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The Captive’s War #1
The Mercy of Gods
How humanity came to the planet called Anjiin is lost in the fog of history, but that history is about to end.
The Carryx – part empire, part hive – have waged wars of conquest for centuries, destroying or enslaving species across the galaxy. Now, they are facing a great and deathless enemy. The key to their survival may rest with the humans of Anjiin.
Caught up in academic intrigue and affairs of the heart, Dafyd Alkhor is pleased just to be an assistant to a brilliant scientist and his celebrated research team. Then the Carryx ships descend, decimating the human population and taking the best and brightest of Anjiin society away to serve on the Carryx homeworld, and Dafyd is swept along with them.
They are dropped in the middle of a struggle they barely understand, set in a competition against the other captive species with extinction as the price of failure. Only Dafyd and a handful of his companions see past the Darwinian contest to the deeper game that they must play to survive: learning to understand – and manipulate – the Carryx themselves.
With a noble but suicidal human rebellion on one hand and strange and murderous enemies on the other, the team pays a terrible price to become the trusted servants of their new rulers.
Dafyd Alkhor is a simple man swept up in events that are beyond his control and more vast than his imagination. He will become the champion of humanity and its betrayer, the most hated man in history and the guardian of his people.
This is where his story begins.
The Carryx – part empire, part hive – have waged wars of conquest for centuries, destroying or enslaving species across the galaxy. Now, they are facing a great and deathless enemy. The key to their survival may rest with the humans of Anjiin.
Caught up in academic intrigue and affairs of the heart, Dafyd Alkhor is pleased just to be an assistant to a brilliant scientist and his celebrated research team. Then the Carryx ships descend, decimating the human population and taking the best and brightest of Anjiin society away to serve on the Carryx homeworld, and Dafyd is swept along with them.
They are dropped in the middle of a struggle they barely understand, set in a competition against the other captive species with extinction as the price of failure. Only Dafyd and a handful of his companions see past the Darwinian contest to the deeper game that they must play to survive: learning to understand – and manipulate – the Carryx themselves.
With a noble but suicidal human rebellion on one hand and strange and murderous enemies on the other, the team pays a terrible price to become the trusted servants of their new rulers.
Dafyd Alkhor is a simple man swept up in events that are beyond his control and more vast than his imagination. He will become the champion of humanity and its betrayer, the most hated man in history and the guardian of his people.
This is where his story begins.
422 pages, Hardcover
First published August 6, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 838 reviews
August 6, 2024
Everything about this book is incredible.
I loved everything about it. It's a very smart, original and gripping tale, full of unique and touching characters and the writing is absolutely fantastic.
Every page was perfect, and I can't wait for the rest of the series.
I never read The Expanse, I just watched the show, so I can't compare and I went in without any real expectations, mostly because of the blurb. I'm so glad I did.
Definitely a future reread.
I loved everything about it. It's a very smart, original and gripping tale, full of unique and touching characters and the writing is absolutely fantastic.
Every page was perfect, and I can't wait for the rest of the series.
I never read The Expanse, I just watched the show, so I can't compare and I went in without any real expectations, mostly because of the blurb. I'm so glad I did.
Definitely a future reread.
June 22, 2024
So, being in a probably unusual position in not having read or seen the show of the Expanse series, also by SA Corey, I didn't know what to expect. I knew I loved Daniel Abraham, and so I was just hoping I would get more of what I love about his fantasy novels, and I could not have been more wonderfully surprised. This book is fantastic.
It has everything I've come to love about Abraham's writing: nuanced characters with real, human emotion and motivations; characters who make decisions that are understandable but incredibly painful for the reader; and, probably my favorite thing that isn't as common as it should be--consequences for the characters actions, both the long and short prices paid for decisions. And the stakes could not be higher, while still feeling intimate and personal. There were several times in the book where I even pulled IRL a fake, clickbait youtube thumbnail pose by putting my palm on my forehead or against my temple because I was just that distraught by what I knew was to come.
I don't read a ton of scifi, but I could not put this one down. The aliens feel alien. They're also awesome. The Carryx are unknowable, unbeatable, and possess unimaginable power. The world is fleshed out in a believable but not overwhelming way, and buzzwords and technobabble is easily understandable. It is possible this is my favorite sci-fi novel.
Reading this book gave me the feeling I get when watching horror movies--feeling claustrophobic; not knowing what the conditions of the 'game' were, so to speak; dreading what would come next but not knowing who to trust; a sense of profound despair at the seemingly insurmountable odds.
At its core, though, this is a book about trauma, and how we deal with it. How we each cope with loss so unfathomable that no one can avoid breaking. A book about what you make of life when you think you have no choices. A book about the things we as humans do to eke out a liveable existence, no matter the circumstances, and how each of us differs in our responses. I love the way this book handles mental illness, mental anguish, Stockholm Syndrome, and the idea of resistance versus surrender, of dying on your feet or serving on your knees.
An absolutely tremendous read. My only caveat is that I have not read the Expanse, so I do not know how to compare it. I'm afraid I may be leading Expanse fans astray if it is appreciably different. Expect a full review on my channel in the next day or so.
Thank you again to Netgalley for the ARC.
It has everything I've come to love about Abraham's writing: nuanced characters with real, human emotion and motivations; characters who make decisions that are understandable but incredibly painful for the reader; and, probably my favorite thing that isn't as common as it should be--consequences for the characters actions, both the long and short prices paid for decisions. And the stakes could not be higher, while still feeling intimate and personal. There were several times in the book where I even pulled IRL a fake, clickbait youtube thumbnail pose by putting my palm on my forehead or against my temple because I was just that distraught by what I knew was to come.
I don't read a ton of scifi, but I could not put this one down. The aliens feel alien. They're also awesome. The Carryx are unknowable, unbeatable, and possess unimaginable power. The world is fleshed out in a believable but not overwhelming way, and buzzwords and technobabble is easily understandable. It is possible this is my favorite sci-fi novel.
Reading this book gave me the feeling I get when watching horror movies--feeling claustrophobic; not knowing what the conditions of the 'game' were, so to speak; dreading what would come next but not knowing who to trust; a sense of profound despair at the seemingly insurmountable odds.
At its core, though, this is a book about trauma, and how we deal with it. How we each cope with loss so unfathomable that no one can avoid breaking. A book about what you make of life when you think you have no choices. A book about the things we as humans do to eke out a liveable existence, no matter the circumstances, and how each of us differs in our responses. I love the way this book handles mental illness, mental anguish, Stockholm Syndrome, and the idea of resistance versus surrender, of dying on your feet or serving on your knees.
An absolutely tremendous read. My only caveat is that I have not read the Expanse, so I do not know how to compare it. I'm afraid I may be leading Expanse fans astray if it is appreciably different. Expect a full review on my channel in the next day or so.
Thank you again to Netgalley for the ARC.
Read
August 20, 2024Full Video Review Here: https://youtu.be/_tva0maVle0
The Mercy of Gods will without a doubt be on my biggest disappointments list at year end. What a complete letdown. But don't let me deter you. I seem to be in the minority. Mostly everyone else is saying it is great. For me it is hundreds of pages of observing the science project of fellow students you barely know. Perhaps my expectations were too high after The Expanse. I don't think I'll be picking up book 2.
The Mercy of Gods will without a doubt be on my biggest disappointments list at year end. What a complete letdown. But don't let me deter you. I seem to be in the minority. Mostly everyone else is saying it is great. For me it is hundreds of pages of observing the science project of fellow students you barely know. Perhaps my expectations were too high after The Expanse. I don't think I'll be picking up book 2.
July 2, 2024
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.
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.
July 29, 2024
Spoiler Free Video Review https://youtu.be/RwP1JQiA-2M
3.5 Stars
As a huge fan of the Expanse series, this was easily one of my most anticipated releases of the year.
If you share my love for the authors’ writing style, you will find the same prose here. I felt that was one of the best parts.
I did struggle to connect to the characters though. I think most readers will agree that the characters were one of the best aspects of the Expanse so I was disappointed to find these ones to be so flat and forgettable. I never loved the relationships in the Expanse but I found the romance in this one much weaker. With the focus on crushes and kissing, it just felt surprisingly young for a book marketed to an adult audience.
In terms of the scope of the plot, this one was an action packed story that I feel sacrificed worldbuilding for pacing. The story felt extremely narrow in scope with the focus on this small group of individuals. I recognize the same could be said for Leviathan Wakes but when I read that I could clearly see the building blocks of a bigger story.
Despite all my criticisms, I still think it's a decent new release in comparison to the other 2024 science fiction I have been reading. I just don't feel it met my expectations or the level of hype I am seeing online. I would still recommend people try this for themselves but recommend going in with tamed expectations.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
3.5 Stars
As a huge fan of the Expanse series, this was easily one of my most anticipated releases of the year.
If you share my love for the authors’ writing style, you will find the same prose here. I felt that was one of the best parts.
I did struggle to connect to the characters though. I think most readers will agree that the characters were one of the best aspects of the Expanse so I was disappointed to find these ones to be so flat and forgettable. I never loved the relationships in the Expanse but I found the romance in this one much weaker. With the focus on crushes and kissing, it just felt surprisingly young for a book marketed to an adult audience.
In terms of the scope of the plot, this one was an action packed story that I feel sacrificed worldbuilding for pacing. The story felt extremely narrow in scope with the focus on this small group of individuals. I recognize the same could be said for Leviathan Wakes but when I read that I could clearly see the building blocks of a bigger story.
Despite all my criticisms, I still think it's a decent new release in comparison to the other 2024 science fiction I have been reading. I just don't feel it met my expectations or the level of hype I am seeing online. I would still recommend people try this for themselves but recommend going in with tamed expectations.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
August 6, 2024
The Expanse series is one of my all time favorites, (both the books and the show), so when I saw James S.A. Corey had a new book coming out, I nearly squealed! I was able to score an ARC and here we are.
A team of intellectual researchers and a few hangers-on, like Dafyd, are going about their business on their home planet of Anjiin, when out of nowhere, they are attacked. Many of the group, like Dafyd, are rounded up, flat on their bellies while their friends and families are killed around them. There are huge, alien creatures taking over, and survival is uncertain, not only for them, but for everything they've ever known. What few remain from the group do run into each other again, as they are tasked by different, huge, alien creatures: Make your yourself useful, or die. Will our researchers be up to the task? Will they survive? You'll have to read this to find out!
