Genre: Sci-Fantasy
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay, Bi, Lesbian
Reviewers: Ulysses, Paranormal Romance Guild; Maryann
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About The Book
AIK WILL NEVER BE THE SAME… AND NEITHER WILL HIS WORLD
War is coming. Aik has become the Progenitor, and the Seed Mother has released him to transform the world for her alien brood. Silya and Raven, Aik’s former friends, are the only ones who can save him and the world. But what if the cure is worse than the invasion?
As Silya rushes to prepare Gullton for the battle to come, she’s determined to save as many people as she can. But new crises emerge that demand her attention.
Raven has his own hands full, keeping the dragon-like verent in line, while helping Silya to save the world. But what if the only way to do so is to sacrifice Aik, the man that he loves?
It’s the end of the world … or could it be the start of something new?
Note: Advance paperback copies will be available at BayCon in Santa Clara in early July.
About the Series:
The Tharassas Cycle is a four book sci-fantasy series set on the recently colonized world of Tharassas. When humans first arrived on planet, they thought they were alone until the hencha mind made itself known. But now a new threat has arisen to challenge both humankind and their new allies on this alien world.
The Review
Ulysses:
The powerful and fascinating finale to the Tharassas Cycle was not a disappointment! The trick with ending an epic adventure like this is to make it NOT obvious (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc). Coatsworth does it, and with a distinctive point of view that is his alone.
So, it’s all about to hit the fan (although in Tharassas they don’t seem to have fans, or air-conditioning, even though they have electricity and plumbing). As the title suggests, this is all about the looming threat to the people of Tharassas, coming from inside Anghar Mor, the dark mountain in the north east. Well, THAT sounds sort of obvious, doesn’t it?
But it’s not. We have to remember that until about five hundred years earlier, there were no humans on Tharassas, and the planet had grown and evolved and thrived just fine without them. The humans arrived from Earth—specifically a group of what I suspect were what we would call survivalists. This human civilization flourished in its sort of quasi-primitive way, as the technology brought from Earth on spaceships was slowly archived and forgotten.
The only intact piece of earth technology on Tharassas is Spin. His presence provides a kind of comic relief from the seriousness of the plot, but also adds a powerful emotional backstory that we finally learn in full.
Thing is, humans were the second alien species to arrive on Tharassas, and the others arrived thousands of years earlier. In a way, this book is their story, and it is what makes Coatsworth’s effort unique.
Meanwhile, our young trio of heros—Raven, Aik, and Silya—have all been transformed. Raven has bonded with the verent, the race of sentient white dragons. Silya has bonded with the hencha—the life-sustaining but sentient plants upon which Tharassan culture depends. And Aik, poor insecure, beautiful Aik, has bonded with the gauntlet, and thus has bonded with the Death Bringer. Each of these three youngsters, all of a sudden, find themselves with the world in their hands.
The important thing is that they are not alone. They have not gone rogue; they have joined something bigger, older, and infinitely wiser that each of them is. More than this, they are surrounded by people who care about them and depend on them. They are necessary, but they are not solitary. None of them can do it alone, and herein lies the great lesson of this series.
Coatsworth gives the reader an unexpected twist, which will not totally surprise any reader who has been paying attention as the story begins, and we first hear the voice of the Spore Mother deep inside Anghar Mor. With stunning visuals and careful emotional control, Coatsworth gives us the epic battle for survival, while taking it in a direction both unexpected and philosophical.
Read all four. It’s a journey worth taking.
Maryann:
The city of Gullton has sheltered all the people who needed to be saved from the red fireflies that have destroyed the hencha and much of the planet’s wildlife. But then Chala discovers that water has leaked into the caverns. Lake Zeraya is overflowing from the melting ice in the north from Anghor Mor. Chala, Kerrick and Sister Tela are going to the damn to open the gate. But Chala has her own agenda, as she remembers what the Oracle told her – that she needs to kill the Death Bringer.
Aik Erio is being held by the Spore Mother, and has trouble remembering who he is. The metal Gauntlet has become more of a part of him, and he’s being slowly taken over by the progenitor – a being named Iihil. But Aik holds on, and remembers Raven.
Triya, Em and Mes are in search of Aik, and trying to avoid the deadly fireflies. Spin is trapped in a cavern in Anghar Mor with Deslam and is overcome with memories of a past life. He finally remembers his real name – Ty. When Triya’s party finds Desla in the cave, she recovers and relays what happened. Aik descended into Anghar Mor and has not returned.
Silya takes another huge step as the Hencha Queen. If she can survive the emp trial, she would be more connected to the hencha and Tharassas.
When things go off the rails in an epic battle between Raven and Silya and the verent and the Death Bringer and his forces, Aik is badly wounded. Raven and the verent riders go to Anghor Mor to try and save him.
And Silya will have to face off with the Spore Mother. What will she learn, and how will it change what she needs to achieve? And what of Aik?
Coatsworth brings the Tharassas Cycle to close with another outstanding story in The Death Bringer. It’s a thrilling, chaotic, intense story filled with unique and amazing characters. It’s a tale of choices made in order to avoid mistakes which have happened in the past. At every turn, the characters are forced to change course, and there are many surprises along the way. A fantastic journey.
The Reviewers
Ulysses Grant Dietz grew up in Syracuse, New York, where his Leave It to Beaver life was enlivened by his fascination with vampires, from Bela Lugosi to Barnabas Collins. He studied French at Yale, and was trained to be a museum curator at the University of Delaware. A curator since 1980, Ulysses has never stopped writing fiction for the sheer pleasure of it. He created the character of Desmond Beckwith in 1988 as his personal response to Anne Rice’s landmark novels. Alyson Books released his first novel, Desmond, in 1998. Vampire in Suburbia, the sequel to Desmond, is his second novel.
Ulysses lives in suburban New Jersey with his husband of over 41 years and their two almost-grown children.
By the way, the name Ulysses was not his parents’ idea of a joke: he is a great-great grandson of Ulysses S. Grant, and his mother was the President’s last living great-grandchild. Every year on April 27 he gives a speech at Grant’s Tomb in New York City.
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.
The Paranormal Romance Guild was established in 2009 by 8 Indie Authors and one Reviewer to be a constant help for authors. You can be a free author member, submitting your work for review OR become a Premium Author Member for a small yearly fee and enjoy many extra services including Free Beta Reads, Author Giveaways and many others. Your reviews are posted on our 3 FB Sites, Amazon, Goodreads, Twitter and Instagram. WE REVIEW ALL GENRES LGBTQ+ welcome.
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