Hi peeps! We have J. Scott Coatsworth visiting today with the tour for his brand new RE-release The Stark Divide, we have a brilliant unique excerpt, a fantastic $25 Amazon GC, & a signed paperback set of his Oberon Cycle trilogy giveaway and my review, so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~
The Stark Divide
J. Scott Coatsworth
Some stories are epic.
The Earth is in a state of collapse, with wars breaking out over resources and an environment pushed to the edge by human greed.
Three living generation ships have been built with a combination of genetic mastery, artificial intelligence, technology, and raw materials harvested from the asteroid belt. This is the story of one of them—43 Ariadne, or Forever, as her inhabitants call her—a living world that carries the remaining hopes of humanity, and the three generations of scientists, engineers, and explorers working to colonize her.
From her humble beginnings as a seedling saved from disaster to the start of her journey across the void of space toward a new home for the human race, The Stark Divide tells the tales of the world, the people who made her, and the few who will become something altogether beyond human.
Humankind has just taken its first step toward the stars.
Unique Excerpt!
Unique Excerpt From Colony
Part Two of The Stark Divide
A turbulent mix of emotions washed over Ana as the Hammond made its final approach to Transfer Station. She’d spent most of the forty-eight-hour journey in her cabin, avoiding the ship’s other passengers.
Not that most people would recognize her. The scandal that had ended her career and sent her to prison for almost a decade had largely faded from the public consciousness, and she bore little resemblance to the Venus Vixen, as the press had taken to calling her, that she’d been at the time. Prison had aged her prematurely, and she’d shaved off her beautiful black hair, which had begun tending toward a washed-out gray, as a form of personal penance.
She stood now in one of the ship’s view ports, watching the station and the seedling grow slowly larger. Not that seedling suited it any longer.
On the one hand, she felt a great swell of pride seeing this new world slowly taking shape—a world she, more than anyone else, had helped to create. She had kept up with the news from the North Fargo Detention Center where she had been housed, but seeing it up close was something altogether different.
Colin had done well with her. She could see that already.
On the other hand, she still felt the deep sting of bitterness that this project had been taken out of her hands, even if it had been her own fault. It was only through the grace of the director that she was here again at all, though, so she supposed she ought to be grateful.
She touched the silver cross on a chain under her shirt. Jackson haunted her still.
She pulled her shawl around her thin shoulders more tightly, feeling suddenly cold.
Someone else entered the room, coming to stand next to her. “Quite a view, isn’t it?” His voice was young and somehow familiar.
“It really is.” It was maybe a fifth of its final size, and already it was awe-inspiring.
“Thirty minutes to arrival at Transfer Station,” the ship-mind said.
“Ever been out here before?” the young man asked.
“A long time ago.” Ana turned to look at him.
The blood drained from her face. It was as if she were face-to-face with the long-dead Jackson Hammond.
She stumbled in fright, and he caught her, powerful young arms supporting her while she found her balance.
This one was too young to be Jackson. One of his sons, then.
She recovered her composure. Their eyes met.
“Hey, do I know you?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.” She squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry. I don’t feel well, but thank you for catching me. I have to go.”
As she fled the room, she could feel his eyes boring into her back.
About J. Scott!
Scott lives with his husband Mark in a yellow bungalow in Sacramento. He was indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine. He devoured her library, but as he grew up, he wondered where all the people like him were.
He decided that if there weren’t queer characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends.
A Rainbow Award winning and runs Queer Sci Fi, QueeRomance Ink, Liminal Fiction, and Other Worlds Ink with Mark, sites that celebrate fiction reflecting queer reality, and is a full member member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Website | Facebook | Facebook Author Page | Twitter | QueeRomance Ink | Amazon
Giveaway!
Win a $25 Amazon gift card!
Win a signed paperback trilogy of the Oberon Cycle (Skythane, Lander and Ithani)
two winners!
Review
Title: The Stark Divide
Series: Liminal Sky: Ariadne Cycle Trilogy 01
Author: J. Scott Coatsworth
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: Novel (292 pgs)
ISBN: B08C9NJ68V
Publisher: Other Worlds Ink (10th July 2020)
Heat Level: Nil
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 4 ½ Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Some stories are epic.
The Earth is in a state of collapse, with wars breaking out over resources and an environment pushed to the edge by human greed.
Three living generation ships have been built with a combination of genetic mastery, artificial intelligence, technology, and raw materials harvested from the asteroid belt. This is the story of one of them—43 Ariadne, or Forever, as her inhabitants call her—a living world that carries the remaining hopes of humanity, and the three generations of scientists, engineers, and explorers working to colonize her.
From her humble beginnings as a seedling saved from disaster to the start of her journey across the void of space toward a new home for the human race, The Stark Divide tells the tales of the world, the people who made her, and the few who will become something altogether beyond human.
Humankind has just taken its first step toward the stars.
Purchase Link: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Review: The Stark Divide throws you into the stars as Earth races towards extinction. Humanity takes one last grasping chance to save themselves even as the world dies around them because of their stupidity, and even in the dying last breaths they continue throwing nuclear missiles at each other and condemning the entire species.
J. Scott Coatsworth has written an amazing science fiction novel that sends shivers down your spine because of the ring of truth to it.
The setting of the story is a living world/ship that’s an amazing combination of organic/technology with an artificial intelligence that is more than it seems.
The story starts from the very beginning of Forever’s life when she’s still a seedling and the amazing crew who first ‘plant’ her. The Dressler’s crew, Captain Colin McAvery, Anastasia Anatov scientist and creator of the seedlings (Forever) and Jackson Hammond ship’s engineer, have the important task of ensuring that the seedling is planted on an asteroid so it can begin growing so it can save a portion of humanity. The problem is something’s wrong with the Dressler and it’s a race against time.
The story then jumps in time with Colin, Anastasia and Jackson’s son Aaron meeting as Forever is being colonised for human habitation. It’s a fraught time as truths come out and Forever doesn’t forget grudges.
The final segment in the story is 30 years on from Forever’s birth, while Forever still isn’t quite big enough or ready for mass human habitation the Earth is failing, and refugees are flocking to Forever.
This really is an amazing story and while it has gay, lesbian and Trans characters I would actually say that this is a more mainstream story. There’s no romance and no one character to focus on, the story is about Forever’s journey with the stories of some of the humans who are important to her survival coming through.
The world building is absolutely amazing; we get to see a new world emerging through determination and survival instincts, we get to picture through the authors words exactly what a new world for humans might be like, living inside that world… it’s just amazing.
The characters each come to life, their hopes, dreams, fear, anger, desperation and shame comes through brilliantly, we are left in no doubt as to what the characters are going through.
This isn’t your usual science fiction story, there’s no danger other than that brought on by humans stupid actions, there’s no aliens racing to help humanity, there’s no devastating natural world event, there’s no nicely timed rescue of Earth. It’s a story of amazing ingenuity, characters connected by the beginning and shear survival instincts.
I recommend this to those who love deep science fiction stories, who adore a storyline that pulls you along in its wake, who love interesting characters, and an ending that is also a brand new beginning.
