Breath and Mercy: A Novel

by Mark Powers

Life was supposed to get better for Phineas Mann in 1983. After the rigors of medical school, residency, and fellowship training, he lands himself a promising position directing a New Orleans hospital’s intensive care unit. His mental and physical limits are soon tested by the soaring demand for his expertise and an exploding AIDS epidemic.

Then Hurricane Jezebel floods the city and knocks out power, plumbing, and telephones. Temperatures soar. Supplies run low. As day follows miserable day, fatalities fill a make-shift morgue. Through the sweltering, fetid gloom Phineas employs his training to alleviate patient suffering…until he faces one terrible threat that will put his entire future in jeopardy.

Breath and Mercy is the prequel to Mark Anthony Powers’ bestselling debut novel, A Swarm in May, and the first book of a trilogy. Through the character of Dr. Phineas Mann, the author explores the ethical dilemmas of providing supportive care for dying patients

315 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 27, 2022

About the author

Mark Powers is the writer who created several of the graphic novels adapted The Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher and co-writer of The Encoded from Devil's Due comics. He is a writer at Mega Powers Entertainment and a producer at Volta. At Mega Powers Entertainment he has written comic books and graphic adaptations for various companies including Drafted, Rest, GI Joe, and adaptations of The Dresden Files. He was also a Senior Editor at Marvel managing the X-Men line of titles.

Reviews

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This physician-author's experiences inform the medical scenes. These are written so vividly, illustrating medical professionals' personal reactions and professional responses to the emerging AIDS epidemic and catastrophic natural disasters, that the slightly flat characters and non-medical parts of the story take little away from the book's impact. The exhaustion and emotional toll on doctors, nurses and therapists are easy to translate to the COVID-19 experience. Meanwhile, healthcare administrators and clergy get a pretty bad rap.

[susan m puckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!

Loved this book. Mark is great at making the people in his books come very much alive. The insight into how doctors think and what they really have to go through in their career development was valuable for a doctor avoider like me, but Phineas and his colleagues' dedication was inspiring. The hurricane scenes are very harrowing, I couldn't stop reading until I knew everything (almost everything) was going to be ok.

[Carol Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Powers’ new book Breath and Mercy left me breathless while reading the hospital scenes during the storm. As a physician myself, I can attest that he captured the emotion and exhaustion that I would feel in such a desperate situation. I applaud his courage in addressing a quandary well-known to health care providers who must navigate the intersection between religious faith, hope, and medical futility with each unique patient and family.