Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. Episode 31 is a spoileriffic overview of our first read of The Faith of Beasts, the second novel in the series, published just a few days ago! This episode comes to you from our UNDISCLOSED SECRET LOCATION (that we will never reveal) where we read the book together with friends. 

In this episode:

• We give our off-the-cuff impressions of the wonderous and amazing book that completely reframes everything we ever thought about anything.
• Brigid takes a well-earned victory lap for nailing the most important theory we ever put forth: the Jessyn-Irrina ship.
• Clint is blown away by surprising revelations about Campar and details why the final reveals about the deathless don't necessarily mean his Trap World theory is dead.
• The Swarm experiences gender euphoria, and we all learn to appreciate baby factories.
• We draw connections between Human, Lothark, Deathless, and Carryx societies while saying hello to some old friends (hi Corval!) and greeting some new ones (hi giant slug!).
• We give a rundown of what we learned from the JSAC subreddit AMA and lay out a plan for covering TFOB completely.

Join us next time when we give our hot takes and first impressions of The Faith of Beasts. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here.

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are finishing our coverage of the second book from main Expanse narrative with the last set of chapters of CALIBAN'S WAR, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• James Holden for the first and surely final time does something insanely stupid and heroic, and gets away with it!
• Bobbie faces her demons, the Creature, and experiences some truly disgusting body horror.
• Prax finally finds Dr. Strickland and Amos decides he should maybe do something about some of this.
• Chrisjen Avasarala gets an unwelcome promotion and has a very welcome little convo with Jules Pierre Mao.
• Naomi finds out that Jim's parents are racist and we maybe learn why they decided not to have kids.
• Clint talks about problem solving and shooting first.
• Brigid details how Caliban's War is about mourning, loss, and the end of history. 
• It's MILLER TIME BABYEEE

Join us next time when we do quick reacts for THE FAITH OF BEASTS, omg omg new TCW content omg. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here.

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that AT LONG LAST is about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. Episode 29 is a SPOILER FREE preview of The Faith of Beasts, the second novel in the series, due to be published in under a week!  

In this episode:

• We give an overview of the podcast's structure for new listeners and talk about some of the main theories we've developed so far. 
• We lay out our plan to gaslight everyone when TFOB proves those theories wrong. 
• Brigid wonders about the importance of religion in the story, and gives her illicit romantasy recommendations.
• Clint offers a theory about MacBeth and talks about why Ekur-Tklal is actually the universe's greatest hater.
• We compare and contrast how The Captive's War and the Expanse deal with the differences between story and plot.
• The plan for covering The Faith of Beasts is laid out in detail. 

Join us next time when we give our hot takes and first impressions of The Faith of Beasts. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here.

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are continuing our coverage of the main Expanse narrative with the sixth set of chapters of CALIBAN'S WAR, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• Bobbie and Chrissie board the Roci, and hilarity ensues as the crew try to figure out how to deal with the big woman and the loud grandma.
• Chrisjen wields the full weight of her soft power to avoid getting obliterated by Nguyen's fleet and cuts off Errinwright at the knees.
• The Martians ride in to the rescue as we get the hugest space battle of the series (so far).
• Holden is thwarted by democracy.
• Clint gushes over Bobbie's preparations for battle and death.
• Brigid crushes the summary of this penultimate part of book two.

Join us next time when we cover the seventh and final part of CALIBAN'S WAR, where we find out who is that guy. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here.

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are continuing our coverage of the main Expanse narrative with the fifth set of chapters of CALIBAN'S WAR, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• We talk a little TFOB in advance of publication in one (1) month!
• Naomi and Sam Rosenberg become roommates. This is probably not a euphemism? 
• Jim Holden makes an interesting career choice, but he survives by Posting Through It.
• Prax sets up an extremely successful gofundme, in some respects at least.
• Bobbie introduces herself to the crew of Jules-Pierre Mao's pleasure yacht. 
• Brigid triples down on #timidike ship, and tells the funniest joke in this podcast's history.
• Clint walks back his previous take on this book's pacing and explains the concept of comity. 
• Avasarala takes the weight of many worlds on her shoulders, sounds cool while doing it. 

