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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.
• 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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