I mentioned only Dafyd by name, but we get to know all of the characters intimately throughout the course of the book. Tonner, the feisty, slightly pompous head scientist, Else, his assistant and girlfriend, and many others. I understood later why so much time was taken getting inside everyone's head at this point, while at the same time there was a real danger of my quitting this book. Around 40-50 percent my interest resurged and from there on out, the story began to take shape and turned into something I had difficulty putting down. This pacing issue is the only issue I had with this book.
As these characters grew on me, (and as plot points continually became more clear), the mystery deepened as did the larger questions facing humanity as a whole. What does it mean to survive, but without anything to ground you? I mean if you're family and friends are gone, if everything you've ever known is gone, what's the point of surviving?
The Mercy of Gods is not The Expanse, but I don't want it to be. This was immersive with seriously creative worldbuilding, a smart plot and some excellent action scenes. With this group, I feel like I have a new crew to root for-no, they're not like James Holden and his crew, but I'm beginning to feel for them in their own right and I can't wait for the next book.
Highly recommended!
*ARC from publisher.*
A team of intellectual researchers and a few hangers-on, like Dafyd, are going about their business on their home planet of Anjiin, when out of nowhere, they are attacked. Many of the group, like Dafyd, are rounded up, flat on their bellies while their friends and families are killed around them. There are huge, alien creatures taking over, and survival is uncertain, not only for them, but for everything they've ever known. What few remain from the group do run into each other again, as they are tasked by different, huge, alien creatures: Make your yourself useful, or die. Will our researchers be up to the task? Will they survive? You'll have to read this to find out!
I mentioned only Dafyd by name, but we get to know all of the characters intimately throughout the course of the book. Tonner, the feisty, slightly pompous head scientist, Else, his assistant and girlfriend, and many others. I understood later why so much time was taken getting inside everyone's head at this point, while at the same time there was a real danger of my quitting this book. Around 40-50 percent my interest resurged and from there on out, the story began to take shape and turned into something I had difficulty putting down. This pacing issue is the only issue I had with this book.
As these characters grew on me, (and as plot points continually became more clear), the mystery deepened as did the larger questions facing humanity as a whole. What does it mean to survive, but without anything to ground you? I mean if you're family and friends are gone, if everything you've ever known is gone, what's the point of surviving?
The Mercy of Gods is not The Expanse, but I don't want it to be. This was immersive with seriously creative worldbuilding, a smart plot and some excellent action scenes. With this group, I feel like I have a new crew to root for-no, they're not like James Holden and his crew, but I'm beginning to feel for them in their own right and I can't wait for the next book.
Highly recommended!
*ARC from publisher.*
August 7, 2024
[4.5/5 stars] I love that we’re getting more scifi from these amazing authors! And to boot it’s something tied to the Expanse universe, albeit far removed from almost everything that’s familiar about that series. But so far, the Captive’s War is shaping up to be a completely different, but equally satisfying, experience!
But one thing that hasn’t changed is their mastery of character work. To take you into the granular details of what it means to be human coping with an unsympathetic existence. That brilliance is why I always feel so connected to the people in these stories and feel their stuff on a visceral level. I love Abraham’s fantasy works for much the same reason. There’s this way of slowing down events for the sake of connection that’s almost unparalleled (in but maybe a Hobb book) that always leaves an everlasting impression on my being. I’m a huge fan, and Mercy of the Gods is only the latest punctuation to that sentiment.
The Expanse was amazing. I’ve thought on occasion how for a scifi it was really only missing one point of interest… something that if included would’ve felt like it was trying to do too much. Mercy of Gods is where all that extra stuff came to play. It’s where the authors could throw off constraints and just have fun. And play they did! This was a wildly creative experience and I loved the overall concept of the story. It was slow and gripping and fast and action-packed and always exciting. Every bit as good as the best of Expanse!
Speaking, yes (I suppose) you could read this by itself without having read Expanse. It’s a 100% self-contained narrative at this point. However, if you ever plan to read Expanse and don’t want any of the progressions of things in that story ruined, trust me – start there. The tiebacks here were subtle but somehow also profound, and I’m most excited to figure out more ways in which this story ties back to the Expanse in future books… I have a feeling it’s going to be great.
I always say one of the reasons I love scifi is for the creature creation and new world explorations. I love the creativity involved and even more so when authors can tap into the biological workings of the aliens. Mercy of Gods was definitely one of the more satisfying books I’ve read in that regard, and I mean it when I say I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us in the next book. Is it out yet?!
Recommendations: James S.A. Corey fans, dive in without hesitation – this was awesome!! Daniel Abraham fans, dive in without hesitation – the character work is superb! New to the authors fans, consider whether or not you’ll ever want to read Expanse before diving in. It wont affect your enjoyment of this story much, but implications read in Mercy of Gods will wreck a good portion of the story arcs in the Expanse in one very specific regard…
I’d like to thank James S.A. Corey, Orbit Books, and Netgalley for the chance to read and review an early copy of Mercy of Gods – y’all made my year!
Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, and Bee! <3
Find me on Booktube at: The Obsessive Bookseller
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
But one thing that hasn’t changed is their mastery of character work. To take you into the granular details of what it means to be human coping with an unsympathetic existence. That brilliance is why I always feel so connected to the people in these stories and feel their stuff on a visceral level. I love Abraham’s fantasy works for much the same reason. There’s this way of slowing down events for the sake of connection that’s almost unparalleled (in but maybe a Hobb book) that always leaves an everlasting impression on my being. I’m a huge fan, and Mercy of the Gods is only the latest punctuation to that sentiment.
The Expanse was amazing. I’ve thought on occasion how for a scifi it was really only missing one point of interest… something that if included would’ve felt like it was trying to do too much. Mercy of Gods is where all that extra stuff came to play. It’s where the authors could throw off constraints and just have fun. And play they did! This was a wildly creative experience and I loved the overall concept of the story. It was slow and gripping and fast and action-packed and always exciting. Every bit as good as the best of Expanse!
Speaking, yes (I suppose) you could read this by itself without having read Expanse. It’s a 100% self-contained narrative at this point. However, if you ever plan to read Expanse and don’t want any of the progressions of things in that story ruined, trust me – start there. The tiebacks here were subtle but somehow also profound, and I’m most excited to figure out more ways in which this story ties back to the Expanse in future books… I have a feeling it’s going to be great.
I always say one of the reasons I love scifi is for the creature creation and new world explorations. I love the creativity involved and even more so when authors can tap into the biological workings of the aliens. Mercy of Gods was definitely one of the more satisfying books I’ve read in that regard, and I mean it when I say I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us in the next book. Is it out yet?!
Recommendations: James S.A. Corey fans, dive in without hesitation – this was awesome!! Daniel Abraham fans, dive in without hesitation – the character work is superb! New to the authors fans, consider whether or not you’ll ever want to read Expanse before diving in. It wont affect your enjoyment of this story much, but implications read in Mercy of Gods will wreck a good portion of the story arcs in the Expanse in one very specific regard…
I’d like to thank James S.A. Corey, Orbit Books, and Netgalley for the chance to read and review an early copy of Mercy of Gods – y’all made my year!
Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, Mike, Elizabeth, and Bee! <3
Find me on Booktube at: The Obsessive Bookseller
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
August 18, 2024
...I'm going to kill them and burn their fucking towers to the ground."
- Dafyd Alkhor (Reciting his inner-Carl mantra)
It's funny I read this immediately after catching up on Dungeon Crawler Carl, because they are similar stories. Except The Mercy of Gods is much more serious in tone as the writing duo James S.A. Corey channel Ursula K. Le Guin and supposedly Frank Herbert. They acknowledge Ursula K. Le Guin and Frank Herbert as "the teachers we never met" in the dedication. The dialogue especially is a remarkable Le Guin facsimile, but I haven't been able to place the Herbert influence yet. Maybe that's yet to come in the next two books in this series (Or maybe I need to brush up on my Herbert - Time to binge).
The authors fully disclose how this story ends from the very beginning and I definitely want to see how these dots connect. The characters are interesting, the aliens sufficiently alien, and there are delicious twists (some I felt quite viscerally) teased and revealed in a pleasing rhythm. I'm hooked for the series.
- Dafyd Alkhor (Reciting his inner-Carl mantra)
It's funny I read this immediately after catching up on Dungeon Crawler Carl, because they are similar stories. Except The Mercy of Gods is much more serious in tone as the writing duo James S.A. Corey channel Ursula K. Le Guin and supposedly Frank Herbert. They acknowledge Ursula K. Le Guin and Frank Herbert as "the teachers we never met" in the dedication. The dialogue especially is a remarkable Le Guin facsimile, but I haven't been able to place the Herbert influence yet. Maybe that's yet to come in the next two books in this series (Or maybe I need to brush up on my Herbert - Time to binge).
The authors fully disclose how this story ends from the very beginning and I definitely want to see how these dots connect. The characters are interesting, the aliens sufficiently alien, and there are delicious twists (some I felt quite viscerally) teased and revealed in a pleasing rhythm. I'm hooked for the series.
Want to read
March 18, 2022I'm so freaking happy to see that they are going to be collaborating on another series together. Iconic duos should never split up.
July 6, 2024
”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, 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!
Bookstagram
This is the hardest book to describe without giving anything away.
If anything, know it has my glowing, excited approval, 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!
Bookstagram
July 9, 2024
I finished this book hours ago and I’ve been sitting around wondering how to review it, and I just don’t know how.
Let me start by saying The Expanse by James S.A. Corey is a big part of my life and I still remember the day they announced they were writing a new book series together. I knew it was sci-fi, and that was enough for me to know I wanted it. The Expanse was ending, but we had something else coming, so that was that. It was enough for me, so when Daniel Abraham ‘warned’ people that this series would be very different from the Expanse, I missed it. And when I started reading this book, I struggled - it is a very good book. I think it’s closer to Daniel Abraham’s work than it is to The Expanse, but it’s very much sci-fi instead of the fantasy he favors as a solo author.
