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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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