Avatar meets Fern Gully in this evocative, nature-focused science fantasy novella by Cathryn deVries.
This book pulls you into such a lush, rich world which immediately feels real from the first page. It follows two characters from different factions on a planet where humanity has settled, pushing into a strange ecosystem—the dominant species of which is sentient flying cats.
As the two MC butt heads, they both must face what they believe to be true about their world. It’s a short read which still delivers on a satisfying ending.
The book is illustrated throughout with excerpts of the FMC’s sketchbook, reflecting the FMC’s passion for the plants of her new adopted home world as well as the animal species.
Son of Osicirius delivers in a few unique ways. The landscape and world-building is beautiful. There is a strong sense of place and history in the lush, rainforest backdrop, and an atmospheric threat making clear the human settlers are out of their depth. The illustrations really add to the world-building as well.
The sentient alien species is also worth the read: akin to Avatar, the giant flying felines sometimes choose to bond with humans, and exploring how this plays out is one of the delightful aspects of the story.
Son of Osivirius is a clean romance, with a slow burn relationship that develops between the FMC and MMC. There’s also a sweet bromance to enjoy seeing unfold as well. This book has won several indie book awards already. Check out Cathryn’s Instagram for the running tally. This short, punchy novella is worth the read.
Son of Osivirius: the blurb from the author
A dystopian eco-spiritual sci-fi fantasy adventure perfect for fans of James Cameron’s Avatar and The Hunger Games.
Jayden wants to do three things: find the rebel base, collect his reward, and never once let himself care.
Dispatched to locate a rebel settlement on the electromagnetically hostile world of Osivirius, Jayden Seymour crashes instead into a valley that should not exist: biodynamic orchards, hand-forged tools, and a society where no one is above serving the next meal or standing the next watch. This is not a rebel cell. It is a living argument against everything the colony was built to be.
But it’s the Masu that make the argument impossible to dismiss. Flying cats the size of small aircraft, they share a fungal mind-link with humans that opens up a wordless exchange no colonial education prepared him for. They do not ask to be trusted. They show him what trust feels like.
As the slow architecture of suspicion between Jayden and the woman determined to despise him begins to shift, so does everything he thought his life was for, and two people who built their entire existence around half-truths slowly learn they’re not so different after all. The cats have already decided, the only question left is whether Jayden has the courage to agree.
Find Cathryn deVries online
You can get Son of Osivirius online here, and connect with Cathryn here.