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The Cords That Bind: A Liminal Tale in the Finding Humanity Series
Don’t seek the truth. It already seeks you.
After Eka and his new friends help secure an uneasy truce with the humans, their lives are irrevocably changed. He and Rana share a strange energetic link, putting him in constant jeopardy. A difficult choice looms before him. He can choose to trust his village’s Crowned Ones and undergo an experimental training to explore his unusual connection with Rana. Or, he can hope his past attempt to star beam when Rana was in danger was a fluke that will never again happen and risk dying if it does. Seeking the truth of their connection seems the obvious choice, but ever since his cousin’s unexplained death, Eka has struggled to trust his village’s Crowned Ones. His mistrust becomes the least of his problems as he uncovers an even greater threat.
After Eka and his new friends help secure an uneasy truce with the humans, their lives are irrevocably changed. He and Rana share a strange energetic link, putting him in constant jeopardy. A difficult choice looms before him. He can choose to trust his village’s Crowned Ones and undergo an experimental training to explore his unusual connection with Rana. Or, he can hope his past attempt to star beam when Rana was in danger was a fluke that will never again happen and risk dying if it does. Seeking the truth of their connection seems the obvious choice, but ever since his cousin’s unexplained death, Eka has struggled to trust his village’s Crowned Ones. His mistrust becomes the least of his problems as he uncovers an even greater threat.
53 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 17, 2021
14 people want to read
About the author
Branwen OShea
5 books283 followersAs a young girl, Branwen wanted to become an ambassador for aliens. Since the aliens never hired her, she now writes about them.
Branwen OShea has a Bachelors in Biology from Colgate University, a Bachelors in Psychology, and a Masters in Social Work. She lives in Connecticut with her family and a menagerie of pets, and enjoys hiking, meditating, and star-gazing. Her previously published works include contributing to a nonfiction yoga book, wellness magazines, and her published science fiction novella, Silence of the Song Trees.
Branwen OShea has a Bachelors in Biology from Colgate University, a Bachelors in Psychology, and a Masters in Social Work. She lives in Connecticut with her family and a menagerie of pets, and enjoys hiking, meditating, and star-gazing. Her previously published works include contributing to a nonfiction yoga book, wellness magazines, and her published science fiction novella, Silence of the Song Trees.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 29, 2022
The Cords That Bind is a wonderful novella taking place directly after The Calling (so make sure you read that first.)
Focusing mostly on Eka, we follow him as he tries to learn how not to star beam every time he perceives Rana is in danger.
It was a lot of fun learning more about Eka. I enjoyed his character in The Calling and now I like him even more.
This tie in piece has me even more excited for the next book in the series!
*I received an ARC of this book via Booksprout and this is my honest, voluntary review*
Focusing mostly on Eka, we follow him as he tries to learn how not to star beam every time he perceives Rana is in danger.
It was a lot of fun learning more about Eka. I enjoyed his character in The Calling and now I like him even more.
This tie in piece has me even more excited for the next book in the series!
*I received an ARC of this book via Booksprout and this is my honest, voluntary review*
September 23, 2021
I enjoyed this book, but even though I went back to read the previous one first, I still had a hard time getting into this. It probably took close to 5 chapters for me to really get into the flow of things and really enjoy the story. Still I would recommend it, but with the caveat being read the prior book first.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 26, 2024
A wonderful mini-sequel that takes place after the events of book 1, The Calling (best to read that first, otherwise this short novella would be hard to follow).
Eka's involvement in a love triangle was one of my favourite things about The Calling, so it was great to see more from his POV.
This short story is filled with almost as much mystery as the full length previous book. It both answers questions and raises more, creating an exciting sense of anticipation for the next book in the series. I also really liked the new characters introduced and can't wait to see what's next for them. If you enjoyed The Calling then this is definitely a must read
Eka's involvement in a love triangle was one of my favourite things about The Calling, so it was great to see more from his POV.
This short story is filled with almost as much mystery as the full length previous book. It both answers questions and raises more, creating an exciting sense of anticipation for the next book in the series. I also really liked the new characters introduced and can't wait to see what's next for them. If you enjoyed The Calling then this is definitely a must read
October 12, 2021
The events in this short story take place right after 'The Calling'. You should definitely read 'The Calling' first since this won't make much sense otherwise. If you haven't read it yet, go check it out and come back later! :)
I loved 'The Calling', so it was a pleasure to revisit the familiar setting and characters. This story is told from Eka's point of view. He was an interesting and somewhat mysterious character in the first book, but he didn't get his own POV there, so it was nice to get to know him better. Unsurprisingly, he turned out likeable and real.
In 'The Cords That Bind', the star beings from Eka's village investigate his deep connection to Rana and his attempt to star beam to her rescue before crowning that has almost killed him. They try to teach him to resist the instinct to do that again since the next time is very likely to be fatal. They quickly discover that this dangerous and uncontrollable behavior is connected to another event from the past that was briefly mentioned in the first book. Their investigation leads them to an unexpected and chilling discovery.
I enjoyed 'The Cords That Bind', but it ended on a cliffhanger. I think it's setting the stage for the next book, and the big mystery will be solved there, but the short story itself didn't feel like it had enough of a resolution of its own to me.
Nevertheless, I think it's worth reading if you enjoyed 'The Calling' and are going to read the next book in the series. It's nice to have something to read while we wait for it!
This review was first published on my website about sci-fi by women, trans and enby authors where you'll find more reviews, author interviews, lists, short stories and more.
I loved 'The Calling', so it was a pleasure to revisit the familiar setting and characters. This story is told from Eka's point of view. He was an interesting and somewhat mysterious character in the first book, but he didn't get his own POV there, so it was nice to get to know him better. Unsurprisingly, he turned out likeable and real.
In 'The Cords That Bind', the star beings from Eka's village investigate his deep connection to Rana and his attempt to star beam to her rescue before crowning that has almost killed him. They try to teach him to resist the instinct to do that again since the next time is very likely to be fatal. They quickly discover that this dangerous and uncontrollable behavior is connected to another event from the past that was briefly mentioned in the first book. Their investigation leads them to an unexpected and chilling discovery.
I enjoyed 'The Cords That Bind', but it ended on a cliffhanger. I think it's setting the stage for the next book, and the big mystery will be solved there, but the short story itself didn't feel like it had enough of a resolution of its own to me.
Nevertheless, I think it's worth reading if you enjoyed 'The Calling' and are going to read the next book in the series. It's nice to have something to read while we wait for it!
This review was first published on my website about sci-fi by women, trans and enby authors where you'll find more reviews, author interviews, lists, short stories and more.
February 24, 2024
I really did enjoy this book. It was an interesting story, with some great characters (I hope to know better in the future). I was drawn into the story from the start and couldn't put it down once I started. Really really loved it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 20, 2021
A truly brilliant story! I really enjoyed it & I can't recommend it enough! Excellent story ideas & characters, overall an amazing read! I do always enjoy this writers work & will look forward to more in the future! Such a pleasure!
September 19, 2021
Need to read the previous book for this to make any sense.
September 21, 2021
An interesting story that helps to transition to the next book. The characters made the story and I can’t wait for more.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews