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Pathfinder #2
The Ouroboros Prophecy
A vision drawn from the mind of a dying member of an Outrider clan draws Shai and Lorne back into the city of Nhil-Rhar, where they are pulled into a deadly conspiracy. Pathfinders are having dreams of destruction and chaos, criminal factions are battling openly in the streets, and a mysterious virus has been unleashed in the Agency's computers. On the fringes of it all lurks a dark figure that Shai can sense but not see, a figure that is neither pathfinder nor guide yet somehow—impossibly—more powerful than both. Time is running out, and if he doesn't solve the mystery of the Ouroboros Prophecy, not only his life but the lives of the Outriders and everyone in Nhil-Rhar will be forfeit.
Sequel to PATHFINDER by J.A. Jaken
Sequel to PATHFINDER by J.A. Jaken
611 pages, ebook
First published May 4, 2019
7 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Jaken
31 books105 followersJ.A. Jaken has been writing homoerotic fiction for more than ten years. She got her start in the profession writing slash fanfiction, where she has published numerous stories under the pen-name Rushlight. Over the years she has written erotic short stories and novels in genres ranging from science fiction/fantasy to gothic horror to modern detective mysteries.
She realized at a young age that she was attracted to the darker side of life in the fictional stories she felt compelled to write. She feels there is something enormously satisfying about putting a character through intense physical and emotional hardship, and then carrying him or her through out the other side. She believes that is the main reason why she tends to write stories with a darker edge to them. Characters are the most interesting when they've had all of the baggage, all of their many masks, stripped away from them and they're left with nothing but the purest core of who and what they are.
Outside of writing, her interests include studying foreign languages, riding horses, practicing martial arts, and collecting medieval weaponry. She speaks a little bit of French, a little bit of American Sign Language, a little bit of Japanese, but she's not really fluent in any of them (although she's trying!). She's endlessly fascinated by just about everything she sees around her and is constantly looking for new ways to learn and improve her knowledge of the world.
She realized at a young age that she was attracted to the darker side of life in the fictional stories she felt compelled to write. She feels there is something enormously satisfying about putting a character through intense physical and emotional hardship, and then carrying him or her through out the other side. She believes that is the main reason why she tends to write stories with a darker edge to them. Characters are the most interesting when they've had all of the baggage, all of their many masks, stripped away from them and they're left with nothing but the purest core of who and what they are.
Outside of writing, her interests include studying foreign languages, riding horses, practicing martial arts, and collecting medieval weaponry. She speaks a little bit of French, a little bit of American Sign Language, a little bit of Japanese, but she's not really fluent in any of them (although she's trying!). She's endlessly fascinated by just about everything she sees around her and is constantly looking for new ways to learn and improve her knowledge of the world.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 11, 2025
It was probably around the 35th hundredth message I sent Sarah complaining about what a horrifically creepy character Jeff Ollenbach is that she asked me "is he one of the worst ever villains for you?" and you know what? Yes, I really think he is.... Fuck that creepy ass, coercively controlling, sexually harassing asshole. "But he's just as much of a victim to his genetic imperative as Shai" I hear you say, blah blah blah... I dont need your completely fair and logical argument right now lol. I have to make an appointment with an orthodontist after how much teeth grinding this book put me through cause of this gross handsy fucker.
All jokes aside, whilst all of the above is true, this book did genuinely try to tackle some interesting perspectives on the idea of free will, which were challenging at times as a reader, but made for a unique reading experience. It also generated some interesting conversations about how the understanding of consent, sexual abuse and rape have evolved in more recent years.
I appreciated that this book featured less non con than book one, although there was always that ever present threat of it that made it hard to ever feel complacent in Shais safety. There was one scene of pretty icky dub con with a character who isn't the main love interest though so it's worth being mindful of that still.
It was also interesting to see how much Jakens writing abilities had evolved between the two books given that there was such a significant gap between books (10+ years). It was especially evident in the scope of world building and complexity of plot. I didn't realise until afterwards that book two was 147k words compared to book ones 74k. No wonder it took so much longer to get through.
All that being said, I can't help but feel like the ending was a littl underwhelming, although when I think about it more I can't think of a different way I would have preferred it to have played out. Sarah and I had to debrief extensively to work out our final feelings on this book were because it was the most 3.5 star book to ever 3.5 star. But it was ultimately an ambitious and unique effort that was ahead of its time when it was published so I appreciate it for what it has attempted to do here and most importantly I am glad Shai and Lorne got their HEA.
If you managed book one, there is nothing here content wise you would have trouble with.
Final thoughts, call me petty but not every character deserves redemption. Some characters just deserve to suffer (I'm still mad this book made me feel sympathy for Ollenbach, the absolute ass).
All jokes aside, whilst all of the above is true, this book did genuinely try to tackle some interesting perspectives on the idea of free will, which were challenging at times as a reader, but made for a unique reading experience. It also generated some interesting conversations about how the understanding of consent, sexual abuse and rape have evolved in more recent years.
I appreciated that this book featured less non con than book one, although there was always that ever present threat of it that made it hard to ever feel complacent in Shais safety. There was one scene of pretty icky dub con with a character who isn't the main love interest though so it's worth being mindful of that still.
It was also interesting to see how much Jakens writing abilities had evolved between the two books given that there was such a significant gap between books (10+ years). It was especially evident in the scope of world building and complexity of plot. I didn't realise until afterwards that book two was 147k words compared to book ones 74k. No wonder it took so much longer to get through.
All that being said, I can't help but feel like the ending was a littl underwhelming, although when I think about it more I can't think of a different way I would have preferred it to have played out. Sarah and I had to debrief extensively to work out our final feelings on this book were because it was the most 3.5 star book to ever 3.5 star. But it was ultimately an ambitious and unique effort that was ahead of its time when it was published so I appreciate it for what it has attempted to do here and most importantly I am glad Shai and Lorne got their HEA.
If you managed book one, there is nothing here content wise you would have trouble with.
Final thoughts, call me petty but not every character deserves redemption. Some characters just deserve to suffer (I'm still mad this book made me feel sympathy for Ollenbach, the absolute ass).
November 7, 2019
This was a really good book. Hard to classify what kind of book it is, because it dips into a lot of genres lol. I was trying to think of a book to compare it to, but I'm coming up blank. It's like a mish-mash of contemporary, fated mates, post-apocalyptic/dystopic, sweet, sci-fi fantasy, with a little bit of horror thrown in for funzies. It also had the feel at times of an epic fantasy.
Good, strong characters who were good guys who did bad things and others that were bad guys who did good things.
Also, the descriptions of certain things were very vivid and unique:
.......the incredible gasfire blue of his bondmate’s eyes.
...thrusting hard and fast, until Shai felt like his nerves were going to boil together and explode right out of his skin.
The book got a tad repetitive when it came to Shai worrying about his future and independence yada yada yada. And it also got a little wordy and technical in parts (as sci-fi novels tend to do anyways, so no surprise there.). But that didn't take away from the strength of the story, or Lorne and Shai's journey together or the message about the Ouroboros.
Highly recommend.
PS - What is UP with the covers for this series?! Who is that?!? Not any of the characters as they appeared in my head, for sure. Plus that guy looks a little douchey. Younger version of Dr. Ollenbach perhaps? 😄
Good, strong characters who were good guys who did bad things and others that were bad guys who did good things.
Also, the descriptions of certain things were very vivid and unique:
.......the incredible gasfire blue of his bondmate’s eyes.
...thrusting hard and fast, until Shai felt like his nerves were going to boil together and explode right out of his skin.
The book got a tad repetitive when it came to Shai worrying about his future and independence yada yada yada. And it also got a little wordy and technical in parts (as sci-fi novels tend to do anyways, so no surprise there.). But that didn't take away from the strength of the story, or Lorne and Shai's journey together or the message about the Ouroboros.
Highly recommend.
PS - What is UP with the covers for this series?! Who is that?!? Not any of the characters as they appeared in my head, for sure. Plus that guy looks a little douchey. Younger version of Dr. Ollenbach perhaps? 😄
March 18, 2020
Loved it!
