This book was a fantastic read, especially for fans of immersive, complex storytelling in the vein of Malazan Book of the Fallen. Like Malazan, it throws you into the world without hand-holding—no lengthy exposition or overt explanations, just a richly woven setting that reveals itself gradually, demanding and rewarding your attention in equal measure. However, I’d strongly recommend reading it in as few sittings as possible. I paused early on for a vacation and had to go back and re-read everything to regain my footing. It’s not a casual read, but one that asks you to be fully immersed,

The world-building is where this book truly shines—easily a 10/10. I had such a great time picturing this world and all the many races in my head. If I had one critique, it’s that the characters—especially the side characters—felt a bit underdeveloped. The core ideas and roles were clear, but I didn’t feel much distinct personality or emotional connection from them. I'm hoping this is something that gets expanded upon in the next book, because the foundation is solid.

Also worth noting: the artwork tied to this book is stunning. I read it on my Kindle Paperwhite, but the author's website showcases some of the visuals, and I highly recommend checking those out for added immersion.

All in all, I’ll definitely be picking up the next book. This is a must-read for lovers of deep fantasy worlds who don't mind doing a little work to get the payoff.

Thank you to Chance Dillon and Light Seeker Publishing for the ARC!


Rview posted on Amazon Canada as well.

I like to think that my reading comprehension skills are pretty good, even though I don’t think it’s a particularly cool thing to boast about. For the most part I think I can understand stories pretty well, but Mercy: Tears of the Fallen by Chance Dillon really tested me. First, a disclaimer, I didn’t finish it. I got to about 40% before I threw in the towel. I was already late with it, and I found it to be such a slog.

The first issue I had with the novel was the strange way it built its lore. It’s as though Dillon has been told at some point in his life that infodumping is a bad thing so instead he’s decided to sprinkle lore into his prose as asides. It feels disjointed and random, as though someone just thought of a fun fact in the middle of a conversation.

In this, Mercy: Tears of the Fallen tries hard to be subtle, but this subtlety is where it falls apart. For all its lore dropping asides, it fails to give the reader any semblance of understanding of what is going on. It uses in-universe jargon in ways that suggest we should already know what it is, and fails to include context clues that might help us figure it out. What’s left is just a jumbled mess of confusion.

The novel also has a tendency to use violence against women and girls as an emotional crutch. It allows the male main characters to brood over their loved ones’ pain while keeping them free of any actual harm. It’s a cheap way at building emotional stakes and it’s entirely unnecessary.

I like the ambition, I just don’t think the execution is there.

this is not a read that you can sit down for and just expect to breeze through. It takes time and focus while you become immersed in all that is in this world. Prepare for the journey and know that it is an investment.

The first chapter is … very style heavy in a way that I disliked, so much so that if the second chapter had followed suit, I probably would have DNFd then and there. The second chapter, second paragraph confused me as someone didn’t want to see a fleet of ships coming to attack them … but also didn’t want to see their sails ebbing — or retreating? Perhaps it’s simply a misuse of the word. Our narrator’s hair is also dark and blonde which took me a moment to decide if it’s an ombre hair — dark hair that’s being sunbleached, or dark blonde hair, or a fancy dye job before I shrugged and decided not to care. Which is never a good sign for me with a book.

Then someone furled their brow. Which is to say he … rolled up his brow, like rolling up a flag? And I decided to DNF. I don’t mind an author with a strong sense of style, but considering I didn’t like this one — where every paragraph seems to echo a word or point from the paragraph before — and two erroneous word choices in two pages in chapter two, and I decided I just wasn’t willing to read on for the third, fourth, and even more wrong word choices.

This book needs a dictionary to go with the thesaurus, and is a solid pass from me. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

I’m not going to lie, I always get a bit nervous when a fantasy book starts out with character list. So it was with no small hint of trepidation that I started Chance Dillion’s Mercy: Tears of the Fallen. But I was pleasantly surprised by this debut. Strong characters, impressive world building, a robust magic system, and an engaging story made for a solid start for this new series. I’ll definitely be looking forward to book 2. Thanks so much to the publisher for an ARC.

Mercy: Tears of the Fallen by Chance Dillon

4⭐⭐⭐⭐

I almost DNF’d this novel written by Chance Dillon. Then how, Orb, can you give it four stars then? With ample difficulty, I will provide an example that has been on my mind since I finished the book.