It took me a long time to read this book. Is the book bad? Not at all. But it’s a dense book. Here’s a little summary: Humans have occupied Anjiin and co-exist with the ‘local’ flora and fauna. Tonner Freis’ lab is currently researching how to bridge both bio-whatevers as opposed to existing fully separately. That is until another scientist, Llaren Morse, spots something up in the sky - ships. Human ships trying to find their lost colonies? Nope. Alien ships.
This is a story about colonialism and being human. I’m going to borrow a line from the Expanse TV show: “We help each other, that's why we have a civilization.” This book is about much more than this. Is about how humans create civilization but also how they try to maintain it when they face a species they cannot overpower (or understand). The book follows scientists, which I thought was amazing, and the trials they go through had me scratching my head and theorizing for days. I liked the fact that I didn’t know, that I stumbled into questions as the characters did.
The best thing about this book, beyond the whole concept of what happens when humans face something that is bigger than they are, is the characters. There is a big focus on found family, human interaction, and mental health. The bigger focus here is in depression through Jessyn (who I love to death) and trauma. All characters experience trauma and cope with their new realities differently and it was just fascinating to read. My favorite scene was perhaps when, finally, Daffyd lost it and snapped at Campar for his constant jokes, but then he said he’s annoyed at them but he never wants them to stop. I thought that was just so sweet. Honestly, the character development and character work in this book is so excellent.
This interaction between Campar and Jessyn wraps up this book beautifully, in a way:
“It’ll be all right,” he said.
“It won’t.”
“No. But we’ll find a way to be all right with that.”
I’ll wrap this up by saying Campar is dope. Jessyn is a goddamn valkyrie. The swarm/spy/thing was so confusing until we finally find out what it is. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE CARRYX, and I’ve decided that is fine 🙂 I DO NOT UNDERSTAND (ALIEN) BIOLOGY, and I’ve also decided that is fine 🙂 The academia jokes are hilarious (you need funding, I need funding, we all need funding). Aaaaand Night Drinkers suck, I’m still SHOCKED at the one thing that happens and the way I was not expecting it at all.
Sentences I highlighted (just the few that survived since Adobe Digital Editions is a shit software and I hate it):
“If there was a war coming, it would find them gardening.”
—
“We should field-test it,” Jessyn said.
“Invite one of our little friends over for dinner and some light vivisection?”
—
“They had made two weapons from what they had. She was one of them.”
*ARC received for free from the publishers.
Let me start by saying The Expanse by James S.A. Corey is a big part of my life and I still remember the day they announced they were writing a new book series together. I knew it was sci-fi, and that was enough for me to know I wanted it. The Expanse was ending, but we had something else coming, so that was that. It was enough for me, so when Daniel Abraham ‘warned’ people that this series would be very different from the Expanse, I missed it. And when I started reading this book, I struggled - it is a very good book. I think it’s closer to Daniel Abraham’s work than it is to The Expanse, but it’s very much sci-fi instead of the fantasy he favors as a solo author.
It took me a long time to read this book. Is the book bad? Not at all. But it’s a dense book. Here’s a little summary: Humans have occupied Anjiin and co-exist with the ‘local’ flora and fauna. Tonner Freis’ lab is currently researching how to bridge both bio-whatevers as opposed to existing fully separately. That is until another scientist, Llaren Morse, spots something up in the sky - ships. Human ships trying to find their lost colonies? Nope. Alien ships.
This is a story about colonialism and being human. I’m going to borrow a line from the Expanse TV show: “We help each other, that's why we have a civilization.” This book is about much more than this. Is about how humans create civilization but also how they try to maintain it when they face a species they cannot overpower (or understand). The book follows scientists, which I thought was amazing, and the trials they go through had me scratching my head and theorizing for days. I liked the fact that I didn’t know, that I stumbled into questions as the characters did.
The best thing about this book, beyond the whole concept of what happens when humans face something that is bigger than they are, is the characters. There is a big focus on found family, human interaction, and mental health. The bigger focus here is in depression through Jessyn (who I love to death) and trauma. All characters experience trauma and cope with their new realities differently and it was just fascinating to read. My favorite scene was perhaps when, finally, Daffyd lost it and snapped at Campar for his constant jokes, but then he said he’s annoyed at them but he never wants them to stop. I thought that was just so sweet. Honestly, the character development and character work in this book is so excellent.
This interaction between Campar and Jessyn wraps up this book beautifully, in a way:
“It’ll be all right,” he said.
“It won’t.”
“No. But we’ll find a way to be all right with that.”
I’ll wrap this up by saying Campar is dope. Jessyn is a goddamn valkyrie. The swarm/spy/thing was so confusing until we finally find out what it is. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE CARRYX, and I’ve decided that is fine 🙂 I DO NOT UNDERSTAND (ALIEN) BIOLOGY, and I’ve also decided that is fine 🙂 The academia jokes are hilarious (you need funding, I need funding, we all need funding). Aaaaand Night Drinkers suck, I’m still SHOCKED at the one thing that happens and the way I was not expecting it at all.
Sentences I highlighted
“If there was a war coming, it would find them gardening.”
—
“We should field-test it,” Jessyn said.
“Invite one of our little friends over for dinner and some light vivisection?”
—
“They had made two weapons from what they had. She was one of them.”
*ARC received for free from the publishers.
August 20, 2024
Definitely one of my favorite sci-fi books. I really really liked this and I struggle with visualizing a lot of it, which makes me want to reread it before the next one because it was just so interesting to me and I think a second read would really let it sink in.
The aliens feel appropriately very alien. A lot of this reminded me of StarCraft - not so much with the overall story (yet?) but with the Carryx feeling like the Zerg and the interstellar and interspecial colonialism. A lot of really cool concepts that I think were explored fantastically.
Also just really good writing. There are so many good lines or realistic reactions or observations from the characters, things phrased in a way that just felt vivid. There is a lot of alienness to the book and S.A. Corey did an awesome job at varying the types of alienness and how confusing, sinister, and horrifying these situations would be.
The aliens feel appropriately very alien. A lot of this reminded me of StarCraft - not so much with the overall story (yet?) but with the Carryx feeling like the Zerg and the interstellar and interspecial colonialism. A lot of really cool concepts that I think were explored fantastically.
Also just really good writing. There are so many good lines or realistic reactions or observations from the characters, things phrased in a way that just felt vivid. There is a lot of alienness to the book and S.A. Corey did an awesome job at varying the types of alienness and how confusing, sinister, and horrifying these situations would be.
August 19, 2024
This review was originally published on Before We Go Blog
After the blazing success of The Expanse, the dynamic duo James S.A. Corey takes a fresh turn and kicks off a brand-new epic sci-fi trilogy with The Mercy of Gods. Exploding with mystery, intrigue, horror, and brutally raw human emotion, this survival first-contact story will fill you with equal parts terror and fascination, and then leave you star-struck by the end.
Set in a far distant future, The Mercy of Gods transports us to the planet Anjiin where humans have been thriving for the past few millennia. But now, the desperate gaze of the Carryx has landed on their planet, and only the brightest of society are safe from the conqueror’s destruction. Swept away to the Carryx’ homeworld, a group of brilliant scientists is thrown into a deadly competition against other captive species for the favour of their captors, and they will either have to learn, sacrifice and adapt, or else face total extinction.
Now, having not read The Expanse myself (though I have watched 3 seasons of the show), I went into The Mercy of Gods with no expectations and just let the story carry me away. And honestly, I think going into this morbidly fascinating trainwreck of a story completely blind is the ultimate way to experience it. It might not be spectacularly fast-paced or action-packed, but I guarantee that you won’t be able to stop turning the pages.
For me, the highlight of The Mercy of Gods is without a doubt the stupendously captivating character work. The diverse group of scientists that we follow through this nightmare scenario is exceptionally well developed, to the point that they are almost too terrifyingly realistic and relatable in their human flawedness. We get such an intimate and brutally raw exploration of how this insane level of stress, trauma and horror affects each person differently, and I truly ate up all the inner conflict and interpersonal drama. Especially the themes of morality and mental health shine bright in this story, and I found it fascinating to see how much a mind can take before it breaks and how people would justify their own horrible actions under the guise of survival.
Having said that, I do have to admit that I was more captivated and engrossed on an intellectual level than an emotional or enjoyment level, and I generally prefer it to be the other way around. While I was absolutely in awe of Corey’s wild imagination and evidently brilliant scientific expertise, I personally felt a bit alienated (pun intended?) by some of the more sciency aspects of The Mercy of Gods; at some point I just had to accept that my pea brain is not made for this type of information, and that is okay (or that is what I have just decided to tell myself, let me have this consolation, thank you).
Honestly though, I think it is a true testament to Corey’s skill as authors that I was still so engaged and excited despite some parts of the story going over my head and not being fully invested. See, for all that I felt lost at times, I also kind of appreciated how wildly alien and deeply immersive this story felt. Especially the way that the Carryx are portrayed terrified me to my core, and my anthropology and linguistics loving heart absolutely burst with joy over all the clashing between species and cultures.
Moreover, I loved how Corey infused this narrative with so much intrigue and mystery, especially through the occasional inclusion of non-human perspectives. Be it the Carryx’ excerpts at the start of each new Part of the book or the elusive ‘swarm’ POV, these shifts in perspective created such a riveting level of looming dread that just kept me on my toes the entire way through. And in a way, Corey literally spoils the ending of the story on the very first page, yet somehow that only heightens the intrigue level to truly unimaginable heights.
While I had never expected this to be my introduction to James S.A. Corey’s works, I think it ended up being the perfect entry point for me. Not only did this first instalment in The Captive’s War series leave me desperate for more with its tragically fitting and ominously foreboding ending, but it also instantly rekindled my interest in The Expanse series. If you like the sound of a slow-burn and character-driven take on an alien invasion story that is as epic as it is intimate, as alien as it is human, and as horrifying as it is fascinating, then I can’t recommend The Mercy of Gods highly enough.
3.5/5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Mercy of Gods is scheduled for release on August 6, 2024.
After the blazing success of The Expanse, the dynamic duo James S.A. Corey takes a fresh turn and kicks off a brand-new epic sci-fi trilogy with The Mercy of Gods. Exploding with mystery, intrigue, horror, and brutally raw human emotion, this survival first-contact story will fill you with equal parts terror and fascination, and then leave you star-struck by the end.
