most definitely.
9. Enjoyment? 1
10. THE end. 1 - nailed the ending.
7.5/10 = 3.75/5
Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of the book and the chance to leave an honest, voluntary review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Vomit, Grief, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail