Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

People often ask why we haven't met aliens, particularly now we seem to discover new planets every week. Put simply, "where is everybody?" This is known as . It gets addressed in my first book , but is actually explained to a human, Pierre, by a two billion year old alien called Hellera in . In the following extract, she shows Pierre how it works...







“H¾±²õ³Ù´Ç°ù²â
lesson,� Hellera said, “of life in a galaxy. Tell me what you understand.�


ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý The swirl of stars turned slowly
about its axis. Time. She was showing
him time speeded up at an incredible rate. He calculated the galaxy’s rate of
turn and converted it � ten million years per second. A spark flared in a
spiral then snuffed out, signifying a civilisation flourishing and fading into
obsolescence and extinction. Several more peppered the display, each one barely
registering before fading. For a few seconds, an entire spiral waxed red, and
then thousands of star systems glowed violet, indicating a terrible and
all-consuming war, then faded to black, a few star systems hanging on before
reverting to grey, indicating their civilisations and grand empires had decayed
into oblivion.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý And so it continued. He worked out
where Earth was, and kept half an eye on it, but knew that at this rate of time
lapse it would not even show up as having produced sentient life and
civilisation. Then a swelling ring of stars lit up around the inner hub, inward
of the spirals, flickered precariously, and remained bright. The Grid. The interstellar highway that
had fuelled and cemented a galactic society. It lasted a full ten seconds,
rippling out to the spirals, then froze. Today.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý He wanted more. “Hellera, can you
fast-forward, please, most likely prediction.�

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý The reptile’s yellow eyes blinked
lazily one at a time, so Hellera never took an eye off him. The stars all
returned to their silver-grey pinpricks, all civilisation extinguished, and
then the galaxy split apart, shattered into myriad motes losing cohesion,
imploding, becoming dust, the dark matter and energy forces that bind a galaxy
together depleted. Just like before,
Pierre thought, according to the legends of the war two billon years ago in the
Jannahi galaxy when the Kalarash last joined battle against Qorall.

Pierre sat back. She had asked him to say
what he understood, but the shock of knowing the likely end numbed him.Ìý

Hellera spoke, the usual harshness in her voice subdued. “The time between enduring civilisations is very
long. You should know this from your own history � four billion years � and
humanity has only evolved in the last couple of million, the beginnings of
civilisation just dawning before almost being eradicated.�

She stood, her long tail swiping
slowly side to side. “We Kalarash get terribly lonely in those times of
darkness. We see the same mistakes over and over again.�

Pierre sensed the despair of a Goddess
whose children were forever doomed. He wanted to counter this pessimism. “But
this is different, Hellera. The Grid is something spectacular, a glue to fix society
into the galaxy’s fabric, make it sustainable, and Qorall threatens it all.
Why? And how can you not fight him, while there is still a chance, even if
°ù±ð³¾´Ç³Ù±ð?â€�

Ukrull’s head shook. “Listen to yourself,
you are supposed to be Level Ten. Do you care for the ants around your feet?�

“I might if I had cultivated them for
²µ±ð²Ô±ð°ù²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô²õ.â€�

She snorted, then grew more serious. “We fought his race,
killed all of them, Qorall is the last. It takes a long time to get to Level
Nineteen. As you already have guessed, the higher the species, the lower the
successful reproduction rate � the maturation takes so long, too many mutations
along the way. A natural negative feedback loop.� Her voice became distant.
“Your Level Three companions might consider it God’s little joke on us,
perhaps, and maybe just as well, we are not easy to get along with. Still,
Kalaran and I tried…� Her tail swished out and struck a small boxed equipment
item, denting it. “Qorall cannot create mates or his own kind. But he can exact
°ù±ð±¹±ð²Ô²µ±ð.â€�

“Yet he doesn’t target you directly.� But
Pierre already understood. Qorall wanted to make the Kalarash suffer first. But Pierre needed to backtrack. He didn’t know how much time
he would have with Hellera, and sensed her growing impatience. After all, he
was effectively just another ant. “Why did you go to war with Qorall the first
³Ù¾±³¾±ð?â€�

Ukrull’s tongue flicked over his eyes
again, as the large reptile settled back into its chair. “Guess.�

Pierre went straight at it. “The Level
Eighteen race. It’s to do with them, isn’t it?�







[Incidentally, the Level Eighteen race is the subject of the fourth book, Eden's Endgame ].

So, the likelihood of meeting another race depends on them reaching us before the aliens in question descend into war or obsolescence and oblivion, assuming they reach the dizzying heights of working out how to travel faster than light, or else they would have to travel for hundreds or even thousands of years just to explore their local star neighborhood. For example, what are the chances of us becoming inter-stellar travelers, for say a thousand years, to reach other civilizations at a time when they are alive and well? Of course, exploring those chances is what science fiction is all about. But I can't help noticing that much scifi these days assumes aliens will come a-knocking and discover us first (e.g. in Arthur C Clarke's brilliant Rama series), and that the only way we might learn how to travel faster then light or even at near-lightspeed, is to borrow or steal such technology from another race.Ìý

We need another Einstein, preferably one who likes to dabble in serious engineering...

