Ithani

The Oberon Cycle #3

by J. Scott Coatsworth

The Oberon Cycle: Book Three Time is running out.  After saving the world twice, Xander, Jameson and friends plunge headlong into a new crisis. The ithani―the aliens who broke the world―have reawakened from their hundred millennia-long slumber. When Xander and Jameson disappear in a flash, an already fractured world is thrown into chaos.  The ithani plans, laid a hundred thousand years before, are finally coming to pass, and they threaten all life on Erro. Venin and Alix go on a desperate search for their missing and find more than they bargained for. And Quince, Robin and Jessa discover a secret as old as the skythane themselves.  Will alien technology, unexpected help from the distant past, destiny and some good old-fashioned firepower be enough to defeat an enemy with the ability to split a world? The final battle of the epic science fiction adventure that began in Skythane will decide the fate of lander and skythane alike. And in the north, the ithani rise….

Genres: Science Fiction, M M Romance, Romance, LGBT, Gay

290 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2019

About the author

Scott lives with his husband in a leafy Sacramento, California suburb, in a cute yellow house with a pair of pink flamingoes in the front yard.

He has always been in the place between the here and now and the what could be. He started reading science fiction and fantasy at the tender age of nine, encouraged by his mother. But as he read the golden age classics and more modern works too, he started to wonder where all the queer people were.

When Scott came out at 23, he decided he wanted to create the kinds of stories he couldn't find at the bookstore. If there weren't gay characters in his favorite genres, he would reimagine them, filling them with a diverse universe of characters. He'd remake them to his own ends, and if he was lucky enough, someone would even want to read them.

Scott's brain works a little differently from most folks - he sees connections where others don't. Born an introvert, he learned how to reach outside himself and connect with other queer folks.

Scott's fiction defies expectations, transforming traditional science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary worlds into something fresh and surprising. He also created both Queer Sci Fi and QueeRomance Ink with his husband Mark, and is an associate member of the Science Fiction Writer's Association (SFWA).

His writing, both romance and genre fiction, brings a queer energy to his work, infusing them with love, beauty and strength and making them fly. He imagines how the world could be, and maybe changes the world that is, just a little.

Scott was recognized as one of the top new gay authors in the 2017 Rainbow Awards, and his debut novel "Skythane" received two awards and an honorable mention.

Reviews

[Serena Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the final part of an imaginative and exciting trilogy, ‘Ithani’ definitely delivers. It is an action-packed conclusion to the adventures of a set of characters I have come to love, answers the many questions that were raised as events on Oberon unfolded in the previous two books, and provides fascinating insight into the history of an alien race that spans a hundred thousand years. The worldbuilding is exemplary, and with character growth for pretty much all participants, this series is more than amazing. It does have to be read in order because the many “puzzle pieces” the author has laid out won’t fit otherwise.


Please find my full review of the second edition on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Stephanie Lake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea how this series would end in anything other than annihilation of a plant and its civilization. A pleasant few twists and turns gave me an enjoyable, edge of the seat read.

Great book from cover to cover.

[Noah Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic queer sci-fi read! J. Scott Coatsworth has really built an incredibly engaging world for readers to lose themselves in. It's full of tension, tech, drama, romance, and awesome action, and features a cast of queer characters. A particular strength was the vividness of setting. I felt like I shared the characters' sensory experiences while reading, and it really helped keep me engaged.

If there's any one thing I struggled with, it's that I sometimes couldn't differentiate characters in dialogue, which made me re-read in some places to be sure I knew who was speaking. However, overall, Ithani is an excellent sci-fi read, and especially so if you're a fan of hard sci-fi. This is the final book of the trilogy, and I definitely recommend reading the first two before jumping in!

NOTE: My review is based on the ARC I received for a fair and honest review.

[Serena Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the final part of an imaginative and exciting trilogy, ‘Ithani’ definitely delivers. It is an action-packed conclusion to the adventures of a set of characters I have come to love, answers the many questions that were raised as events on Oberon unfolded in the previous two books, and provides fascinating insight into the history of an alien race that spans a hundred thousand years. The worldbuilding is exemplary, and with character growth for pretty much all participants, this series is more than amazing. It does have to be read in order because the many “puzzle pieces” the author has laid out won’t fit otherwise.


Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

For the full review visit https://wp.me/p220KL-g1y

From that review:After finishing the book, I knew writing this review was going to be frustrating.  Why?  Because it's going to be hard to find the words to describe just how incredible Ithani, the final story in The Oberon Cycle truly is.  J. Scott Coatsworth left himself quite the task in pulling together all the plot threads and overall monumental trilogy arc and bring them all to all rousing conclusion that not only is beautifully imaginative, but thoroughly satisfying.

But the author accomplished that task and then went further.  This book is magical in its reach and edifying..."

