The Mercy of Gods - The Captive's War by James S A Corey Hardcover

About the Book

"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"--

Book Synopsis

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Expanse comes a spectacular new space opera that sees humanity fighting for its survival in a war as old as the universe itself.

★ "Masterful . . . . This is space opera at its best." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The start of something truly epic." ― Fonda Lee, author of Jade City

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.

"Corey is always one of the most engaging voices in the genre." ― Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time

"A bang up read. I want more." ― Paolo Bacigalupi, author of The Water Knife

"A powerful, provocative masterpiece that I will be thinking about for a very long time." ― Ryka Aoki, author of Light from Uncommon Stars

For More from James S. A. Corey, check out:

The Captive's War
The Mercy of Gods
The Faith of Beasts

The Expanse
Leviathan Wakes
Caliban's War
Abaddon's Gate
Cibola Burn
Nemesis Games
Babylon's Ashes
Persepolis Rising
Tiamat's Wrath
​Leviathan Falls

Memory's Legion

The Expanse Short Fiction
Drive
The Butcher of Anderson Station
Gods of Risk
The Churn
The Vital Abyss
Strange Dogs
Auberon
The Sins of Our Fathers

Review Quotes

"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

"The stakes are sky-high, the scale is vast, and pseudonymous writing duo Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck remain unparalleled at crafting deeply human characters even in wildly alien worlds."

--Publishers Weekly (Best of the Year)

"A riveting read."--The Ringer

"If you enjoy reading science fiction, this is one of the must-read books of the genre published this year."
--Winter Is Coming

"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

"This series-starting novel from the author of The Expanse is pointed, powerful, and simply fantastic."--Esquire

"This is old-fashioned space opera on a grand scale and a promising start for an epic new series."--Booklist (starred review)

"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)

"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)

"Masterful . . . . This is space opera at its best."
--Publishers Weekly (starred)

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

About the Author

James S. A. Corey is the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. In addition to writing the novels and short stories of The Expanse, they wrote and produced the television series of the same name. Daniel lives with his family in the American southwest. Ty will tell you where he lives when and if he wants you to come over.