The superstar author duo behind "The Expanse" is back announcing the debut release in a new sci-fi trilogy coming next summer titled "The Mercy of Gods."
Two years ago this month, "The Expanse" authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (under the pen name James S. A. Corey) released the ninth and final book of their Hugo Award-winning military space opera series with the arrival of "Leviathan Falls."
We've got a first look at the beautiful Daniel Dociu cover of "The Mercy of Gods" alongside a detailed breakdown for fans of the novel series and SYFY's and Prime Video's acclaimed six-season TV adaptation which wrapped up Jan. 14, 2022.
Related: The Expanse streaming guide: Where to watch The Expanse online
In a 2021 interview with Space.com, Abraham teased this project by stating, "It's kind of the far end of space opera from 'The Expanse.' It's lots of aliens and a huge galactic empire and huge galactic war and a lot of the philosophical things you can engage with at that scale that are really fun. I'm really looking forward to this one."
"The Mercy of Gods" tips the scales at a hefty 560 pages and begins what's being called "The Captive's War" trilogy when it lands in stores on Aug. 6, 2024 from Orbit.
Here's the official synopsis:
"From the NYT 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. 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."
From the detailed description, this ambitious new series that's unconnected to their previous works seems somewhat more intimate than the sprawling military space opera found in "The Expanse," with its massive cast of characters and protomolecule plotline, but we'll have to wait until next summer to absorb it all and compare.
Orbit Books' "The Mercy of Gods" will be published on Aug. 6, 2024.
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