For all our reviews, check out http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...

[Georgiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing conclusion to a fantastic sci-fi series

What an epic action-packed journey. The entire series! The different parts of the world, different times, all the different lives, and the many memories had such depth and creativity. I devoured every word and absolutely loved it.

Though I immensely enjoyed all the characters, the mission at hand and all the memories and visions, I found myself rooting for Alix and Venin. I read their parts several times hoping I wouldn’t miss something, hoping the two would finally come together, and just maybe they would be the ones to save everyone. I also thought how nice it would be if Quince and Robyn fell in love with Jessa and the three became a triad.

There’s so much more to this phenomenal adventure than the romance. All the chaos, war, raw emotions, love and loss it made every relationship in the story so much stronger and beautiful. I found myself choked up and even chuckling at times which was a nice change from all the intense complex plot twists.

I had a few unanswered questions after reading the second story, but all was revealed and wrapped up nicely in this final part.

[MariF · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was one fantastic, hyped ride on the edge of a seat...Each book in the series opens new layers of complicated entanglements, secrets and dangers.
To be honest, I was a bit thrown off with all the Z pronounces and had to go back and re-read some of the sentences to catch up to Ithani culture and prophecy revelations.
But it was so worth it.
We've got more personages to care about while keeping rooting for the established MC couples and holding breath while they struggle to survive and save their world/planet on finite time.
All characters go through soul-searching, all loose ends get up tied and we get an explanation on all of the mysteries.
I also loved that females were not painted as psycho bitches or damsels in distress, they are quite capable of saving themselves and have brains to figure out complex issues. That's refreshing in this genre.
Brilliant world-building, great set of characters and epic conclusion. What more can you ask for?

[Patdbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book a long time ago when i came out and it sat on my shelf for ages... Why?

I did not want to open this book up, not because if did not want to take the roller coaster that is this series, that the author has masterfully put onto page, intrigue and danger, relationships burgeoning and faltering, a beautiful world, magic, being able to fly, hot sex and long smoldering kissing, turns and twists..... I could go on.

I did not want to open it up because I knew that ultimately it would come to an end. I have really enjoyed this series of books, the Auhtor is a genius, I was not disappointed with anything of it, though my heart was in my mouth a few times wondering what was coming next.

I would recommend this series of stories to any one....take the journey with Xander and Jameson, MOrgan, Quince and Robyn, Alix and Venin among others.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is The last book in this trilogy . First let me say that his writing brings to my mind such greats as Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Pat Frank, Ben Nova with a touch of Edgar Rice Burroughs. It takes an inventive mind with a wide creative streak to worthwhile such a strong u iverse. The characters are well defined and engaging.
The conclusion of this data is not only edge of the seat reading and action. It's entertaining and satisfying. This book must be read in order to get the full impact. But if you're a last chapter first to for it, you'll go back to the beginning because you'll want to know how they got there. A must read for all sci to fans.. No spoilers but good guys win with lots of hard work and many battles not to mention wits.

[Gema Rodríguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the story in "Skythane" due to its originality and world building though I hadn't connected fully with the characters. Then, in "Lander" I got to connect with the characters and got more into its story. And now, with "Ithani" I didn't just keep connected with he characters but got really hooked by the story in it.

When reading a book that has so many different POVs is really difficult to connect with all of them, but somehow this book managed to do it, creating a story that is perfectly woven through all the POVs making it all fit perfecly. It was a wonderful read.

[Joscelyn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

FINALLY!

This was an absolutely brilliant ending to the Oberon series. The cliffhanger ending of Lander left me desperate for more but Ithani more than made up for the wait. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, my only complaint is that this is the end and I'm going to miss these amazing characters. I have no doubt that I'll be rereading this series more than once.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book*

[Lee Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buy this series!! It's amazing!! (Must be read in order...not a standalone)
This is a beautifully put together story that comes to it's final conclusion in Ithani.
Xander and Jameson are perfect as they once again attempt to save their world from destruction. Blending past and present seamlessly with a lot of intricate plot twists this is a highly absorbing read.

[Ulysses Dietz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Oberon Cycle (complete box set)
By J. Scott Coatsworth
Published by Other Worlds Ink, 2020

I read the first book in this trilogy, “Skythane,” back in 2017. I loved it and posted my five-star review for the Paranormal Romance Guild (sadly, now defunct). I finally got to sit down and read the full trilogy, and I was overwhelmed. The Oberon Cycle is 950 pages of remarkable sci-fi fantasy, replete with vivid characters I cared about, and a plot that grows increasingly complex and compelling through each successive volume: Skythane, Lander, and Ithani. Scott Coatsworth’s imagination is impressive, and his world(s) building and skill with prose and dialogue are up to the task of such a monumental work.