For those of you who have purchased a new home cinema amplifier to make those sounds of your Blu-rays pop with immersion, you may understand my plight. I had finished connecting the appropriate wires and started scrolling through the menus. I began pushing buttons on the remote, only to find confusion rearing its ugly head. What are zones, true HD, and an unfathomable number of various available tweaks to make my home theater system resemble the local Odeon Cinaplex?

You may ask Orb, aren't we reviewing Mercy: Tears of the Fallen? Like my shiny new audiophile toy, this novel has an abundance of options to enhance the user experience. Although, one must use patience to attain the knowledge required to unlock its potential. The depth of the world-building is on par with the likes of George R.R. Martin and Steven Erikson, who, by the way, are credited by the author as being somewhat of an influence. This, for me, caused a deeply rooted issue. My old brain had difficulty toggling on the correct switches to remember the enormous cast assembled. Perhaps I am as dense as a neighboring oak tree, but this novel fought me tooth and nail the entire way.

Buried in its complexities, a magic system involving tears and stones exists. These enhancements are what everyone on the map wants to use to their advantage over those in opposition. Did I mention there was an outbreak of the blight? A reckoning began turning people into unruly creatures hellbent on destroying others not yet taken by the plague.

So let’s go over the tale in a more simplistic way. Warring factions. Those in control are vying for these special items to gain control. Those trying to promote peace among the land and others…well, others with their nefarious plans. The backstabbing exists. A slew of swords, bows, and hammers await your reading eyes, for the novel does a tremendous job of including action around every corner, à la Joe Abercrombie. You will fall in love with a vast number of characters and yet ultimately not ascertain who is on the “morally right” side.

In giving this four stars, I acknowledge that in my ineptness I have been bested. Chance Dillon has won this battle. As a debut novel, Mercy: Tears of the Fallen has no business being as good as it is. Dillon pulls no punches; he goes for the jugular, and the commitment should be commended. For those professed gamers, I can liken it to a Souls-like experience. Will there be confusion? For most readers, yes. In my experience, those moments of uncertainty only add to the enjoyment as we gain more footing within the world. High risk, high reward.

So, as the blades have been sheathed, I wipe the grime off my face and look to the future. I am too invested in this war to bow out now. Bravo, Mr. Dillon!

Many thanks to Light Seeker Publishing for the ARC through NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion.

Everything epic fantasy should be: bold, brutal and breathtaking in scope. Mercy: Tears of the Fallen isn't just a strong debut - it's a thunderous arrival.

This book has everything: sprawling world building, continent spanning politics, ancient conflicts that still shape the present and a cast of unforgettable characters all chasing their own tangled agendas. The world of Maetlynd doesn't just feel lived in - it feels like generations of stories waiting to be uncovered. Dillon blends history, culture, religion and magic into a living stage soaked in the aftermath of war, where every scar tells a story and every alliance hides a knife.

The cast is just as rich. Dillon balances seasoned legends, haunted by the past, with rising players trying to make their name in a world built on ruins. Every character feels like the protagonist of their own epic with motivations as complex as the world around them. Everyone has secrets. Everyone has scars. And everyone is scheming.

The political intrigue is razor sharp, the action pulse pounding and the magic brims with mystery and menace. You can sense the framework of a hard magic system but Dillon keeps it enigmatic. The fight scenes though are epic - savage and stunningly cinematic whipping you along at a breakneck pace. From personal vendettas to sweeping geopolitical maneuvering, everyone has an agenda and no one is safe. Watching all those plot threads tighten and converge is a masterclass in narrative tension.

While the novel kicks off with gripping prologues it does take a moment to find its footing. Dillon drops readers into the deep end - no info dumps, no guided tour. You're expected to swim. I loved that level of immersion but readers used to single POV or tidy exposition may find it disorientating. There is a glossary, though it's more list than guide and I wished it had offered a bit more depth.

Still that's the smallest gripe in a novel that delivers so much. Mercy is ambitious, intelligent, and utterly addictive. Perfect for readers who crave scale and complexity alongside their action and drama, filled with characters who bleed. I'm desperate for the next installment.