Intricate, a deeply woven plot. Loved seeing Shai and Lorne again as their pairbond grows. Danger around every corner. Loved seeing friends and enemies from the previous book return. This book was very intense at times though not as dark as the first. The bad guy is so dangerous in that he is smart, powerful and insane. Loved the book, enjoyed the HEA, but sad to say goodbye to these characters as this is the last book featuring them.
Intricate, a deeply woven plot. Loved seeing Shai and Lorne again as their pairbond grows. Danger around every corner. Loved seeing friends and enemies from the previous book return. This book was very intense at times though not as dark as the first. The bad guy is so dangerous in that he is smart, powerful and insane. Loved the book, enjoyed the HEA, but sad to say goodbye to these characters as this is the last book featuring them.
May 13, 2025
This made for a very thought provoking buddy read - free will vs genetic imperative set in a dystopian world where biogenetical engineering has lead to some interesting ethical situations.
This is far more developed in both world building and plot than Book 1 which set the scene in a frankly disturbing way and contained Shai’s many traumatic experiences as well as meeting Lorne, who is a genuinely good guy.
There is an interesting array of side characters. Debating Dr Ollenbach’s villainous ways was highly entertaining and you can see Evie’s feelings about him in her review here
This is far less explicitly non-con as book 1 which is really very nice but things still aren’t all roses and potentially triggering content is present. If you got through book 1 though I think this would be quite manageable.
This was tricky to rate but ultimately I think the concepts were interesting and progressive, given that book 1 is 25years old and this one at least 15 so I’m going with 3.5 stars. I love that the author came back to give Shai and Lorne a well deserved HEA and finish off a story that had a whole lot more to explore.
This is far more developed in both world building and plot than Book 1 which set the scene in a frankly disturbing way and contained Shai’s many traumatic experiences as well as meeting Lorne, who is a genuinely good guy.
There is an interesting array of side characters. Debating Dr Ollenbach’s villainous ways was highly entertaining and you can see Evie’s feelings about him in her review here
This is far less explicitly non-con as book 1 which is really very nice but things still aren’t all roses and potentially triggering content is present. If you got through book 1 though I think this would be quite manageable.
This was tricky to rate but ultimately I think the concepts were interesting and progressive, given that book 1 is 25years old and this one at least 15 so I’m going with 3.5 stars. I love that the author came back to give Shai and Lorne a well deserved HEA and finish off a story that had a whole lot more to explore.
November 5, 2023
I’m so torn over this book. The writing is decent and the story is good but the non-con elements are getting a bit much for me and I’m getting a bit close to DNF’ing it despite wanting to know how the story goes.
There is both r@pe and SA in the series and the SA is almost worse because the one committing it is all “it’s ok, I’m not going to force you,” while using the genetic programming built into them against Shai. He uses it as an excuse to feel Shai up at every opportunity and the creeping inevitability of Shai’s lack of agency in his situation just builds and builds.
Still got five and a half hours left in the audio so may adjust rating.
There is both r@pe and SA in the series and the SA is almost worse because the one committing it is all “it’s ok, I’m not going to force you,” while using the genetic programming built into them against Shai. He uses it as an excuse to feel Shai up at every opportunity and the creeping inevitability of Shai’s lack of agency in his situation just builds and builds.
Still got five and a half hours left in the audio so may adjust rating.
June 3, 2022
Audiobook review. Narrator: Dan Calley
Enjoyed book 2 in this series. At times I thought there were some stupid decisions being made, but not enough to ruin the story.
Enjoyed book 2 in this series. At times I thought there were some stupid decisions being made, but not enough to ruin the story.
dnf
July 21, 2022I'm giving up on this one for now. It just wasn't holding my attention, and the MCs kept making too many stupid mistakes.
May 7, 2025
There is so much to unpack in this book. Both 1 & 2 will require a second listen.
Good thing Dan Calley could read the phonebook and I'd be happy to listen.
Good thing Dan Calley could read the phonebook and I'd be happy to listen.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews