The Mercy of the Gods by James S. A. Corey

Book Review

Sarah Deeming

Humans have been on Anjiin for so long that they have forgotten how they arrived there. They live a peaceful existence, studying, creating, researching. But the Carryx only care about how useful humanity is to its own way of life. If the humans are useful to the Carryx, then they will survive. Otherwise, they will be exterminated. Dafyd Alkhor is a lowly assistant in a team under one of the best scientists on Anjiin, and he finds himself and the rest of the team whisked away to an alien planet to recreate their research. If they can do that, then maybe they can prove themselves useful and keep each other safe. But Dafyd soon begins to wonder if they have understood the rules. Are the Carryx really that interested in the research? Is the outcome as important as their resilience and general problem-solving? Underestimated his whole life, Dafyd finds himself in a delicate balancing act between protecting his immediate companions and those left on Anjiin, playing a game of survival where no one has explained the rules and failure means death.

The Mercy of Gods is the first book in a new series by the duo behind James S. A. Corey and the Expanse. We follow a group of human researchers whose home world is an alien planet called Anjiin. What follows is a tense read of war and survival and an intimate portrayal of PTSD and how different people handle captivity. There are a number of different points of view, although Dafyd is the main one. As someone who prefers her stories to be character-driven rather than action-based, I didn’t mind all these different POVs. It enriches the story as we see just how poorly each of the characters is handling the situation.

Mental health is a prominent aspect of the story. Jessyn, a reacher with Dafyd, has struggled with mental health her whole life, and her capture by the Carryx affects her deeply. Her journey is very compelling as she grapples with the stigma of telling her colleagues versus the real risk to her life if her medication runs out. She must also contend with the horrors of war, her journey through space in a container with other people all packed together with no washing facilities, a communal absorbent mat instead of a toilet, the death of friends, and the constant fear of murder. And she isn’t the only one. All the characters suffer from PTSD, but each one handles it differently depending on their personalities. This is not a light-hearted read, but it is a gripping one, and all issues regarding mental health and PTSD are handled sensitively. If you like your stories to be character-driven as I do, then The Mercy of Gods is a must-read.

The scope of this book is massive because while Dafyd and the other researchers are struggling to understand the rules of their captivity, the Carryx are still travelling the universe looking for new species to absorb. But this fight isn’t going well; another mysterious race is fighting back and sometimes winning. I can’t wait for the next part of the series to see how these two parts collide and what choices Dafyd will have to make.

The Mercy of Gods is a powerful story about survival and the lengths people will go to survive, including betrayal and murder, and putting the safety of many lives above the pride of a few. It is a fantastic start to a new series, raising as many new questions as answers and leaving the characters in a precarious position for the next book, which I can’t wait to get my hands on. Highly recommended.