My thanks to the author and Light Seeker Publishing for the ARC

This book is a 3.75 (just short of 4) star for me. I have put it down at 48%. This book has a lot of potential, and I do intend to pick it up again at some point. The reason I have DNFd it for now is that the narrative of this book relies heavily on the worldbuilding, and the author has clearly put a lot of thought and time into developing it, but at 48% he still (deliberately it would seem) has not explained any of it. I give up. I like to be immersed in the books I read, but I just can't because on nearly every page there is a reference to the magic system or political system and it pulls me out of the story because I just don't have enough information to understand it. I'm so frustrated trying to read this I keep putting it down and picking up something I know I will enjoy. The plot is interesting and the pacing is fine. I would like to know more about the characters, again I'm finding it hard to connect to some of them as their history and motivations are linked to the worldbuilding which apparently we're not allowed to know about. I get the feeling that if I understood what was going on this would could be a 5 star book.

Mercy: Tears of the Fallen is a richly told dark fantasy that shines through its emotional storytelling and complex characters. The journey of Alevist Lightseeker and Erevayn is both tragic and compelling, grounded in loss, vengeance, and the fragile hope of redemption. The world feels ancient and alive, with mythic elements like the Tears and the broken gods woven seamlessly into personal, character-driven arcs. Though occasionally dense with subplots, the narrative remains powerful, delivering a tale that feels both epic in scale and deeply human at its core. A gripping read for fans of fantasy.

Star: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fighting: 🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️/🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️
Romance:♥️♥️♥️/♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

First thing frist let’s get the negatives out of the way first—1 this book introduces so many different characters in one scene. So does make it confusing.
But there rlly is nothing else to say that is bad. This is also why it is a 4.5/ 5.
So on to positives.
1. This book starts strong and end just as strong. From the epic fight scene. To the love and friendship moment are great.
2. The epic fight scenes are cool as 💩 so many and such perfect one from the inter voice to just the action is so very well done.
3. To how every character has it own voice. That is something that is hard for one pov but many pov at that is something that is difficult for so many authors. But doing it all impressive.
But that is everything I have to say about this book for a debut this book is phenomenal

This is not for the faint of heart (looking at you Tolkien, Wheel of Time and Johnathan Strange). It is not a fun and easy read, it is dense and requires concentration. The story is explosively imaginative and boldly ambitious, SO much is going on in this complex world. 😅

It is a dark epic fantasy sink-or-swim read. Admittedly, I felt like I was sinking a few times. 🫠 There is A LOT to take in: massively detailed and expansive world building, layered and complex characters, plot, mysteries, political intrigue, religious factions and various races. 😮‍💨

If you can keep up, the story is amazing! 🤩 Yes, I stumbled through the WHOLE book and thought that THIS would be the one I ended up DNF-ing. But I persisted because the story is THERE! The magic system with runes, politics, likeable characters, gruesome fight scenes, romance, affairs, betrayals, gods.. pure epic fantasy!

Be warned: there is no hand holding as you are thrust into the very thick of it from the get go! And I mean, world-specific terminology with no explanations (I ended up reading this on my Kindle and having the glossary up on my computer). There is so much history that you are fed bread crumbs from various characters throughout the entirety of the book that I was always missing pieces, just like the characters. The ending sets up beautifully for book 2 and answers a huge question that carries throughout the book, a closure that I didn’t know I needed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Light Seeker Publishing, and Chance Dillon for the ARC copy.

Thankyou Netgalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really really want to love this. I am 25% of the way through but struggling. I feel like there is a great story to be had here but I have become lost amongst the names of characters, places and every noun in between. While I dont mind world building and extensive character introduction, I think I am struggling with names and places being dropped without any explanation or context.

I think this might be a me problem and I plan to return to this on a different day. Credit to Chance for a daring debut!

2.5 rounded up.

DNF AT 30%.
I think this is more of a me thing. After reading this book I'm starting to think Epic fantasy really isn't for me.
I wasn't really understanding the overall plot and what definitely didn't help was the huge amount of ''name-dropping'' that happened especially at the beginning of the book.
I had a rough time following the plot, and it didn't really grab me unfortunately.
With that said, the descriptions and action scenes were interesting, I quite enjoyed the third chapter and it's gory descriptions.
A lot of people seemed to have enjoyed it, and I'm glad for that, unfortunately this book wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to read this!!