Set in a far distant future, The Mercy of Gods transports us to the planet Anjiin where humans have been thriving for the past few millennia. But now, the desperate gaze of the Carryx has landed on their planet, and only the brightest of society are safe from the conqueror’s destruction. Swept away to the Carryx’ homeworld, a group of brilliant scientists is thrown into a deadly competition against other captive species for the favour of their captors, and they will either have to learn, sacrifice and adapt, or else face total extinction.
Now, having not read The Expanse myself (though I have watched 3 seasons of the show), I went into The Mercy of Gods with no expectations and just let the story carry me away. And honestly, I think going into this morbidly fascinating trainwreck of a story completely blind is the ultimate way to experience it. It might not be spectacularly fast-paced or action-packed, but I guarantee that you won’t be able to stop turning the pages.
For me, the highlight of The Mercy of Gods is without a doubt the stupendously captivating character work. The diverse group of scientists that we follow through this nightmare scenario is exceptionally well developed, to the point that they are almost too terrifyingly realistic and relatable in their human flawedness. We get such an intimate and brutally raw exploration of how this insane level of stress, trauma and horror affects each person differently, and I truly ate up all the inner conflict and interpersonal drama. Especially the themes of morality and mental health shine bright in this story, and I found it fascinating to see how much a mind can take before it breaks and how people would justify their own horrible actions under the guise of survival.
Having said that, I do have to admit that I was more captivated and engrossed on an intellectual level than an emotional or enjoyment level, and I generally prefer it to be the other way around. While I was absolutely in awe of Corey’s wild imagination and evidently brilliant scientific expertise, I personally felt a bit alienated (pun intended?) by some of the more sciency aspects of The Mercy of Gods; at some point I just had to accept that my pea brain is not made for this type of information, and that is okay (or that is what I have just decided to tell myself, let me have this consolation, thank you).
Honestly though, I think it is a true testament to Corey’s skill as authors that I was still so engaged and excited despite some parts of the story going over my head and not being fully invested. See, for all that I felt lost at times, I also kind of appreciated how wildly alien and deeply immersive this story felt. Especially the way that the Carryx are portrayed terrified me to my core, and my anthropology and linguistics loving heart absolutely burst with joy over all the clashing between species and cultures.
Moreover, I loved how Corey infused this narrative with so much intrigue and mystery, especially through the occasional inclusion of non-human perspectives. Be it the Carryx’ excerpts at the start of each new Part of the book or the elusive ‘swarm’ POV, these shifts in perspective created such a riveting level of looming dread that just kept me on my toes the entire way through. And in a way, Corey literally spoils the ending of the story on the very first page, yet somehow that only heightens the intrigue level to truly unimaginable heights.
While I had never expected this to be my introduction to James S.A. Corey’s works, I think it ended up being the perfect entry point for me. Not only did this first instalment in The Captive’s War series leave me desperate for more with its tragically fitting and ominously foreboding ending, but it also instantly rekindled my interest in The Expanse series. If you like the sound of a slow-burn and character-driven take on an alien invasion story that is as epic as it is intimate, as alien as it is human, and as horrifying as it is fascinating, then I can’t recommend The Mercy of Gods highly enough.
3.5/5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Mercy of Gods is scheduled for release on August 6, 2024.
August 14, 2024
An extraordinary read with a fascinating world
July 30, 2024
DAMN this was insane and made me feel things.
The plot sees Dafyd and his friends kidnapped by an alien race and transported to another world, where they're forced to prove themselves 'useful' or suffer the nasty consequences.
I don't want to talk too much about the plot, because I really enjoyed how completely unpredictable it was so I'd hate to spoil that for someone else. But, safe to say, this particular alien race is quite a nasty foe.
So much of how I felt reading this book relates to the contemplations of humanity, and how humans would feel and adapt to such situations. I think that's something Corey does well - they can plant the story in a completely foreign setting surrounded by completely foreign creatures and entities, and you still end up mulling over humanity with all of its strengths and weaknesses.
The characters portrayed those ideas brilliantly; even though I didn't like Dafyd at all, his behaviours made this story so much stronger. I loved reading the different reactions and thought processes, and while I sometimes didn't agree with what a character was doing or thinking, I easily understood it.
This story takes a lot of care to develop its characters, but its never dull. There's always action just around the corner, and it's hard to catch a breath before the next twist knocks you for six. As mentioned, I loved how wildly unpredictable it was.
Such a brilliant, fascinating read, that touched some very deep emotions within me. Easily one of my favourites this year, and I can't wait for the next installment!
With thanks to NetGalley for a digital ARC
The plot sees Dafyd and his friends kidnapped by an alien race and transported to another world, where they're forced to prove themselves 'useful' or suffer the nasty consequences.
I don't want to talk too much about the plot, because I really enjoyed how completely unpredictable it was so I'd hate to spoil that for someone else. But, safe to say, this particular alien race is quite a nasty foe.
So much of how I felt reading this book relates to the contemplations of humanity, and how humans would feel and adapt to such situations. I think that's something Corey does well - they can plant the story in a completely foreign setting surrounded by completely foreign creatures and entities, and you still end up mulling over humanity with all of its strengths and weaknesses.
The characters portrayed those ideas brilliantly; even though I didn't like Dafyd at all, his behaviours made this story so much stronger. I loved reading the different reactions and thought processes, and while I sometimes didn't agree with what a character was doing or thinking, I easily understood it.
This story takes a lot of care to develop its characters, but its never dull. There's always action just around the corner, and it's hard to catch a breath before the next twist knocks you for six. As mentioned, I loved how wildly unpredictable it was.
Such a brilliant, fascinating read, that touched some very deep emotions within me. Easily one of my favourites this year, and I can't wait for the next installment!
With thanks to NetGalley for a digital ARC
August 24, 2024
Wow. This was an unbelievably gripping start to a series. I rarely find myself so engaged and invested in a book 1, and the only negative for me with this new release is that I don't immediately have the next book to dive into and binge. That's it. That's the only negative.
This is go-big-or-go-home sci-fi, and I love when series ratchet up the drama to an epic scale with the highest stakes possible like this. Cixin Liu, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Christopher Ruocchio, and James SA Corey themselves (though the Expanse took longer to get there) have done this for me before, but none that I've read have gone so big so soon like the Mercy of Gods did. A+ for boldness.
One of my favorite aspects of sci-fi is reading from non-human POVs, and that was a standout highlight of this read for me, deployed to perfection intermittently. I also really like what they did with the human ensemble cast of characters. They're for the most part more subtle character archetypes than what you typically get, so while I understand if some readers might find them less compelling than the Expanse cast with its handful of colorful and strong personalities, I found them riveting in their own quieter and idiosyncratic ways.
I was basically on the edge of my seat the entire book, utterly gripped by the plot and the various settings we spent time in. Gimme more.
This is go-big-or-go-home sci-fi, and I love when series ratchet up the drama to an epic scale with the highest stakes possible like this. Cixin Liu, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Christopher Ruocchio, and James SA Corey themselves (though the Expanse took longer to get there) have done this for me before, but none that I've read have gone so big so soon like the Mercy of Gods did. A+ for boldness.
One of my favorite aspects of sci-fi is reading from non-human POVs, and that was a standout highlight of this read for me, deployed to perfection intermittently. I also really like what they did with the human ensemble cast of characters. They're for the most part more subtle character archetypes than what you typically get, so while I understand if some readers might find them less compelling than the Expanse cast with its handful of colorful and strong personalities, I found them riveting in their own quieter and idiosyncratic ways.
I was basically on the edge of my seat the entire book, utterly gripped by the plot and the various settings we spent time in. Gimme more.
August 14, 2024
I am so grateful that the end of ‘The Expanse’ did not mean the end of epic science fiction spewing forth from the two visionary authors behind the pen-name James S. A. Corey. While I miss the crew of The Rocinante (who wouldn’t?!?) ‘The Mercy of Gods’ checked all the boxes that made ‘The Expanse’ so epic, while upping the stakes to include full-blown sentient alien occupation. And I have to imagine the human colony this centers around will eventually tie in to ‘The Expanse’, leaving potential for a cameo from everyone’s favorite immortal golem, Amos!
August 14, 2024
3.25/5 rounded down.
I think I owe this book a longer review but I was sitting on it at bit because I have quite a few mixed feelings on it.
First of all although this is Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham's follow up series to The Expanse it is not a sequel to The Expanse. This is important to know because this series is quite a bit different. This is presumably a far far future setting where humanity is on a different planet in a different solar system and maybe even a different galaxy. It's unclear because the humans on the planet aren't sure how they got there either. Where The Expanse followed a spaceship captain and a detective, this book follows a group of academic researchers in the field of biology. And you follow them through an alien invasion and its aftermath.
I think the difference in characters is a big reason why I liked this book significantly less than Leviathan Wakes, book 1 of The Expanse. I think it's a lot easier to get people drawn into a story when the main POVs are inherently interesting like a space captain and a detective. I think it's a lot hard to get a reader like myself invested in a story about a group of academics who spend a lot of the first 100 or so pages whining about academic politics and their research projects. That means the authors have to put in extra work to make these characters interesting and in my opinion they aren't. They felt really cardboard to me and hard to distinguish from one another. If/when something happened to one of them I didn't really care because there was no real connection with any of them. This continues throughout the book where their main focus continues to be working on research projects. Every time human characters are the focus on the page it is a drag on the book with maybe a couple of exceptions.
However, there is plenty to like here as well. In The Expanse the alien forces are unknowable and in the background except when the characters have to deal with the conditions they create. Here they are up front and on the page including with dialogue. They are scary, mysterious, and wholly interesting. Every little bit we get to learn about them and their motives is really what kept me turning the pages here. And the pages do turn fast. Despite some of the plot being not that interesting to me the writing is very digestible and not dense like a lot of other sci fi. I really want and need to know more about the Carryx and what happens as they interact more with humans. There are also other elements here that are interesting that I do not want to spoil, but it is safe to say the aliens are what I'm here for and not the more small scope human survival story which I found dull.
