I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A thief, a guardsman, and an initiate priestess must work together to stop a world-altering threat unlike anything they’ve ever seen in author J. Scott Coatsworth’s “The Dragon Eater”, the first book in the Tharassas Cycle series.
The Synopsis
Raven’s a thief who just swallowed a dragon.
A small one, sure, but now his arms are growing scales, the local wildlife is acting up, and his snarky AI familiar is no help whatsoever.
Raven’s best friend Aik is a guardsman carrying a torch for the thief. A pickpocket and a guard? Never going to happen. And Aik’s ex-fiancé Silya, an initiate priestess in the midst of a magical crisis, hates Raven with the heat of a thousand suns.
This unlikely team must work together to face strange beasts, alien artifacts, and a world-altering threat. If they don’t figure out what to do soon, it might just be the end of everything.
Things are about to get messy.
The Review
This was a captivating and thrilling blend of sci-fi meets fantasy. The space opera narrative felt somehow natural in all its glory, and the author did an incredible job of having just the right amount of imagery and atmosphere to really bring the reader into this alien world. The ways in which the characters see this fusion of the ancient magics they’ve always known with the emergence of this alien technology and scientific discovery was so driving to read and played into the concept of destiny and discovery very well.
For me, as always with this wonderful author, the heart of the narrative rested in the fantastic character development that brought this fantasy and sci-fi world to life. The LGBTQ+ themes and relationships that are explored, especially the budding romance between Raven and Aik, are inviting and inclusive, giving readers a romance to root for and telling it in a natural way for the narrative. The tension that arises when Silya joins the group and the humor of Raven’s friendship with the AI companion Spin he brings on his adventures create a great balance within the narrative. The introduction and inclusion of the chilling “Spore Mother” are great teases for the future of this series as well.
The Verdict
Captivating, thrilling, and entertaining, author J. Scott Coatsworth’s “The Dragon Eater” is a must-read space opera sci-fi meets fantasy novel and a great first chapter in the Tharassas Cycle series. The cliffhanger endings that leave the core group on their own paths by the book’s end and the spine-chilling tease of the Spore Mother’s continued evolution will have fans hanging off of the author’s every word, eager to dive into this imaginative world once more. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
J. Scott Coatsworth has a new queer YA/Crossover Sci-Fantasy book out – The Dragon Eater, Tharassas Cycle book one. There’s a giveaway, and a free book with purchase too!
Raven’s a thief who just swallowed a dragon. A small one, sure, but now his arms are growing scales, the local wildlife is acting up, and his snarky AI familiar is no help whatsoever.
Raven’s best friend Aik is a guardsman carrying a torch for the thief. A pickpocket and a guard? Never going to happen. And Aik’s ex-fiancé Silya, an initiate priestess in the midst of a magical crisis, hates Raven with the heat of a thousand suns.
This unlikely team must work together to face strange beasts, alien artifacts, and a world-altering threat. If they don’t figure out what to do soon, it might just be the end of everything.
Things are about to get messy.
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.
Preorder and Get the Prequel Free
I’m giving away the prequel, Tales From Tharassas, with all preorders – it contains The Last Run, The Emp Test, and a brand new short story the Fallen Angel. Just order the book and email me a proof of purchase at scott@jscottcoatsworth.com, and I’ll send you the book on release day (March 16th).
Universal Buy Link
Giveaway
Scott is giving away a $20 book gift card with this reveal – your choice of Amazon, B&N, Kobo or Smashwords. Enter for a chance to win:
Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47276/?
Excerpt
Spin’s voice echoed in his ear. “This is a bad idea, boss.”
“Shush,” Raven whispered to his familiar.
He needed to concentrate. Cheek and jowl against the smooth cobblestones, he held his breath and prayed to the gods that no one had seen him duck under the sea master’s ornate carriage. The setting sun cast long shadows from a pair of boots so close to his face that the dust and leather made him want to sneeze. Their owner was deep in conversation with the sea master, the hem of her fine mur silk trousers barely visible. The two women’s voices were hushed, and he could only make out the occasional word.
Raven rubbed the old burn scar on his cheek absently, wishing they would go away.
“Seriously, boss. I’m not from this world, and even I know it’s a bad idea to steal from the sea master.”
Though only he could hear Spin’s voice, Raven wished the little silver ay-eye would just shut up.
The hencha cloth-wrapped package in the carriage above was calling to him. He’d wanted it since he’d first seen it through the open door. No, needed it. Like he needed air, even though he had no idea what was inside. He scratched the back of his hand hard to distract himself from its disturbing pull.
An inthym popped its head out of the sewer grate in front of him, sniffing the air. Raven glared at the little white rodent, willing it to go away. Instead, the cursed thing nibbled at his nose.
