The Icarus Coda

The Icarus Saga #6

by Timothy Zahn

NEW ENTRY IN THE ICARUS SAGA FROM NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR TIMOTHY ZAHN

For years Gregory Roarke and his Kadolian partner Selene have worked for the ultra-secret Icarus Group, hunting for the mysterious Icari teleportation portals so valued by the Commonwealth.

But their job has now come to a wrenching end. The two of them are fugitives, sought by the Commonwealth, the rival Patth, and the remnant of the ancient Ammei who once controlled the portals and who hunger for a return to those days of glory. All three groups want Selene and her unique ability to understand and deal with Icari technology.

Or is it unique?

In the shadow of an Ammei stronghold they stumble across an unfamiliar and badly confused alien named Bubloo who has the same ultrasensitive sense of smell as Selene and her fellow Kadolians. If the Ammei get hold of him, can they achieve their goal of domination without Selene?

Roarke doesn’t know. But he doesn’t dare take that chance.

Things are looking grim, with multiple puzzles and questions intertwined around Bubloo and the portals, and the future of the Spiral hanging in the balance.

And then, the Patth assassination squad arrives . . .

At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Praise for The Icarus Twin:

“The Icarus Twin offers a fast-paced adventure that is every bit as exciting and entertaining as The Icarus Plot. If you are looking for a mix of action and mystery, read it.” —Ricochet

“Intrigue, aliens, and locating lost portals fuel a story replete in adventure and action.” —Midwest Book Review

Praise for The Icarus Plot:

“This is Zahn at his best—great characters and settings, great worldbuilding, great suspense, and just a ton of action and space opera fun . . . It’s also a passion project for the author, so if you enjoy Zahn, it’s not to be missed.” —Analog

“There are plenty of little things to delight the longtime Zahn reader, while also bringing [in] new fans in a way that is perfectly accessible . . . Zahn remains one of the best writers of action I have ever had the pleasure of reading . . . The Icarus Plot is pure fun in the way that only one of the genre’s greatest yarn-weavers can do.” —Warped Factor

“Timothy Zahn is a mainstay in the field of science fiction.” —Seattle Book Review

“Anyone who has ever been interested in noir science fiction and espionage should read this. Take the espionage of John le Carre, the deduction of Sherlock Holmes, the twisty nature of The Sting, and you have The Icarus Plot.” —Upstream Reviews

Praise for Timothy

“Zahn fans will enjoy the variety of small-unit combat scenes in the action-packed third and final Cobra Rebellion military SF adventure . . . [a] gripping series.” —Publishers Weekly

“Zahn keeps the story moving at a breakneck pace, maintaining excitement.” —Publishers Weekly

“[Conqueror’s Heritage] is another finely wrought space adventure . . . [with] social, political, and emotional complications, all of which Zahn treats with his usual skill.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fiction, Mystery, Conspiracy Theories

400 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 2025

About the author

Timothy Zahn attended Michigan State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 1973. He then moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and achieved an M.S. degree in physics in 1975. While he was pursuing a doctorate in physics, his adviser became ill and died. Zahn never completed the doctorate. In 1975 he had begun writing science fiction as a hobby, and he became a professional writer. He and his wife Anna live in Bandon, Oregon. They have a son, Corwin Zahn.

Reviews

[Jonathan Koan · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this, Timothy Zahn ends his 6 book (plus a prequel) Icarus Saga! This series has been consistently a puzzle box series with crazy mysteries and twists and turns that feel like classic Zahn!

This book has a generally satistfying ending to the plots and general ideas of the series. And some might find the character arcs satisfying, but I did not.

First of all, this probably was the most complex of all the puzzle boxes. There were several elements, particularly in the depths of the Ammei species and history and the Icari species/history that I tapped out on, because it just was too convoluted for me to get. Much like certain Fantasy authors are going overboard on their magic system, Zahn goes overboard on the alien species and history.

I loved the book the most when Bubloo was present and causing issues, or when Gregory was talking with his father, or when Gregory was cleverly explaining himself out of situations. Those were really worth the read.

We also get a satsifying conclusion to the whole Portal throughline of the series, and it is so great seeing how the characters (through Zahn) are able to sort things out.

On a personal level: I do feel Zahn massively missed an opportunity with his characters to have a romance present. Zahn certainly wrote the previous installments in such a way that he left the door open, but in this book it felt like he slammed the door shut without explicitly discussing the romance. I was so frustrated every time Gregory and Selene having a 'friendship' was brought up (down to the last line of the book!). But again, this is not a quality of the story issue, just a personal preference issue. DO NOT go into this series if you want a romance. It is not present.

Overall, like the other books in this series, this is a fun puzzle box book that perhaps goes a bit too overboard at times in its convolutedness, but is still a good read nonetheless. 7 out of 10. (This entire series has been about a 7-8 out of 10, so Zahn is incredibly consistent in his quality).

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Icarus Coda is book 6 the Icarus Saga by Timothy Zahn. I received an eARC of this book from the publisher, Baen, in return for an honest review. I first read book 4 in the series, and while they all can be read as standalones, a read of the full series is much more satisfying. I enjoyed book 4 so much that I did go back and have now read the entire series. Coda, in music, is “a concluding section or passage that brings a piece or movement to a close, often reinforcing the sense of finality” and book 6 provides that closure.

Gregory Roarke and Zelene (a Kadolain with unique skills) continue their search for missing portals that provide instantaneous transport to other portals, light years away, while being hunted by almost everyone they have ever met. By this point, the two are fed up and ready to settle for finding other Kadolians. The novel continues its story of intergalactic competition between humans, the Patth, and Ammei. Old favorites from previous books in the series return, including Gregory’s father, Nask of the Patth, and expeditures. A new and confusing character is added, Bubloo, of uncertain background. The twists and turns are ever present, but the solutions never seemed implausible to me.

It should be clear that I have really enjoyed the series (and highly recommend the Icarus Coda) and the only complaint I have were Roarke’s numerous quotes sometimes were a bit much; But as my father used to say “sometimes you have to take the good with the bad.” Icarus Coda ends on a very optimistic, positive but not naive note, reflecting, I believe, Zahn’s faith in the spirit of adventure and progress.

[Brielle "Bookend" Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌀🔚💬
“The portals close. The curtain drops. The dad quotes, however, remain.”
🌀🔚💬

4.3 out of 5 alien nose-havers agree — The Icarus Coda sticks the Zahn-landing.

This is the actual end of the Icarus Saga (yes, really), and it’s everything the series promised: high-stakes portal intrigue, alien anthropology deep dives, morally gray diplomacy, and a final helping of “as my father used to say” quotes.

Selene stays brilliant. Roarke stays stubborn. Bubloo—new MVP—arrives in a swirl of confusion and stink-based intuition, instantly earning his place in the weirdo sci-fi sidekick hall of fame. And the story finally answers the big questions, even if you have to squint through a few info-dumps to catch all the implications.

💔 Romance? Slashed before it bloomed.
🧠 Puzzles? As twisty as ever.
📚 Re-read potential? High. Like, “go back and trace the clues” high.

Best for: Series veterans hungry for closure, clever puzzles, and characters who feel lived-in but still surprising.
Skip if: You wanted Gregory and Selene to kiss. This ain’t that kind of book.

The saga’s done—but the scent of Kadolian legacy lingers.

[Meggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A good ending to the Icarus series--Zahn left very few loose ends dangling and dedicated a lot of time to explaining everything about the history of the Icari and the portals. Going into book #6, I wasn't sure how he was going to pull it off! I think the best bits involved Roarke and Selene trying to figure out the mystery surrounding Bubloo.

More than any of the other books, there were a lot of "Roarke explains his plans offscreen and then we see them unfold," but I enjoyed how those scenes played out.

I do think that this series benefits from being read consecutively without breaks in between, because the beginning had so many references to past characters and events that I didn't completely remember that it felt a little sloggy. I also wish that Zahn hadn't hinted at a possible romance between Roarke and Selene in the earlier books only to completely chicken out at the end, but alas. (That is a common issue I've found with Zahn's books: he either shies away from romance subplots, or they happen abruptly and rather dispassionately.)

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Icarus Saga winds to a very satisfying conclusion in this final installment. Each book has presented new puzzles and twists and turns. Zahn has outdone himself with this concluding volume.

We get to meet a strung-out alien named Bubloo who reminds me of people back in the 1960's who were hyped up on all kinds of illegal drugs. He appears, at first, to be the comic relief but then you start to get a sense that there is more to this Bubloo fellow. And his "doctor" named (and I'm not kidding) Christopher Robin. What a pair they make!

Bubloo also seems to have as keen a sense of smell as Selene. He also seems to be able to identify portal metal by smell, a rare skill indeed.

Definitely sorry to see this Icarus Saga come to an end but enjoyed every bit of the ride!!

Highly recommended for all space opera fans, series fans, Timothy Zahn fans, and mystery fans as well (who are the good guys? who are the bad guys? where did the portal builders go all those years ago?).

[Josh Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent finale to the Icarus Saga. As always, it's one heck of a puzzlebox. The ending wrapped up the series very well and was very unexpected. I would have liked to have learned more about the Kadolians, but I understand that wasn't the focus of the book.

The reason I know this book (and the rest of the series) was five stars? Because I'm looking forward to reading them all again in a year or so to see if I can pick up on more of the clues this time!

Edit: Completely forgot, one of the reasons I loved this book (and the entire series, properly starting with Icarus Hunt) is it scratches an itch that so few books satisfy for me, being a small group (or even a duo) of "unimportant" characters trying to make their way through a complex galaxy flying from world to world and spaceport to spaceport as they get caught up in the schemes of the galaxy's biggest powers. I haven't found a lot of that, so this series automatically gets a "favorite" from me.

[Bob Morrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good ending (?) to the series. I’ve enjoyed this series, great characters, imaginative. On this particular book I gave it a four star rating, and that was because I found some of the myriad characters, places and names a bit confusing when it had been some time since I read the last book in the series. For someone who can read them one right after the other I’m sure that problem would lessen, but I kept feeling like I needed to go back and re-read the last book to refresh what or who all these names belonged too…something I admittedly didn’t do, and those names all seemed to pop up in this final chapter.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a satisfying end to a seven book series (even though this is ostensibly book 6) that I began reading in 1999!

Roarke and Selene are a compelling pair of characters surrounded by various folks who are apparently villains or colleagues, with an ever changing terrain (or I suppose the equivalent term for extra-solar planetary surfaces) to navigate, as well as the routes between them.

I have been a Zahn fan since I first read A Coming of Age in 1984. Forty-one years later, his plots and his players remain compelling. I strongly recommend this series.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very satisfying conclusion to the Icarus Saga of books. The beginning lost me with too many obscure character callbacks, even after recently reading the previous entry in the series, but I eventually figured things out. The plot wasn’t as clear cut as other books in the series though. I also wasn’t quite as attached to these characters as say the ones in the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy, but I still really enjoyed it. All the mysteries were *finally* explained. Deserves higher than 4 stars, but that’s where it landed for me.

[Rex Libris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Final installment of the series. Our protagonists are hot on the trail of the location that will control all the portals. This of course has put them square in the sights of everyone who else who wants to get there first.

Along the way meet up with some interesting oddballs who know more than they say.

Will Roarke figure it all out, or will he be made a scapegoat and hounded for the rest of his life? Read the books and find out!

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I did have trouble following the story sometimes, I did like the conclusion to this series. You get all the answers for the series. Plus, the story ends in a way that could open up more Selene and Roarke adventures in the future.

[Ron Nurmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final book has a satisfying conclusion to the series.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice finish to the series. It did a great job wrapping up loose ends and tying in elements from the previous books.

[John Noehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good ending to the series

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice finish to the series.

[Tammie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an ok ending to things. I feel like things got too convoluted with all the alien species in this series and it was hard to follow sometimes, and I think the series went on for too many books. Overall though, I enjoyed it despite this and the overuse of the "as my father used to say" stuff.



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