TIME (past)



EVENT





2 billion years



War between Kalarash � highest Level beings known in
Universe � and Qorall, in Jannahi Galaxy. Qorall believed dead. Galaxy
destroyed. Seven Kalarash travel to Silverback Galaxy (human name: “Milky
°Â²¹²ââ€�).





Unknown



Various civilisations rise and fall. Five Kalarash
leave Galaxy.





>2 million years



Grid Society established under Kalarash guidance.
Grid is a transport hub traversing a third of the galaxy. Grid Society
strongly hierarchical based on Levels of intelligence. Kalarash are Level 19.
[Humanity is Level 3].





2 million years



Kalarash disappear. Level 17 Tla Beth left in charge,
supported by Level 15 Rangers (reptilian).





50000 years



Anxorian (Level Sixteen) Rebellion threatens Grid.
Tla Beth genetically alter Grid species 195 [²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó] to become galactic
foot-soldiers. Rebellion quashed. Anxorian species extinguished.





40000 years



Ossyrian (Level 8) race patronised by Tla Beth,
become Medical race for the galaxy.





30000 years



Last sighting of a Hohash � Kalarash intelligent
artefacts known as ‘omnipaths�.





Every 1000 years



²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó newborns must seek out ‘nourishmentâ€� by
culling species Level 4 or below.





Ìý~ 1000 years



²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó cull spider race on Ourshiwann (renamed
Esperia)





913AD



²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó scouts land on Earth. Broker a deal with Alician
sect in exchange for upgrading Alicians to Level 5 and promised sponsorship
by ²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó





952 AD



Ranger Shattrall crash-lands on Earth. Realises
humanity targeted for culling. Warns local Tibetan tribe who become
Sentinels. Sentinels engage in silent war with Alicians.





1564AD



²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó terraform Eden and plant egg nests.





2044AD



Nanoplague on Earth. 50 million dead. Nannite
technology banned. Plague instigated by Alicians, as harmful to ²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó.





2053AD



Third World War on Earth. Environment sent into
irrecoverable global warming. Alicians gain power through religious sect
known as Fundies. Nuclear defences disarmed.





2061AD



Eden discovered. First mission fails to return.





2062AD



Second mission blows up en route.





2064 years



Blake and his crew go to Eden. Micah uncovers a murder at the Eden Mission. The Alicians rise up. The Q'Roth arrive.

The Eden Paradox





2065AD



Mankind enters the Grid. After murder of ²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó
ambassador, humanity placed on trial by Tla Beth.Ìý

Qorall arrives in our galaxy.

Eden's Trial





2083AD



After eighteen years of Quarantine, mankind is under attack again, and must find allies or perish. Kalarash return. War between Kalaran and Qorall rages across half the galaxy, Qorall targets humanity for destruction.

Eden's Revenge





2083



Qorall is winning. A third race is awoken to tip the balance of the war. But can the machines ever be shut down again?

Eden's Endgame








2014



All four books published. What will be left of humanity, or the galaxy even? Between the humans and the Alicians, who will be left standing?

For the last few months I’ve been writing
chapters for my next book in reverse order. I write a chapter, then I write the
preceding chapter, then the chapter before that, etc. What was originally
chapter one is now chapter seven. Why am I doing this? Because it is a good way
to increase tension in the writing and jeopardy for the characters. It keeps the writing vivid.




Before I explain the technique I should say
why I started doing it. It is not always easy to write tension and produce
thrillers that are satisfying page-turners. One way is to plot everything out
carefully, along with all the intrigues and twists and turns, and then roll up
your sleeves and get writing. But I personally hate writing to a formula (it’s
hard to stay fresh and keep the prose ‘lively�), and often by the time
I’ve reached certain chapters, I find my characters want to do something else (they are pretty undisciplined, I have to say).




In my first three books I found
myself often getting to a point and deciding I needed an earlier, new chapter,
to ‘up the ante�, to increase jeopardy and conflict and all those things that
make writing exciting to read. An easy solution was a flashback, but more than
a few of those and the book loses cohesion and momentum for the reader. With
flashbacks it reads inevitably as ‘look, this is something I forgot to tell you
earlier but you need to know right now.�




So, for my fourth book I decided to do
something different. This is how it works (what follows is a simplified synopsis-like example). I wrote the first chapter. In it,
two men, let’s call them Tom and Harry, are trying to rescue sixty people,
including Lara, Tom's wife. The sixty are being held captive by
Nastia, who has already killed a lot of innocent people. Tom and Harry get
close to finding the captives when Harry is captured. Tom is also about to be unmasked
and captured, when he sees an opportunity to kill Nastia. At the end of the
chapter he walks towards her, a concealed weapon in his hand.




