The Mercy of Gods by James SA Corey - ARC Review

The Suneater Saga meets the Lord of the Flies meets the Will of the Many synthesised in a science lab

A twisty foreshadow laden novel that emphasises the journey over than the destination, The Mercy of Gods is a skilful novel that subverts your expectations, confounds assumptions and zags when you expect it to zig. While the narrative doesn’t work as smoothly, this is a very interesting novel that leaves you wanting more. I got an advanced copy of the book from the awesome folks at NetGalley and the author and the below reflect my honest thoughts on this book

Letting readers know the ending at the very beginning of the book is a particularly risky decision but it also kind of whets the appetite. As a reader, you do know where the story ends and therefore you start focusing on the how of it. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss & Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio are fantastic examples of this kind of foreshadowing. In a way, both books focus on acts committed by the lead character that are empire shaking in ways, good and bad.

“We did not see the adversary for what he was and we brought him into our home”

The Mercy of Gods showcases in the introduction chapter itself the ending of the overall saga in a suitably chilling & final manner through the notes of a librarian. It is a story of an invasion of human beings, residing on a planet called Anjin by the Carryx, a part-hive, part-empire superior species that have conquered and subjugated countless species across the galaxy. With extinction of the species at stake, Anjin humans have to figure out what the Carryx actually want in order to survive especially with other species trying to do the same. It is survival of the fittest and that is the actual stake that is established in this book

“I find social intrigue exhausting. I like research, where things are quantifiable and falsifiable”

Right off the bat, the authors establish this conflict from the viewpoint of scientists and academics which is a major differentiating factor. What this also does is make this a cerebral contest of survival rather than a typical action based novel. The intrigue of that first chapter sustains the more calculated phase that follows afterwards and some of the pacing is rather deliberate. Dafyd Alkhor, a junior researcher who is part of a potentially groundbreaking research spearheaded by a genius serves as the audience surrogate as the invasion unfolds and he is the main driver of the story.

“We can hope for the best without being too specific about it”

When we meet Dafyd at first, we see him as a slightly spoilt, connected young man who is kind of immature, a smooth political operator and also infatuated with someone way beyond his station in the academia. However, as we see the story unfold, we see the characteristics that make Dafyd the main protagonist of this story. As the ruthless, brutal and swift invasion unfolds, Dyfed’s analytical ability and observation at the time of the emergency come to fore and these skills increasingly get played out as the stakes escalate once the Carryx transport them out of Anjin. With a significant portion of humanity decimated, the best and the brightest of Anjin society are pitted into a contest that they are barely aware of  with other similar conquered species. It is Dafyd who is able to figure out the stakes of the game and how it is not a game at all. Dafyd does come across as a bit of a contrarian and that enables him to observe and take decisive decisions. 

“Good and evil are constructs lesser beings build to create divisions in places where rigour and intelligence are insufficient”

This is no doubt a thrilling narrative that could have hewn to certain well-trodden paths that other books have laid out across the genre but this is where the authors kind of zag away when you expect them to zig. As a reader, I was conditioned to assume that the narrative would go in a certain direction but the pacing remains deliberate and the direction that the survival conflict takes is an interesting slow-paced one interspersed with a few moments of shocking violence that indicates how this might be a zero-sum game. It helps that the author whets the appetite with that first chapter as the narrative is a bit slow and measured for quite sometime. 

“I think some important scientific questions have finally been answered. Alien life exists, and they are assholes”

The understanding that Dafyd arrives at regarding the Carryx (a cross between Thanos and Galactus) is balanced by his relationship with the others of the research group specifically the object of his infatuation. Unbeknownst to them, there is another party in the fray here - another swarm, hive mind that view the Carryx as the ultimate threat and have been waging this battle for quite sometime. This third party adds yet another layer of intrigue to this story. 

“The slow, low pulse of being alive kept making its demands, no matter what. However bad it was, however mind-breaking and strange and painful, the mundane insisted on its cut”

The narrative is smooth but the deliberate pace does make the portion after the invasion a bit of a trudge. However, this is also the time where the power dynamics of the group actually change and also serves to show how sometimes life does go on despite circumstances. The book is kind of bleak and fatalistic in a way and in a way, it does become a heavy read as characters wrestle with who they were and who they are. Scientists and academics used to their routine try to fall back into the same routine in a world that no longer makes sense and that produces some interesting coping mechanisms for the group that result in charged dynamics in some cases.

“I have worked my whole career at the intersection of humanity and violence. The Carryx are trying to figure out whether we’re domesticable but I already know the answer to that. We aren’t. We never have been. Someone is going to fight back. That’s just the kind of primate we are.”

Mercy of Gods also expounds on what it means to be human in some flattering and unflattering terms through hope and conflict. It also offers a contrast in the way that the Carryx think and the differences between the 2 species. Dafyd is the only one who is able to think like the Carryx and that helps him as he makes moves to survive. The supporting characters that round this group are also kind of well fleshed out and are given unique voices and reactions. There are multiple human conflicts that arise within this group that elicit different reactions given the situation and that makes for a rather compelling read.  Ultimately the book is about choices and sacrifices and the narrative takes interesting turns exploring both of these

“There’s always hope for something. Just not always….not always what we want”

The Mercy of the Gods ends at an interesting stage setting up the perfect kind of situation where you desperately need the next book in hand. Interesting choices, changing power dynamics and the presence of a third party serve up a tantalising escalation point for this series. The Mercy of the Gods is an intriguing first book of what promises to be a terrific space opera touching on the universal themes of rebellion and revenge on a cerebral and political canvas

Rating - 4 Alien Swarms on 5