And that's kind of why I could not give this book quite a full four stars. It was fast. I was mostly entertained. I want to know more. But for a lot of this book there are characters I don't care about doing a lot of things I don't care about. I really hope the next two books in the trilogy open up the world a little bit and expand the scope. That's really going to determine if I keep going with this series or not after book 2.
I think I owe this book a longer review but I was sitting on it at bit because I have quite a few mixed feelings on it.
First of all although this is Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham's follow up series to The Expanse it is not a sequel to The Expanse. This is important to know because this series is quite a bit different. This is presumably a far far future setting where humanity is on a different planet in a different solar system and maybe even a different galaxy. It's unclear because the humans on the planet aren't sure how they got there either. Where The Expanse followed a spaceship captain and a detective, this book follows a group of academic researchers in the field of biology. And you follow them through an alien invasion and its aftermath.
I think the difference in characters is a big reason why I liked this book significantly less than Leviathan Wakes, book 1 of The Expanse. I think it's a lot easier to get people drawn into a story when the main POVs are inherently interesting like a space captain and a detective. I think it's a lot hard to get a reader like myself invested in a story about a group of academics who spend a lot of the first 100 or so pages whining about academic politics and their research projects. That means the authors have to put in extra work to make these characters interesting and in my opinion they aren't. They felt really cardboard to me and hard to distinguish from one another. If/when something happened to one of them I didn't really care because there was no real connection with any of them. This continues throughout the book where their main focus continues to be working on research projects. Every time human characters are the focus on the page it is a drag on the book with maybe a couple of exceptions.
However, there is plenty to like here as well. In The Expanse the alien forces are unknowable and in the background except when the characters have to deal with the conditions they create. Here they are up front and on the page including with dialogue. They are scary, mysterious, and wholly interesting. Every little bit we get to learn about them and their motives is really what kept me turning the pages here. And the pages do turn fast. Despite some of the plot being not that interesting to me the writing is very digestible and not dense like a lot of other sci fi. I really want and need to know more about the Carryx and what happens as they interact more with humans. There are also other elements here that are interesting that I do not want to spoil, but it is safe to say the aliens are what I'm here for and not the more small scope human survival story which I found dull.
And that's kind of why I could not give this book quite a full four stars. It was fast. I was mostly entertained. I want to know more. But for a lot of this book there are characters I don't care about doing a lot of things I don't care about. I really hope the next two books in the trilogy open up the world a little bit and expand the scope. That's really going to determine if I keep going with this series or not after book 2.
August 8, 2024
WHY! Why am I doing this to myself?! Why am I starting a series by authors I KNOW are awesome at cliffhangers, only to despair when getting to the cliffhanger and realizing I will have to wait Idon'tknowhowlong for the next installment??? *frustrated groan*
Welcome to the planet Anjin. We don't know too much about its topography or flora and fauna besides some mentions and the fact that humans are living on it. How we came to live there? Who knows?!
In the beginning, we follow some scientists that just had a breakthrough - one that has someone very nervous and seem to mean something, though we don't yet know what.
Then, all of a sudden, aliens arrive in Anjin space and ... take over. They are such an overwhelming force that it's over pretty quickly and the humans didn't stand a chance.
The scientists we had followed in the beginning are taken prisoner by the Carryx (the invading aliens) and put to some mysterious work. It is thus that we meet all the other conquered species on the ships / Carryx world.
Seeing an alien invasion through the eyes of scientists and to then experience being relocated and "re-educated" through them as well was highly interesting. I mean, ideally, they react much more rationally, observe better than average humans, and can draw important conclusions.
The fact that there was another alien, hidden so to speak, only made it more mysterious because: just how many are there? Are the Carryx top dog or not? Why do they want the best and brightest in every field of the species they conquer? Why didn't they kill all the rest and destroy or take over Anjin? What is the work the scientists are supposed to do for the Carryx really for?
The more answers we get, the more questions pop up and it hints at one hell of a huge universe opening up in this new series.
So far, I'm not really interested in (m)any of the characters, but that was also not necessary to get swept up in the events and be really invested. There is just so much to explore!
The writing was as great as in the authors' last series so absolutely no complaints there.
Can't wait for the next installment!
Welcome to the planet Anjin. We don't know too much about its topography or flora and fauna besides some mentions and the fact that humans are living on it. How we came to live there? Who knows?!
In the beginning, we follow some scientists that just had a breakthrough - one that has someone very nervous and seem to mean something, though we don't yet know what.
Then, all of a sudden, aliens arrive in Anjin space and ... take over. They are such an overwhelming force that it's over pretty quickly and the humans didn't stand a chance.
The scientists we had followed in the beginning are taken prisoner by the Carryx (the invading aliens) and put to some mysterious work. It is thus that we meet all the other conquered species on the ships / Carryx world.
Seeing an alien invasion through the eyes of scientists and to then experience being relocated and "re-educated" through them as well was highly interesting. I mean, ideally, they react much more rationally, observe better than average humans, and can draw important conclusions.
The fact that there was another alien, hidden so to speak, only made it more mysterious because: just how many are there? Are the Carryx top dog or not? Why do they want the best and brightest in every field of the species they conquer? Why didn't they kill all the rest and destroy or take over Anjin? What is the work the scientists are supposed to do for the Carryx really for?
The more answers we get, the more questions pop up and it hints at one hell of a huge universe opening up in this new series.
So far, I'm not really interested in (m)any of the characters, but that was also not necessary to get swept up in the events and be really invested. There is just so much to explore!
The writing was as great as in the authors' last series so absolutely no complaints there.
Can't wait for the next installment!
August 19, 2024
Alien Invasion
/
Alien Abduction
/Espionage crossover about the inhabitants of a human
Lost Colony
and their incipient
Stockholm syndrome
. First book in The Captive’s War series.
Ekur-Tkalal, keeper-libarian of the human moiety of the Carryx.
My dead pixels copy was a moderate 423-pages. The book had a 2024 US copyright.
James S. A. Corey is the nom de plume of the writing team of American authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Together they have written more than 20-books and several short stories, principally in their Expanse series, but not exclusively. I have read many of their books. The most recent being Leviathan Falls (Expanse, #9) (my review).
TL;DR Synopsis
The lost human, colony world of Anjiin falls victim to a brutal, conquest by the technologically superior, genocidal, Carryx and their slave species. The surviving human’s best and brightest were summarily deported to the Carryx home world. There, they will either prove humans useful as a subjugated, slave species or be exterminated as a group.
Meanwhile, the Carryx were engaged in a galactic, War of Extermination with a rival, Suffieiently Advanced Alien Species .
Four humans and an Infiltrating alien, tell the story of negotiating the Carryx Protocol Perils needed to survive their imprisonment.
The Review
I approached this book expecting it to be The Expanse-like, but was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. It bears some of that effort’s Elements of Style, but is different enough to look like a fresh effort. I just hope this series doesn’t go-on for 9-books taking 11-years to do it?
The book’s prose was good, and it was immaculately groomed. I found no errors. However, the James S. A. Corey writing team has generally had amongst the highest of production values for science fiction. I also think that, tight, experienced “writing teams”, abet those higher values as they go over each other’s prose ironing the sentences out?
However, I thought the book started out differently than it ended, at least prose-wise. The first few chapters, had me thinking this was a work of Literary Science Fiction. That is, of the same ilk as Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. For example [my Ital.],
Descriptive prose was good. Action sequences were on par with the author’s previous work. Although, some readers may be disappointed that there was only one, short, space battle? I came to greatly enjoy the dialog. In particular, the pithy short sentences used in it. (See quote at top regarding "aliens").
There was the familiar use of several, third-person limited perspectives (POVs). The story started with a larger number, but was eventually winnowed down to four humans and two aliens. The shifting viewpoints were well-handled, and compact. Six POVs was a good fit for this book’s 400+ pages. That was helped by there only being a single, shared location, and Cory concentrating on their trademark action and dialog.
The six most important POV’s to the story were: Dafyd, Jessyn, The Swarm, Tonner, Rickar and Ekur-Tkalal.
The human characters were all part of a human research team, ‘harvested’ by the Carryx for their success in biological science research. While a lot of their inner dialog and motivations were centered on the team’s group dynamics, and the greasy pole of academic research on Anjiin, these eventually evolve into the moral and ethical dilemmas of the Carryx prison camp-like environment.
Dafyd was the nominal protagonist. He was aptly described by his boss as “He’s a schemer. Everything he does is for effect. He’s always watching people.” While not the best of researchers, he’s the most broadminded, and first in coming to understand the deadly Carryx and the dynamics of the competitive, multi-alien species prison camp. I thought he might be a sociopath?Jessyn was one of the more capable researchers, and deeply integrated into the team. She’s also bi-polar, and with only a limited amount of her meds. Hers was an adaption from genteel Angiin academia to the extreme reality of the Carryx prison camp, with creeping madness. Tonner was the Team’s leader. He was a: brilliant, successful, ego-centric, researcher. He copes with imprisonment, by burying himself in the Carryx directed research. He’s the last to appreciate the personal and group danger, along with the moral and ethical dilemmas of the imprisonment. Tonner was high on the spectrum with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Rickar was the outsider. He was once a trusted researcher. However, he was exiled from the Team by Tonner. This was due to an Anjiin academic-coup. Team fatalities eventually resulted in his reinstatement. For most of the story, he was the outsider "looking in" at the Team. His was the most normal character.
In the abnormal circumstances of the alien abduction, I found it very interesting that the human characters with POVs, and that were most effective, had mental health conditions and psychiatric disabilities.
Note there were numerous other humans on Anjiin and later imprisoned on the Carryx homeworld that played minor or Red Shirt roles. For example, Jellit who was Jessyn's brother. He was important to her mental health and was likewise a researcher on Anjiin of some ability, but in the physical sciences.
As an aside, there was a non-POV contributing character named Campar. His dialog can be pricelessly humorous. He contributed the quote at the beginning of this review. Students of The Expanse may recognize the similarity between Campar’s dialog and the Josephus Miller character?
The Swarm was a spy . Identifying the spy, takes most of the book. I did not find its identity to be terribly well hidden.
Ekur-Tkalal was the nominal Carryx antagonist. It’s carried along as a Mr. Exposition on the Carryx, their related world building, and as part of the series’ long-term plotline.
