Cuckoo

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Violence is a drug, and Sarah is six years sober. Over half a decade has passed since a stream of crimson effluent has last kissed the side of her cheek, yet - despite the march of seasons - she can't quite forget the taste. It's too worked into her mouth - too stuck against the back of her teeth. Some among the Offal Sea would consider that only natural. The humans they've conspired against on Earth might call it her just deserts. Sarah views it as an unwelcome obstacle, when she's already struggling to put the past behind her. She has rent to pay, after all - and a grandmother she's come to love. She doesn't have the energy to force her gorge down every time she looks in the mirror. It's a shame her conscience refuses to get with the program. Especially, now that the Light of the World has crawled into local reality. Magic, nominally the domain of con-artists and medieval soothsayers, has finally appeared in truth. With it has come a measure of both wonder and fear; however, neither weighs on Sarah's mind as heavily as the nobility lurking on Deravan. For the Light of the World isn't the only Network, which hopes to make cattle of men: there exist five more, along with the broken corpse of a sixth. Soon, the Offal Sea will arrive to chase its ever-furtive prey. When it does, Sarah knows that her life will collapse amidst their vicious war for supremacy, yet she can't quite bring herself to let it all turn to dust. Her identity means too much to her. Even though it's fake; even if it's been stolen. In the end, this life is hers, and she cannot return to being a cog in the nobilities' grand design. Until then, the only question is which will snap first: Sarah's nascent humanity or the Sea's heartless machine as the curtain comes tumbling down during Boston's final days.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2024
Author: Liarbytrade

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.9/ 5.0
Followers: 272
Views: 43,951

What readers say about Cuckoo

“Wow the level of polish on this is amazing!! The book feels like something you could pick up at Vromans and sit down to read. The worldbuilding is super intricate and layered. The author does an amazing job drawing you to the world slowly through dialogue a…”
bewareoftoadsRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“I wrote the review after reading all 10 chapters of Cuckoo. I apologize for any spoilers. Story: In this story, the MC (Sarah) is a member of a secret group. A parasitic entity infects several people in Sarah's group. One of Sarah's old comrades, Townsend,…”
longwindedone1Royal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(7)

bewareoftoadsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Wow the level of polish on this is amazing!! The book feels like something you could pick up at Vromans and sit down to read. The worldbuilding is super intricate and layered. The author does an amazing job drawing you to the world slowly through dialogue and little hints. Also the body dysmorphia of an alien??? Super interesting idea to think about. I love how the different generations of aliens who arrive have different ways of handling the world- kind of reminds me of how real life immigrants are! The older generations are always more cautious because they had to fight harder to survive, while the younger generation is just focused on what they could do and change. The character interactions between Sarah and Simon do such a good job revealing the little motivations of the character. Also the way she interacts with her ex, and how her ex is way more carefree than Sarah is really shows how Sarah prioritizes staying alive and safe above all else.
Style: Strong. The grim tone suits the story and the character’s outlook on life. Most of the other parasites have connections to other people, which creates a stark divide between them and Sarah, who doesn’t really have anyone to care about.
Story: So far so good! The Offal Sea doesn’t care at all about Sarah and the other parasites, and it’s really clear through the way they refer to Sarah and how expendable they treat them, always just giving them just enough help so that the parasites can be useful.
Grammar: No issues here!
Character: Went into it above, but the isolated nature Sarah’s character really shines through all the social situations she is forced into and the complete dichotomy of how she reacts to situations versus the other parasites.
longwindedone1Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I wrote the review after reading all 10 chapters of Cuckoo. I apologize for any spoilers.
Story:
In this story, the MC (Sarah) is a member of a secret group. A parasitic entity infects several people in Sarah's group. One of Sarah's old comrades, Townsend, turns against her. Sarah deals with some violent confrontations and betrayals (some of which is because of the parasites influence). The parasites change the infected individuals' sense of self-control. With Sarah's group splintering, she hunts down Townsend for revenge. I'm digging the intrigue and subtly woven in magic and otherworldly elements.
Style:
The tone of this story is pretty dark. There is heavy focus on things like betrayal and violence brought on by Sarah's involvement with the group. The struggle with autonomy, due to the parasites, is also brought up. All of this is told through third person point of view, from Sarah's perspective. Magic is brought into the story in chapter 7 when Sarah begins using mana.
Grammar:
I consume my books through audio format using the Royal Road app, so I don't always get eyes on grammar and punctuation errors. But in listening to the story, I didn't have any issues with this.
Characters:
Sarah is the main character. One of Sarah's ex-partners is in the story too. Her name is Amanda. There are many other people in her little extremist group, including Simon, Kennedy, and Rogers. There is also, Townsend, who I mentioned already. He is the main antagonist so far in the story.
I think my favorite part of this story is probably Sarah's showdown with Mannly in the ice rink. It was pretty intense... plus she uses an Uzi!
Overall a good start to a much larger world and conflict. I wish there was more to read. Definitely recommend!
DwayneDTRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Cuckoo by LiarByTrade
Cuckoo throws you straight into a world packed with alien politics, strange biology, body horror, cultivation, and a system that feels equal parts mysterious and dangerous. It’s dense in a good way. It doesn’t lay out every faction and what they are trying to do. The story trusts you to figure it out as you go. Every chapter adds a new layer, whether it’s the Offal Sea’s infiltration plans, the Light of the World’s influence, or the complicated history behind each faction. There is a lot to keep track of, but the story rewards readers who enjoy piecing things together. What holds it all together is Sarah’s perspective, grounding all the worldbuilding with very real personal stakes.
Style
The atmosphere is strong throughout. The author balances tension, and quiet introspective moments in a way that keeps the pacing engaging even when the situation is spiraling. The descriptions of environmental collapse, system messages, and parasite biology all blend smoothly without ever feeling like info dumps. It’s clear a lot of thought went into how this world works, and the writing carries that weight cleanly.
Story
This is a unique setup. Two powerful forces arriving on Earth at almost the same time, each with its own goals and internal conflicts. The Offal Sea’s sleeper agents, the Light of the World’s cultivation system, and humanity caught in the middle all create a story that feels fresh. The escalation is steady and impressive, with the world literally breaking apart while the warspawn argue over loyalty, morality, and survival. The personal drama and global disaster complement each other well. Every chapter pushes the stakes higher, and it’s exciting to see how the threads come together.
The only challenge early on is how many characters appear right away. It’s manageable, but there were moments where I wanted index cards just to keep track of who everyone was and where they fit. Once the cast settles a bit, though, the story really hits its stride
BluesycobaltRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It's common enough now, not only in webnovels but a lot of media, for the story to dole out easily-consumed snippets of exposition, usually couched in trope and convention. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing, but I personally find it refreshing when a story places at least some faith in the audience to pick up things as they go along. As other reviewers have noted, Cuckoo throws you in at the deep end and expects you to swim, but the gradual pay-off is worth it.
Style - Third-person limited, dialogue heavy, and character-driven, the affect is almost like eavesdropping on a conversation you feel might be important and not knowing why. It's confusing at times, but if you're paying attention and not glazing over, the reader is reward with a growing sense of what is happening in the world. This is definitely a writing style that values patience.
Grammar - Almost perfect. Some minor mechanical mistakes but of the type that only professiona nitpickers will notice.
Story - For the story, refer to my comments in the style section. The reason being this is very much a "medium is the method" case, or as Susan Sontag put it, "style is content." The draw of the story is really the gradual revelation of what is happening—and what has happened—through dialogue and a minimum of description.
