The Weight of Mercy by N. Poh

The Weight of Mercy by N. Poh
Series: Book 1 in Poh’s The Chasm Cycle series
Publisher: self-published (January 6, 2026)

REVIEW BY PRISCILLA BETTIS

I was intrigued when an author requested a review for his debut speculative medieval Christian fiction novel. Kinda unusual compared to our regular fare. So I immediately said yes.

The Weight of Mercy is a dark fantasy story with knights and politics and kingdoms and, in this case, an altered timeline in which spiritual creatures have taken over the Earth. Some technological advancements have occurred ahead of time, too. The world is in danger. England’s palandins (warriors sworn by holy oaths) are the world’s last hope.

Stephern is one such warrior. Bessian, Dosh, and Robert are others, and they populate many of the chapters, but we get the deepest look into Stephern’s character. In the following passage, he and Bessian recite their prayers, and then Stephern reflects:

The prayers weren’t spells to compel divine aid. They were a sharpening of faith, a focusing of reliance on Christ. Stephern let the words humble him—a reminder that his strength alone was insufficient. He trusted not in the formula of the prayer but in the One who heard it.

N. Poh, The Weight of Mercy

Stephern’s reflections are a good reminder for all of us.

Beyond Stephern, I had trouble telling the other warriors apart, especially when additional warrior-characters are also named and described. Sure, one warrior has an arm missing, another has a finger missing, another has blond hair, and another has dark hair. But when the descriptions are untethered to action or dialogue, they all blur together. I took off half a fish.

Also, as far as descriptions go, they are a bit long winded. That’s to be expected in the first act of a fantasy novel when the fantasy setting must be established, but near the climax of Poh’s novel, the descriptions are still quite long. I expected them to get shorter to quicken the pace and hold the tension. I took off a fish for this.

Still, The Weight of Mercy is a fun read, and I can’t believe this is a debut. It’s got amazing battle scenes that kept me reading late, and the scenes with political posturing are as tense as bowstrings. Plus, the dark creatures (wraiths, giant demon-possessed bears, and the like) are creative and appropriately frightening, a sure way to get the reader worried about the lives of the good-guy warriors.

Overall, 3.5 enjoyable if not perfect fish.

I read the Kindle version of The Weight of Mercy.