Publishers Weekly
★ 06/24/2024
Writing as Corey, bestsellers Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (The Expanse) create a dazzling new world in their masterful Captive’s War series launch. In the distant future, humanity has settled on the planet Anjiin, but the history of how they arrived there has been lost to time. Tonner Freis, a brilliant research scientist, has achieved a historic breakthrough in humanity’s ability to translate the language of Anjiin’s native, silicon-based, life-forms. But before he and his colleagues can learn more, Anjiin is invaded by the Carryx, which resemble “unthinkably vast cockroaches that bent up at a right angle in the middle.” Having conquered countless worlds, the Carryx operate from the conviction that “what can be subjugated, must be.” The authors create suspense through a prologue that foreshadows the conquest of Anjiin to be a Pyrrhic victory—in the process, the Carryx unwittingly bring the enemy who will defeat them into their midst. With that Damoclean sword dangling over the plot, the focus shifts to Freis and his team as they struggle to survive the invasion and their subsequent captivity. In Corey’s hands, world-shaking events don’t preclude nuanced and moving portraits of the people caught up in them. This is space opera at its best. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
James S. A. Corey serves up terrifying alien overlords and a vast intergalactic war with humankind on the brink of annihilation—all while never losing focus on its cast of vulnerable, courageous characters. The Mercy of Gods is the start of something truly epic.” —Fonda Lee, author of Jade City
“A fast-paced, intelligent book. Corey is always one of the most engaging voices in the genre.”—Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time
“All the things you want in an alien invasion novel: overwhelming aliens, end-of-world terror, and plucky humans who never stop fighting. If that was all there was, The Mercy of Gods would be great, but amid the mayhem James S. A. Corey also manages to weave in a closely observed study of the small things that make us human: our loves and jealousies, our foibles and weaknesses, our empathy and our resilience. A bang-up read. I want more.”—Paolo Bacigalupi, author of The Windup Girl
"No one builds a universe like James S. A. Corey. The Mercy of Gods is wilder and weirder than you can imagine, and when it ends, all you'll want is... more."—John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling author
"While the character development is exceptional, the pacing breakneck, the emotional intensity off the charts, and the worldbuilding simply extraordinary, it’s the sheer scope of the narrative—the Carryx’s backstory, their “long” war, the countless sentient races they’ve conquered and/or destroyed, etc.—that will have science fiction fans befittingly blown away. The sense of wonder associated with the story’s magnitude is simply breathtaking... The beginning of what could be Corey’s most epic—and entertaining—series yet. Simply mind-blowing."
—Kirkus (starred review)
“First contact, domestication experiments, and the knife-edge between appeasement and intel-gathering. Corey spins a gripping story where the twinned stakes are humanity's survival and the humanity of characters pushed to the brink by brutal intergalactic conquerors.”—Yoon Ha Lee, author of Ninefox Gambit
"Like The Expanse, The Mercy of Gods balances cosmic stakes with an astonishingly powerful human drama. Pitch-perfect storytelling."
—M. R. Carey, author of The Girl with All The Gifts
"The Mercy of Gods is a wonderful mix of alien worldbuilding on a grand scale and deeply human characters, a portrait of reactions to adversity and disaster and the morality of collaboration. Lots of fun, and fans of Daniel Abraham’s The Dagger and the Coin will love it.”—Django Wexler, author of How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying
“Masterful . . . . This is space opera at its best.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)
“This is old-fashioned space opera on a grand scale and a promising start for an epic new series.”—Booklist (starred review)
"This series-starting novel from the author of The Expanse is pointed, powerful, and simply fantastic."—Esquire
"The Mercy of Gods is something altogether new but just as exciting [as the Expanse]…I’ve never read a book quite like this one,”
—The Washington Post
“James S.A. Corey’s The Mercy of Gods is a thrilling, furious adventure, but beneath its quicksilver plot and epic space battles lies a brilliant, unflinching exploration of how alien alien life might be. The Mercy of Gods is a powerful, provocative masterpiece that I will be thinking about for a very long time.”
—Ryka Aoki, author of Light from Uncommon Stars
"If you enjoy reading science fiction, this is one of the must-read books of the genre published this year."
