©2025 Fable Group Inc.
3.5 

The Mercy of Gods

By James S. A. Corey
The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey digital book - Fable

Publisher 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.

★ “Masterful . . . . This is space opera at its best.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The start of something truly epic." 
 ― Fonda Lee, author of Jade City

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.

"Corey is always one of the most engaging voices in the genre."  ― Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time

"A bang up read. I want more."  ― Paolo Bacigalupi, author of The Water Knife

"A powerful, provocative masterpiece that I will be thinking about for a very long time."
  ― Ryka Aoki, author of Light from Uncommon Stars

Download the free Fable app

app book lists

Stay organized

Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
app book recommendations

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
app book reviews

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
app comments

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities
app book lists

Stay organized

Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
app book recommendations

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
app book reviews

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
app comments

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities

680 Reviews

3.5
Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes“Captivity narrative in space! With weird aliens! This was made for me. Loved it!!!!!”
Thinking Face“"I know how hard this was for you, but it was the right thing. In the years that come after this, you're going to wonder if it was. When you do, remember this moment. Right here. Remember me telling you it was the right thing." The new series by James S. A. Corey starts off with quite a bang. A group of biologists who are suddenly kidnapped by a rather strong and mysterious race of aliens called the Carryx, who enslave them and several other alien beings. The enslaved crew of humans is an interesting mix and are tasked with solving a biological conundrum while trying to deal with their own issues, other species in the prison, and figuring out why they were taken. The stand-out character is Dafyd, who is the rookie of the team but proves he has more to him that just being the assistant. A lot of drama goes on and is a bit of a slow burn but it's a nice set up for the next book of the series.”

Start a Book Club

Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!

FAQ

Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?

Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?

How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?

Do you sell physical books too?

Are book clubs free to join on Fable?

How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?

Error Icon
Save to a list
0
/
30
0
/
100
Private List
Private lists are not visible to other Fable users on your public profile.
Notification Icon
Fable uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB