Cailleadhama: Through the Veil Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Other Worlds Ink
November 5, 2019
106
Colton is a trans man living in a climate-changed world. He plies the canals that used to be city streets, earning a living taking tourists on illicit journeys through San Francisco's flooded edges beneath the imposing bulk of the Wall.
Tris is an elf who comes through the veil to the City by the Bay - the Caille - on a coming of age pilgrimage called the Cailleadhama. He is searching for his brother Laris, who went missing after crossing through the Caille years before.
The two men find they have common cause, and together they set off to find Laris in a world transformed by the twin forces of greed and climate change. And in the end, they find out more than they ever expected, both about the warming world and their own selves.
Reviewed by Madison Davis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Colton is a transgender man who lives a hard life in a brutal and hard-to-recognize San Francisco. Tris is an elf who comes into the City through the veil from his dimension. He is looking for his missing brother, who disappeared years ago.
When they meet, there is an undeniable spark between them. It is only a hug and Tris feels the true Colton and reacts to this emotion without thinking. Colton reacts as well, not understanding what is happening. But their connection is there and prompts Colton to help and support Tris to find his brother. Little do they know that their search takes them to unexpected places, and their life is in danger.
If it weren’t for Vanyssa, the two men were lost. Vanyssa, a very skillful specialist in IT and technology…
This book, to me, was an entertaining read, very well written. In a way, it’s a dark book with little to no light. Only the bond between Colton and Tris is a highlight within the story. J. Scott Coatsworth is a gifted writer with a wide range of fantasy. The descriptions are detailed and easy to follow.
I always pick my favorite character in a book, and in this one it is Vanyssa. In my opinion, she is a strong, stubborn, skilled, and independent woman, a character with depth who fights with her friends and for them.
What I was missing in this book was an ‘anchor.’ Somebody, or something that forms the ‘middle’ of the book and the story, where everything is rooted… This story starts somewhere, develops in all directions, and somehow ends somewhere, everything and everybody continually changes, extends and widens.
I like the book and the fantastic fantasy of the author. Just one calm point within these pages would have made me love the story.