For a debut novel, I think Mercy: Tears of the Fallen was fairly well written and atmospheric, with elements of world building and imagery that set the tone of the story and really showcases Dillon’s lyrical prose. However, I do have a few particular things that negatively stuck out to me far too much to ignore, and that’s ultimately what encouraged my decision to DNF.

The main thing I take issue with is that I’m really having trouble staying engrossed in the story. What actually piqued my interest was the situation revolving around the Blight and its effects on the characters. I wish we would’ve gotten more of that because that would’ve likely helped me progress more in the story and motivated me to read on, but who knows, we may have gotten much more into the Blight and it’s origins, I just didn’t have the desire to push further in the story to attain that.

The entirety of the time I spent reading, I felt like I was reading 4 different books. It didn’t have so much to do with the multiple POVs because that’s typically something that isn’t off putting to me. I just think there was way too much going on, and it ended up being difficult to follow.

I do think this has the framework to be a very strong high fantasy. It has all of the aspects of what make a high fantasy story so appealing and widely favored: adventure, political intrigue, a looming threat, a great magic system, and very complex world building. However, I think that some of these aspects do more harm than good in this particular story, and that’s what ultimately makes it a bit difficult to consume. I found myself glazing over large parts of the story and even when I tried to hunker down and focus, I just didn’t have the interest to do so. That said, I do feel like this has so much potential!! I’m sad that this particular book didn’t pique my interest, but I’m sure it’s definitely something that others will enjoy.

DNF’d at 45%.

I had great difficulty physically reading this as swathes of the novel were superimposed over a grey background which hurt my eyes.
Due to that factor I was unable to finish reading this work and cannot fully give this work the review it deserves.

A Light Seeker ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! <3

Dnfed at 30%

Chance Dillon’s Mercy: Tears of the Fallen is an incredibly detailed and ambitious debut, that unfortunately just didn’t work for me at all.

While I wholly appreciate and commend Dillon for the grand-scope of his world-building, I found the copious amounts of unexplained history, politics, religion, magic, races, and geography thrown at the reader within the first quarter that I read to be utterly mind-numbing and confusing. I would like to add that none of these elements were even remotely explained, and while I assume they may have been later on, I am not willing to wait past the 30% mark for such an explanation.

The writing was serviceable, and pacing appeared to be fine, but I didn’t connect with or like any of the characters presented to me, who seemed to not have much going on personality-wise. It seemed to be that this books focus on dumping endless amounts of terminology on the reader was done to the detriment of early-on characterisation, and as a character-driven fantasy reader, I could not look past this.

Overall, Mercy: Tears of the Fallen gets 2/5 stars. I wanted to enjoy this, but it was not the book for me.

As far as fantasy debuts go, this is top drawer!

Chance Dillon has delivered so much in this first book, and though not overly long, it is absolutely packed with quality. The world-building, magic system and characters are incredibly well done and while it took a bit of time for me to find my feet (I suspect down to me not concentrating), I flew through this and loved the story. My only critique is just how much happens - this does take some effort to follow but it's worth it.

Highly recommended and a series had I will be continuing with eagerness!

A very solid 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Light Seeker Publishing for the ARC!

I can definitely see the influences from various books and games that inspired Chance Dillon—there are clear glimpses of great potential throughout. However, the book’s flow feels quite chaotic at this stage. I had difficulty getting a solid grasp of the world and story, especially in the beginning.

The introduction of new characters in the first few chapters felt turbulent. As a reader, I often didn’t have enough context—why a character was present in a scene, who they were exactly, or what their motives might be. Additionally, the frequent drops of world-specific terminology without proper explanation made it hard to follow. The glossary at the end wasn’t particularly helpful, and I truly hope it gets expanded or updated by the time of release. For a high fantasy novel of this scale, a more informative reference is essential.

While I did notice some solid foreshadowing, the first 30–40% of the book lacked the clarity needed to stay fully engaged. At times, reading felt more like work than enjoyment.

I don’t usually read other reviews before posting my own, but this time I wanted to check if others had similar experiences—mainly to reassure myself, because I really *do* see the potential here. I hesitated to lean too heavily on the negatives, as it’s obvious a lot of thought, research, and world-building went into this story.

That said, the book has strong design and structure, and I loved the epigraphs—those have seem to become my guilty pleasure. They’re a clever, unobtrusive way to share lore, and they added a lot to the atmosphere.

