Review of The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey

I think James S.A. Corey's Expanse series earned the right to be considered for top 10 space opera all time. It realizes its solar system setting well, balances blasters and space ships with plot development, and does a good job basing its action and drama in characters that occasionally put their toe over the line of 3D. The Expanse complete, what would the writer duo come up for their next science fiction project? 2024's The Mercy of Gods.

The Mercy of Gods begins on Azean. An extra-terrestrial planet, humanity has nevertheless terraformed it by finding ways of conflating local gene structures with the plants and animals that humans require to exist. The story follows the crack team of researchers who accomplished this major gene-splicing feat. A (figurative and literal) alarm goes off when one of the researchers discovers an anomaly in their work that can only be extra-extraterrestrial—truly alien in nature. It isn't long after the Carryx and their slave species invade Azean and take humanity captive. The research team's adaptation, or not, to captivity is the story that follows.

James S.A. Corey—sorry, “James S.A. Corey”—makes the wise decision to throw a third gauntlet into the Carryx vs humans fight. A mysterious, swarm-like species has likewise infiltrated Azean without Carryx or humanity's knowledge. Occupying human bodies in a fashion not unlike The Thing, the swarm's motivations steadily become better known over the course of the novel. I will not spoil matters here except to say, plot-wise it spices a pot likely in need of spicing. When plot is a prime focus, triangulation is a more enjoyable exercise for readers than oscillation.

Yes, The Mercy of Gods is a retro science fiction premise grounded by 21st century sensibilities. There is an evil-aliens-take-over-humanity throughline akin to the pulp era of science fiction, set around a handful of human characters with thoughts and relations more in common with fiction published in the contemporary era. Old is new again.

Readers looking for aliens? There are aliens galore in The Mercy of the Gods. The Carryx have subjugated numerous species for their “usefulness”, and the writer duo behind “Corey” seem to revel in providing descriptions and mannerisms of dozens of them. The Carryx hive world teems with feathered, clawed, shelled, toothed, etc. life. Like that aspect of sf? You got it here.

And humanity is one of the weakest (biologically speaking) pieces of this alien milieu. In fact, evolutionary fitness to survive at the galactic level seems the book's prime theme (as light as it is). The researchers, in the course of being captured and having to confront their new reality on an alien colony world, come face to face with being ants in the backyard of a supremely powerful species'. Our polital climate being what it is, undoubtedly certain readers will want to paste a colonial theme onto such a setting—which to be fair, suits itself to space opera. But I didn't get the overarching impression Corey are interested in actually exploring such a theme. The more likely exploration in the series as it plays out will likely be classic in nature: how can the clever humans destroy their evil overseers against the odds?

In the end, The Mercy of Gods is a decent slice of space opera pie. Corey provide a smorgasbord of aliens and mysterious alien concerns in a story which pits humanity as David against a massive Carryx Goliath. It's colorful, it's fun, and it's readable, just don't look for much between the lines.