Join us next time when we cover the sixth part of CALIBAN'S WAR, where the Roci Crew face down the UN and Martian fleets. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here.

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are continuing our coverage of the main Expanse narrative with the fourth set of chapters of CALIBAN'S WAR, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• Bobbie Draper plays her hand at espionage, is unsurprisingly very good at it.
• The Roci crew discover something special hiding on their ship, and the results are a banging good time.
• Prax saves the crew by applying his botany superpowers.
• Avasarala watches Venus toy with humanity, and realizes she's being toyed with herself.
• Brigid talks Romans and Goths and other myths of antiquity.  
• Clint gets to talk about Varys's Riddle and refuses to give legal advice. 
• Soren has a no good very bad day. 

Join us next time when we cover the fifth part of CALIBAN'S WAR, where Bobbie and Chrissie take a luxury cruise. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here.

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are continuing our coverage of the main Expanse narrative with the third set of chapters of CALIBAN'S WAR, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• BOBBIE DRAPER AND CHRISJEN AVASARALA MEET AT LAST.
• Just like Han, Prax shoots first. Hilarity ensues!
• We get one of the few chapters that takes place Out In The World On Earth before the rocks drop, and it's a fascinating exploration of Red State/Blue State perceptions vs. realities. 
• Holden orders some casual murders.
• Amos dies for the first time (Ding!)
• Clint talks about political philosophy, childhood trauma, and the banality of government work.
• Brigid explains how Holden wobbles between Captains Shackleford and Ahab, and details how all of our main characters are missing the forest through the trees. 
• The Gang Escapes Ganymede, but no one escaped trauma. 

Join us next time when we cover the fourth part of CALIBAN'S WAR, where the Roci Crew have a lil stowaway. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here.

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are continuing our coverage of the main Expanse narrative with the second set of chapters of CALIBAN'S WAR, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• Prax is having a real REAL bad time, fighting his way through starvation until he finds his Knight in martian armor: James Holden.
• Bobbie is trying to muscle her way through PTSD, which is never a bad idea.
• Avasarala works her magic to defang Admiral Nguyen, and begins to suspect that some people she's working with may not be telling her the unvarnished truth. 
• Brigid explains Cassandra and explores how the story reflects that the term "collateral damage" is insufficient to explain the devastation and struggle that those directly affected by war suffer. 
• Clint tells a story about his favorite bar and how laws stop having meaning when you're faced with unprecedented circumstances, and plays his favorite game: What happens if Naomi doesn't intervene?
• Your hosts compare and contrast Chrissie's problem solving process with Jim's and decide which one is better. You'll never guess who they pick!
• Amos, Jim, and Prax happen upon a group of rogue mercenaries, roll d20 to see if they join the quest!

Join us next time when we cover the third part of CALIBAN'S WAR, where some other stuff happens but also Bobbie and Avasarala meet(!!!!). Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIGID! Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are continuing our coverage of the main Expanse narrative with the first 7 chapters of CALIBAN'S WAR, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• We meet Roberta Draper, Praxidike Meng, Mei Meng, and Queen of Clint's Heart Chrisjen Avasarala, as the narrative expands to additional POVs, plotlines, and characters.
• Despite all of this, Holden is still obsessing about coffee. Also pirates or whatever.
• Brigid talks about the Creature, Frankenstein, Caliban, and other wonderful and terrifying literary monsters.
• Clint talks about government work, politics, and persuasion and gushes about the assistant TO the Undersecretary of the Executive of the United Nations.
• Amos grows a beard and hilariously annoys the Captain, Naomi remains insanely competent, and Alex is mostly just there.
• We introduce book two of the series discuss the real villain of the Universe: Capitalism. 

