o the creators of The Expanse series have closed it out and moved on to a new series. Or did they?

The Expanse ended with (spoiler) the ring gates closing and hundreds of colony worlds cut off. Most of them were not established and probably died off. So in The Mercy of Gods, it’s loosely hinted that the humans on this world can find records of their DNA existence, including themselves, animals and plants (alongside more indigenous animals and plants with their own form of DNA). Records were, of course, lost. Nobody knows how they got there but it hints that this is one of those lost colonies.

A scientific team is trying to bridge the gap between our DNA and that of the indigenous one and are making good progress, at least until a wave of super-aliens show up with their 4X empire and sweep over the humans. The attacker’s scouting was pretty absolute and the masters of every field are packed away in the hulls of the alien ships and carried back to what is assumed to be their homeworld. There new mission: keep working on their various projects for the good of their masters.

What makes it interesting is that the aliens (Crustation-like lobster creatures) is that they don’t recognize cooperation or assistance or fair play. To win and succeed is everything. Otherwise, there’s the door (you don’t want to know).

What makes it even more interesting if there is massive foreshadowing going on. We come to understand that the lowly lab assistant, the most junior of his team, will bring about the downfall of this start-system-spanning empire. And of course, I gotta find out how that happens. If author James S. A. Corey (two guys) continues at his usual pace, we’ll get a book a year over the next (I’m guessing) decade. Looks like I’ll have to pay attention to my cardiologist to see this through.

This one will likely make the best of 2024. It was a fantastic read. Check it out!

>>>AND CHECK OUT MY BOOKS, TOO, DOWN THIS LINK<<<