The Faith of Beasts by James SA Corey

The Faith of Beasts is the second book in James SA Corey’s Captives War trilogy (the first being The Mercy of Gods). It is still hard to see how Corey will bring this sprawling epic in within three books but the vague outline of how that might be achieved finally starts to emerge in this second book. It is also worth noting here that there are strong links to the novella Livesuit which came out while readers were waiting for book 2 of the series. Livesuit is not essential reading but will definitely give more context and some additional clues to some of the action in this novel.

The Faith of Beasts follows directly on from the end of The Mercy of Gods. Dafyd Alkhor leads the small remnant human population of the planet Anjiin, captured by the warlike Carryx and brought into their perpetual war machine. Alkhor is still hated for his role in helping to put down a human-led revolt even though it meant survival for the rest of the population, and he still struggles to keep everyone safe. In order to do so, he recruits a couple of helpers including a story teller and PR expert.

This book also follows a couple of Alkhor’s close circle who leave the main Carryx planet. Jessyn is part of a team sent to explore the remains of a newly conquered planet to try and find clues about the enemy. And Campar finds himself on a warship in an active battle zone where he gets to opportunity to board one of the enemy ships. Both make discoveries that will change their understanding of the Carryx, the war and their enemies.

Unlike Corey’s series The Expanse, in which each book focussed on the points-of-view of a limited range of characters, The Captives War ranges widely across its cast. Not just the human characters but the alien spy living in their midst, some of the Carryx and some of the other aliens. This gives an expansive feel to the narrative although at the expense of some character depth. Still, the main characters – Dafyd, Jessyn and Campar – are central and get plenty of narrative time.

The Mercy of Gods saw Corey change direction in terms of the type of story being told. But this is still incredibly engaging science fiction that feels grounded in historical and philosophical models, giving it extra depth and resonance. The Faith of Beasts is a great middle book -broadening out the world, deepening the stakes and setting up for what can only be a surprising and revelatory finale.

PS – Readers may already know that Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham (aka James SA Corey) are working on a television adaptation of this series with the same team that delivered their excellent adaptation of The Expanse.

The Faith of Beasts by James SA Corey

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9.0/10