Okay, it’s an action book (scifi in fact,
but don’t let that make you switch off just yet!), and the chapter has plenty
of intrinsic tension (you’ll have to trust me on that). However, maybe there
needs to be more depth to the characterisation, delving into just how important
it is for these two men to rescue the captives? Otherwise they can be seen as
just being ‘good guys�, but then they will appear two-dimensional.




Then I write the next chapter, call it
Ch.minus1. In this chapter Tom and Harry are preparing to go to the planet
(stay with me please) where the sixty including Lara are being held by Nastia. This is a
more static chapter, but we find out that Tom is really on the edge due to prior events. But we also find out there is something between Harry and Lara
that Tom doesn’t know about.




So, now it’s a little more interesting. We
still don’t know what Tom will actually do. Will he kill Nastia?




Now we ‘up the ante�. In Ch.minus2, we meet
Lara, who is being interrogated by Nastia. Lara is herself conflicted about Tom
and Harry. But more importantly, Nastia informs Lara that all the captives have
been implanted with a electro-chemical device which can kill them unless a
signal is received every fifteen minutes. If there is an escape attempt, they
will stop the signal. And if Nastia herself is killed, the signal will stop
³Ù°ù²¹²Ô²õ³¾¾±³Ù³Ù¾±²Ô²µâ€�




So, chapter minus2 becomes chapter 1,
chapter minus1 becomes chapter 2, and chapter 1 becomes chapter 3. And if
you’ve stuck with it until chapter 3 where Tom is about to kill Nastia, you’ll
sure as hell want to read chapter four to find out what happens.




This process is like ‘reverse engineering�
the plot, going backwards from a pivotal moment to ensure the characters are
grounded and their motivations are clear and compelling, and the jeopardy has
been raised really high. Moreover, the reader is ‘omnipotent� in the sense that
only she sees what’s going to happen, as none of the characters do.




As a writer it is quite a challenge to
write this way. I’m not going to do the whole book like this, but it has
certainly got the creative juices flowing, and I believe some of the tension I
feel when writing it (because Tom, Harry and Lara have to somehow get out of
this, and that’s down to me as much as them) translates onto the printed page.




I should add that I write multiple
characters and points of view (POVs; one per chapter) � and reverse writing
fits well with that style. I also write multiple alternating plot strands, what
I call ‘tourniquet-plotting�, which coalesce into a finale. So for example,
interspersed between the three chapters above are three other chapters from a
different plot strand, though all the characters will come together at the end.
This also adds to the tension since for example, the reader would have to wait
a full chapter after chapter 3 above to find out what Tom is actually going to
do.




The main advantage of this process is that
the gradual increase in tension will seem to the reader genuine rather than
contrived or due to writers� tricks, and certainly will never be seen as ‘deus
ex machina� or plot twists for the sake of it. Also, because each chapter is happening
‘on the surface�, there is little need for backfill, info-dumping or
flashbacks, so the reader stays in the moment. The end product should be tense,
vivid, and hard to put down.




If you’re a writer of thrillers, try it
sometime, because if nothing else, as a writer, this is fun to do.










The Eden Paradox Series: The Eden Paradox, Eden's Trial and Eden's Revenge, all available from . The finale, Eden's Endgame, is due Spring 2014.

In one of my earlier blogs I wrote about writing alien characters in science fiction, with the following seven rules.Ìý

Ìý

Introduce them first through other characters discussing them �
that’s how we often get to hear about interesting people
Don’t over-describe, let the reader’s imagination have a light
work-out
Make their dialogue different in its lexicon and rhythms
Show how their society works (e.g. hierarchy, dominant sex,
etc.)
Show their value structure through cultural references
(‘Giver� instead of 'sun', etc.)
Make the reader care about the aliens, rather than them just
being there as a prop (this can include making the reader hate the aliens)
Remind the reader that these beings are not human, they really
are alien


Since then, in (book 3 of the series) I gave a list of the aliens occurring in the first three books, as below (mainly in and Eden's Revenge):


























·¡»å±ð²Ô’s
Aliens & Artifacts



Alicians � a neo-human race genetically-altered
by the ²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó to increase intelligence, resilience and longevity. Alicians are
named after Alessia, their founder,
who brokered a deal with the ²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó in 1053 AD to prepare humanity for culling,
and to eradicate Earth-based nuclear and nano-based weaponry, in exchange for
genetic advancement and patronage.Ìý




Dark Worms � leviathan-like creatures who live in
the space between galaxies, feeding off both dark and normal energy sources.
They are almost impossible to kill. Normally they are kept outside by the Galactic
Barrier, which was breached by Qorall’s
forces.




Finchikta � Level Nine bird-like creatures who
administrate judicial affairs for the Tla Beth, e.g. during the Trial of
humanity in 2063.




Genners � following the Trial of humanity, prosecuted by the
Alicians and the ²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó, mankind was quarantined on Esperia for its own protection
and all children genetically upgraded to Level Four (with Level Five potential)
by the Ossyrians. ‘Genners� surpass their parents intellectually by the age of
nine.




Grid � a ring-shaped transport hub that runs around the inner
third of the galaxy, for ease of commerce. Grid
Society � established by the Kalarash ten million years ago, based on a
scale of levels of intelligence running from one to nineteen, with Kalarash at
the top. Mankind was initially graded Level Three.






Hohash � intelligent artifacts resembling upright oval mirrors,
designed by the Kalarash, known as ‘omnipaths� due to their powerful
perception, communication and recording abilities. True function unknown.




Kalarash � Level Nineteen beings believed to have
left our galaxy. Only seven remain in the universe. Little is known about them.
They are called ‘the Progenitors� by many Grid species, as the Kalarash
fostered civilisation in the galaxy, based on a strictly hierarchical
intelligence-ranking system.




Mannekhi � human-looking alien race except for
their all-black eyes. Level Five. Sided with Qorall in the ongoing galactic
war, due to millennia of oppression under Grid rule.




Nganks � full name Ngankfushtora � squid-like Level Twelve
cosmetic surgeons usually reserved for higher species.




Ossyrians � dog-like Level Eight medical race,
charged as humanity’s custodians after the Trial, their eighteen-year long stay
on Esperia led by Chahat-Me.




Qorall [kwo-rahl] �
ancient enemy of the Kalarash and invader of the galaxy.




²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó [kyu-roth] â€� Level Six nomadic warrior race currently engaged as soldiers trying to stop the progress of Qorall’s forces across the galaxy. The
²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó are formal Patrons of the Alicians.




Rangers � Level Fifteen taciturn reptilian
creatures working for the Tla Beth.Ìý
Ranger Shatrall crash-landed
in Tibet in the twelfth century and realized the ²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó had targeted humanity
for culling. He was unsure the Level Three assessment was correct, and so
unofficially warned a local tribe who became the Alicians� principal adversary,
the Sentinels.




Resident � internal alien-designed symbiote
implanted in Micah’s head prior to
the Trial of humanity, which acts as a semi-intelligent Level Five translator,
with various additional survival-based functions.






Scintarelli � Level Twelve legendary master
shipbuilders, whose shipyards dwell in gas giants. Their star-ship designs
include the Starpiercer and the Scythe.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý

Sclarese [skla-ray-zee] Nova Stormers � Level Nine semi-intelligent stealth
missiles based on energy amplification technology, aimed at turning stars nova.
Built by the Sclarese.




Sentinels � blood enemies of the Alicians,
involved in a silent war over a period of centuries. Last remaining Sentinel
alive is Ramires. Sentinels were
famous for their nano-swords, able to slice through a ²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó warrior’s armoured
flesh.




Shrell � Level Nine matriarchal ray-like creatures who live in deep
space, guardians and ‘gardeners� of the space-environment, invisible to most
other species. As well as protecting and ‘fixing� spatial tears, they can also
‘poison� space. They work for the Tla
Beth.




Spiders â€� Level Four race harvested by the ²Ï’R´Ç³Ù³ó one thousand
years prior to the culling on Earth. Homeworld called Ourshiwann, renamed
Esperia. Visual-oriented race, otherwise deaf and mute. Now live in Shimsha,
near Esperantia.




Tla Beth � Level Seventeen energy creatures,
rulers of the Grid in the absence of the Kalarash. Homeworld location unknown.




Wagramanians � Level Seven forest-dwelling tripeds famed
for art, but also used as shock-troops during times of inter-stellar war




Generally I've stuck to my seven principles, and there are a few more alien races to be introduced for the final book in the series, Eden's Endgame. This makes for a pretty complex 'tapestry' onto which I'm superimposing the final installment, particularly as most of these races are meant to be more intelligent than humanity. However, taking a leaf out of David Brin's Sundiver and Uplift series, even though humanity are 'wildlings', they have a few tricks up their sleeves.Ìý




Is there any inter-species sex? Er, yes, though nothing graphic. Do some readers care more for the aliens than the human characters? Oddly enough, what most people comment on is the Hohash (e.g. "I'd like one please"), and the Ossyrians get far more interesting in Eden's Revenge, so that some readers do care when a bunch of them get killed. The Mannekhi, Kalarash, the Tla Beth and the Rangers also seem to have caught readers' curiosity, and they will all feature large in Eden's Endgame. But the focus stays on the human characters most of the time, though several of them have been 'augmented'. However, the Prologue to Eden's Endgame, which will focus on what happened two billion years ago in a distant galaxy, an event that was the antecedent of the 'current' galactic war, will have no human characters in it whatsoever. That's going to challenge me...