Note there was: “Sex, drugs, and no rock’n roll music, along with violence in the story.
Folks had sex, both hetro and gay. It was tastefully done in the fade to black style. At one point, its necessity was explained as “what primates do when under stress”. Alcohol and marijuana were available on Anjiin, and consumed in social settings, sometimes in excess. Once off of Anjiin, no drugs were consumed. Several times groups of humans used singing to alleviate stress and boredom were mentioned. In addition, “live music” was mentioned on Anjiin, but no details were given.
The body count was genocidal. At least a billion humans died in the original attack on Anjiin. The planet may have been completely cleansed except for the deportees? I frankly thought that there would likely have been more suicides, and folks going unresponsive than were described during the long, arduous, deportation? Also, tens, if not hundreds of alien sentients were killed in the Carryx prison camp. Most of the violence was physical, and with some small arms or impact weapons. The violence was moderately graphic.
World building was good. However, its only vaguely hard science fiction. For example, the Carryx have FTL Travel and other “sufficiently advanced technologies indistinguishable from magic”. These exist alongside more prosaic Anjiin conceivable future technologies. (Like nanotech swarms.)
However, the callousness, and brutality of the Carryx and their “sky cities” prison camps were well-wrought. It borrows from historical, human Concentration Camp atrocities. The conditions in the camps included the menagerie of alien species that the humans rub shoulder’s and appendages with on a daily basis was particularly good.
I did have a few problems with the world building and plotting.
The human’s lab equipment was dismantled and shipped from Anjiin by the Carryx for their use. If I wanted to quibble, I’d ask “How was it that the Night Drinkers, an alien species, with no common language, culture, or history with humans, had their advanced biological research laboratory provisioned with devices that humans found instantly recognizable and usable for their research? Could they have likely mistakenly identified a Night Drinker “biological analyzer” as a toaster oven?
I found it peculiar that the human prisoners did not make their own intoxicants for stress relief? They didn't even attempt Pruno or something like it. Also, Ethanol has many common usages in biological research. There wasn't any just laying around? I also would have thought, that alcohol and some intoxicating drugs could easily be manufactured with the resources of an advanced biological laboratory? For example,
Also, The Swarm was alone.
Summary
I started this series with mixed expectations. It was better than I expected. It’s a good beginning for a series.
In particular, Cory left behind their previous work and created anew. The story was different, although the writing was eventually mostly the same. If you look closely, you may see familiar characters?
However, I am apprehensive about the duration of this series. This was a work of Serial Fiction with a page count of about 450 pages. I frankly don’t have the patience for: three story arcs, of three 450 page books, spread out over 10-years as was done in the past. I would much prefer three ~900 page books, spread-out over 5-years.
This story was amongst the most: well-written, somewhat gritty, semi-hard, science fiction I’ve read in the last year or two. I particularly liked that the main characters almost all had mental health conditions and psychiatric disabilities. That seemed to make them more survivable under the very abnormal conditions? It will be interesting to see where this story goes and how quickly the series ends.
”Alien life exists, and they are assholes.”
Ekur-Tkalal, keeper-libarian of the human moiety of the Carryx.
My dead pixels copy was a moderate 423-pages. The book had a 2024 US copyright.
James S. A. Corey is the nom de plume of the writing team of American authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Together they have written more than 20-books and several short stories, principally in their Expanse series, but not exclusively. I have read many of their books. The most recent being Leviathan Falls (Expanse, #9) (my review).
TL;DR Synopsis
The lost human, colony world of Anjiin falls victim to a brutal, conquest by the technologically superior, genocidal, Carryx and their slave species. The surviving human’s best and brightest were summarily deported to the Carryx home world. There, they will either prove humans useful as a subjugated, slave species or be exterminated as a group.
Meanwhile, the Carryx were engaged in a galactic, War of Extermination with a rival, Suffieiently Advanced Alien Species .
Four humans and an Infiltrating alien, tell the story of negotiating the Carryx Protocol Perils needed to survive their imprisonment.
The Review
I approached this book expecting it to be The Expanse-like, but was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. It bears some of that effort’s Elements of Style, but is different enough to look like a fresh effort. I just hope this series doesn’t go-on for 9-books taking 11-years to do it?
The book’s prose was good, and it was immaculately groomed. I found no errors. However, the James S. A. Corey writing team has generally had amongst the highest of production values for science fiction. I also think that, tight, experienced “writing teams”, abet those higher values as they go over each other’s prose ironing the sentences out?
However, I thought the book started out differently than it ended, at least prose-wise. The first few chapters, had me thinking this was a work of Literary Science Fiction. That is, of the same ilk as Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. For example [my Ital.],
Tonner and Else shared a couch, sitting together but not together, the space between them an equilibrium of intimacy and professionalism.As the book got long, the narrative prose became more familiar to SA Cory readers. At least the verbiage had fewer syllables.
Descriptive prose was good. Action sequences were on par with the author’s previous work. Although, some readers may be disappointed that there was only one, short, space battle? I came to greatly enjoy the dialog. In particular, the pithy short sentences used in it. (See quote at top regarding "aliens").
There was the familiar use of several, third-person limited perspectives (POVs). The story started with a larger number, but was eventually winnowed down to four humans and two aliens. The shifting viewpoints were well-handled, and compact. Six POVs was a good fit for this book’s 400+ pages. That was helped by there only being a single, shared location, and Cory concentrating on their trademark action and dialog.
The six most important POV’s to the story were: Dafyd, Jessyn, The Swarm, Tonner, Rickar and Ekur-Tkalal.
The human characters were all part of a human research team, ‘harvested’ by the Carryx for their success in biological science research. While a lot of their inner dialog and motivations were centered on the team’s group dynamics, and the greasy pole of academic research on Anjiin, these eventually evolve into the moral and ethical dilemmas of the Carryx prison camp-like environment.
Dafyd was the nominal protagonist. He was aptly described by his boss as “He’s a schemer. Everything he does is for effect. He’s always watching people.” While not the best of researchers, he’s the most broadminded, and first in coming to understand the deadly Carryx and the dynamics of the competitive, multi-alien species prison camp. I thought he might be a sociopath?Jessyn was one of the more capable researchers, and deeply integrated into the team. She’s also bi-polar, and with only a limited amount of her meds. Hers was an adaption from genteel Angiin academia to the extreme reality of the Carryx prison camp, with creeping madness. Tonner was the Team’s leader. He was a: brilliant, successful, ego-centric, researcher. He copes with imprisonment, by burying himself in the Carryx directed research. He’s the last to appreciate the personal and group danger, along with the moral and ethical dilemmas of the imprisonment. Tonner was high on the spectrum with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Rickar was the outsider. He was once a trusted researcher. However, he was exiled from the Team by Tonner. This was due to an Anjiin academic-coup. Team fatalities eventually resulted in his reinstatement. For most of the story, he was the outsider "looking in" at the Team. His was the most normal character.
In the abnormal circumstances of the alien abduction, I found it very interesting that the human characters with POVs, and that were most effective, had mental health conditions and psychiatric disabilities.
Note there were numerous other humans on Anjiin and later imprisoned on the Carryx homeworld that played minor or Red Shirt roles. For example, Jellit who was Jessyn's brother. He was important to her mental health and was likewise a researcher on Anjiin of some ability, but in the physical sciences.
As an aside, there was a non-POV contributing character named Campar. His dialog can be pricelessly humorous. He contributed the quote at the beginning of this review. Students of The Expanse may recognize the similarity between Campar’s dialog and the Josephus Miller character?
The Swarm was a spy . Identifying the spy, takes most of the book. I did not find its identity to be terribly well hidden.
Ekur-Tkalal was the nominal Carryx antagonist. It’s carried along as a Mr. Exposition on the Carryx, their related world building, and as part of the series’ long-term plotline.
Note there was: “Sex, drugs, and no rock’n roll music, along with violence in the story.
Folks had sex, both hetro and gay. It was tastefully done in the fade to black style. At one point, its necessity was explained as “what primates do when under stress”. Alcohol and marijuana were available on Anjiin, and consumed in social settings, sometimes in excess. Once off of Anjiin, no drugs were consumed. Several times groups of humans used singing to alleviate stress and boredom were mentioned. In addition, “live music” was mentioned on Anjiin, but no details were given.
The body count was genocidal. At least a billion humans died in the original attack on Anjiin. The planet may have been completely cleansed except for the deportees? I frankly thought that there would likely have been more suicides, and folks going unresponsive than were described during the long, arduous, deportation? Also, tens, if not hundreds of alien sentients were killed in the Carryx prison camp. Most of the violence was physical, and with some small arms or impact weapons. The violence was moderately graphic.
World building was good. However, its only vaguely hard science fiction. For example, the Carryx have FTL Travel and other “sufficiently advanced technologies indistinguishable from magic”. These exist alongside more prosaic Anjiin conceivable future technologies. (Like nanotech swarms.)
However, the callousness, and brutality of the Carryx and their “sky cities” prison camps were well-wrought. It borrows from historical, human Concentration Camp atrocities. The conditions in the camps included the menagerie of alien species that the humans rub shoulder’s and appendages with on a daily basis was particularly good.
I did have a few problems with the world building and plotting.
The human’s lab equipment was dismantled and shipped from Anjiin by the Carryx for their use. If I wanted to quibble, I’d ask “How was it that the Night Drinkers, an alien species, with no common language, culture, or history with humans, had their advanced biological research laboratory provisioned with devices that humans found instantly recognizable and usable for their research? Could they have likely mistakenly identified a Night Drinker “biological analyzer” as a toaster oven?
I found it peculiar that the human prisoners did not make their own intoxicants for stress relief? They didn't even attempt Pruno or something like it. Also, Ethanol has many common usages in biological research. There wasn't any just laying around? I also would have thought, that alcohol and some intoxicating drugs could easily be manufactured with the resources of an advanced biological laboratory? For example,
Also, The Swarm was alone.
Summary
I started this series with mixed expectations. It was better than I expected. It’s a good beginning for a series.
In particular, Cory left behind their previous work and created anew. The story was different, although the writing was eventually mostly the same. If you look closely, you may see familiar characters?