Join us next time when we cover the second part of CALIBAN'S WAR, and learn more about what is going down on Ganymede. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here.

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, and sometimes it's about The Expanse but today is about the 2023 James S.A. Corey novella How it Unfolds. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse and Unfoldsiverse!   

In this episode:

• We meet Roy Court and his former wife Anjulah as they unfold throughout the universe, discovering the beautiful and terrible possibilities of living thousands of lives on thousands of worlds.
• Megan Lee makes THEEE most romantic gesture in the history of humankind, and it works.
• Brigid explains epistolary storytelling, drops a banger GnR reference, and summarizes the wonderful timeloop of this amazing story.
• Clint talks about ghosting, Moore's Law, the common law, and why How it Unfolds > Project Hail Mary.
• JSAC makes yet another ASOIAF reference, we make some memes.
• Your hosts explore whether this story is in The Captive's War universe, and come down firmly on one side. Our wonderful audio engineer comes down on the other.

Join us next time when we cover the first part of CALIBAN'S WAR! Do not miss it! Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Audio Engineering by QueenCorpseFace. Read Brigid's stuff here. Tip Brigid to support the pod. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, and sometimes it's about The Expanse but today is a Low Effort Mailbag! Everyone loves those. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• We reveal the podcast's process, publishing plan, and strategy for tackling The Faith of Beasts
• Brigid cites her recommended books, email salutations, and nutrient slurries.
• Clint talks pleasant peninsulas, treating people as things, and band names.
• Questions about Livesuits, AI, and trap planets are answered.
• Someone actually freakin' tells us how many hamburgers it takes to move Eros!!! It's a lot!

Join us next time when we cover HOW IT UNFOLDS! Do not miss it! Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Audio Engineering by QueenCorpseFace. Read Brigid's stuff here. Tip Brigid to support the pod. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are continuing our coverage of the main Expanse narrative with the final part of LEVIATHAN WAKES, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• Miller finally gets the girl but, as usual, she's too good for him. 
• Holden commits some light war crimes and finally gets revenge on Venus for some reason.
• We travel back through the depths of Eros with our handy Macguffin, encountering many wonders of the deep.
• Brigid explains the literary and poetic allusions of the final portion of the book, and explores Miller's connection to J. Alfred Prufrock and Jesus H. Christ. 
• Clint has some choice words for Holden, Immanuel Kant, and STEM majors, and draws line from Miller to Willy Loman. 
• Your hosts compare and contrast Leviathan Wakes with The Mercy of Gods, in theme, structure, and quality. 
• We die maybe... but if we don't die, well that'll be interesting. 

Join us next time when we do a low effort mailbag episode! Be included by sending us a message! Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Audio Engineering by QueenCorpseFace. Read Brigid's stuff here. Tip Brigid to support the pod. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are continuing our coverage of the main Expanse narrative with chapters 43 through 49 of LEVIATHAN WAKES, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• Holden is cranky at Miller for being cool.
• Miller is down apocalyptic over the loss of his job, crew, life, and most of all the love of his life (and death).
• We get our one and ONLY sex chapter in the entire books, and a wild boner appears, but little else. 
• The Gang comes up with a plan to knock Eros into the sun, which takes some exciting twists and turns!
• Clint psychoanalyzes what Holden's polyamorist upbringing did to his brain and heart.
• Brigid goes linguist on lang belta and breaks down other fun stories about suicidal ideation.
• We talk about the rules of Golgo and shout out America's finest jurist, Judy Sheindlin. 
• Julie begins her trip home. 