In 2002 the idea of came to the fore, particularly in magazines such as . The basic idea is that much of SF is fantastical, meaning unrealistic and unlikely ever to materialize. Fantastical SF (which includes Space Opera) is also seen as escapism rather than facing our more likely (mundane?) futures, and hence, I guess, a little irresponsible.



What I write certainly falls into the 'fantastical' end of science fiction, so I thought I'd better look deeper into Mundane SF to see if I'm just 'all wrong' as a SF writer...



The central tenets of Mundane SF are as follows - with my 'take' on them added in italics.




ThatÌýÌýremains unlikely; thatÌý,Ìý, and other forms ofÌýÌýtravel are wish fulfillment fantasies rather than serious speculation about a possible future.ÌýWell, impossible now (as according to Einstein). But so much of what we take for granted today was 'impossible' a century ago (or even twenty years ago). Also, in my novels, it's not humanity who breaks the lightspeed barrier, but other aliens, who are more intelligent ( and many other SF authors do the same thing).Ìý
That unfounded speculation about interstellar travel can lead to an illusion of a universe abundant with worlds as hospitable to life as this Earth. This is also viewed as unlikely.ÌýAlthough in the past few years we've been finding many more planets, some that will inevitably fall into the ''. The laws of statistics start to shift against this particular tenet. Big surprise: we didn't know before what we know now.
That this dream of abundance can encourage a wasteful attitude to the abundance that is here on Earth. Maybe, but right now, there's a popular and powerful lobby movement on environmentalism, and we're all in the midst of a global a economic crisis. Meanwhile research on travel to the other planets has been massively cut...
That there is no evidence whatsoever of intelligences elsewhere in the universe. Although absence of evidence is not necessarilyÌý, it is considered unlikely thatÌýÌýwill overcome the physical constraints on interstellar travel any better than we can. I deal with this one in my first novel. The galaxy, as famously said, is unbelievably big. Why would they come here, a backwater planet on an outer spiral? Also (Fermi's paradox), other civilizations might rise and fall in different epochs to our own pathetically-short existence (in galactic standards).
That interstellar trade (and colonization, war, federations, etc.) is therefore highly unlikely. Again, Ìýit can exist, it doesn't have to be galaxy-wide.Ìý
That communication with alien intelligences over such vast distances will be vexed by: the enormous time lag in exchange of messages and the likelihood of enormous and probably currently unimaginable differences between us and aliens. Yep, someone will need to crack this one for sure, in terms of FTL communications (Gary Gibson once suggested to me that 'quantum tunneling' might be a contender). As for communicating with aliens, and how difficult it will be, that's at the heart of most of my writing, including short stories like . This is something I think we should explore as writers.
That there is no present evidence whatsoever that quantum uncertainty has any effect at the macro level and that therefore it is highly unlikely that there are wholeÌýÌýto be visited. I agree with this one, actually. I'm not into 'Slipstream', though I'm happy to watch it as entertainment. But then again, Stephen Hawking seems to lend it some credence in 'A short history of time'.
That therefore our most likely future is on this planet and within this solar system, and that it is highly unlikely that intelligent life survives elsewhere in thisÌý. Any contact with aliens is likely to be tenuous, and unprofitable. Why the obsession with profit? Tenuous yes - why would they be interested in us, except maybe for our resources (see my earlier blog - But, back to the point, if we took this approach, America would never have been 'discovered' (LOL), and the flat Earth society might have more members...
That the most likely future is one in which we only have ourselves and this planet. The most likely near future, yes.Ìý


My favorite mundane science fiction would be 1984, by George Orwell, though many would not consider it SF. And I loved everything I've read by Philip K Dick. But the writers who enthralled me, who made me dream of possibilities, they looked to the stars, knowing it might take millennia to get there, but still they dreamt (Asimov, Clarke, Herbert, etc.).




The Collins English Dictionary sitting next to my desk defines 'mundane' as: everyday, ordinary, banal, relating to the world or worldly matters.Ìý




Science fiction is defined as: imaginative literature that makes use of scientific knowledge.




Fiction is an invented story.




I think many of us also want something good to read after a tough day, or on holiday, and if science fiction, then something to make us think and dream. Mundane SF seems to limit that process, placing blinkers on our dreams. Of course it can still be great fiction and science fiction, but we need to dream.