However, I am apprehensive about the duration of this series. This was a work of Serial Fiction with a page count of about 450 pages. I frankly don’t have the patience for: three story arcs, of three 450 page books, spread out over 10-years as was done in the past. I would much prefer three ~900 page books, spread-out over 5-years.
This story was amongst the most: well-written, somewhat gritty, semi-hard, science fiction I’ve read in the last year or two. I particularly liked that the main characters almost all had mental health conditions and psychiatric disabilities. That seemed to make them more survivable under the very abnormal conditions? It will be interesting to see where this story goes and how quickly the series ends.
August 24, 2024
Knowing these authors, we'll have book three by 2026, but that still feels like way too long to wait. This book, which is a bit depressing and sort of a tease, still manages to be exciting and compelling largely because of the way that you know from the beginning that this man Dafyd will be a huge thorn in the side of these aliens in the future, and that he will be their downfall. I just want to see that happen. But the book itself has made me interested in seeing what happens to the characters on a smaller level. I just want the Swarm to be happy, okay?
So now that I've rambled about a bunch of stuff without much context, here is some context.
Humans are living on a planet called Anjiin, and it's been lost to them how their species arrived there, but they've been there about 3,000 years. Another alien species one day comes down and kills 1/8 of the population, enslaving the rest. They bring a select group of elite humans to another planet and give them a test. What is the test for? How do they pass it? To say these aliens are alien is a bit of an understatement. A huge conflict in this book is the humans learning over and over again that alien beings do not think like humans, and having to literally step outside their way of thinking. Dafyd, he of the pain in the ass, is exceptionally good at this.
The reason this is only getting four stars, though, is that the portion of the book where they are trying to solve the puzzle felt a tiny bit sloggy, mostly because I didn't know how the book was going to turn out. But really that's a minor complaint. Also, it just in general feels like a four to me because I often need more than one book to fall in love with characters, and that was definitely my experience with The Expanse (the authors' previous series). It took me until book three to fall in love there. This series is only going to be three books total, but I'm getting the feeling that with another book under my belt, and probably a re-read by audio of this one (Jefferson Mays is back!), this second problem won't be a problem anymore.
Something that was really interesting about this particular book was that there was a huge focus on what a hugely traumatic situation like this would do to people, and there is a whole range of reactions that are considered and given space and empathy. I've seen a focus on trauma before in space opera, but I don't think to this extent. I liked it. (Well, it wasn't always pleasant. So maybe I appreciated it is a better way to put it.)
Dang, I love a good space opera.
So now that I've rambled about a bunch of stuff without much context, here is some context.
Humans are living on a planet called Anjiin, and it's been lost to them how their species arrived there, but they've been there about 3,000 years. Another alien species one day comes down and kills 1/8 of the population, enslaving the rest. They bring a select group of elite humans to another planet and give them a test. What is the test for? How do they pass it? To say these aliens are alien is a bit of an understatement. A huge conflict in this book is the humans learning over and over again that alien beings do not think like humans, and having to literally step outside their way of thinking. Dafyd, he of the pain in the ass, is exceptionally good at this.
The reason this is only getting four stars, though, is that the portion of the book where they are trying to solve the puzzle felt a tiny bit sloggy, mostly because I didn't know how the book was going to turn out. But really that's a minor complaint. Also, it just in general feels like a four to me because I often need more than one book to fall in love with characters, and that was definitely my experience with The Expanse (the authors' previous series). It took me until book three to fall in love there. This series is only going to be three books total, but I'm getting the feeling that with another book under my belt, and probably a re-read by audio of this one (Jefferson Mays is back!), this second problem won't be a problem anymore.
Something that was really interesting about this particular book was that there was a huge focus on what a hugely traumatic situation like this would do to people, and there is a whole range of reactions that are considered and given space and empathy. I've seen a focus on trauma before in space opera, but I don't think to this extent. I liked it. (Well, it wasn't always pleasant. So maybe I appreciated it is a better way to put it.)
Dang, I love a good space opera.
Read
August 31, 2024Dnf'd for now. To be revisited later, but it's been below par for my expectations although it contains a very well written and haunting blow by blow account of a somewhat generic first contact trope, and all the horror it entails.
August 9, 2024
A stellar start to a new series that measures up well so far to The Expanse and feels like it brings a similarly potent and well balanced blend of thrilling and chilling ideas, an epic scope and a tight knit ensemble of characters. Also, similarly affecting themes relating to despair and determination in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity, as well as coping with the trauma of unimaginable loss and destruction. Unlike The Expanse, the authors seem to dive right into the thick of things quite quickly. Knowing them, I'm sure there are quite a few shocking and distressing twists and turns and gut wrenching, imperfect choices ahead.
August 11, 2024
4.5 stars. This book is so good! RTC.
August 14, 2024
The Mercy of Gods
by James S.A. Corey
The Captive's War #1
Science Fiction Space Opera
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
Orbit Books
Ages: 17+
Lost to time, nobody knows how the human race got to the planet Anjiin, but they are thriving. Dafyd Alkhor is a research assistant working with one of the top research groups on the planet, but one day the spaceships arrive, instantly killing millions of people, then taking thousands into their ships, packed in like cattle.
Arriving on a different planet, populated by hundreds of the other species the Carryx have enslaved, among the captives, stripped of dignity, Dafyd is reunited with his research group and they are forced to do their job but for the Carryx. Then they find that the goal is a competition, and those that fail are of no use to the Carryx.
Within the first ten pages, I knew this was going to be a slow read, and I was right. There wasn't much action, even at the end of the story. A few things that made it slow were the lack of backstory, the jumping around from different characters, and some of the characters not developed until the middle of the story so it was hard to relate/care about them. Then there is all of the 'science' talk; for me who is not a scientist, it got boring because it did not help me relate to the story. A little more of the 'uncollegeeducated' summaries would have helped.
But with the 'bad' out of the way, I can imagine that the next book in the series will 'start' the story, making this one more of a 'prequel'. Working with what has been outlined, this world, the aliens, and the trials waiting for the humans could become a fast-paced semi-action series. (I say semi-action because; Scientist. Yes, they can be bada$$, but most of these guys are going to have to pull their heads out of the a%%es).
Will I read the next one? I don't know.
Sure I would like to know if the humans win, but I question if I have the patience to sit through another 450ish pages of a story that reads like a snail trying to make it across a two-lane.
A little more action could have given this story one more star.
2 Stars
by James S.A. Corey
The Captive's War #1
Science Fiction Space Opera
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
Orbit Books
Ages: 17+
Lost to time, nobody knows how the human race got to the planet Anjiin, but they are thriving. Dafyd Alkhor is a research assistant working with one of the top research groups on the planet, but one day the spaceships arrive, instantly killing millions of people, then taking thousands into their ships, packed in like cattle.
Arriving on a different planet, populated by hundreds of the other species the Carryx have enslaved, among the captives, stripped of dignity, Dafyd is reunited with his research group and they are forced to do their job but for the Carryx. Then they find that the goal is a competition, and those that fail are of no use to the Carryx.
Within the first ten pages, I knew this was going to be a slow read, and I was right. There wasn't much action, even at the end of the story. A few things that made it slow were the lack of backstory, the jumping around from different characters, and some of the characters not developed until the middle of the story so it was hard to relate/care about them. Then there is all of the 'science' talk; for me who is not a scientist, it got boring because it did not help me relate to the story. A little more of the 'uncollegeeducated' summaries would have helped.
But with the 'bad' out of the way, I can imagine that the next book in the series will 'start' the story, making this one more of a 'prequel'. Working with what has been outlined, this world, the aliens, and the trials waiting for the humans could become a fast-paced semi-action series. (I say semi-action because; Scientist. Yes, they can be bada$$, but most of these guys are going to have to pull their heads out of the a%%es).
Will I read the next one? I don't know.
Sure I would like to know if the humans win, but I question if I have the patience to sit through another 450ish pages of a story that reads like a snail trying to make it across a two-lane.
A little more action could have given this story one more star.
2 Stars
August 6, 2024
My new all time favourite scifi book. I was hooked from beginning to end, audibly gasping, physically cringing, waving my hands around, covering my eyes and riding the best adrenaline rush.
This kept me up multiple nights in a row. I have zero regrets about the exhaustion for the morning after.
I've said before that this is like a depressing scifi love island, and I think I still stand by that. The group dynamics and interpersonal drama is juicy, tantalising and completely riveting. The horrible, traumatic situations that they're put in only manage to heighten the stakes.
This is very much a hard scifi, it goes heavy on the science. At times it feels like a thought experiment on anthropology and alien life. I loved every second of it.
It feels like they've applied everything they learnt from The Expanse, and crammed it all in in book one. Complex characters, politics, science, aliens, everything I ever wanted.
I'll literally be begging the authors to sell signed copies. I CANNOT WAIT for the next book.
HIGHLY recommend.
This kept me up multiple nights in a row. I have zero regrets about the exhaustion for the morning after.
I've said before that this is like a depressing scifi love island, and I think I still stand by that. The group dynamics and interpersonal drama is juicy, tantalising and completely riveting. The horrible, traumatic situations that they're put in only manage to heighten the stakes.
This is very much a hard scifi, it goes heavy on the science. At times it feels like a thought experiment on anthropology and alien life. I loved every second of it.
It feels like they've applied everything they learnt from The Expanse, and crammed it all in in book one. Complex characters, politics, science, aliens, everything I ever wanted.
I'll literally be begging the authors to sell signed copies. I CANNOT WAIT for the next book.
HIGHLY recommend.
August 14, 2024
The Mercy of Gods is a fantastic read. While initially a bit challenging to get into, it quickly becomes an absorbing, frightening, high stakes story that’s impossible to put down. This tale of conquered humans searching for survival in an alien world is complicated and requires concentration, but is absolutely worth the effort. An excellent start to what I'm sure will be a great series. A must-read for sci-fi fans.
August 12, 2024
I try to meet a book where it wants to be, rather than where I expected it to be based on external information (like marketing), so I did try to re-calibrate my expectations from a space opera - which this books decidedly isn't - to a some sort of an experiment in telling astory of alien invasion, trauma, human bonds in the face of said trauma, all told from a perspective of protagonists' with a limited knowledge. And maybe it could have worked - if more of the plot progressed (if it can be call a progress in the first place) by the character's actions and interactions with each other, and less in their heads. As it stands, Mercy of Gods made for an tiring read that begged for editing some of its text out.