—Winter Is Coming
“Ever wonder what happens after the alien invasion? The Mercy of Gods radiates the dread and revelation of first contact, shaping new worlds and cultures that had me riveted. Characters to root for and disdain, Corey's novel delves into the human condition as that condition irrevocably changes. These guys are on their game, and I can't wait until the next book in the series!”—Bethany Jacobs, author of These Burning Stars
"This is an intelligent and innovative sci-fi epic with infinite scope that somehow never overshadows the small moments of human vulnerability and courage... Nail-biting suspense makes for an engaging and compulsively readable intro to yet another ambitious series from this writing team."
—Library Journal (starred)
"A riveting read."—The Ringer
"The latest sci-fi epic from the authors behind the Expanse series (Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, using pen name James S. A. Corey) shows the seeds of rebellion beginning to sprout after a planetary invasion forces the humans who were spared into proving their worth to stay alive. This novel is definitely worth it."—Entertainment Weekly
Library Journal
★ 06/01/2024
The creative duo behind the renowned "The Expanse" series return with an equally impressive space opera, featuring an intergalactic war with overwhelming stakes. Dafyd Alkhor is a research assistant to a biology team full of the brightest minds. His team believes that the worst they have to face is colloquy politics and research drama, but then they are invaded by the Carryx—terrifying, impassive alien overlords that enslave all species they deem lesser than themselves. Petty social intrigue escalates into a desperate fight for survival as the novel follows the survivors of the invasion, who will only last for as long as they are useful. This is an intelligent and innovative sci-fi epic with infinite scope that somehow never overshadows the small moments of human vulnerability and courage as the characters endure ruthless subjugation. They are challenged by impossible choices, and their struggle demonstrates how people are at both their best and their worst when all seems hopeless. The novel's distinctive portrayal of alien species also provides a unique perspective that is downright chilling. VERDICT Nail-biting suspense makes for an engaging and compulsively readable intro to yet another ambitious series from this writing team.—Andrea Dyba
OCTOBER 2024 - AudioFile
Stellar narrator Jefferson Mays and bestselling author James S.A. Corey are in warp drive as they launch the first book of a planned trilogy set in the far future. This loose reinterpretation of the Book of Daniel begins on a planet settled long ago by humans. When the planet is invaded by a hostile force interested only in utility, selected people are transported to an alien planet. Gradually, they sort themselves out and begin to plot freedom. The dramatic and intellectually profound story incorporates a range of emotion and a full cast of human and nonhuman beings, enabling Mays to demonstrate his prowess. The narration matches the action; conversations are realistic; personalities are vibrant and distinct. Add Mays's crystalline enunciation and agreeable timbre--and this is a winner. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2024-07-04
The first installment in the pseudonymous Corey’s Captive’s War series begins an epic narrative about a subjugated humankind and its tenuous survival in the midst of an ancient war.
When the godlike Carryx—who have “ruled the stars for epochs”—and their minion races arrive around the planet Anjiin, the humans who live there are conquered seemingly without effort. After one-eighth of the population is quickly killed, those worthy of saving are separated and taken off-planet, back to one of the Carryx’s world-palaces. Once there, the remaining humans realize they’ve finally had some important scientific questions answered: “Alien life exists, and they are assholes.” The humans’ predicament is simple: If they’re not beneficial to the Carryx in some way, their entire race will be eliminated. Trapped in a massive prison world with hundreds of other enslaved races, elite researchers like Dafyd Alkhor and Tonner Freis must stay alive long enough to prepare some kind of retribution against their alien overlords. While the character development is exceptional, the pacing breakneck, the emotional intensity off the charts, and the worldbuilding simply extraordinary, it’s the sheer scope of the narrative—the Carryx’s backstory, their “long” war, the countless sentient races they’ve conquered and/or destroyed, etc.—that will have science fiction fans befittingly blown away. The sense of wonder associated with the story’s magnitude is simply breathtaking. Here is just an example of one of the Carryx’s world-palaces: “The huge arcs of alien structure, one part building and two parts the bones of strange gods, glittered with a million other windows like theirs. The ziggurats that marched along the curve of the planet, poking their sullen bronze heads up above the clouds, were a cityscape twisted by nightmare, starkly beautiful but vast enough to induce vertigo.”
The beginning of what could be Corey’s most epic—and entertaining—series yet. Simply mind-blowing.