Interestingly enough, the other day at our writers group session, a fiction writer (not SF) after reading my latest chapter, asked if what I'd written made any sense (triggering some laughter, including mine), that is, did it hold with current science and physics? One of my colleagues who is a scientist and a SF writer replied that the concepts were rooted, even if loosely, in current theories, though not everyone held to them. Actually, a fellow writer in the US, reviews my work periodically and occasionally 'red cards' an idea, saying that such-and-such is a no-no. But he always comes up with an alternative that could work one day.Ìý




I'll carry on writing space opera, because I love it and so too do a lot of people. I'll also carry on reading it (Reynolds, Banks, etc), with the odd smattering of 'harder' (Baxter) and even mundane science fiction, because to me it is all good. Whatever keeps us thinking about possibilities...

Some news on the Eden front...



is selling reasonably well, mainly in US and UK. The publisher and I are preparing the paperback for launch in November, though I hope to have some advance copies for when I go to the UK Writers' Festival in September (York University). I then plan to do another book launch in my home area (at Waterstones in Camberley) sometime in December.



The final book, Eden's Endgame is in progress, five chapters done so far. I know the end, but it's that pesky middle bit as usual that is the problem. Still deciding exactly who is left standing at the end of this series, though clearly my fans want a certain person seriously dead... I take a week off in a few week's time and will be in Hong Kong for tai chi, but when not training, I'll be writing, probably in Starbucks because it is air conditioned (Honkers in August is very hot and humid).



So far book 3 has good reviews, a couple of people had hoped it would be a true trilogy, but admit they are quite looking forward to having another book. Some don't want it to end at 4, and a few have asked for a Prequel (they like the Prologue in Eden's Revenge set in the 16th century), but I'm going to keep it to 4. I'm sure of it. Promise. Probably, LOL.



Cover art is being prepared for the final book (anticipated launch date April 2014) by artist John Harris, I should have some sketches in a month or so.



I interviewed yesterday in sweltering Paris. She is a celebrated SF author and winner of 2012 Nebula and 2013 Locus awards for best short story (you can read it ) - very interesting - it will be published in Paris Writers News in due course as part of their 'writers on writers' interview series.



I'm also co-writing a book for work, which is non-fiction, which is interesting to do after writing mainly fiction for some years now. I'll try not to have any aliens or space-ships in that one (except Challenger and Columbia).

A few weeks ago the beginning of a story popped into my head. I was working on two other chapters for my fourth novel and politely asked it to go away. That night I dreamt about it. The next day it just stayed with me, and I couldn't get any other writing done. Eventually I wrote it down just to exorcise it. Then I thought, hang on a minute, there's something here. I took it to my writer's group and they preferred it to the other stuff I'd given them.



So, here's a taster. It follows the adage 'hit the ground running', so that it starts with quite a punch. I haven't yet decided if it is going to be a long short story, a novella or a full-blown novel, but the title is clear to me: Last Human.
















He woke up running, though he didn’t see
how that was possible. He stumbled, but something told him to keep going, not
to look behind, so he regained his rhythm and stared straight ahead, arms and
legs pumping away, as if he was a pro track athlete. Mustard cones of light
sprayed down from the ceiling every ten metres or so onto the slick floor,
reflected in oily puddles, while grey soot-encrusted pipes snaked their way
along the low ceiling and walls of the grimy corridor, toward a distant yellow
glow he somehow knew was his destination. No sound, except the pounding of his
feet on the floor, distant thuds and squelches. The air was acrid, a smell like
burned matches. There were other noises, he realised, muffled cries, shouts,
screams maybe, and something else he couldn’t place, a shrill whine, like a
deranged synthetic laugh. Each time he heard it, it was followed by a shout �
no, a scream � then more shouting.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Part
of the wall up ahead on his left exploded, pipes and wires spilling into a
mound in his path. Instead of slowing down, his stride lengthened and he
vaulted it � hurdled it � and landed hard on the other side. As he did so,
something popped in his ears, and he could hear again. He wished he couldn’t.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý “Keep
going, Sir, we’re right behind you, but they’re closing. We’ll hold them off as
long as we can. You’re almost –�

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý That
short whine, followed by another voice, cursing. He increased his speed, the
glow getting larger, though he still couldn’t see what it was. Glancing upward
he counted ten lights, so he knew it was about a hundred metres to go. A figure
of 12.4 seconds flashed into his head, from younger days. Gunfire erupted from
behind him, more shouting, more of that grating whine. He burst into a sprint.
More screams. Seven lights to go. Wind from an explosion behind him nearly
threw him off his feet, and he realised he didn’t know his own name, who he
was, who was behind him, and who or what was behind them. The only thing that
mattered was running, reaching that glow. His chest felt like it had a brace
around it, making it harder to breathe. The air was also getting thicker, and
he battened down an urge to cough. He pumped his arms harder, fingers pointing
dead straight, stabbing the air. Five lights to go. Several pairs of footsteps
were close behind him. The whining noise, and a scrabbled fall. Two pairs of
footsteps now, one slowing, turning.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý “Okay,
take this you motherf –�

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý The
desperate cry was buried under a sound like a jet engine, cut off by that
whine. One pair of footsteps. Three lights to go. He could see the source of
the glow now, a hatch opening into a small cushioned cell. It looked sturdy.
Two lights.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý “Run
Mr. President, you’re almost there!�

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý He
nearly fell at those words, but the whine and a gurgled cry kept him going. One
light. He felt he could almost touch the hatch. Pain exploded in his right
thigh, stopping it from working; whoever they were, they wanted him alive. But
he kicked off hard with his left foot and, using his momentum, crash-rolled
towards sanctuary, hurling himself through the hatch, his right shoulder slamming
into the cushioned interior. A clunk shut off all external noise as the hatch
sealed automatically, followed by a female voice.

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý “Welcome
aboard Mr. President. Emergency evac in progress.�

ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý The
single-occupant escape sphere spat away from the corridor. Trembling and
grimacing from the burn on his leg, gasping for his breath, he moved to the
hatch porthole, only to see that he was in space, had been on one of the new
star cruiser models, but it was in bad shape with ripped, blackened metal all
over its hull. A pulsing, fluorescent blue mass was attached to the fore-section
of the ship; it clearly didn’t belong there, reminding him of a leech. He
tapped the porthole viewer to maximum zoom, focusing on the exit to the corridor.
Twisted and dismembered corpses flushed into space. But one shape stood at the
entrance, a giant, square-headed beast on three spindly legs. He couldn’t make
out eyes, but he was sure it was staring at his escape pod, maybe his face at
the porthole, even at this distance.




ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý The
sphere banked hard to port, and he saw Earth. He slumped onto his knees. Thousands
of gelatinous blue amoeba-like ships circled Earth, which was being consumed by
rivers of fire, its crust gashed open. It would boil in its own lava.He turned away,
sat on the floor with his back to the hatch. President. President of what? But
his mind switched to the men who had died trying to save him. They could just
as well have saved themselves, they might have been more useful alive than he
would ever be. He had the feeling he wasn’t a religious man, but he pressed his
palms together and uttered a short prayer for their souls, and all the others
on Earth.Ìý ÌýÌýÌýÌý Ìý

Here's a scifi quiz. The prize is one of my three books. If you want to enter, let me know your answers and an email address, and which ebook you'd like (Eden Paradox / Eden's Trial / Eden's Revenge). Otherwise, just enjoy the questions...



1. Which word completes the following line from the famous scifi film 'The Forbidden Planet'?Ìý


"Creatures from the ..." Ìý(a)subconscious (b) id (c) WC




2. Which is the first 'culture' novel of Iain Banks?

(a) Use of Weapons (b) The Player of Games (c) Consider Phlebas




3. Who leads the expedition to Eden in the book 'The Eden Paradox'?

(a) Micah (b) Blake (c) Pierre




4. How many dream layers are there in the film 'Inception'?

(a) 2 (b) 3 (c) 4 (d) 5 (e) 6




5. In the Legends of Dune series by Frank Herbert's son, who works out how to use spice to transport heighliners across vast distances in the blink of an eye?

(a) Norma Cenva (b) Xerxes (c) Xavier Harkonnen




6. What is the correct technical term for a four book series?

(a) Tetralogy (b) Quadrology




7. Including the latest 'Into Darkness' film, how many official Star Trek movies have there been?

(a) 11 (b) 12 (c) 13 (d) 14




8. In the book 'Do androids dream of electric sheep?' what does Rick Deckard dream of owning?

(a) a Porsche (b) a Nubian goat (c) a hover car (d) an Arabian dagger




9. In the TV series 'The Big Bang Theory', who gets to be an astronaut?

(a) Leonard (b) Sheldon (c) Penny (d) Howard (e) Raj




10. In the world of Quantum Mechanics, who famously said "God does not play dice"?

(a) Heisenberg (b) Hawking (c) Einstein (d) Planck

Four, or five if there’s a
prequel.




Okay, technically there are three books in
a trilogy, and I’d always intended it to be just three, but it has turned into
four � a tetralogy, to be precise (quadrology is passable but technically it’s a
tetralogy). In science fiction these days, this seems to be the way to go - trilogies are almost a thing of the past, and 'series' are 'in'.




