[Short Story]: Untitled Sci-fi story with a female lead role as a pirate captain

Short Stories

Another short story set in the same universe (well, galaxy actually) as the previously posted “Fallen Gods of Cheam”. At the moment there is no obvious link  between the two, at least not in either of the stories I’ve published. Enjoy and comment below.

Untitled (“Pirate Queen”)

Zsilana awoke with the taste of blood on her lips and a pounding headache. She felt around to see if her clothes were still intact. ‘I wasn’t raped, at least,’ she concluded in silence while surveying the cubic room in which she lay. Only a single door and no window.

“How’s the cell?” At first she thought she dreamt the voice but there was a shimmer of light and shadow through the gap in the door.

“Go die in a hole scumbag.”

Continue reading [Short Story]: Untitled Sci-fi story with a female lead role as a pirate captain →

On morality in fantasy and science fiction

Blog, ,

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.

Continue reading On morality in fantasy and science fiction →

[Short Story]: Fallen Gods of Cheam

Short Stories,

This is a sci-fi short that is set in a universe I created more than a decade ago. There is an unfinished novel sitting on my hard drive that takes place in the same universe but I’ve never been able to find the motivation to finish it. I think I’ve been trying to run before I can walk. So about a year ago I decide to create some prequel short stories that will explore and fill out the background of my universe. The aim is to self-publish about 5 of them as a compendium.

I wrote this story on paper about a year ago but never typed it up. As part of a drive to get my work published / read I’ve decided to share my work with more people. It is pointless to write stories that are never read. I do try to edit as a type but I’m sure there are a few rough edges to clean up but certainly not the worst thing you’ll read this year. :-)

Enjoy and comment below.

Continue reading [Short Story]: Fallen Gods of Cheam →

Faster Than Light travel (in fiction)

Blog,

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).

Continue reading Faster Than Light travel (in fiction) →

Convexity, copyright, and digital media

Blog, , , , , ,

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.

Continue reading Convexity, copyright, and digital media →

Travelling Faster-Than-Light

Blog, ,

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.

Continue reading Travelling Faster-Than-Light →

[Short Story]: Forsaken Daughter

Short Stories, Shroud of the Avatar, , ,

I wrote this short piece for the Shroud of the Avatar (new MMO, see previous post) writing competition, it was mostly rushed so not as polished as it could be. I still like the idea so I may re-write it or edit for use elsewhere. The concept was that the piece had to be about the underworld in the mythical realm in which the game is set.

I was aiming for something dark but not horror or gore. Enjoy!

Continue reading [Short Story]: Forsaken Daughter →

Shroud of the Avatar

Shroud of the Avatar,

While I’m writing this blog I figured I’d give a heads up to Shroud of the Avatar. A computer game (hopefully) coming out in late 2014. Created by Richard Garriott and his team at Portalarium. Check it out!

The team ran a successful kickstarter campaign and continue to allow new subscribers to join on their website.

“Journey to the world of Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues, a computer role playing game created by Lord British (aka Richard Garriott), creator of the genre defining Ultima series of computer games, Starr Long, director of Ultima Online, and Tracy Hickman, author of the Dragonlance series. It combines rich story, like those of the single player Ultimas, with deep and varied multiplayer experiences, like Ultima Online.”