ECHO SIGHT - The Sleeper Fantasy Of 2025 You Don't Want To Miss
A disabled shapeshifter tries to save a city with the one person who could undo their whole life…or free it.
Having lost one leg already to the monstrous, parasitic senka, Enaka Adelaire tries hard to be useful among their perfect people, protecting those who can't protect themselves and hoping to earn the affection they've been denied most of their life.
But when a routine hunt becomes an assignment to track down an artifact smuggler who may have lured senka to Akert City, Enaka is thrown out of their depth into a world of misinformation and systemic oppression. Their only ally? A spycatching archmage from an opposing government who claims to know more about Enaka than they do about themself.
As the two of them race against time to stop the senka plague before the double new moons, they're confronted by forces both mundane and magical, and disturbing truths emerge that change Enaka's life forever. Will their conviction be enough to save the two million souls who call Akert home? Or are the real monsters much closer than they appear?
Genre(s): Urban Fantasy/Mystery
421 pages
Good-natured, wiseass MC
Genderqueer rep, disabilities, found family
Worldbuilding that you experience without it beating you over the head
Action that flows like a dance and hits like a truck; nothing is filler
Characters you'll fall in love with
Echo Sight by Cian Verati
Read it on Libby by requesting it from your local library, or find it at any one of these online retailers for $4.99!
Or on Itch-io for the same price!
For those that want a taste of the book to decide whether to go all-in, my Patreon has the first three chapters for free HERE.
Thank you for everyone who takes a look! I'm just one person writing, drawing, and promoting my own work, so any word of mouth is super helpful! Find out more about me at my website, cianverati.com and don't be a stranger! I have more great stories in the works!
I finished my last book of 2025 today, so hey, here's the final tierlist for the full year!
I recalibrated by rating system this year, dropping everything by one letter grade since it was silly to have four S ranks and A+ is perfectly fine for 5/5.
Each tier is in the order I read them this year, with series first.
(series breakdowns, further thoughts, and last year's tierlist below the cut)
When I read the first two books in 2023, I retroactively gave them what is now B+, because despite strongly enjoying them I acknowledged they weren't particularly deep. This year proved the lie to that assessment; this series isn't the best or most original fantasy ever, and has a few glaring issues here and there, but it is far stronger on reread than I anticipated. I may not be well inside the target demographic, but this is likely my favorite currently ongoing fantasy series (EDIT: with the caveat that A Song of Ice and Fire and The Kingkiller Chronicle are basically over to me).
The Inheritance Cycle:
A: Brisingr* [3] / Inheritance* [4]
A-: Eragon* [1] / Eldest* [2] / The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm* [4.5] / Murtagh [4.6]
This was one of my favorite series growing up, and its ratings are definitely inflated by the fact, but there are certain things about it that I enjoy more than any other series. I wouldn't recommend it to any of my adult friends, but the latter half of the series holds up better than most people give it credit for (even if the decade-later follow up in Murtagh is weaker than expected).
Republic Commando:
A: Order 66 [4]
A-: Hard Contact [1] / Triple Zero [2] / True Colors [3] / 501st [5]
While I'm not particularly tuned in to the communities, nearly everything I've heard about Karen Traviss from both fans of Halo and fans of Star Wars was disparaging; since she wrote my favorite novels in the entire Halo canon, I took a risk on her here, and it definitely worked out. These aren't the strongest novels ever, and they meet an unfortunately abrupt end due to canon upheavel, but they're a damn good time either way.
The Wess'har Wars:
B+: Crossing the Line [2] / The World Before [3] / Matriarch [4] / Ally [5] / Judge [6]
B: City of Pearl [1]
As the only non-IP series I've read from Karen Traviss, this series is a bit disappointing in comparison, but still quite good for not relying on an existing framework. Setting aside, Traviss is just as strong as ever with original characters, which makes me confident I would at least somewhat enjoy anything else she'd written.
The Foundation Trilogy:
B+: Foundation* [1] / Foundation and Empire* [2] / Second Foundation* [3]
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
B: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* [1] / The Restaurant at the End of the Universe* [2] / Life, the Universe, and Everything* [3] / So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish* [4]
B-: Mostly Harmless* [5]
Mistborn: Era One:
A+: Mistborn [1]
A: The Well of Ascension [2]/ The Hero of Ages [3]
A-: Secret History [3.5]
This series was the start to my foray into Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere, and it began with an absolute bang; while there are novels i personally enjoyed more, Mistborn (AKA The Final Empire) is likely the best traditional fantasy novel I've ever read, and Vin (in all three novels) is maybe my favorite protagonist of anything ever. I did think the series declined as it went on, but it still finished at an appreciably high level, and I'd strongly recommend it to anyone.
Mistborn: Era Two:
B+: The Alloy of Law [1] / Shadows of Self [2] / The Bands of Mourning [3] / The Lost Metal [4]
This series was something of a letdown compared to the bombastic Era One, likely due to the fact Sanderson hadn't originally planned its existence, but in context of the greater Cosmere it's still a satisfying read, even if many (but not all) of its best moments are direct follow ups to the first Era. It could definitely stand to be better, but at least leaves me excited for Era Three.
