“I feel a bit unqualified,” I confessed to my dad. “A lowly indie author criticizing a Nebula award winner?” The man who always provides unflinchingly candid feedback on my manuscripts observed that acclaimed works don’t always stand on their own merit. “Call it like you see it,” he advised. So I will. Ancillary Mercy let … More Review: Ancillary Mercy
Pressing his forehead to the cool window, Ash blocked out his companions and watched the pale, pocked surface blossom into detail. Solar panels winked like fallen stars around the rim of Shackleton crater. The colony itself, a cluster of domes joined by tubelike corridors, made raised scars on the moon’s skin. Compared to the glittering seas … More The Science of “Syzygy”: Lunar Colonization
The Vator’s cable shone across the inky sea, a nanothread umbilicus glittering with electromagnetic energy. The quad landed among a dozen others on the massive anchor platform. “Ugh, I hate being the last one back,” said Thorn, glancing around at the other vehicles. “There’s going to be a line for the de-con pods.” As he … More The Science of “Syzygy”: Space Elevators
I never cared for the distinctions of “hard” or “soft” science fiction. Any good sci-fi story should strive for plausibility, and heavily technical ideas are often best explored through their societal impact. Why not employ the strengths of both categories? In my own work, I aspire to fuse character and concept so the protagonists’ journeys … More The science behind the sci-fi: a new post series!
I knew something was wrong when I woke to the television muttering downstairs. My parents rarely watched anything other than evening news and weather. If they’d turned it on at nine a.m. on a Tuesday, it could only mean trouble. In trepidation I crept downstairs and into the living room. Mom sat in front of the … More Fiction’s Dark Mirror: Dystopia and the 9/11 Generation
Wednesday. I hit the alarm, staggered to the bathroom to get ready for work…and gasped as a cosmic pearl dazzled my bleary eyes. At 5:45 AM, the moon still hung over the field behind my house, shrouded in lavender dawn clouds. The sight was breathtaking, and appropriate: it’s not just Wednesday, it’s Moon Day! July … More Moon Day 2016: Four Facts About Luna that Influenced My Science Fiction
Wild Type 