Skythane are just people with wings. They’re not angels, nor magical. They just have wings. On the split planet Oberon/Titania, they were the first colonizers, but have become both less commonplace and marginalized since the second wave of colonizers—ordinary humans referred to by the Skythane as “landers.” Even the Skythane don’t fully understand their own history.

As you can imagine, there’s a story there, and this first book in Scott Coatsworth’s Oberon Cycle only begins to reveal it. It is always hard, when reviewing a hugely imaginative work like this, how to talk about it without spoiling surprises. Coatsworth has taken us to a distant planet hundreds of years in the future, where, unsurprisingly, the economic culture is largely controlled by a capitalist enterprise known as OberCorp. Not only has corporate greed survived, but so has judgmental conformity, as espoused by the Christianists. I guess some things are just hardwired into humanity.

Our central protagonist is Xander Kinnson, a twenty-something Skythane with iridescent black wings like a raven’s. Xander has spent his whole life on Oberon, and it has for the most part not been an easy life.

Xander’s counterpoint (antagonist?) is Jameson Havercamp, a meek conformist from the Christianist planet Beta Tau. Jameson has been assigned by his employer, the Psych Guild, to visit Oberon to look into a recent supply reduction of a drug known as pith—both very addictive and highly useful in psychological medication. Pith can only be harvested from Oberon’s split twin, Titania, which exists simultaneously in a parallel universe. (Gulp.)

By happy coincidence, Xander has been assigned to escort Jameson on his visit. The odd thing is, Xander and Jameson have entirely different ideas of where they’re supposed to be going. The catalyst, it seems, is Quince, a middle-aged Skythane woman with the great white wings of an angel. She knows something. She knows a lot in fact, but exactly who she is and what she knows is only hinted at in the book’s prologue.

Faint echoes of “Dune” flutter in your mind as you read this story; but Coatsworth’s narrative is more straightforward and its characters are not melodramatic, in spite of the wings. Jameson, Xander, and Quince form an unlikely trio for a road trip, especially once events begin to spin out of control and the tension ratchets up. They are the central characters throughout the trilogy—but by no means the only characters. Each successive volume adds more important players in this epic drama, and by the third book, “Ithani,” it’s a challenge to keep everyone in mind (I managed it).

The vividly depicted reality of Oberon is that of a high-tech world so corrupt and jaded after centuries of development that inconvenient scientific truths have been relegated to the realm of superstition. Only our mismatched trio—and the mysterious orphan child called Morgan they pick up on the way—have any idea what’s really going on and what they have to do to stop it.

I loved the characters, and the tantalizing mix of sci-fi and fantasy in the plot. Coatsworth builds up a lot of excitement, leaving his readers hungry for more. Reading the full work is a compelling and moving experience.

[Gail Overholt · Rating 3 out of 5]

What the hell??? I'm so confused! Between the double timeline, all the memory stuff (in a double timeline, no less), and at least 10—TEN!—POVs, I gave up trying to understand everything about halfway through the book.

And. Apparently, butterflies are evil. I do like that the "aliens" (actually the indigenous beings?) aren't humanoid. But between the Ithani and whatever Morgan was supposed to be... I'm not sure I really understood their symbiosis. Symbioses?

All the while, I worried that the next solar flare cycle wouldn't be addressed. Turns out it was addressed. It just wasn't resolved. Everyone lived happily ever after. At least for another 750 years.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 out of 5 stars

Description ~

Time is running out. After saving the world twice, Xander, Jameson and friends plunge headlong into a new crisis. The ithani—the aliens who broke the world—have reawakened from their hundred millennia-long slumber. When Xander and Jameson disappear in a flash, an already fractured world is thrown into chaos.

The ithani plans, laid a hundred thousand years before, are finally coming to pass, and they threaten all life on Erro. Venin and Alix go on a desperate search for their missing and find more than they bargained for. And Quince, Robin and Jessa discover a secret as old as the skythane themselves.

Will alien technology, unexpected help from the distant past, destiny and some good old-fashioned firepower be enough to defeat an enemy with the ability to split a world? The final battle of the epic science fiction adventure that began in Skythane will decide the fate of lander and skythane alike. And in the north, the ithani rise….

My Review ~

Ithani is the third and final book in The Oberon Cycle. This is definitely not a stand alone book and the series must be read in order from the first to final book. Each book leads into the next and missing one or reading out of order will definitely confuse the readers because there is a lot of story in each book in the Cycle.

Anyone who's read my previous reviews knows that I'm a really big fan of this author. His world building is exceptional, and that's something that can be really hard to find in the LGBTQ genres. That's not saying other authors aren't doing it, it's more so that this author does it the old school science fiction master way of writing. This final book in the series does not disappoint in continuing the world building and bringing it to the ultimate conclusion adding in enough new to keep it fresh and interesting till the final page.