I genuinely believe in the potential of Mercy: Tears of the Fallen and would consider rereading it in the future. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on Chance Dillon’s work going forward.

Thank you, NetGalley, BookSirens, and Light Seeker Publishing, for the ARC!

2.5 stars rounded up. I find this book incredibly hard to review. I received this book as a free arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and I am a bit on the fence about it.

Did I like the book? Not really. does that mean it is a bad book and no one should read this? No.

Overall I thought this book was so confusing, there was so much happening, and so many fantasy terms I needed the glossary for.Also a lot of pov's through the book which got me out of tje rythm when I was just getting into it.

In the beginning it's no problem for me to be confused and looking at the glossary, but at about 50% it really dampened my reading experience. This resulted in kind of surface reading the last half of the book, purely reading to finish it instead of actually enjoying this story.

If yoh like complex long fantasy books you can certainly give this a try. But I am glad I have finally struggled my way through this.

Primero de todo, como siempre, gracias a NetGalley y a la editorial por darme la oportunidad de leer este libro antes de su publicación.
Y ahora, entrando en la reseña…
Desde las primeras páginas, se percibe claramente la visión del autor, y debo decir que su enfoque hacia la alta fantasía me ha gustado mucho, ya que es uno de los géneros que más disfruto. El estilo narrativo, la construcción del universo y la intención de desarrollar a los personajes recuerdan a autores como Brandon Sanderson o a la nueva saga de Jay Kristoff, lo cual captó de inmediato mi atención ya que ambos autores son de mis favoritos.
Sin embargo el libro presenta una necesidad urgente de una ronda adicional de edición. La falta de explicaciones básicas hace que la lectura sea lo que viene a ser una mala experiencia. Al alcanzar el 20% del libro casi ni recordaba cuatro nombres de personajes de entre más de veinte que ya habían aparecido... y el worldbuilding seguía siendo un misterio. En ningún momento se introduce de forma clara y estructurada el funcionamiento del mundo, su jerarquía mágica o los elementos clave de la ambientación. Y ya no hablemos de como funcionan las piedras, etc, que sigo sin tener ni idea.
Me encontré intentando adivinar quién era quién, qué posición ocupaba cada personaje dentro del sistema mágico y cuál era su relevancia en la historia, pero es que imposible seguir el hilo. Esto me frustra especialmente porque soy una gran amante de la alta fantasía y disfruto profundamente este tipo de tramas, pero en este caso, la ejecución, especialmente en los primeros capítulos, hace que directamente me cueste leer y no quiera hacerlo.
Dicho esto, reconozco que la trama en sí es muy interesante. Desde el inicio despierta curiosidad, y se percibe el esfuerzo que hay detrás de su construcción. Lamentablemente, esa riqueza no puede apreciarse del todo porque el lector no está lo suficientemente ubicado dentro del universo narrativo.
Otro aspecto a mejorar son las descripciones, en algunos casos resultan excesivas o poco equilibradas. Por ejemplo, mientras que no se explica en ningún momento cómo funciona el sistema de magia, las runestones o el propio worldbuilding, se dedica una extensión considerable, más de diez páginas, a describir un asalto a una boda. Entiendo la importancia narrativa del momento, pero el enfoque resulta desproporcionado y sin importancia si no sabes realmente lo que supone que la boda esté siendo asaltada. (y por quién, porque no tenía ni idea)

Además, los constantes cambios de narrador sin ningún tipo de aviso o indicación hacen que la lectura siga siendo todavía más dificil de ubicarse. Es un recurso que he visto utilizar antes, pero nunca llega a gustarme. En este caso, solo contribuye a la confusión, obligando a que me pare constantemente para pensar de qué personaje está hablando y en qué situación se encontraba.

En conclusión, considero que la novela tiene una buena premisa y de hecho puede que con una ronda de edición sea un libro muy bueno, pero su ejecución no está a la altura. La falta de contextualización es el mayor problema, que impide conectar tanto con los personajes como con su historia, lo cual es especialmente grave en un libro de alta fantasía.
Cabe mencionar que leí ambos apéndices incluidos (el de personajes y el general al final del libro), y aunque aportan algo de claridad, no explican ni de lejos lo necesario para saber realmente lo que está sucediendo en el libro.