Join us next time when we cover the seventh and final part of LEVIATHAN WAKES, where everything turns out just fine. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Audio Engineering by QueenCorpseFace. Read Brigid's stuff here. Tip Brigid to support the pod. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are continuing our coverage of the main Expanse narrative with chapters 33 through 42 of LEVIATHAN WAKES, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• The crew is together and on the same page and everything is going great, with the teensy exception of Jim Holden accidentally starting more interplanetary wars.
• We explore the Anubis and get lots of backstory on Protogen and the origin of the name of the Amon-Ra Class stealth ships. 
• Holden acquires a Chekov's protomolecule sample. 
• Clint wonders why none of the characters are aware of the Trump Era, and praises the authors for refraining from putting a bunch of sexual violence in the Expansiverse.
• Brigid delights in how Leviathan Wakes explores the found family trope, and goes long on sociopathy and how it relates to a host of characters.
• Everyone loves the bit about no one knowing who Fred is.
• The OPA performs a hostile takeover of Protogen's assets and Miller suggests some targeted terminations to trim the corporate fat.
• Clint talks about his pet theory about the Expanse being about humanity being the cause of and solution to all of our problems. 

Join us next time when we cover the sixth part of LEVIATHAN WAKES, where Julie sings the siren song to Miller, beckoning him back to Eros and the abyss. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Audio Engineering by QueenCorpseFace. Read Brigid's stuff here. Tip Brigid to support the pod. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are continuing our coverage of the main Expanse narrative with chapters 25 through 32 of LEVIATHAN WAKES, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• Everyone Is A Winner On Eros, for a very given definition of "Winner".
• Miller goes all in on the love of his life, ignoring only a few of her metaphorical warts.
• Jim throws his chips in the pot to be a hero and pays dearly for it (again).
• Our two main characters are positively radiating with comradery as they make their way through a team building adventure of discovery. 
• Miller begins the splitting of his consciousness between The Investigator and his Death Self, and foreshadows his eventual journey into oblivion. 
• We are witness to the absolute most horrifying, stomach-churning, uncomfortable scene in the entire series: Jim's chemically-induced confession of love. 
• Your Hosts compare and contrast Miller's crush on Julie, Holden's crush on Naomi, and The Swaaaaarrrrmm's crush on Dafyd. 
• Brigid talks about obscure poetry, serial killers, and caked up cartoon mice.
• Clint wonders about the cognitive abilities of the Vomit Zombies, and continues thirsting for Mother Elise.
• Naomi follows orders and Holden is salty about it. 

Join us next time when we cover the sixth part of LEVIATHAN WAKES, where The Gang Invades A Protogen Research Station. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Audio Engineering by QueenCorpseFace. Read Brigid's stuff here. Tip Brigid to support the pod. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are continuing our coverage of the main Expanse narrative with chapters 15 through 24 of LEVIATHAN WAKES, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• We finish Act I of the novel as all the pieces come together to send all of our characters to a nice little vacay to Eros Station.
• Jim gets a new ship, a new job, a new boss, and a new crush. 
• Miller, completely out of NOWHERE, is fired from the job that he told everyone a week ago he was too drunk to do.
• Clint gives a legal analysis of whether or not the Rocinante is Legitimate Salvage, with citations to antiquity and relevant international conventions. If you listen to this you owe him his regular hourly rate*. 
• Brigid goes long on the Cervantes references buried in the story and runs down Detective Miller's Grade A detective work.
• There is so much talk about how we should or should not Push The Button.
• One host analyzes the gender politics endemic to book one, and offers a thoughtful critique about the way Jim, Miller, the authors, and men in general think about women in this world and the real one. The other host makes several juvenile chauvinistic jokes. Guess which one does which!
• We compare and contrast the Expanse, the Captive's War, and Andy D's actual canonical favorite book (thanks to Hndlebrrrr on reddit for setting us straight).
•  *this is a joke he is not your lawyer and you cannot pay him

Join us next time when we cover the fourth part of LEVIATHAN WAKES, and everyone is going to win big on Eros. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Audio Engineering by QueenCorpseFace. Read Brigid's stuff here.

