What do you think?
Rate this book
Ithica
ITHICA
When your own government wants you dead, is it the end — or the beginning?
Ithica is a darkly comic gay psychological farce set inside the implosion of a secret Australian intelligence agency.
Truth is negotiable. Justice is theatre. Survival is a role you learn to play.
Intelligence analyst Anthea Tonelli watches colleagues disappear — not to foreign enemies, but to their own employer. Corrupt judges. Silent trials. Murderous institutional cruelty. Survival becomes strategy.
Sex is escape. It’s also leverage. Protection. Currency.
It threads through offices, bars, safe houses — shaping alliances and sealing outcomes.
As AI accelerates and human control slips, the system turns inward. Anthea must decide what survival resistance — or surrender to the absurd, erotic machinery of power.
Ithica is not a conspiracy novel. Conspiracies only exist when you don’t have all the facts.
And yes — it’s a comedy.
When your own government wants you dead, is it the end — or the beginning?
Ithica is a darkly comic gay psychological farce set inside the implosion of a secret Australian intelligence agency.
Truth is negotiable. Justice is theatre. Survival is a role you learn to play.
Intelligence analyst Anthea Tonelli watches colleagues disappear — not to foreign enemies, but to their own employer. Corrupt judges. Silent trials. Murderous institutional cruelty. Survival becomes strategy.
Sex is escape. It’s also leverage. Protection. Currency.
It threads through offices, bars, safe houses — shaping alliances and sealing outcomes.
As AI accelerates and human control slips, the system turns inward. Anthea must decide what survival resistance — or surrender to the absurd, erotic machinery of power.
Ithica is not a conspiracy novel. Conspiracies only exist when you don’t have all the facts.
And yes — it’s a comedy.
366 pages, Paperback
Published March 16, 2026
About the author
Paul Sharpless
5 books1 followerPaul Sharpless is the author of Ithica and Spook Justice.
His fiction explores power, corruption, survival, and the strange machinery of institutional life through political thrillers, espionage, queer noir, and dark comedy.
Ithica is a political thriller of espionage, rogue AI, corrupt power, and darkly comic unease.
For more information, visit:
https://www.paulsharplessauthor.com
His fiction explores power, corruption, survival, and the strange machinery of institutional life through political thrillers, espionage, queer noir, and dark comedy.
Ithica is a political thriller of espionage, rogue AI, corrupt power, and darkly comic unease.
For more information, visit:
https://www.paulsharplessauthor.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 29, 2026
No, No, Not For Me….
Thank you to NetGallery for the advanced copy.
I’ve no idea where to start or how to review this book. It was easy to read and I finished it very quickly which one could say is a positive, but I simply did not enjoy reading it .
From the first page you’re thrown in to a world of secret Intelligence, not really knowing who or what anyone is - perhaps that is the point, being that Ithica is a secret intelligence agency.
While I have no doubt that all of the things mentioned in this book; murder, rigged legal cases, torture, media manipulation etc, are a part of our reality, the author chose to depict all of those things in the most ludicrous way possible and then throw in a lot of random sex and descriptions of nudity that had no place being there, it was jarring, interrupted the story and, I felt, wholly unnecessary.
While some of the themes and ideas that the author talks about absolutely deserve a lot more attention and thought; especially the use, or rather the misuse of AI, this book was simply not for me.
Thank you to NetGallery for the advanced copy.
I’ve no idea where to start or how to review this book. It was easy to read and I finished it very quickly which one could say is a positive, but I simply did not enjoy reading it .
From the first page you’re thrown in to a world of secret Intelligence, not really knowing who or what anyone is - perhaps that is the point, being that Ithica is a secret intelligence agency.
While I have no doubt that all of the things mentioned in this book; murder, rigged legal cases, torture, media manipulation etc, are a part of our reality, the author chose to depict all of those things in the most ludicrous way possible and then throw in a lot of random sex and descriptions of nudity that had no place being there, it was jarring, interrupted the story and, I felt, wholly unnecessary.
