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The Osiris Project #2
Cataveiro
A boat is shipwrecked on Patagonian shores, and rumors abound that it has come from the lost city’ Osiris, believed to have been destroyed over 50 years ago. The implications are wide-reaching and acutely political, for in the eyes of the world Osiris is only a collection of fables.
Pilot and cartographer Ramona, recently returned to the island of Tierra del Fuego, has a broken plane, and the only person who can fix it for her is the Antarctican, Taeo, a political exile desperate to find a way back home.
Glimpsing an opportunity for redemption, Taeo discovers there is one survivor of the shipwreck: the sole proof that Osiris exists. He and Ramona find themselves caught up in a perilous conflict of interests over the secret of the sea city, a secret which will have severe repercussions on their lives, their homes, and their loved ones.
Pilot and cartographer Ramona, recently returned to the island of Tierra del Fuego, has a broken plane, and the only person who can fix it for her is the Antarctican, Taeo, a political exile desperate to find a way back home.
Glimpsing an opportunity for redemption, Taeo discovers there is one survivor of the shipwreck: the sole proof that Osiris exists. He and Ramona find themselves caught up in a perilous conflict of interests over the secret of the sea city, a secret which will have severe repercussions on their lives, their homes, and their loved ones.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published August 13, 2013
199 people want to read
About the author
E.J. Swift
26 books96 followersE. J. Swift is the author of The Osiris Project trilogy, a speculative fiction series set in a world radically altered by climate change, comprising Osiris, Cataveiro and Tamaruq. Her short fiction has appeared in anthologies from Salt Publishing, NewCon Press and Jurassic London, including The Best British Fantasy (Salt Publishing, 2013 and 2014).
Swift was shortlisted for a 2013 BSFA Award in the Short Fiction category for her story “Saga’s Children” (The Lowest Heaven, Jurassic) and was longlisted for the 2015 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award for “The Spiders of Stockholm” (Irregularity, Jurassic).
Swift was shortlisted for a 2013 BSFA Award in the Short Fiction category for her story “Saga’s Children” (The Lowest Heaven, Jurassic) and was longlisted for the 2015 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award for “The Spiders of Stockholm” (Irregularity, Jurassic).
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 18, 2015
Some elements of this, the second book in Swift’s Osiris trilogy, lived up to its very good predecessor – Osiris – whilst others fell behind; overall I would have to say that this second book is weaker, but I am sufficiently invested that I will continue with the last book in the series.
The first book, as I’ve said, was very good, with an interesting and fresh take on the old post-apocalyptic sub-genre and in that this second book successfully matches the first. The environment is radically different – global rather than confined to a single city surrounded by ocean – but she has again created an interesting world in which the action plays out. And that world building is probably one of the strongest points of the book. Along with the whole tone of the book which is somehow very melancholic without being in the least depressing. I enjoyed the whole atmosphere of the writing, which very much complemented that post-apocalyptic world.
This, however, was rather let down by the characters and the plot. The characters were not very appealing and I found myself struggling to really care what happened to them. Vikram was the only character to come across from the first book and yet the reader rarely gets close to him; we only get his point of view towards the very end of the book, so he remains a distant character rather than a major one, which is, I feel a mistake. The other two major characters Taeo and Ramona never interact after the beginning of the book making the whole thing feel like two separate stories with virtual no points of contact. In fact the whole plot of this book meandered quite badly and finally just petered out rather than ended. It is much weaker than that of the first book.
The biggest failing, however, is that ending which was really no ending at all. It feels more like a cliff hanger chapter ending. There were no resolutions and no conclusions; very frustrating.
The world building is excellent, the writing good but the plot and the characters were both weak. I enjoyed the journey but the arrival much less so. However, overall it is a good book and I will continue with the final instalment even though it does feel more like a final instalment than a final book.
The first book, as I’ve said, was very good, with an interesting and fresh take on the old post-apocalyptic sub-genre and in that this second book successfully matches the first. The environment is radically different – global rather than confined to a single city surrounded by ocean – but she has again created an interesting world in which the action plays out. And that world building is probably one of the strongest points of the book. Along with the whole tone of the book which is somehow very melancholic without being in the least depressing. I enjoyed the whole atmosphere of the writing, which very much complemented that post-apocalyptic world.
This, however, was rather let down by the characters and the plot. The characters were not very appealing and I found myself struggling to really care what happened to them. Vikram was the only character to come across from the first book and yet the reader rarely gets close to him; we only get his point of view towards the very end of the book, so he remains a distant character rather than a major one, which is, I feel a mistake. The other two major characters Taeo and Ramona never interact after the beginning of the book making the whole thing feel like two separate stories with virtual no points of contact. In fact the whole plot of this book meandered quite badly and finally just petered out rather than ended. It is much weaker than that of the first book.
The biggest failing, however, is that ending which was really no ending at all. It feels more like a cliff hanger chapter ending. There were no resolutions and no conclusions; very frustrating.
The world building is excellent, the writing good but the plot and the characters were both weak. I enjoyed the journey but the arrival much less so. However, overall it is a good book and I will continue with the final instalment even though it does feel more like a final instalment than a final book.