When I grew up I loved reading science
fiction trilogies, devouring ´¡²õ¾±³¾´Ç±¹â€™s



Foundation, for example, in a couple of
weeks. But science fiction readers often want to hear more, so series began,
such as Dune (I stopped counting after twelve, the first seven by Frank
Herbert, the rest � at least ten more � by his son Brian Herbert and Kevin
Anderson). Most science fiction sagas don’t go on that long, but Arthur C
°ä±ô²¹°ù°ì±ð’s Rama series (couldn’t get enough of it) went to four, Orson Scott
°ä±ô²¹°ù°ì±ð’s Ender series went to six, and Dan Simmonsâ€� Hyperion also went to four,
really two linked duologies. And of course Asimov himself extended the original Foundation series some years later.






Dune in particular went crazy on prequels,
the prequels outnumbering the original series, but some of these were very
welcome indeed, for me those involving the 'time of the Titans' and the discovery
of spice-based travel and the origin of the ‘sisters�, was more than fascinating.




In the Eden Paradox series I’m not planning
a prequel � though there could easily be one as the roots of the series begin
in the eleventh century A.D. The closest I have come is the Prologue in Eden's Revenge, set in the
sixteenth century, showing how Sister Esma came to be her likeable self.




So, why on Earth (or Eden) couldn’t I
finish it in three books? Is this just another example of an author trying to
stretch out his profit margin? Actually, no. Halfway through the final book I
realised there was going to be a ‘game-changer� in the plot, and it was going
to make ·¡»å±ð²Ô’s Revenge too complex. Also, the theme of book 3 is revenge,
whereas the underlying theme of book 4 (·¡»å±ð²Ô’s Endgame) is redemption, at least
by the end. I needed space between those two.






So, “what’s the ‘game-changer�?� you may
ask rhetorically, assuming I’m not going to tell you. Well, actually I am.
Below is the current draft opening of ·¡»å±ð²Ô’s Endgame. The series is really two
duologies; the first two (The Eden Paradox and ·¡»å±ð²Ô’s Trial) are about
humanity’s introduction into a hostile galactic society, where we are nearly
wiped out, betrayed by our Alician cousins. The second two (·¡»å±ð²Ô’s Revenge and
·¡»å±ð²Ô’s Endgame) are about how humanity gets caught up in a galactic war,
fighting with allies against the galactic invader Qorall, who seems
unstoppable. In the last book, desperate measures are taken. Well, see below.







Jen watched the planet’s surface grow large
as she and Dimitri sped towards it, helmeted heads first, like two silver
bullets. At least there was no atmosphere to worry about. The planet was dark,
as if in night-time, though this was the side facing the system’s red dwarf
star. As she tried to look closer, her helmet sensors registered the ocular
effort and zoomed in via her visor. No distinguishing marks, a flat plain of gun
metal grey dust, an ocean of iron filings. It was all that was left of the
Level Eighteen species that had almost taken over the galaxy two million years
earlier, a race of machines. The other inhabitants at the time had barely
survived, but had finally put them down, leaving nothing but this tomb planet
of disintegrated machines, ten kilometres deep with their ashes. And now she
and Dimitri were there to try and find a machine remnant, and wake it up.







For those of you who've read all three books, you'll know there are hints about an extinct Level Eighteen race of machines, but just hints. The implication is that they nearly took over the galaxy. In book 4, the 'good guys' are losing the galactic war against the invader Qorall, who uses mainly organic weaponry, and so the defenders unleash an even deadlier device, one that thinks logically in picoseconds and has no concept of mercy nor interest in communication. But it is like Pandora's box: once opened, what comes in doesn't want to return... There is only one man, almost part-machine himself, who can hope to take on the machines: and if you've read the books so far, you'll know which character I'm referring to...

For my anti-kindle anti-tech readers, just a quick piece of news that the paperback is now in progress, as you can see below. Official launch date is November 1st, but you never know, maybe if we can get the lightspeed engines working it will arrive a little earlier...









While that's going on, I'm writing the fourth and final book, Eden's Endgame . Here's a taster, especially for anyone who has finished book 3...






















Jen watched the planet’s surface grow large
as she and Dimitri sped towards it, helmeted heads first, like two silver
bullets. At least there was no atmosphere to worry about. The planet was dark,
as if in night-time, though this was the side facing the system’s red dwarf
star. As she tried to look closer, her helmet sensors registered the ocular
effort and zoomed in via her visor. No distinguishing marks, a flat plain of gun
metal grey dust, an ocean of iron filings. It was all that was left of the
Level Eighteen species that had almost taken over the galaxy two million years
earlier, a race of machines. The other inhabitants at the time had barely
survived, but had finally put them down, leaving nothing but this tomb planet
of disintegrated machines, ten kilometres deep with their ashes. It was a memento, a shrine, and above all, a warning. And now she
and Dimitri were there to try and find a machine remnant, and wake it up.







The Eden Saga...

- paperback and ebook

- paperback and ebook

- ebook, paperback coming soon

Eden's Endgame - due March 2014