The Mercy of Gods

Starts dark and goes darker. Only shows a glimpse of sunlight toward the end. A very thrilling read that does an excellent job at mirroring the dreadful and slow moving time our human heroes endure. Their powerlessness is palpable and the books offers no respite until the smallest off a sliver on the last 20 pages. Loved it and look forward to the next iteration.

I saw this just sitting on the shelf at my local library, not even realizing the James S.A. Corey had released the start of a new series! I had to pick this up and was pleased to see that it's quite a departure from the Expanse series, most notably that we see the aliens in the universe rather than them essentially being dead elder gods.

Having no previous expectations, I went into this completely cold and enjoyed it quite a bit as the authors crafted a rich universe and a number of characters to work with. At least at this point, I don't feel like any of the characters are as rich as those from The Expanse, but I know them through 9 novels + 9 novellas, so I'll give that some time. I'm definitely looking forward to the next one.

Most reviews are filled with spoilers, it's good. I cannot wait for the next book.