July 30, 2022
Gah! I'm torn. Elements of this were great - world building and use of it, climate issues, pandemics, class issues, new tech or lack of... but ultimately the story was weaker that Osiris. As was Ramona. I guess she wasn't as compelling as Adelaide and no real single minded drive to change the world. I still enjoyed it, but missed Osiris through the glimpses of the sunken city.
And Vikram?
July 2022: what the heck did I mean, and Vikram?! It's kind of obvious. And other characters are also of note: Taeo, the Alaskan etc. I must have skimmed it or something.
And Vikram?
July 2022: what the heck did I mean, and Vikram?! It's kind of obvious. And other characters are also of note: Taeo, the Alaskan etc. I must have skimmed it or something.
January 21, 2020
If you’ve read and fallen in love with Osiris, book 1, do not expect the same ocean-apocalyptic-world feels out of this book 2, Cataveiro.
There are still some aspects of the book that live up to Osiris. Cataveiro takes place on land and so the scope of the world is larger, bringing in a whole new cast of characters, plots, and sub plots. I found these to be both interesting, exciting, and just a tad frustrating because I missed Osiris. I missed Vikram. I missed Adelaide and I found myself rushing through parts just to get to them. I really wished Vikram’s viewpoint, seeing land for the first time in his life, was stronger and not from a side characters perspective. I’m not saying it wasn’t done well - Swift is such a beautifully worded author - I just really missed book one’s set of characters.
The world building that Swift did on land though was phenomenal. It was so intense at times, it felt like Cataveiro had no parallel to Osiris at all - at one point I spoke aloud to my husband reading next to me, “this feels like a stand alone book.”
Stick with the series, though. Swift has something up her sleeve in Tamaruq, I know she does.
There are still some aspects of the book that live up to Osiris. Cataveiro takes place on land and so the scope of the world is larger, bringing in a whole new cast of characters, plots, and sub plots. I found these to be both interesting, exciting, and just a tad frustrating because I missed Osiris. I missed Vikram. I missed Adelaide and I found myself rushing through parts just to get to them. I really wished Vikram’s viewpoint, seeing land for the first time in his life, was stronger and not from a side characters perspective. I’m not saying it wasn’t done well - Swift is such a beautifully worded author - I just really missed book one’s set of characters.
The world building that Swift did on land though was phenomenal. It was so intense at times, it felt like Cataveiro had no parallel to Osiris at all - at one point I spoke aloud to my husband reading next to me, “this feels like a stand alone book.”
Stick with the series, though. Swift has something up her sleeve in Tamaruq, I know she does.
November 8, 2025
A bit slower than the first book in the series.
I liked the over description of a world vast changed by climate change & see how the floating city of Osiris from book 1 fit into the larger world.
But the book was poorly paced and dragged.
Maybe worth reading if you want to see more of the world from book 1 but not really worth it as a standalone read.
I liked the over description of a world vast changed by climate change & see how the floating city of Osiris from book 1 fit into the larger world.
But the book was poorly paced and dragged.
Maybe worth reading if you want to see more of the world from book 1 but not really worth it as a standalone read.
June 22, 2020
This was much different than the first, but also very enjoyable.
May 26, 2014
In Cataveiro we return to the post-apocalyptic near future established in Osiris, the first novel in this most promising debut trilogy. While Osiris was somewhat claustrophobic with a small cast of protagonists, Cataveiro broadens the scope introducing the reader to more characters and some of the factions occupying the planet’s remaining habitable zones. While set mostly in techno-phobic Patagonia we learn more of the Alaskans and Antarcticans with some tantalizing hints about the causes of the apocalypse and the mysterious Boreals.
Ramona is a cartographer and the pilot of the only aircraft in Patagonia, a remnant of locally despised high-tech. Taeo is a political exile from Antarctica. Their separate tales take them from the rocky shores of Tierra del Fuego to the steamy city of Cataveiro and beyond, she in search of a cure for her sick mother, he to find a ship to take him home with living proof of the existence of the Atlantis’esque city of Osiris. The elegant prose takes the reader from soaring in the open skies over the high Atacama with Ramona to the sweltering, seedy, overcrowded ghettos of Cataveiro. With masterly control of pace and plenty of action & intrigue the narrative threads pile along at a most satisfying pace without sacrificing character development.
Cataveiro, like Osiris, is an assured and beautifully written book enhanced by the publishing; trade format on good quality paper with nice deep margins – a joy to hold and a rare thing these days. Well done Del Rey. If speculative science fiction is your thing then you can’t go wrong; even if it’s not then give it a try - you won’t be disappointed. In the interest of honesty, I do have to declare an interest; E.J. is the niece of a friend but this is by no means a shill review and I’m greatly looking forward to the next instalment of The Osiris Project. Excellent stuff.
