Description
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.
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.
Praise for James S. A. Corey:
'Interplanetary adventure the way it ought to be written' George R. R. Martin
'The science fictional equivalent of A Song of Ice and Fire' NPR Books
'As close as you'll get to a Hollywood blockbuster in book form' io9.com
'Great characters, excellent dialogue, memorable fights' wired.com
'High adventure equalling the best space opera has to offer, cutting-edge technology and a group of unforgettable characters . . . Perhaps one of the best tales the genre has yet to produce' Library Journal
'This is the future the way it's supposed to be' Wall Street Journal
'Tense and thrilling' SciFiNow
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.
Reviews
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 the Gods is the start of something truly epic * Fonda Lee, author of the Green Bone Saga *
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, 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 *
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. Like Starship Troopers by way of The Metamorphosis, yet with a vision all its own, 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 *
Interplanetary adventure the way it ought to be written * George R. R. Martin on Leviathan Wakes *
As close as you'll get to a Hollywood blockbuster in book form * io9.com on Leviathan Wakes *
This is the future the way it was supposed to be * Wall Street Journal on Leviathan Wakes *
Tense and thrilling * SciFiNow on Leviathan Wakes *
Book Information
ISBN 9780356517797
Author James S. A. Corey
Format Hardback
Page Count 432
Imprint Orbit
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Series The Captive's War
Weight(grams) 41g
Dimensions(mm) 240mm * 156mm * 22mm
