The Mercy of Gods

I finally got around to reading this, in anticipation of the sequel's publication next week. I will say I was both satisfied and slightly disappointed. The novel hits all the right buttons you would expect from the authors of The Expanse: compelling narrative, great characters, strong visuals, terrifying aliens. The story involves a human colony world that is invaded and subsumed by an alien empire called the Carryx, and the aftermath of that disaster. A research group is brought to the Carryx homeworld to determine the "usefulness" of human civilization to the empire. The humans are forced to ask themselves if they should make themselves useful and consign their civilization to permanent enslavement, or rebel and face certain extinction. The disappointing aspect of the novel is that the ending is basically telegraphed two-thirds of the way through, and though I read on expecting some sort of surprise reversal that would upend my expectations, it actually ended exactly the way it told me it would. This slightly soured an otherwise terrific reading experience.