I will admit that at first I struggled a bit with the pronouns in the ithani culture. More I think because there were still instances of she/he sprinkled through the text and I wasn't expecting to see those with the z based pronouns. That really didn't detract from the flow of the story or the story itself. It was just one of those little things to note that other readers may want to take those extra few minutes to really read through the guide at the start of the book, and even take the time to read it again. Ithani itself is a very good, very strong conclusion to an absolutely stellar series by this author. I'm actually sad to see this series come to its conclusion because it just worked so well for me.

I don't want to really delve into the plot as this is a book you need to read from your perspective vs mine as a reviewer. I come into this series already loving the author's style of writing, and having been a huge science fiction/fantasy reader and that add a different aspect to what/why I enjoyed what I did in the book. I know I've kept this review relatively vague but hopefully you see something that sparks your interest in order to pick up this final book if not the entire series if its one you haven't read yet.

[Anne Barwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the first two books in this series, and this final instalment didn’t disappoint. As with everything I’ve read by this author, the world building is fabulous, detailed, and very visual. I always feel as though I’m stepping into another world with a rich history when I read one of his books. I love the VR and the PAs in particular although I’m not sure I’d want the latter as they feel very intrusive.

I liked how a group of Skythane and Landers work together in this story, yet a lot of both populations still carry old prejudices and will need to be won over. It felt very realistic.

I had begun to like Alix toward the end of book 2 in the series, but he comes into his own in this story, and is one of my favourite characters. It’s a huge sign of his maturity that he is able to step back and accept that his ex, whom he still loves, is with another man. I liked the new characters too. Venin caught my attention from the beginning and I liked his character arc.

Another strength of this book—and the series—are the strong women. Jessa comes into her own in this story, and I loved how she kicks arse, and manages to go with the flow when she’s thrown into a completely alien situation. No pun intended.

The villain of this story was a real piece of work. I loved the explanation of who the Ithani are, how their society works, and Morgan’s part in the story.

The easter eggs for the author’s other series added so much to my reading enjoyment. I love when series crossover like this! I want the last one in that series now so I can fill in the gaps. I spent a lot of those moments going wow, this is so cool. It was very satisfying for me as a reader too, although I don’t think anyone who hasn’t read The Liminal Sky series would be lost. If you haven’t read that series, however, I highly recommend it!

I found the ending of this series very satisfying, and loved the sense of everything coming full circle, especially with the revelation of how the planet was named.

I’d recommend Ithani to readers who enjoy science fiction with in depth world building, complex characters, and a plot that keeps you reading. I would however, recommend reading the series in order as this isn’t a stand alone.

[Blaine]

This review is for the complete Oberon Trilogy:

This trilogy in the Liminal Sky happens far into the future of the Ariadne Cycle trilogy, and the connection isn't clear from the start, but there are little hints of familiarity strewn throughout the books until the latter part of book three clears up the connection.

Unlike the Ariadne Cycle, this doesn't take place over several generations but is focussed on a limited group of POVs and a single period (not counting the flashbacks).

The world-building is rich and beautiful. I loved the premise of a planet divided into two out-of-sync halves with a few select "doors" between them. And the plant-based architecture is creative and something I'd enjoy seeing more of.

Xander and Jameson had some intriguing baggage and their personalities nicely clash with each other. While not the biggest fan of the chosen one trope, I liked where Scott took it and how he weaved the depth of it, the intricacies of this world and the origin of the people on this planet throughout the whole story.

As for Quince... burdened with a heavy task, she seemed both very competent and incompetent at times, a bit too driven, causing her to make some shifty choices. And I absolutely loved Mylin and Derren :)

[PaperMoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final installment of this series and almost all surviving main and secondary characters previously introduced make a return for a 'showdown' of sorts with yet another alien race found co-habitating this planet/world alongside the humans and skythane. I found this quite a convoluted tale, involving several subplots, each featuring pairs/triads/quads of the aforementioned characters, as they unravel the mystery of the Ithani (and the Neamfeach) before yet another cataclysmic end to the world is unleashed.

The books in this series should definitely be read in sequence, and readers are highly recommended to bookmark the character list given at the very start lest they get overwhelmed by the sheer number of these characters (and their past links/history). As is, I got a little befuddled myself in places given the liberal use of dream-like experiences that seemingly involve other beings' memories whilst in earlier timeline sequences; this was not an 'easy' read. I am however very fond of the character Morgan and was very glad things turned out the way it did for him. This book concludes a decent sci-fi series overall.

[Michael Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

My full review of “Ithani” can be found at my web site.

[Tony Williamson,jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent ending.

There is a lot going on in this final book of the series. It is best to read the other 2 first. Seriously enjoyed this series.