When I see James S.A. Corey on the front of a book, I know I can buy it whether I know anything about it or not. I love their storytelling style, and The Mercy of the Gods, the first book in a new trilogy called The Captive’s War.

Shorter than some of the entries in The Expanse series, it is still space opera at its finest. I love how they tell their stories.

This time out on the planet of Anjiin, humanity is going to come face to face with a threat they aren’t prepared for.

The Carryx are a powerful race that has conquered and subjugated countless species across the galaxy, and they have now come for Anjiin. If humanity can prove it’s usefulness to the Carryx they won’t be wiped out.

A research team, along with thousands of other humans, have been captured and taken to a Carryx world where they are forced to work on projects. Tonner, Jessyn, Else, Dafyd and a few others find themselves working on a project, but that is only the tip of what is actually going on here.

But hidden among the humans is a spy, a possible hope for the future, and a betrayer. It’s an engaging and fast-paced tale that puts humanity up against truly alien creations, and things we don’t understand.

How will this small research group survive? Humanity is put through the wringer, it’s horrifying, brutal, and the Carryx are implacable. And the countless species they’ve subjugated?

The Mercy of Gods is expansive, entertaining, and introduces us to a whole new adventure that is going to be a tough ride for all of humanity.

Will we be able to survive? Will we be able to fight?

The narrative explores the characters, and sets up the universe and hints at things to come. It’s imagined in detail, and they take their time developing the story, and the characters, one of the things I love about Corey’s storytelling style.

It’s completely captivating, and I am already impatient for the next book in the series. It’s not an exploration story, it’s about humanity and their struggle for survival against something they may not be able to stop.

This isn’t exploration and wonder, though there is a bit of it. This is anxiety and fear brought on by the threat of a true unknown, and some of the species that the Carryx have serving them, I would not ever want to encounter.

Come them coming guys, I can’t wait for more!