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The Faith of Beasts

The Faith of Beasts

by James S. A. Corey
James S. A. Corey's Expanse series has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 23 languages, establishing itself as a modern masterwork of science fiction. Now, the Hugo-award winning author returns with the second volume in their New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed space opera trilogy, The Captive’s War. "Corey is always one of the most engaging voices in the genre." —Adrian Tchaikovsky, bestselling author of Children of Time The monstrous Carryx empire was built by subjugation and war. Thousands of species are bound to their Sovran’s command in an endless, blood-soaked test: be useful in the eternal conflict or be slaughtered. Dafyd Alkhor, highest among their human captives, is feared and despised by the very people he champions. Ruthless in carving out his niche in the eternal war machine of the empire, he will reshape human nature itself as a tool for their alien masters’ use. But Dafyd’s loyalty is not what it seems. The Swarm, an agent of the Carryx’s deathless enemy, has been smuggled into the Carryx world-palace along with the human slaves. Its mission: discover a way to bring down the empire’s eternal reign. But the longer it lives among and within humanity, the more it forgets that it is a weapon. As the human captives spread through the battlefronts of empire, the awesome power of the Carryx becomes clear. And with it, a desperate plan for their destruction. But empires hide secrets, and even the deathless enemy may not be what it appears … “Masterful ... This is space opera at its best.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Mercy of Gods "The start of something truly epic." ―Fonda Lee on The Mercy of Gods For More from James S. A. Corey, check out: The Captive’s War The Mercy of Gods The Faith of Beasts The Expanse Leviathan Wakes Caliban’s War Abaddon’s Gate Cibola Burn Nemesis Games Babylon’s Ashes Persepolis Rising Tiamat’s Wrath ​Leviathan Falls Memory’s Legion The Expanse Short Fiction Drive The Butcher of Anderson Station Gods of Risk The Churn The Vital Abyss Strange Dogs Auberon The Sins of Our Fathers
Rating:
6.3/10
Date finished:
May 16, 2026
Status:
Completed
Genres & Facets:
Science Fiction

My notes

I think this one might have been a step down from both the first book in the series and the typical propulsive pacing that the Corey duo typically impresses on me.

And honestly, I think it's my fault.

Unlike the Expanse - where I only read the main entries - I ripped through Entry 1.5, the Live Suit novella. I had finished The Mercy of Gods with a reductive belief that the authors were moving from a multi-arc physics-as-a-character story to 'humans are space orcs.' Live Suit contributed to that belief, but Faith walked it back a bit.

Humans aren't space orcs, per se. But we are adaptable, and our society as a collection of individuals makes us uniquely dangerous. So less "humans are space orcs" and more "humans are uniquely crafty weapons."

The other part that's leaving me a little sour on this book is, I think, there's too much plot left to cover. The Expanse was always rather tightly plotted, with structural elements supporting each other and the overarching story being tied to "therefore" structures rather than a series of set pieces tied together by "and then" constructs.

The weight of what's left to accomplish and the pure level of work required to get there makes me feel like the third book has a lot of heavy lifting to do.

I don't know; maybe that's just me being pessimistic.

Rated 6.3/10 — Status: Completed — May 16, 2026 at 12:00 AM
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