‘Apostles of Mercy’ Review – An Intimate, Gripping Epic About the Need for Connection in the Face of Certain Destruction

In Apostles of Mercy, Lindsay Ellis returns to her Noumena series with a story that explores the intricacies of human – and alien – connection. If Truth of the Divine told a story about how humanity might react to an impending alien invasion, Apostles of Mercy tells a story of hope and desperation. How would you react if you knew that everything you’ve ever known was destined to end in absolute hellfire? Would you fight tooth and nail to save the world? Or would you take the first chance at escape that crossed your path? This question is at the center of Apostles of Mercy, and it’s one Ellis explores quite effectively. Apostles of Mercy might just be the best entry in the Noumena series so far, featuring a tightly paced, laser-focused story that feels all at once sweepingly epic and shockingly intimate.

To Fight or Flea

Apostles of Mercy begins a year or so after the events of Truth of the Divine, and Cora and Ampersand have all but retreated entirely from human society. Despite their efforts at achieving a higher form of connection, they remain further apart than ever before, haunted by the knowledge they may soon have to flee for their very lives. But when members of Ampersand’s sister species are discovered elsewhere on the planet, everything changes. Does the existence of these physeterines offer salvation or certain destruction? And can humanity, which seems hellbent on militarizing itself against an extraterrestrial threat, make a case for its own survival? In Apostles of Mercy, Ellis posits that humanity’s greatest threat might not come from the stars but from humankind itself.

Ellis tells a story both about the survival of humanity as a species and about the survival of these specific characters. Like all good first-contact stories, the Noumena series explores the ideas of what, exactly, makes us human, and Apostles of Mercy doubles down on that idea. Cora and Ampersand’s relationship takes center stage here, even more than it previously has. But this time, Ellis contrasts their relationships with each other to their relationships with members of their respective species. It’s a love story in the face of certain destruction. But alongside that intimate love story comes plenty of gripping political drama, heavy sci-fi ideas, and enough horror to make the Alien movies quiver in fear. It’s impressive the number of plates Ellis juggles throughout the book. And, even more impressive, is just how perfectly Apostles of Mercy‘s various ideas come together in the end.

The Quest for Connection in Hopeless Times

One of the things that’s made the Noumena series so stellar has been the way it juggles its focus on Cora and Ampersand’s relationship with the broader implications a first-contact scenario might have on humanity. And while Apostles of Mercy certainly maintains that balance, it’s safe to say it focuses a lot more on Cora and Ampersand than it does on the geopolitics of the situation. And that’s a good thing! For as epic a tome as Apostles of Mercy is, it simultaneously feels very focused and intimate. This is a story about survival in its rawest sense. A story about the lengths we go through to save those we love and about persevering in the face of certain defeat. Sure, every character in Apostles of Mercy finds themselves trapped underneath the political realities of this extraordinary situation, but that’s not the book’s focus.

Instead, Ellis focuses on the idea of connection. What is more human, after all, than our drive to connect with each other? We spend our lives looking for meaning in every interaction. We assign human characteristics to decidedly nonhuman objects and beings. And, even in our darkest moments, we reach out for those we love, in search of that final, desperate bit of hope. And that’s exactly what Cora and Ampersand find themselves doing throughout Apostles of Mercy. Cora rests her hopes in her budding new relationship with Paris, who rests her hopes in the answers she might glean from her interviews with Nikola. Meanwhile, Nikola rests his hopes in escaping captivity and reuniting with his beloved Ampersand, who rests his hopes in finding Nikola and putting a stop to the physeterines’ plans. It’s all just an endless cycle of finding hope in the connections we make with one another.

The Future of the Noumena Series

What’s interesting when viewing Apostles of Mercy in the wider context of the Noumena series is the way it feels like a reworking of the series’ overarching plot. The earlier books depict humanity as this unstoppable force of destruction. And while Apostles of Mercy doesn’t renege on that depiction, it offers much more nuance. Previous books suggest that humanity might not be worth saving from extraterrestrial destruction. But Apostles of Mercy offers a glimmer of hope, shining a light on both the good and the bad of humankind. And that sets the series up to go down quite an interesting pathway in future installments. What initially seemed like the beginnings of an all-out war might, instead, be the beginnings of something far more intriguing. A political thriller in its truest sense, but one tinged with emotional truth. Put simply, the future of the Noumena series looks brighter than ever.

Final Thoughts

For now, Apostles of Mercy steers the Noumena series into more hopeful waters. It tells the story of lost souls desperately searching for connection, hope, and love in the face of near-certain destruction. It’s a page-turner in every sense of the phrase, making its lengthy page count go by in the blink of an eye. Ellis’ gift for writing complicated yet immensely relatable characters remains on full display here, as does her penchant for creating a detailed, realistic, and believable alternate history. Apostles of Mercy takes everything great from the previous books in the Noumena series and makes them even better, doubling down on the very human emotions at the heart of the story. It’s a gripping, emotional, sometimes horrifying, and startling human read that’s well worth a gander.

Apostles of Mercy is available now in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook from St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan.

Disclaimer: A review copy of Apostles of Mercy was provided by the publisher. All opinions are the honest reactions of the author.