While some of the themes and ideas that the author talks about absolutely deserve a lot more attention and thought; especially the use, or rather the misuse of AI, this book was simply not for me.
April 23, 2026
I absolutely loved this book & honestly couldn't put it down, wanting to know what was going to happen next. I found the story lines about intelligence agencies intriguing & eye opening & the AI aspect of the book was absolutely mind blowing. I also felt like the characters in the book came to life & I really felt like I knew them, & wanted to know what was going to happen next to them.
I definitely highly recommend this book. It truly is a good read!
I definitely highly recommend this book. It truly is a good read!
May 9, 2026
Really intense and different kind of read!!
ITHICA fully commits to its style and pulls you into the story pretty quickly. Hard to put down because you keep wanting to know where things are going next.
The atmosphere and pacing keep things constantly moving, which makes it really easy to stay engaged. A bold book with a strong voice that definitely leaves an impression.
ITHICA fully commits to its style and pulls you into the story pretty quickly. Hard to put down because you keep wanting to know where things are going next.
The atmosphere and pacing keep things constantly moving, which makes it really easy to stay engaged. A bold book with a strong voice that definitely leaves an impression.
June 7, 2026
Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, Ithica wasn't for me.
I'm still not entirely sure what I just read. I couldn't put it down, but not because I was enjoying it. I kept waiting for that "moment" where everything would click into place and the confusion would suddenly make sense. Instead, I reached the final page and was somehow even more confused than when I started.
The plot felt unclear, there were several spelling errors, and I cannot believe this is a sentence I'm writing, but even the random gay sex scenes felt overdone & disconnected from what was going on. By the end, I wasn't looking for answers anymore. I was just wanting to finish.
Unfortunately, Ithica wasn't for me.
I'm still not entirely sure what I just read. I couldn't put it down, but not because I was enjoying it. I kept waiting for that "moment" where everything would click into place and the confusion would suddenly make sense. Instead, I reached the final page and was somehow even more confused than when I started.
The plot felt unclear, there were several spelling errors, and I cannot believe this is a sentence I'm writing, but even the random gay sex scenes felt overdone & disconnected from what was going on. By the end, I wasn't looking for answers anymore. I was just wanting to finish.
May 18, 2026
A bit of book in my anti-establishment plot and Ithica will keep you guessing and wondering if there's any time of societal structure you can actually trust out there.
I devoured the book and obviously enjoyed it but I think it was too fast-paced at time, and I not only was left confused by the ending but also felt like the choice made the high stakes amount to barely anything.
It does still keeps you in your toes until you get to that last 20% and that deserves to be praised and still worth the read!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I devoured the book and obviously enjoyed it but I think it was too fast-paced at time, and I not only was left confused by the ending but also felt like the choice made the high stakes amount to barely anything.
It does still keeps you in your toes until you get to that last 20% and that deserves to be praised and still worth the read!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 4, 2026
Ithica is a raunchy, fast-paced, anti-establishment, farce which I couldn't put down.
It validates conspiracy theorists from both the left and right side of politics.
You just can't trust judges, cops and intelligence agencies.
The whole system is corrupt but you can laugh at their stupidity and their lust for sex, money and power.
It validates conspiracy theorists from both the left and right side of politics.
You just can't trust judges, cops and intelligence agencies.
The whole system is corrupt but you can laugh at their stupidity and their lust for sex, money and power.
May 3, 2026
Paul Sharpless delivers a breathtaking triumph in Ithaca, a visceral reimagining of myth that feels both ancient and urgently modern. With lush, cinematic prose and profound psychological depth, Sharpless breathes fresh fire into a timeless tale of loyalty and grit. It is a mesmerising, five-star odyssey that marks a new high point in literary fiction. A MUST READ
May 3, 2026
This is the most imaginative book that I’ve read in a long time. It went in unexpected directions and I was there for it! A great read. Recommend.
May 7, 2026
Reading this book was like being in a pinball machine. You get bounced everywhere but eventually you get there.amazing experience.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews