Category Archives: Blog

Terosan Tales

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Finally! I managed to get something published. Ok, so it is self-published rather than through a traditional publishing house but it is a milestone none-the-less. It is something that I could have / should have done years ago.

I’ve been writing for years and wandered aimlessly through the self-publishing (killing?) fields without actually pulling the trigger. In 2013 I created a new Twitter account for my creative writing and have engaged in some writing chatter. After year of wandering I decide that I should get something published. Anything. I enjoy writing and I think that the universes I’ve created are interesting and intriguing. Eventually, I came across Smashwords and decided that was the best way to go. And now I can present my first finished published work (excluding my PhD thesis of course, does that even count?):

Terosan Tales
Terson Tales – A collection of short stories by Edward A Thomson

Smashwords link: Terosan Tales

Four short stories set in the same universe which are the beginnings of a larger tapestry of interwoven stories.

For a brief summary of each story click on “Continue reading”:

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Reflections on technical, discursive and creative writing

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I’ve had quite a long break from creative writing and finally catching up this weekend. Not actually writing but typing up notes and finally released my first short story collection to Smashwords. The last time I wrote creatively was my failed attempt at the NaNoWriMo. Since then I’ve mostly done technical and discursive writing. This post covers my thoughts on the differences in motivation and thought processes between technical and creative writing.

(note: Long read. Actually ended up longer than intended.)

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The background to my sci-fi Universe (novel)

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So I’m finally getting around to chatting about the sci-fi Universe I’ve created. As I said in my first post on this blog I originally created the universe in my teens and have writing a novel on-and-off for the last 10 years. What originally start as a custom made RPG became an (incomplete) novel. About a year ago I decide to create short stories (might have been for nanowrimo actually) in that Universe with the aim of getting those self-published and to be shared with anyone who is interested. I will refer back to my previous blog posts and try to show how they weave together into a greater story. Hopefully this helps get me into the zone for this year’s NaNoWriMo too.

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Review: Consider Phlebas – Iain M Banks

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Caution: may contain spoilers.

I’m somewhat disappointed with this book. Banks is so highly praised by many people I know that I had high expectations for this work. I tried to read Use of Weapons but didn’t enjoy it (will discuss that in a separate review), so I tried Consider Phlebas instead. I finished it and will admit that there are parts that I enjoyed or thought were cool but on the whole I’m unimpressed.

Allow me to recommend some popular science books on the Universe

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For those who are interested in brushing on their knowledge of Cosmology, i.e. the study of the Cosmos (“Universe”), then I would like to recommend the following books. While there is a lot of good info on the web already (wiki is updated by experts I know for a fact) I still believe in having a good book that presents a structured and coherent account of the modern understanding of the Universe. Understandably, the books are not necessarily easy to read but I also believe that the effort will provide its own rewards. Such topics still fill me with wonder despite any cynicism I sometimes convey when asked about professional research: the topics are interesting and that is something I haven’t forgotten. So here is a brief list of my top picks…

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On morality in fantasy and science fiction

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TL;DR: Telling a reader what to think will just irritate them.

On morality in fantasy and science fiction

This a repost of an article I did that evaluates morality /ethics in science fiction and fantasy. The same lines of argument can be applied to any genre but my knowledge is in SFF.  This is the moderately less contentious and shorter version. 😉

Ultimately, you want readers to buy your book (really just a consumer product although I secretly pretend it is a work of art) and it doesn’t matter what their views are as long as they buy your book. Not everyone like it, but hopefully some will love it. Under no circumstances would I ever recommend talking down to the reader, any reader. Soap boxing your political (e.g. moral) beliefs is really a no-no. Make the readers emote but do not irritate them.

In this essay I review the judgement of morality as given by the author from the evidence of their texts. I will state my own preferences and understanding of the texts used, and come to a conclusion that is consistent with my appreciation of said texts.

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Faster Than Light travel (in fiction)

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Following on from my blog post the other day about the relationship between physics (science) and science fiction, I am now writing a post regarding the different types of Faster Than Light plot devices used in Sci-Fi. This won’t be so much about the actual science of FTL starship drives, I touched on that in my previous post, but rather to give my opinion on the various imaginary technology and perhaps how it relates to plot. In order to do this I will make reference to various books, TV shows, films and computer games from my life as a sci-fi fan (geek / nerd etc etc).

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Convexity, copyright, and digital media

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Convexity can be seen as explosive success that grows exponentially, rather than linearly. This  is why a popstar’s new album will sell far more albums than a different artist or less fame but arguably greater talent. Success, in terms of the number of sales, or number of fans, is not a consequence of great talent but popularity. The bad news is that popularity can often be attributed to randomness; the exact causes for why one brand, or design, is far preferred over another is not precisely known. There is also a great tendency for humans to stick with known or “trusted” brands, which explains why certain brands can continue to grow even with bad products. The good news is that the rise of the internet and digital media is now far easier for anyone to promote themselves.

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Travelling Faster-Than-Light

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Faster Than Light (FTL) travel is thought to be impossible yet it is a staple of any space-faring sci-fi story. It is a necessity given the vastness of space yet this begs the question: is there any scientific basis for FTL? Yes as there is one important difference between most of what  we see in sci-fi (apparent FTL) and actual FTL. Whether it is used as a plot device or as decoration, most of the FTL concepts in science fiction could actually be possible, we just don’t know yet. So these fantastical stories may not necessarily break physics but rather they are exploring the untested and unknown areas of what is possible. This is exactly what sci-fi is designed to do: to ignite our imagination and provoke our minds to consider “what if”. What makes FTL possible in either our real universe or a sci-fi universe is that General Relativity doesn’t rule out the possibility of “folding space” in order to travel between two points at a speed which is apparently faster than the speed of light.

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