I just finished The Mercy of Gods and can’t stop thinking about it. The sheer scale of the story is so typical of Corey’s work, but this one managed to feel even more expansive.
One of the most impressive aspects, in my opinion, was the focus on xenobiology—and not just as a backdrop. The authors clearly put a lot of thought into what it would mean to design alien species whose biology shapes their entire perception of reality. It reminded me a lot of Ed Yong’s nonfiction book An Immense World, especially in how it explores the concept of Umwelt—the idea that every species has its own sensory reality. Here, that idea is fully sci-fi’d: alien beings experience the world in fundamentally different ways based on their physical makeup, and this directly impacts their communication, strategies, and even their ethics. I loved this.
Now, here's where I put my tinfoil hat on… Heavy spoilers ahead for both The Mercy of Gods #1 and The Expanse.
I'm not convinced this novel is truly outside the Expanse universe. There are some very intriguing breadcrumbs. For one, the planet Anjiin could have easily been settled through the ring gates—then isolated when the gates collapsed. The society is extremely science-oriented, just like many of the groups that migrated through the rings in the original series.
Then there’s the enemy of the Carrynx, described as “hard to kill,” which immediately reminded me of the strange, self-reassembling creatures from Strange Dogs. Could this be a sign that one branch of humanity somehow harnessed the same tech or biology?
At the end, the Carrynx mention that humans are biologically similar to their enemy. So likely a distantly evolved human offshoot—maybe changed by time, or altered by the alien tech harnessed from the Strange Dogs?
My partner even speculated that the Swarm might be the protomolecule in a new form. And honestly… if Amos suddenly pops up on stage and ends up leading the resistance, I’m would not be surprised.
Would love to hear other thoughts—especially on the world-building and how folks interpreted the Umwelt aspect of the aliens.
Also, thoughrs on my theory, and if anyone else seeing the connections?
by Aliinga