Tag archives for scifi
Lit By Another Star [NaNoWriMo 2017] [Sci-Fi]
Building made from converted shipping containers (in Dundee, Scotland). (photo credit: James Kemp) Thanks to everyone that voted on what I should write for NaNoWriMo 2017, the winning result was the novel I planned for last year, which I've re-titled 'Lit by Another Star'. It seemed poetic as a title, and also didn't have anything else that conflicted when I googled it. I've also chosen a primary point of view character and done some more planning. Today is the first of November, so National Novel Writing Month (AKA NaNoWriMo) has kicked off. You can follow my progress writing Lit by Another Star either on the NaNoWriMo site or you can read Lit by Another Star on wattpad. Lit by Another Star - synopsis Piraxis is Earth's thirteenth colony. Officially number 8 in the Beta wave. Everyone knows it as Thirteen.…
What would we take to settle new Colonies?
I've written about motivations for sending new colonies on starships to settle earth like planets on other star systems. Astronomers have found thousands of these, so assuming that we don't wipe ourselves out before we develop the technology, one day we'll land on planets lit by another star. Technology for New Colonies First some assumptions. Planets we settle are in the Goldilocks zone and have breathable atmosphere. We can travel faster than light (either Einstein was wrong, or there's some alternative dimension or something) There are people with both money and motive to start new colonies With that, what technology do we take with us to start new colonies? Bear in mind that a lot of common tech is constrained by its history and the pre-existing infrastructure. On the new colonies there won't be any infrastructure, so there's more freedom…
Duke of Piraxis – SciFi draft on wattpad
working cover for Duke of Piraxis Over the last couple of weeks I outlined a science fiction story with the working title Duke of Piraxis. It's about a new colony in the early days of human deep space travel. Despite the name Duke of Piraxis doesn't feature nobility. The Chief Executive is called Duke. They decided to call the colony Piraxis. Hence Duke of Piraxis as he's the primary point of view in what I've written so far. Inspiration for Duke of Piraxis So what inspired me to write the story was a TV programme where Michael Portillo visited Romania. At the beginning of the 20th century the Romanians got themselves a King. They built railways all over the country and also a fantastic palace. It made me think of some of the fantasy steampunk stories. Then I thought, maybe…
Book Review – War Stories edited by Andrew Liptak
War Stories: New Military Science Fiction by Jaym Gates My rating: 5 of 5 stars I really loved this fantastic collection of short stories. They are well laid out with a set of general themes, covering a wide range of perspectives and points of view. What first attracted me to this was that there was a short story by Linda Nagata set in the same universe as her The Red: First Light novel. (See my review here) I'd enjoyed that so much that I was keen to read more, hence funding the kickstarter. Having read it I think I'll need to go look up some more of those authors and add them to my reading list. Not one of the stories in the collection seemed like it didn't belong there, and all of them had something novel and engaging about…
Book Review – Command Decision by Elizabeth Moon
Command Decision by Elizabeth Moon My rating: 4 of 5 stars I read this very quickly. It was a great continuation of the series and managed to have a few twists in it as well as some usual predictable pieces too, which is good because it made it satisfying as a story. I like that there is a wide range of aspects to the series. More than just a series of space battles and shipboard routine. There are legal elements, corporate governance, organised crime and government. On top of all of that there is a good layer of human interaction and emotion from some flawed characters that you can empathise with. So this is a very good space opera that is fun and enjoyable to read. Not up there with Banks, but still well worth a go. View all my…