Ramona is a cartographer and the pilot of the only aircraft in Patagonia, a remnant of locally despised high-tech. Taeo is a political exile from Antarctica. Their separate tales take them from the rocky shores of Tierra del Fuego to the steamy city of Cataveiro and beyond, she in search of a cure for her sick mother, he to find a ship to take him home with living proof of the existence of the Atlantis’esque city of Osiris. The elegant prose takes the reader from soaring in the open skies over the high Atacama with Ramona to the sweltering, seedy, overcrowded ghettos of Cataveiro. With masterly control of pace and plenty of action & intrigue the narrative threads pile along at a most satisfying pace without sacrificing character development.
Cataveiro, like Osiris, is an assured and beautifully written book enhanced by the publishing; trade format on good quality paper with nice deep margins – a joy to hold and a rare thing these days. Well done Del Rey. If speculative science fiction is your thing then you can’t go wrong; even if it’s not then give it a try - you won’t be disappointed. In the interest of honesty, I do have to declare an interest; E.J. is the niece of a friend but this is by no means a shill review and I’m greatly looking forward to the next instalment of The Osiris Project. Excellent stuff.
July 9, 2015
After reading the first book in this series, Osiris, I was so excited when Cataveiro was finally in my hands. Unfortunately, I found this book to be a huge disappointment, and I absolutely struggled to get through it, hoping it would pick up, but it never did.
The book does not pick up where Osiris left off…it doesn’t even pick up with the characters from Osiris. In fact, only one character from the Osiris book is a legitimate character in Cataveiro. Instead, we meet Ramona, a pilot cartographer working for the government. She is the only pilot, and the only cartographer, so people are fascinated by her wherever she goes. I found her development flat and completely un-fascinating from a reader’s standpoint.
Ramona spends the entire book looking for a cure for her mother’s terminal illness, which transitions into her looking for her actual mother, who has been taken. There is no resolution to this - the book ends with Ramona still looking.
The other main character is also new, his name is Taeo. He and Ramona intersect only at the beginning of the book, before Taeo embarks on his own quest, which is similarly unresolved, unless you count complete failure as a resolution.
Unlike Osiris, I found the character development in this book to be completely absent, and I bonded with no one. I really wish this book was a true series continuation - a reader could easily have a 1 paragraph summation of the first book, read this book in a vacuum, and not be wanting for information.
I finished Osiris excited for book 2. I finished Cataveiro knowing I won’t even read book 3.
The book does not pick up where Osiris left off…it doesn’t even pick up with the characters from Osiris. In fact, only one character from the Osiris book is a legitimate character in Cataveiro. Instead, we meet Ramona, a pilot cartographer working for the government. She is the only pilot, and the only cartographer, so people are fascinated by her wherever she goes. I found her development flat and completely un-fascinating from a reader’s standpoint.
Ramona spends the entire book looking for a cure for her mother’s terminal illness, which transitions into her looking for her actual mother, who has been taken. There is no resolution to this - the book ends with Ramona still looking.
The other main character is also new, his name is Taeo. He and Ramona intersect only at the beginning of the book, before Taeo embarks on his own quest, which is similarly unresolved, unless you count complete failure as a resolution.
Unlike Osiris, I found the character development in this book to be completely absent, and I bonded with no one. I really wish this book was a true series continuation - a reader could easily have a 1 paragraph summation of the first book, read this book in a vacuum, and not be wanting for information.
I finished Osiris excited for book 2. I finished Cataveiro knowing I won’t even read book 3.
February 24, 2015
E J Swift has an amazing imagination and great talent for storytelling. I've read a lot of sci-fi and dystopia, but have never come across some of the ideas that she uses in the Osiris Project series which means that the story is fresh and exciting.
400 years into the future and earth is suffering from major environmental degradation. People can only live in small habitable zones in the polar regions as the rest of the earth is desert thanks to runaway climate change, wars and pestilence.
This is two different stories. The main protagonists meet at the beginning and then go their separate ways. It's a story of addiction, disease, love and music. It's a story of a deliberately luddite society colliding with hi-tech machinery. It's the same old same old of two great powers squashing those who lie powerless in-between them, exploitation of the poor by the rich.
What an incredible, multifaceted story this is turning into. It's giving me so much to think about. I want to know more too...
400 years into the future and earth is suffering from major environmental degradation. People can only live in small habitable zones in the polar regions as the rest of the earth is desert thanks to runaway climate change, wars and pestilence.
This is two different stories. The main protagonists meet at the beginning and then go their separate ways. It's a story of addiction, disease, love and music. It's a story of a deliberately luddite society colliding with hi-tech machinery. It's the same old same old of two great powers squashing those who lie powerless in-between them, exploitation of the poor by the rich.
What an incredible, multifaceted story this is turning into. It's giving me so much to think about. I want to know more too...
May 26, 2020
SO good. So different from its predecessor, Osiris, but with many of the same elements that I loved of the first: the effortlessly done world-building; the lyrical prose; the believable and not always likeable characters. So many intersecting stories that converge and divert again at various points, leaving you yearning for more information, for more story. I'm very much looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy!
May 14, 2015
The first in this series was a decent SF story about an isolated ocean bound city that appeared to be the last outpost of humanity on a far future Earth. This second book opens up the world and is a much better novel, with a lovely melancholy undertone
November 15, 2014
Pretty average and the ending was a little disappointing.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews