Book Review | The Mercy of Gods

Humans cannot recall how they first arrived on the planet of Anjiin, but when a tyrannical, insect-like race invades the planet, they take the creme-de-le-crème of humanity along with them. Among them include the biochemist Dafyd Alkhor and his team of fellow researchers.

His team is tasked with trying to find a way to make plant species from different planet biomes cohabitate with an animal species from one another. Failure means death, so his team desperately searches for a solution while, all in the meanwhile, Dafyd tries to find a weakness in his captors that he can exploit.

The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey introduces the first in a gripping new space opera series filled with believable, nuanced characters that feel utterly human.

I also appreciate the creativity with the alien biology in this book. The aliens here are bizarre, use unique communication methods, and, well, feel so very alien. I don't want to give too much away, but all I’ll say is that I really enjoyed the POV chapters of the Swarm, which is a parasitic hivemind.

Now, I’ve got to admit, this book is a bit of a slowburn. We're slowly fed more information about the enemy as the story progresses, but boy, does the final quarter hit hard. It was like an emotional punch to the gut, and I'm excited to see where the story goes from here.

Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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