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...