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are continuing our coverage of the main Expanse narrative with chapters 6 through 14 of LEVIATHAN WAKES, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• We spend more time with the Knight crew as they encounter the most terrifying and evil villain in the entire system: a corporate attorney.
• Miller journeys to the bottom of a bottle and back again, deepens his TOTALLY NORMAL interest in Ms. Juliette Mao, and meets a new friend named Andy.
• Holden offers his airtight alibi against accusations he accused Mars of killing the Cant: TECHNICALLY I never said that. Technically.
• Ceres station is devolving into chaos, but the OPA merch shop is still operational.
• Clint jumps at the opportunity to make a bunch of references to his favorite band and hones his Mariner Valley drawl.
• Brigid posits that Amos already knows that he's invincible and gives a rundown on the literary and cultural significance of the chosen names.
• We compare the pace of storytelling between the Expanse and The Captive's War.
• The entire crew (sorry Shed) narrowly escapes the Donnager in one of the most pulse pounding action sequences in the narrative. 
• Don't worry folks, FRED F'N JOHNSON is finally here. 

Join us next time when we cover the third part of LEVIATHAN WAKES, and find out what they're gonna name their new ship (NO SPOILERS JERKS). Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Audio Engineering by QueenCorpseFace. Read Brigid's stuff here.

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are beginning our coverage of the main Expanse narrative with the first 6 chapters of LEVIATHAN WAKES, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• We get introduced to the world of the Expanse with the most heart-pounding prologue chapter in sci-fi. 
• Star Helix Detective Josephus Miller is getting way too old for this shit.
• Jim Holden gets a promotion and - for what is surely the last time - makes some bafflingly stupid decisions.
• Brigid sings the praises of the ping-pong storytelling narrative, especially in a story as plot dense as this one.
• Clint gives a mini lecture on maritime law and draws an extended comparison between the Expanse, A Song of Ice and Fire, and Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan. 
• Both hosts gush about the gorgeous JSAC prose that we get exposed to right away, and do an extended comparison of the mental illnesses of Miller and Amos.
• We detail the minor and sundry differences between the book and the show and pitch the listeners on reading the goddanged Captive's War.

Join us next time when we cover the second part of LEVIATHAN WAKES, and get on the Donnager. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here.

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are covering The Butcher of Anderson Station, the second chronological novella in the Expanse series, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• We cover the very important backstory of three of our favorite characters, Fred Johnson, Anderson Dawes, and [MYSTERY CHARACTER TO BE NAMED LATER].
• We give our sure to be controversial fancasts for those characters. 
• Your hosts hone their drama kid chops to dramatize the interaction between Fred and Dawes.
• Brigid defends the ethics and utility of frontier justice.
• Clint compares Fred Johnson to Frank Castle, and sings the praises of uber utilitarian Anderson Dawes.
• Fred's idealism is crushed forever, replaced by a dogged sense of righteous justice.
• Dawes drags Fred through some popular psychology with and without milk.
• The podcast finally gets to compare something from the show to the written work, and debates the strengths and weaknesses of both. 
• Your hosts discuss the similarities between this and the Captive's War, and the Expanse in general. 
• We build rapport. Lots of rapport. 

Join us next time when we cover the very first part of LEVIATHAN WAKES. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are covering Drive, the very first chronological novella in the Expanse series, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• We meet Solomon Epstein and Caitlin Esquivel, a pair of star-crossed lovers just trying to make it in this crazy world (of Mars).
• Your hosts discuss the Constitutional Moment that the story finds Mars in, not quite ready for independence but too far gone to be reigned in.
• Clint gets to talk about salutary neglect and how big of a dork Voltaire is, while dispensing necessary fashion advice.
• Brigid wonders if Caitlin is in the Heritage Foundation, and also manages to succeed despite the inherent disability of having a liberal arts degree.
• We talk about the essential irony of being killed by your own creation, something that no story in literature has ever explored.
• Drive is compared to the story of Moses in the bible, and your hosts reflect on legacy while facing imminent death. 
• We discuss the timeloop story structure and what it can tell us about the Expanse, The Captive's War, and Livesuit in particular. 

