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sennewillems 's review for:
Mercy: Tears of the Fallen
by Chance Dillon
I’ve been following Chance Dillon on social media for a while and I was intrigued from the first time I heard about this book. His recent interview with iSamwise eventually persuaded me to request an ARC, which was kindly gifted to me. In that conversation, he pitched the book with two questions that will spark interest in many fantasy readers:
What if Aragorn lost everything after the war for the One Ring? And what if Sam had to kill Frodo to save Middle-earth?
I jumped straight in after hearing that, and that’s exactly what Chance has planned for you as a reader. Mercy: Tears of the Fallen is an ambitious novel, in the likes of books like Malazan, but also reminiscent of The Failures by Benjamin Liar (another great debut). (Apparently, it also draws on games like Elden Ring, but my lack of button-smashing skills makes it hard for me to say.)
It’s a bold move to publish such a complex and dense book, but he nails it in my opinion.
The story takes place in Maetlynd, a world carefully crafted and layered with history and culture. We follow different characters, but the main focus is on Alevist and Erevayn, a fallen hero and a drunken exile who form a surprising alliance as the hard-won Unity of the world comes under threat. Not every character's motivation is entirely clear, but I was still invested in several of them (especially my boy Hayde).
The many plotlines and POVs alternate at a steady pace, though the middle section slows down quite a bit. I wasn’t the biggest fan of some of the choices Dillon made here, but they did serve the story and moved things forward. The prose is smooth, and Dillon truly shines in the thrilling and emotionally charged action scenes. I hope he grows as a writer to also evoke these kind of emotions in the dialogues between characters. The romantic subplots in particular didn’t work for me, since they never felt believable or well developed.
Dillon doesn’t hold your hand and he wants you to trust him and the process. That’s a bold ask from a debut author, but for readers in doubt it’s nice to know that he took on D.J. Butler (who also works with Christopher Ruocchio) as a developmental editor to help shape the final story.
The last act is a wild ride, with a payoff for the build up earlier in the book. Dillon has definitely earned my trust, and I’m already looking forward to book 2 (and 3 and 4)!
3,75 / 5
I jumped straight in after hearing that, and that’s exactly what Chance has planned for you as a reader. Mercy: Tears of the Fallen is an ambitious novel, in the likes of books like Malazan, but also reminiscent of The Failures by Benjamin Liar (another great debut). (Apparently, it also draws on games like Elden Ring, but my lack of button-smashing skills makes it hard for me to say.)
It’s a bold move to publish such a complex and dense book, but he nails it in my opinion.
The story takes place in Maetlynd, a world carefully crafted and layered with history and culture. We follow different characters, but the main focus is on Alevist and Erevayn, a fallen hero and a drunken exile who form a surprising alliance as the hard-won Unity of the world comes under threat. Not every character's motivation is entirely clear, but I was still invested in several of them (especially my boy Hayde).
The many plotlines and POVs alternate at a steady pace, though the middle section slows down quite a bit. I wasn’t the biggest fan of some of the choices Dillon made here, but they did serve the story and moved things forward. The prose is smooth, and Dillon truly shines in the thrilling and emotionally charged action scenes. I hope he grows as a writer to also evoke these kind of emotions in the dialogues between characters. The romantic subplots in particular didn’t work for me, since they never felt believable or well developed.
Dillon doesn’t hold your hand and he wants you to trust him and the process. That’s a bold ask from a debut author, but for readers in doubt it’s nice to know that he took on D.J. Butler (who also works with Christopher Ruocchio) as a developmental editor to help shape the final story.
The last act is a wild ride, with a payoff for the build up earlier in the book. Dillon has definitely earned my trust, and I’m already looking forward to book 2 (and 3 and 4)!
3,75 / 5