The Stormlight Archive:
A: Wind and Truth [5]
A-: The Way of Kings [1] / Words of Radiance [2] / Oathbringer [3] / Rhythm of War [4]
B: Edgedancer [2.5] / Dawnshard [3.5]
As a counterpoint to Era One of Mistborn, this series took a while to truly grab me, but only got better as it went on. In multiple ways, it feels like the main series of the Cosmere; I didn't personally enjoy any of the novels in The Stormlight Archive as much as any of the novels in Era One, but I think it's fair to say this series is stronger — even if it's only halfway through.
My tierlist for 2024:
A+: The Kingkiller Chronicle x2.10 (Patrick Rothfuss)
Halo: Kilo-Five x3 (Karen Traviss)
The Enderverse x11 (Orson Scott Card)
Halo: Divine Wind (Troy Denning)
A: The Licanius Trilogy x3 (James Islington)
The Sky on Fire (Jenn Lyons)
Halo: Last Light (Troy Denning)
Halo: Retribution (Troy Denning)
A-: Sun Eater x7.25 (Christopher Ruocchio)
The Green Bone Saga x3 (Fonda Lee)
Shadows of the Short Days (Alexander dan Vilhjálmsson)
B: Good Omens (Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett)
Ascension (Nicholas Binge)
City of Bones (Martha Wells)
Wakers (Orson Scott Card)
The Will of the Many (James Islington)
This Is How You Lose the Time War (Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone)
B-: The Lady Astronaut x3 (Mary Robinette Kowal)
The Complete Sherlock Holmes x9 (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The Jewel of Seven Stars (Bram Stoker)
The Stand (Stephen King)
The Warden (Daniel M. Ford)
C+: Imperial Radch x3 (Ann Leckie)
Silo x3.5 (Hugh Howey)
Dracula (Bram Stoker)
The Blade Itself (Joe Abercrombie)
The Godfather (Mario Puzo)
Halo: Hunters in the Dark (Peter David)
C: The Complete Tales and Poems of (Edgar Allen Poe)
Dracula's Guest & Other Stories (Bram Stoker)
Five Broken Blades (Mai Corland)
C-: State of Fear (Michael Crichton)
D+: The Grace of Kings (Ken Liu)
The Magus (John Fowles)
Genre(s): Fantasy (sci-, urban, paranormal), Mystery, Action/Adventure, Romance, LGBTQA+
400+ page count
Wiseass 1st Person POV
Themes: Disability, Intersectionalism, Environmentalism, Justice, Resilience, Found Family
---
You owe it to yourself to try this genre-bent fantasy book I wrote and did all the art for (and I'm a better writer than artist), ECHO SIGHT, already available on itch-io and other ebook retailers. My ARC readers have raved about it so far, and I'm really proud of how it turned out. So what is it about?
---
Having lost one leg already to the monstrous, parasitic senka, Enaka tries hard to be useful as an imperfect shapeshifter among their perfect people, protecting those who can't protect themselves and hoping to earn the affection they've been denied most of their life.
But when a routine hunt becomes an assignment to track down an artifact smuggler who may have lured senka to Akert City, Enaka is thrown out of their depth into a world of misinformation and systemic oppression. Their only ally is a mage from an opposing government who claims to know more about Enaka than they do about themself.
As the two of them race against time to stop the senka plague before the double new moons, they're confronted by forces both mundane and magical, and disturbing truths emerge that change Enaka's life forever. Will their conviction be enough to save the two million souls who call Akert home? Or are the real monsters much closer than they appear?
---
Read some of the glowing reviews on my author website, and either buy it on itch-io, OR
Writer and Artist of Echo Sight
Read the first 3 chapters for FREE on my Patreon!
Get more from VeratiArt on Patreon
And finally, if you're looking for it somewhere that isn't itch, here's a link to all the other places I'm CURRENTLY selling it on:
It's that time of year where you're looking for gifts, scrolling through Amazon for a decent book and finding a whole bunch of mediocre novels or slop that you're pretty sure nobody put actual thought into.
Buy this instead.
Echo Sight is a fantastic adult high fantasy made entirely by human effort (mine). I wrote it. I did the art for it. I paid a real editor to make sure it was something I could put out into the world and be proud of. And you are going to love it.
Why?
Because when Enaka (disabled nb phoenix shapeshifter and good-natured wiseass) arrives at a routine monster hunt in Akert City, it's immediately apparent that something is off: nobody wants to answer questions, people have been disappearing for weeks, and the xenomorphic fungal senka are all too attracted to an artifact that Enaka is pretty sure was smuggled there. Their only local ally? The hostile government's own archmage who may know more about Enaka than they do themself.
As the two of them race against time to stop the senka plague before the double new moons, they're confronted by forces both mundane and magical, and disturbing truths emerge that change Enaka's life forever. Will their conviction be enough to save the two million souls who call Akert home? Or are the real monsters much closer than they appear?
5 stars on Goodreads AND Itch-io and available just about everywhere! Give Enaka a chance, and you'll see why readers have loved the characters, worldbuilding, and pace of this debut indie novel by yours truly.
Made another poster for my book, ECHO SIGHT, found at both Libby AND online retailers!
This last one of the set is of Cavid, my silly little guy in a very scary situation. He means well, but...there's a reason someone else in the cast thinks of him as a human seagull.
Join him, Enaka, and Theso on their mission to stop the spread of the deadly senka fungus before it's too late!