Join us next time when we cover the last prequel Expanse Novella, THE BUTCHER OF ANDERSON STATION. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are covering Auberon, a novella in the Expanse series, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• We meet everyone's favorite fascists, Biryar and Mona Rittenour, and cover what hijinks ensue when they try to rule over the unruliest planet in the gate network.
• Your hosts pose the question that everyone else is afraid to ask: WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON WITH LACONIAN BASKETBALL???
• Brigid talks themes and symbols, such as fig trees, grass, light and dark, and big reporter naturals.
• Clint gets way too personal about what Erich's final speech means to him, and makes the case for Erich as the Greatest Hero in Science Fiction.
• There is a far ranging discussion about the least subtle metaphor in literature: the fact that the air on Auberon smells like poop. 
• Mona Rittenour and Veronica Deetz are compared with their counterparts from The Captive's War, Tonner and Rickar. 
• We talk about the story's messages of choice, the power of impurity, and moral flexibility. 
• The podcast checks in with Jacob Mundell, who rules and should be in more things.

Join us next time when we cover the very first and fastest story in the Expanse universe, DRIVE. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. 

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In this TMOP Minisode, Brigid, Clint & special guest Steph discuss the seismic recent news related to The Captive's War series by James S.A. Corey. 

In this minisode: 

• We cover the recent revision to Livesuit which erases the Mina/Mira split from the written canon. RIP Mira, we hardly knew ye. 
• Your hosts shake their collective fist at JSAC and/or their editors for messing with the podcast's theories and requiring us to update the Livesuit timeline.
• The extremely metal title of the next book is revealed (YAY!) and the estimated release date in 2026 is set (boo.)
• Steph declares her love for Llaren Morse.
• Brigid speculates on how deranged the fan theories are going to get by the time the next book comes out.
• Clint gets very textualist about traps, baits, and spies.
• Various dogs bark more than they probably should on this very professional podcast.

Join us next time when we cover the other Expanse novella about your hero Erich, AUBERON. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast that is normally about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, but today we are covering The Churn, a novella in the Expanse series, also by James S.A. Corey. This episode is spoilers for the entire Expansiverse!   

In this episode:

• We cover the origin story of everyone's favorite babygirl sociopath, Timothy Amos Burton
• Brigid details her affection for Timmy and his amiable smile.
• Clint waives his tiny Erich Rules flag and yammers on about criminal procedure rights. 
• Lydia's choice to stop Timmy from killing Erich is contrasted with her, uh... other activities. 
• We talk about sex, baby. 
• We talk about you and me. 
• We talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be. 
• Also we engage in wild speculation about counterfactuals.

Join us next time when we cover the other Expanse novella about your hero Erich, AUBERON. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. Episode 9 is a recap and overview coverage of the ENTIRETY of the published narrative for The Captive's War to date.  

In this episode:

• We talk about the overall themes and symbols of the work, including what does it mean to be human and how much of your humanity are you willing to sacrifice in order to save humanity?
• Brigid talks about the importance of love in this narrative.
• Clint gives a rundown of all the species and classes of Carryxes that we have met so far.
• Your hosts go through their ranking of good theories, not so good theories, bad theories, and those that are 100% correct (Livesuit is a prequel, do not @ us.) 
• We critically evaluate the Trap World Anjiin theory, and discuss how it fits into the overall theme of human conflict.
• The podcast does its first gimmicky top 8 list.
• We answer some of our reader questions and discuss their theories, and in doing so Brigid tells everyone her pen name.
• BOLD predictions are made for plot points in future books.

Join us next time when we start our coverage of the Expanse novellas. Have you heard about the Expanse, folks? Check it out, you might like it. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. Episode 8 covers the second and FINAL half of The Captive's War's first novella, LIVESUIT.  