Raven sneezed, then covered his mouth. He held his breath, staring at the boots. Don’t let them hear me.
A shiny silver feeler poked out of his shirt pocket, emitting a golden glow that illuminated the cobblestones underneath him. “Boss, you all right?” Spin’s whisper had that sarcastic edge he often used when he was annoyed. “Your heart rate is elevated.”
“Be. Quiet.” Raven gritted his teeth. Spin had the worst sense of timing.
The woman — one of the guard, maybe? — and the sea master stepped away, their voices fading into the distance.
Raven said a quick prayer of thanks to Jor’Oss, the goddess of wild luck, and flicked the inthym back into the sewer. “Shoo!”
He popped his head out from under the carriage to take a quick look around. There was no one between him and the squat gray Sea Guild headquarters. It was time. Grab it and go.
He reached into the luxurious carriage — a host of mur beetles must have spent years spinning all the red silk that lined the interior — and snagged the package. He hoped it was the treasury payment for the week. If so, it should hold enough coin to feed an orphanage for a month, and he knew just the one. “Got it.”
“Good. Now get us out of here.”
A strange tingling surged through his hand. Raven frowned.
Must have pinched a nerve or something.
Ignoring it, he stuck the package under his arm, slipped around the carriage, and set off down Gullton’s main thoroughfare. He walked as casually as he could, hoping no one would notice the missing package until he was long gone.
“We clear?”
Spin’s feeler blinked red. “No. Run! They’ve seen you.”
Raven ran.
Author Bio
Scott lives with his husband Mark in a yellow bungalow in Sacramento. He was indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine. He devoured her library, but as he grew up, he wondered where all the people like him were.
He decided that if there weren’t queer characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends.
A Rainbow Award winning author, he runs Queer Sci Fi, QueeRomance Ink, and Other Worlds Ink with Mark, sites that celebrate fiction reflecting queer reality, and is the committee chair for the Indie Authors Committee at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Author Website: https://www.jscottcoatsworth.com
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Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8392709.J_Scott_Coatsworth
Author Mastodon: https://mastodon.otherworldsink.com/@jscottcoatsworth
Author Liminal Fiction (LimFic.com): https://www.limfic.com/mbm-book-author/j-scott-coatsworth/
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Author Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/J.-Scott-Coatsworth/e/B011AFO4OQ
Exclusive Excerpt for “The Dragon Eater”
The Dragon Eater Excerpt – Prologue
out of nothing came everything.
She awakened, feeling the dual tug of gravity. The world pulled at her from below, and two moons exerted their force on her from above, their demands filtered through numerous layers of igneous rock.
What am I?
An explosion of memory stunned her, shaking her to her nascent mycelium where they anchored her to the hard, rocky ground. Past lives flooded her, teeming in her mind, jockeying for attention.
Angrily she stuffed them away, not ready to face them yet. There were more important things to attend to first.
Where am I?
The hard, black crust of her spore shell cracked, and she extended a blood-red pseudopod to explore her surroundings.
The world around her was cold and dark, a large space devoid of light and life. She was all alone.
Withdrawing into her shell, she folded in on herself with a shudder.
She dipped into her troubled memories, skimming the surface. They supplied the answer. One of her foremothers had come here long before, descending from the frozen void to this alien world, carrying the hope of her people with her.
A new home.
The suppressed memories — a wealth of information and wisdom — bubbled just beneath the surface of her mind.
I have a past. No … that wasn’t quite right. It’s not mine.
But where were the others? She was all alone in a cold, strange place, but most importantly she was alive.
Why am I here?
Her memories called for her attention.
She contemplated them for a moment. They represented the past — someone else’s past. Did she really want to let it guide her?
Then again, she needed knowledge if she were to survive in this strange new world. Her foremothers had clearly failed. I can learn from their mistakes.
Decided, she pried the lid off that seething cauldron. Knowledge flooded her, wiping away her ill-formed conception about who and what she was and replacing them with certainty. Memories and ideas flowed through her like a tsunami, carrying with them the stench of failure from her foremothers. There were gaps — she knew that immediately, but still the sheer volume of them was overwhelming. The tide soaked her, a broken and mangled account of what had come before.
When it passed, she began to absorb all that she had learned. At last she knew who she was.
I am the spore mother. The last of her kind, with a chance to remake the world for her people, the Aaveen.
And one thing more.
This has all happened before. She wasn’t the first of her kind in this desolate place, but she was the only survivor.
Ready to face the world at last, she burst out of her spore, her red crown expanding in the dark place just as her memories had expanded in her mind.
She had a purpose — to transform this world for her own kind. The spore mothers who had come before her — who now were her — would guide her.
And this time I will not fail.
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