I found the characters rather bland and the shifting POV repetitive. We were guided through one character's thought process, and then the other character's observing the previous character and thinking on they are feeling and how they are managing (or vice verse). Worse yet, the biggest sin of any many-POV narration, though the POVs shifted, the perspective rarely did - the characters' voices weren't distinctive and they had basically an uniformed outlook at what was happening. Vague spoiler for the final chapters . The level of introspection was fit for an (overlong) character study or, really, an YA novel - the narration hammered every point and characters' feeling home.
It didn't help that for a plot heavily relaying on a romance storyline, it did so with a woman absolutely devoid of any character - she was attractive, because men wanted to be with her, and not one POV's about her (anyone's, not only her former and current partner) offered anything substantial about who she actually was.
Maybe because of the limited POVs, but the worldbuilding didn't compensate for any of this, most of the information both on humanity's world and the Carryx's world were delivered by blocks of info-dumping (and the codas promising the doom of Carryx started to get tiring at some point, contrasted with nothing-is-happening main text of the chapters). Instead of unknowable, the aliens came off as under-described - especially since, when it mattered, the protagonists were able to predict their reactions very accurately. ( ).
And then, the ending. It was designed to provoke many reactions, I guess, but what I actually felt about it was that it was both forever in coming and rushed - which is, I admit a accomplishment on its own. Though over discussed, it didn't provoke any real conflict in the main group of characters, it didn't fully cashed in in whatever happened earlier, its fallout was limited ( ) and while consequences may be tremendously important later on, for now they are just a set-up for the next novel. Of course that there are things in any series that are started in earlier novels and only realized later - but any part of the series still should be more that a jumping point.
What makes me not only disappointed, but also annoyed is that, marketing aside, some of the expectations were set by the book itself - promises were made at the beginning and not kept. I understand that it's a first book in a series and though I think it still should show us at least a glimpse of the fireworks it promised, I could wait for them for a second book. More annoyingly, however, the first chapters were full of the narration going all "look carefully now! This choice is of the utmost important and will change the course of history!" and then those choices didn't really matter at all. What kept me (grudgingly) interested through pages of pages of introspections and ponderings and people not doing much at all was the explicit assurance that the first conflict, uninspired as it was, will somehow fit it with a larger narrative and I wanted to see how. But then it just didn't, not in any meaningful way - which makes it only a boring bit of academy drama that was, frankly, a waste of time.
While the ending is a potentially good start point for a more interesting story further on, with a narration style that, I'm afraid, can make even a potential fireworks filtered by layers of introspections (in this case, read as: boring) and a series that has already shown it does not keep its promises, I will be very hesitant to check in for whatever happens next.
I found the characters rather bland and the shifting POV repetitive. We were guided through one character's thought process, and then the other character's observing the previous character and thinking on they are feeling and how they are managing (or vice verse). Worse yet, the biggest sin of any many-POV narration, though the POVs shifted, the perspective rarely did - the characters' voices weren't distinctive and they had basically an uniformed outlook at what was happening. Vague spoiler for the final chapters . The level of introspection was fit for an (overlong) character study or, really, an YA novel - the narration hammered every point and characters' feeling home.
It didn't help that for a plot heavily relaying on a romance storyline, it did so with a woman absolutely devoid of any character - she was attractive, because men wanted to be with her, and not one POV's about her (anyone's, not only her former and current partner) offered anything substantial about who she actually was.
Maybe because of the limited POVs, but the worldbuilding didn't compensate for any of this, most of the information both on humanity's world and the Carryx's world were delivered by blocks of info-dumping (and the codas promising the doom of Carryx started to get tiring at some point, contrasted with nothing-is-happening main text of the chapters). Instead of unknowable, the aliens came off as under-described - especially since, when it mattered, the protagonists were able to predict their reactions very accurately. ( ).
And then, the ending. It was designed to provoke many reactions, I guess, but what I actually felt about it was that it was both forever in coming and rushed - which is, I admit a accomplishment on its own. Though over discussed, it didn't provoke any real conflict in the main group of characters, it didn't fully cashed in in whatever happened earlier, its fallout was limited ( ) and while consequences may be tremendously important later on, for now they are just a set-up for the next novel. Of course that there are things in any series that are started in earlier novels and only realized later - but any part of the series still should be more that a jumping point.
What makes me not only disappointed, but also annoyed is that, marketing aside, some of the expectations were set by the book itself - promises were made at the beginning and not kept. I understand that it's a first book in a series and though I think it still should show us at least a glimpse of the fireworks it promised, I could wait for them for a second book. More annoyingly, however, the first chapters were full of the narration going all "look carefully now! This choice is of the utmost important and will change the course of history!" and then those choices didn't really matter at all. What kept me (grudgingly) interested through pages of pages of introspections and ponderings and people not doing much at all was the explicit assurance that the first conflict, uninspired as it was, will somehow fit it with a larger narrative and I wanted to see how. But then it just didn't, not in any meaningful way - which makes it only a boring bit of academy drama that was, frankly, a waste of time.
While the ending is a potentially good start point for a more interesting story further on, with a narration style that, I'm afraid, can make even a potential fireworks filtered by layers of introspections (in this case, read as: boring) and a series that has already shown it does not keep its promises, I will be very hesitant to check in for whatever happens next.
July 30, 2024
the premise of this book is very interesting — an alien species called the Carryx have infiltrated the planet of Anjiin, in order to gain information on the humans who live there. the Carryx are very intelligent and give the humans an ultimatum: display their usefulness or be destroyed. the humans are measured by how they’ll be able to assist the Carryx and they solidify that by any means necessary.
the action scenes were actually pretty brutal and i enjoyed any moments spent with the Carryx, but the actual book itself felt overly complicated in its delivery. there’s a lot of characters who don’t get much development and the writing leans more into info dump territory. there’s another element about this book that comes into play in a big way towards the end that did grab my interest, but i just don’t know if im invested enough to continue.
➥ many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the arc, all opinions are my own.
the action scenes were actually pretty brutal and i enjoyed any moments spent with the Carryx, but the actual book itself felt overly complicated in its delivery. there’s a lot of characters who don’t get much development and the writing leans more into info dump territory. there’s another element about this book that comes into play in a big way towards the end that did grab my interest, but i just don’t know if im invested enough to continue.
➥ many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the arc, all opinions are my own.
August 23, 2024
Ostensibly the first book in a series, it perhaps leans in to that role a little too much. This entire novel (over 400 pages) reads like an extended prologue, or at most, the first act of a first book.
By and large, the structure fits in a strange middle ground between "slow and deliberate build up" and "extensively padded". Elements that work, such as the slow decline in the quality of their resources in custody and exploration of their new environment, are counterbalanced by an excess of straight infodump, lengthy trivial (and often repeated) scenic description, and a lack of meaningful character development. Perhaps the book is paced this way to echo the monotony and ennui of life in custody, a focus on the little details you still have control over. Perhaps? Regardless, it didn't make for the most compelling reading.
The lack of character development stands in particular contrast to The Expanse, as the majority of the book is also focused entirely on a small cast of characters trying to make the best of their situation. The lack of even one vivid character I could root for beyond the abstract "don't die to the aliens" was severely disappointing. Jessyn is arguably the only character who makes real choices in this story, and does so with limited screentime, while the others serve as a flat backdrop whose only apparent purpose is to move the story along. We switch internal POV frequently but it rarely seemed to do much for my understanding of that character. The Swarm may be an exception to this depending on how you view it, but it was more inserted as a horror concept than anything else.
This is all unfortunate because the premise is interesting! The Carryx are sufficiently weird and alien, their other client species too. The universe, at times, feels big. But as mentioned, the book stops, at best, at the end of an Act 1. Things happen but at the same time nothing happens! The big moments were washed out in an underwhelming climax, the promise to really do some damage next time, and a fade to black like a Saturday morning cartoon. The high stakes hinted at by the librarian interludes and the galactic scale conflict brewing simply never materialize in any meaningful way, nor did it feel like we moved that much closer to seeing those events either.
Reading and reflecting on books in this weird middle ground are almost worse because you can see the hints of greatness as much as the holes, and you leave conflicted. It may be that many of these choices will pay off in later books. They may not. I hope that won't come away from books 2 and 3 wondering why this series wasn't just one book.
Well, here's hoping.
By and large, the structure fits in a strange middle ground between "slow and deliberate build up" and "extensively padded". Elements that work, such as the slow decline in the quality of their resources in custody and exploration of their new environment, are counterbalanced by an excess of straight infodump, lengthy trivial (and often repeated) scenic description, and a lack of meaningful character development. Perhaps the book is paced this way to echo the monotony and ennui of life in custody, a focus on the little details you still have control over. Perhaps? Regardless, it didn't make for the most compelling reading.
The lack of character development stands in particular contrast to The Expanse, as the majority of the book is also focused entirely on a small cast of characters trying to make the best of their situation. The lack of even one vivid character I could root for beyond the abstract "don't die to the aliens" was severely disappointing. Jessyn is arguably the only character who makes real choices in this story, and does so with limited screentime, while the others serve as a flat backdrop whose only apparent purpose is to move the story along. We switch internal POV frequently but it rarely seemed to do much for my understanding of that character. The Swarm may be an exception to this depending on how you view it, but it was more inserted as a horror concept than anything else.
This is all unfortunate because the premise is interesting! The Carryx are sufficiently weird and alien, their other client species too. The universe, at times, feels big. But as mentioned, the book stops, at best, at the end of an Act 1. Things happen but at the same time nothing happens! The big moments were washed out in an underwhelming climax, the promise to really do some damage next time, and a fade to black like a Saturday morning cartoon. The high stakes hinted at by the librarian interludes and the galactic scale conflict brewing simply never materialize in any meaningful way, nor did it feel like we moved that much closer to seeing those events either.
Reading and reflecting on books in this weird middle ground are almost worse because you can see the hints of greatness as much as the holes, and you leave conflicted. It may be that many of these choices will pay off in later books. They may not. I hope that won't come away from books 2 and 3 wondering why this series wasn't just one book.
Well, here's hoping.
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