In this episode:

• We watch the futuristic noir crime drama Silent Horses through the eyes of our loveable dingbat Kirin, and we compare it to the Maltese Falcon and Blade Runner. 
• The squad goes on vacay in Liribas and meets several interesting locals while engaging in growth team building exercises that will change their perspectives forever.
• Your hosts pick their TCW kink scene names.
• Brigid notes how short stories are like hot pockets.
• Clint asks the important question on everyone's mind: why don't the Carryx have MOAR GUNZ?
• We refer back to The OFFICIAL Livesuit Timeline by The Mercy of Pods. 
• The team scattered to the wind is a strange look for victory.
• Piotr can't stop flapping his jaw. 
• Kirin has a no good very bad day. 
• The podcast finishes its set of recap episodes of the currently-published narrative of The Captive's War. 

Join us next time when we do a wrap overview of The Captive's War so far! Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. Episode 7 covers the first half of The Captive's War's first novella, LIVESUIT.  

In this episode:

• We meet Kirin and Piotr, our Very Special Supersoldiers who are definitely certainly of course going to be just fine at the end of this cosmic sci-fi horror novella.
• Despite the warning of every character in this story that timelines are meaningless, we put together The OFFICIAL Livesuit Timeline by The Mercy of Pods. 
• Brigid gives her fancast for Kirin, and Clint gives his for Piotr. 
• We travel far and wide among several different human-colonized planets who are being forced to fight in The Great War.
• Sergeant Huang convinces a ragtag group of recruits to put on a very special suit of armor that will turn them into gods and kill them at the same time.
• Your hosts give their stance as to whether or not you can ever take the Livesuit off (SPOILER: you 100% cannot) and their stance on getting eaten alive while drowning (SPOILER: not big fans). 
• Mina deserved better. 
• We engage in a wide ranging discussion of Livesuit's influences, including but not necessarily limited to: Philip K. Dick, Hamlet, World War I, George Saunders, Timecop, Somewhere In Time, and Metallica.
• Kirin reaches the midpoint of his convoluted timeline, and crosses the bridge between this life, the next life, and the one after that. 

Join us next time when we finish off LIVESUIT by talking about Silent Horses and silent friends! Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. Episode 6 covers the sixth and FINAL part of The Mercy of Gods, SMALL BATTLES IN THE GREAT WAR.  

In this episode:

• Dafyd sells out the resistance in exchange for that sweet swarm lovin'.
• We say goodbye to Synnia, Jon Bernthal, and the rest of the resistance crew with one rather notable exception.
• your hosts lay out the podcast's plans for the next several episodes.
• we speculate wildly on the nature of the half mind, the swarm, livesuits, and the other quasi-living semi-intelligent things.
• Ekur-Tklal gets a promotion/demotion and gets hornt up by the Sovran.
• Dafyd loses his girlfriend (kinda) and gives the Independence Day speech that he was born to give.
• The Swarm is one billiondy heart eyes emoji over Mr. Alkhor.
• Brigid has a very correct theory about why ET picked Dafyd as liason.
• Clint muses about the singular nature of The Captive's War, and guesses who the titular captive is. 
• we finish our part-by-part series of tMoG with a bang. 

Join us next time when we do an overview wrap of The Mercy of Gods, discussing themes, unanswered questions, and more! Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. Episode 5 covers the fifth part of The Mercy of Gods, FISSURES.  

In this episode:

• we meet all the new people that our group has discovered, including Jellit, Merrol, Dennia, and good old Llaren Morse. 
• Dafyd and Else interview the weird and diverse alien menagerie, and discover that none of them want to talk to them at all.
• The Night Drinkers are lightly genocided.
• Brigid wants to stage an intervention for Synnia.
• Clint highlights all the ways in which the Swarm's confessions support his  (maybe) extremely correct TWA theory.
• Rickar gets laid! Good for Rickar. 
• Jon Bernthal talks survivorship bias, and references this meme.
• Tonner figures out how to feed the turtles.
• Your hosts debate which camp they would find themselves in, the fighters or the livers.