Character - We are introduced to a lot of characters with a lot of names and a lot of history very quickly, but if you can get past the initial deluge, it's clear that this isn't just for effect, and that the web of relations amongst the parasites we're introduced to and their broader alien society is being brought to the fore. Once again, this is an area where patience is rewarded.
There is something of a detective story about the story, which is why I link the story and style as inseparable here. If you like that style of storytelling, and the sensation of patient concentration on a mystery being rewarded, Cuckoo is for you.
Tom HockneyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The opening and premise are solid. The prose is very good. I care about grammar and prose construction, and found it easy to read with very few mistakes.
The story is slow to develop, and there is a lot to take in at the start. Thankfully, the auther does not info-dump, but I found myself a little lost-at-sea a couple times. Thankfully, the prose, characters and dialogue keeps you wanting to connect the dots and discover more about the world.
Style
Adult tone, well-written. Where there is description, it is vivid. I personally prefer more description, but I understand its absence in favour of pacing.
The Progression elements are very slow to develop. They are hinted at, and the overarching system is involved a lot in conversations, but actual functionality was rare. I don't mind that; I prefer to get to know a character before getting to know a system, it's more important to me that way.
Character
Sarah, the MC, has a distinct voice. She's mature, and I like that. She considers a lot about her life and ambitions and the world in a logical manner. At times, I would have liked more of Sarah's opinions to come across in her internal prose, as she is such a likeable character.
There is also a cast of side-characters. They feel full of life, and are distinct. Each has a unique relationship with Sarah. There is tension between the group early on, which builds the reader's understanding of the world and the plot. The characters really drive the action.
In chapter 3, we receive an intimate interaction between Sarah and an ex lover. This interaction is beautifully written. It felt very human, a little too human to me. Now, I'm not about to tell the author that this is an inaccuracy, but I really wanted to know why these parasites behaved exactly like humans in so many ways. It was hinted at, but not addressed in full. The premise of these parasites making love in human bodies is grotesque and intriguing. I wish it was explored more here.
Story
So far, the story is clear, if
PizzaPizzaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Cuckoo is a story that instills this... sort of creeping dread that reminds me of watching The Thing for the first time, and also channels that uncanny feeling from Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The twist here is that the story is told from the perspective of the titular body-snatching cuckoos.
You’ve got these aliens—parasites, really—who’ve slipped into human skin and learned to pass themselves off as your neighbors, coworkers, maybe even friends. But they've adopted the thought patterns, lives, and memories of their victims entirely. Reading these opening chapters, I kept asking myself: If you wear a human life for long enough, do you start believing the lie? Or do you stay loyal to the mission that sent you here in the first place?
The early chapters set up a world simmering with tension. We see characters like Sarah and Simon struggling with the quiet horror of their double lives, and a messy meeting that calls their loyalties into question. We watch them deal with everyday inconveniences like nosy neighbors or suspicious colleagues while also wrestling with the creeping LitRPG magic (mana!) that’s slipping into the Earth and forming an apocalyptic cult. All the parasites know about each other and their missions as invaders and infiltrators, but there’s that same sense that everyone around you might be something else, and nobody’s comfortable admitting it—even to themselves.
The tension intensifies as you realize these infiltrators aren’t just evil overlords and invaders. They’re… complicated. These parasites are invested in their “human lives” now, which feels a whole lot like the shapeshifters in The Thing who start blending in so well you wonder if they remember what they used to be. Every interaction crackles with uncertainty.
Grammar (5/5):
Clean as a whistle. I didn’t stumble over any weird typos or awkward sentences. The author’s got a solid grip on prose, so you’re free to focus on the plot and paranoia instead of tripping over a random misplaced comm
AtavisticTexasRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This is not my usual genre or style but it was interesting and refreshing at times. At others, it was frustrating and tried my patience. I felt it was slow-paced and gave a lot of hints but didn't really say or show anything too directly. We followed Sarah's perspective seeing a lot, but not really learning much just yet. Stuff like The Light of The World and The Network sound really interesting, but I found myself scouring every chapter looking for some context to make that mean anything to me.
That's not necessarily bad, but I'm one of the people who finds that sort of thing a bit frustrating and I found myself wondering at the halfway mark of Chapter 1 when I'd have things explained because I had no idea what the hell the characters were all talking about. It's like I was already expected to understand things and have the proper context. Without that, I didn't understand what was going on. I knew going in that it was about some kind of parasitic race that infiltrated Earth, but after three chapters I found that I didn't know much and I was being given enough to be frustrated, but not enough to be curious. That might be down to me as a reader, but everyone has preferences, which is okay. No author can please every single one of their readers.
Now, why do I still rate it highly? Because I realised pretty quickly that Cuckoo was not written in the way I'm accustomed to reading, that being faster-paced, direct and with lots of clear and direct worldbuilding and context. I'm not accustomed to the conventions and common quirks of slower-paced stories, so I tried not to let it get to me and kept reading.
The grammar was impeccable, sentence structure, flow, all of it was beautifully written. The characters were also very believable in their behaviours and actions. I didn't get to know them that well, only really being fed a few facts about them, but again that's a pacing thing and is down to my personal preferences. I felt like they didn't have a lot of depth, but reall