Apostles of Mercy

A Novel (Noumena, Book 3)

By: Lindsay Ellis

Narrated by: Abigail Thorn, Angel Pean, Neil Hellegers, Stephanie Willis

This program features multicast narration.

Apostles of Mercy is the new alternate history first contact novel from the instant New York Times, Wall Street Journal and LA Times bestselling Lindsay Ellis.

First Contact has not been going well. The nations of Earth are rapidly militarizing against the arrival of the Superorganism, an alien civilization that promises to destroy humanity before it can develop into a real threat. The Superorganism has done it before–to their distant transient relatives–and they could easily do it again. But the alien Ampersand and his human interpreter Cora Sabino are done with trying to save humanity from both the Superorganism and itself; to them, this is a civilization that does not deserve to be saved.

When a strange new form of communication between the two of them reveals to Cora how alien Ampersand truly is, she begins to question her blind devotion. But she soon learns of a danger that may force them to leave Earth before either of them are ready: a group of superorganism enemies that have been wreaking havoc on Earth for decades. Existence on the margins has made them desperate and bent on revenge against any of Ampersand's race whose path they cross. Before Cora and Ampersand can make their final escape, these hostile aliens stage an attack, and take that which is most dear to both of them.

Ampersand's enemies will not consider any form of truce; the greatest threat to them is not from the Superorganism, but from an increasingly fearful and violent human civilization newly aware of their existence. Cora and Ampersand must go to extreme measures to take back what was stolen and prevent wholesale human extermination–but in doing so they may be no better than the civilizations they are trying to escape.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2024 Lindsay Ellis (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Gripping and relentless, Apostles of Mercy is the strongest book yet in a thrilling and addictive series. I absolutely tore through it, devoured it in a day, and find myself still hungry for more of these fierce, desperate, passionately loving characters, working so hard to save each other and all of their worlds."–Amal El-Mohtar, co-author of the New York Times bestselling This is How You Lose the Time War

"Apostles of Mercy takes an already terrific series to new heights. It's equal parts interstellar warfare, geopolitical thriller, and hard-earned romance, with a gripping ending."–Emily St. James, co-Author of Monsters of the Week: The Complete Critical Companion to The X-Files and writer for Yellowjackets

"Lindsay Ellis shows us that humans are just as much the other as their alien counterparts with incredible detail, humor, and empathy, and never better than in this un-put-downable conclusion to the Noumena saga. Cora Sabino has officially joined the pantheon of first contact heroines."–Jamie Loftus, New York Times bestselling author of Raw Dog

The saga continues…

Great addition to the series! As good as, or perhaps even better, than the first book. A must have book!

a great entry in the series

just as well thought out as the previous entries in the series.
it will move you emotionally and philosophically

The ending of this book was better then the last two

Without Spoiling it, this book was freaking amazing. Lindsay, you have created something special and powerful. This world is filled with great characters and good story development. Thank you for bringing this story to life.

Great, but not as good as the first or second book

Quite engaging throughout, but it doesn't hit the same as the last two books. This one's a lot more fun and lighthearted, for the most part, unless you're deeply troubled by existential threats. In fact, by the end of the book, it puts fun at the forefront to the point it feels like a cheap action/thriller movie. This isn't quite what I expect from Ellis, who has done action before, but not too whimsically. Well, maybe in the first book Cora did beat a giant cyborg to death with a shovel, but that was more... bizarre, whereas the action in this is hokey or a little too direct and would otherwise be predictable if it weren't Ellis writing it. Toward the end of the book it becomes much more about 'girl bossing' and it's almost cringey in that regard.

Still, this is a very entertaining read and I look forward to whatever Ellis does next.

Emotional and entertaining science fiction.

I liked how the point of view changes between three characters. And the characters are well developed, even relatable. The author Lindsey Ellis, knows how to deliver well crafted scenes and all at a period in history that is fitting for the themes of the the era, the mid 2000’s. This series has stayed engaging through all three books. and I’m excited to read what comes next for the characters and excited for the thought provoking themes in this, very human, science fiction series.

Excellent continuation

Lindsay Ellis wields her multimedia knowledge with a deftness that kept me engaged throughout the story. Her ability to create believable interpersonal dynamics stoked my emotions. There are moments I had to pause to truly appreciate her witty narration. Excited for the next entry!

Really solid installment in the series

Each book in the series is really different, and this was maybe the most tense one. I never knew what was going to happen, and the world building is just so well done.

Best book in the series

Cora’s journey in this book goes more places than in the previous one, though arguably Sol and Paris/Nikola are the main characters here. Voices/audio were nice and consistent thorough but sound design was especially good in one specific part that I will not spoil. Also excited for the sequel if, based on the ending, it is what I think it is

the production value of the audiobook

This series is the best science fiction since I read that one transformers fanfiction. You know the one.

Fantastic world building

I really love this story, and this book is a great addition. Certain political values seeping in would be unavoidable but something that derailed my progress was a comment about an AR15 compared to a handgun as intuited by a CIA agent.

They referred to the rifle as a tool of indiscriminate killing while the handgun was a more precise tool. This is not only an unrealistic viewpoint from someone who uses the respective objects but inherently flawed, perpetuating misconceptions.

A rifle is, in fact, inherently more precise than a shorter barreled hand gun with a looser action. I respect other opinions and story choices but this was a cringe worthy addition that really alienates individuals who can enjoy these objects responsibly and who understand the basics of them.

Over all I love the book and the performance, I just hope a little more consideration is given to how dialogue could be received. We know we don’t want to alienate or isolate such as has been so common with the writer of certain “wizarding” fictions. Cannot wait for number 4… I guess I’ll start Axioms End again.