Join us next time when we cover tMoG Pt. 6, SMALL BATTLES IN THE GREAT WAR, where stuff really starts going down. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. Episode 4 covers the fourth part of The Mercy of Gods, TURNABOUT.  

In this episode:

• we take note of the various turnabouts that happen between our heroes, the Night Drinkers, the Carryx and other various sundry folks
• Dafyd and the Swarm finally make whoopee, and Tonner is sad about it
• the Night Drinkers attack, the humans counter-attack, and earn a surrender
• we guess as to whether "humans are endurance hunters" is foreshadowing for the larger narrative (SPOILER: yes).
• Brigid details empathy as a competitive advantage
• Clint cannot help but bring up political philosophy
• your hosts dissect Ekur-Tklal's torture of the Five Fold Enemy, and the Swarm's connection to the starfish troopers
• we speculate about Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, Book 11, part VII, which goes like this: 

"A branch cut off from the continuity of that which was next unto it, must needs be cut off from the whole tree: so a man that is divided from another man, is divided from the whole society. A branch is cut off by another, but he that hates and is averse, cuts himself off from his neighbour, and knows not that at the same time he divides himself from the whole body, or corporation. But herein is the gift and mercy of God, the Author of this society, in that, once cut off we may grow together and become part of the whole again. But if this happen often the misery is that the further a man is run in this division, the harder he is to be reunited and restored again: and however the branch which, once cut of afterwards was graffed in, gardeners can tell you is not like that which sprouted together at first, and still continued in the unity of the body."

Join us next time when we cover tMoG Pt. 5, FISSURES, where the team engages in some fair play. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. Episode 3 covers the third part of The Mercy of Gods, PUZZLES.  

In this episode:

• your hosts take credit for manifesting the upcoming TV show
• we break down some of the social and biological darwinism philosophies of the Carryx
• the team gets a new task - be useful or else
• the Carryx stumble into a trap on Ayayeh and Clint goes into great detail about how this plays into the podcast's (probably) correct theory about What Is Going On
• Jessyn is still strugs to func
• everyone has just about had it with Tonner Fries
• Brigid elaborates on her favorite fungus
• the Night Drinkers attack, and we have to say goodbye to one of our main cast

Join us next time when we cover tMoG Pt. 4, TURNABOUT, where the team engages in some fair play. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. Episode 2 covers the second part of The Mercy of Gods, CATASTROPHE. 

In this episode:

• we cover the conquest of Anjiin by the Carryx and their menagerie of horrible animals of violence, it is not pretty
• lots of people die, but thankfully not Campar (<3)
• speaking of not pretty, there are poop mats (let us never speak of this again)
• Brigid theorizes about hella swarms on Anjiin
• Clint hints several times at our Extremely (Probably) Correct Theory but does not reveal it quite yet
• we speculate on what it would be like to do sex on The Swarm
• no one wants to talk about the transport ship and everyone is relieved when we finally get to wherever the hell we end up

Join us next time when we cover tMoG Pt. 3, PUZZLES, where we finally describe our Extremely (Probably) Correct Theory of What Is Happening. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. 

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Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. Episode 1 covers the first part of The Mercy of Gods, BEFORE. 

In this episode:

• we analyze the central conflict of the series, the fact that the funding colloquy is going to split up the research group!
• Brigid hearts Ekur-Tkalal
• Clint goes googly eyed over Campar
• Everyone dumps on Tonner Freis
• Brigid looks up what "superluminal" means
• we gush over The Swarm and detail exactly when the Swarm takes control of [CHARACTER REDACTED].
• we demand justice for Rickar
• no one is all that worried about the seventeen (17) city-sized alien spaceships that are on their way to Anjiin, they're probably just here to hang out

Join us next time when we cover tMoG Pt. 2, CATASTROPHE, where some real bad stuff happens. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at themercyofpods@gmail.com. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. 

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