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Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. This is the sixth part of our coverage of The Faith of Beasts, the second novel in the series! This episode is spoilers for the entirety of The Captive's War Universe. In this episode: Campar is trying to make Ghati forget that they are slaves on an alien warship through the power of positive thinking.Rickar is chopping it up with Vaudai and chopping down Campar's optimism.Surur-Tlassen has a fun day meeting the Sovran while she's taking a bath, talking with some private creche dudes, and killing a random animal that wandered the wrong wayClint has some weird mic stuff (sorry!) and gets jealous of the Sovran's vocal dexterity.Brigid says hi to her mom and expounds on the Carryx hierarchical language structure. We discuss whether it's better to be an optimist or a pessimist in times of extreme danger and stress, and come down firmly on one side of the debate over whether the Carryx are a hive mind (SPOILER: they aren't).Surur has a friend called Urur, and you thought GRRM was bad with names.Join us next time when Tonner Fries has a no good very bad day. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. This is the fifth part of our coverage of The Faith of Beasts, the second novel in the series! This episode is spoilers for the entirety of The Captive's War Universe. In this episode: We get our first POV from Hater-Librarian Ekur-Tklal, learn more about the Carryx management structure, and also that it considers Dafyd to be a cute and disgusting little doll.Dafyd and Jellitswarm go on a field trip on the world palace and have a little heart-to-heart...to-heart-to-heart-to-heart.The JSAC boys get to write about the wonder of weird alien worlds while exploring the mysteries of human consciousness and frailty, so you KNOW the prose is lit.Jessyn and 3 Garral 3 continue their talk with the Other Humans and hatch a crazy plan to put on the best danged talent show this World has ever seen. Clint bangs on about how truly insane the Carryx information apparatus is and speculates what it means that the livesuits don't have translation software.Brigid analyzes the title of this part, and discusses how pressure is driving convergence in all of the little parts of this episode. The Swarm can see everything.Join us next time when we check in on Team Carryx, as Campar, Rickar & Friends continue to experience battle and Surur takes a bath. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. This is the fourth part of our coverage of The Faith of Beasts, the second novel in the series! This episode is spoilers for the entirety of The Captive's War Universe. In this episode: We get our very first Carryx POV and it is from a trans man. Christopher Nolan has gone too far.We check in on Campar and Rickar as they experience the lesbian film Blue is the Hurtiest Color. We get a whole POV from 3 Garral 3 and he is just an incredibly sexy and flirtatious hot scientist and ancient history hobbyist doing his best to give a f*ck me vibe to literally every human in existence.Dafyd reluctantly gives Ver Cannadan and Jellit a job. Much to the Swarm's dismay, it's not THAT kind of job.Brigid likens the Carryx biology to honeybees and other invertebrates, and makes righteous fun of our new friend Omco.Clint breaks down how the Carryx's truly insane communications apparatus is likely the answer to every question we have about them. We relay an incredible series of emails from The Linguist. Trap World Anjiin is TRUE you guys. Join us next time when we FINALLY get a POV from our good friend and ally Ekur-Tklal. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. This is the third part of our coverage of The Faith of Beasts, the second novel in the series! This episode is spoilers for the entirety of The Captive's War Universe. In this episode: Dafyd rounds out his cabinet by recruiting/blackmailing Uuya Tomos to be his minister of propaganda.Jessyn uncovers a loot drop of fresh fruit and also meets some new friends.Tonner talks ex-girlfriends with his completely and totally objective buddy Jellit and ponders the deep mysteries of the Lothark.Brigid compares this portion to a Cormac McCarthy joint and drops a story about munching pills.Clint has some weird clipping on his mic (sorry!) wonders whether the Carryx even cares if their humans mix with other humans (they don't!) and chides everyone who thinks that Livesuit isn't essential reading (it is!).The Swarm continues behaving in a delightfully reckless manner, wonder if that will come back to bite it in the future?We get the big reveal of the first part of the book (CORVALL!!!!). Join us next time when Campar and Rickar experience overspill for the first time. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. This is the second part of our coverage of The Faith of Beasts, the second novel in the series! This episode is spoilers for the entirety of The Captive's War Universe. In this episode: We check in with Tonnor Fries, who let's face it is not having a very good time.Dafyd starts leaning into authoritarianism but that the locals are getting a little punchy.The Swarm reveals itself and it goes about as well as they could possibly have hoped. Jessyn and 3 Garral 3 have theeee cutest effing meet cute and we can't wait for them to get a room.Clint riffs on Anjiineese sexuality, JSAC's love of love, and his maybe/probably/definitely correct theory of what World is.Brigid takes a victory lap, grabs all the religious references she can, and connects Ver Cannadan to the immigrant experience.We finish off TFOB Pt. I STRUCTURE with a discussion of some very important and horny small moments. Join us next time when Jessyn's romantic vacation unexpectedly turns into a group thing. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Mercy of Pods, a podcast about The Captive's War by James S.A. Corey, hosted by Brigid & Clint. This is the first part of our coverage of The Faith of Beasts, the second novel in the series! This episode is spoilers for the entirety of The Captive's War Universe In this episode: We talk Anjiin origin myths, and how the Story of Ke fits into what we already know.Lord Dafyd Alkhor deals with many nightmares, alien, procreative, and logistical alike, and starts a Carryxese streak on Duolingo.Rickar warns Campar of the dangers of Love in Hell, and meets a new mollusk friend.Jessyn begins her messy bisexual getaway on World.Brigid summarizes the first four chapters and does The Swaaaaarm voice more times than you could possibly anticipate.Clint runs down the major post-TFOB theories of the Deathless enemy and wonders why there isn't a grid network on World.We go long on the choice to introduce reproduction into the story, and what it means for the narrative going forward.Join us next time when we finish off the first part of The Faith of Beasts. Follow the Mercy of Pods on social media at themercyofpods, or email us at [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links

Send us Fan Mail 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 [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links

Send us Fan Mail 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 BABYEEEJoin 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 [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links

Send us Fan Mail 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 [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links

Send us Fan Mail 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 [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links

Send us Fan Mail 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 [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links

Send us Fan Mail 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 [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links

Send us Fan Mail 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 [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links

Send us Fan Mail 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 [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links

Send us Fan Mail 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 [email protected]. Logo by Matt Howse. Music is Push The Button by Sid Luscious and the Pants. Read Brigid's stuff here. All our links