Title: The Shoreless Sea
Series: Liminal Sky Book Three
Author: J. Scott Coatsworth
Genre: sci fi
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay, Bi, Lesbian, Trans, Non-Binary, Ace
Publisher: DSP Publications
Pages: 400
Reviewer: Xanthe, Paranormal Romance Guild
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About The Book
As the epic trilogy hurtles toward its conclusion, the fight for the future isn’t over yet. It could lead to a new beginning, or it might spell the end for the last vestiges of humankind.
The generation ship Forever has left Earth behind, but a piece of the old civilization lives on in the Inthworld—a virtual realm that retains memories of Earth’s technological wonders and vices. A being named Lilith leads the uprising, and if she succeeds in setting its inhabitants free, they could destroy Forever.
But during the generation ship’s decades-long voyage, humanity has evolved. Liminals with the ability to connect with the world mind and the Inthworld provide a glimmer of hope. They’ll have to face not only Lilith’s minions, but also the mistrust of their own kind and persecution from a new government as homotypicals continue to fear what they can’t understand.
The invasion must be stopped, the Inthworld must be healed, and the people of Forever must let go of their past and embrace what they’re meant to become.
The Review
We come to the final book in this amazing trilogy! Nine different time periods, so many characters, relationships and plots that bring together the overall story arc of Liminal Sky and the journey through space of Forever, humanity’s chance at survival. Again the book is split into three parts, focusing on separate events that have a huge impact on the population of Forever and their possible future.
In part one, 2207AD, Forever has expanded after attaching itself to another asteroid. There is now more land, bigger towns and a growing sea. The population has developed but with some forgetting or being told that Old Earth did not exist. We dive straight into the action with a new generation of main characters though we do still interact with Andy and Shandra. There are new liminals, characters who can interact with the world and world mind, and a lot going on for them all. A surprising new foe comes to light and it’s a really interestingly thought out plot, from somewhere I was not expecting! I love how the author writes teamwork and allows characters to grow in strength and build relationships whilst also carrying on with the action and a well thought out story line. There are some scary moments for several people and I felt right there with them as they were going through everything but it’s also balanced out with some lighter moments including the chance of new friendships and romance. The end of part one leaves you wondering how the MC’s will recover and move forward but also what could possibly be next for Forever.
In part two, 2212AD, we are with a lot of the MC’s from part one with a couple of new young people. This time, the characters have to travel towards the trouble site in the hopes of saving the people of Forever from a once defeated enemy. There are arguments for and against what they are trying to do and it’s interesting reading why they are doing this. One character from part one has really struggled since and is using this crusade to give herself a fighting chance, especially with going up against the enemy that they have put down once before. This is such an interesting concept as the liminals have to travel into a biomind, basically going to a world within the world that they currently exist on, to try and repair it before the enemy has a chance to escape and take physical form on Forever. It’s like one big adventure as everyone has their own role, bringing their own history and talents into play as they fight in different areas to find one person and bring them back. Whilst it sounds quite complicated and busy, it’s really easy to follow and there is a lot going on to hold your attention as anticipation builds to a climatic end for all of the characters involved.
And so we come to the final part of the trilogy, 2229. Forever and its inhabitants have been on a great journey and it’s not quite over as one more person sees fit that they know better than everyone else and attempts to show that might is right. They never really counted on the reaction of Andy, the world mind and the community of liminals that have been born over the years. There are less MC’s that we focus on in this part but we still interact with a vast number of people, most that we know and a couple of new, including a young boy with a never before seen gift which makes him of special interest to those in charge. Of course, Andy’s caring nature draws him into the folds of her family. Whilst this is light on the action, there is definitely a heavier message in what people have forgotten about Old Earth and the lessons that can be learned from the mistakes that humanity made once before.
There may have been a tear or two as we come to the end of such an astounding journey with this world and community that has been built within it. Characters have come and gone with life and death, love and friendship alongside fear and hate. There has been drama, action, tensions and peace. So much unfolds across three books which are then split into three parts and the structure works so well, allowing the story to flow through the characters with different plots per part but with an overall story arc that carries us through the series. Though this is a work of science fiction, I can also see parallels to the real world and a future that could very well be possible for earth, what with wars, climate change, pollution, disease etc affecting everyone world over. J. Scott Coatsworth is a new to me author and this is a series I never would have thought of picking up to read but I’m thankful that I have and I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. This book is inclusive to the LGBTQIA+ community and I love how it becomes the norm rather than something surprising or different. It’s not something pushed on you, it’s just something that is. For fans of Science Fiction and/or Fantasy, this is a must read book and for those that are indifferent, give it a go. I was hesitant and the series is one of my favorite reads this year.
The Reviewer
Hello all, my name is Xanthe and I am excited to be a reviewer for the PRG.
I read a lot, every night for at least 4-5 hours and I love to get lost in the world that an author has created. The best ones leave you wanting more and at a loss for words to describe just how good it is but I’ll try my best.
I live in a small town in South West England, just me and my dog Bonnie. I work part time in administration and really enjoy my job and the people I work with which I am very aware is not always the case!
I’ll read pretty much any sub genre within the mm genre. Since discovering it a few years ago, I rarely read anything else. One thing I won’t touch is horror, a definite no no for me!
Never ask me what my favourite anything is as I’ll have to give you a list of about ten or twenty things. How am I able to pick one food, book or film out of so many that I love?!
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