speculative fiction
Fearless by Allen Stroud
‘They thought it was a rescue. They didn’t expect a war…’
So goes the strap line for this novel. Fearless is the first novel in an exciting science fiction trilogy: The Fractal Series. As Allen says, ‘Spaceships were broken in the making of this story!’ He’s certainly right about that (and why wouldn’t he be, he wrote it!).
The story is told from the point-of-view of three characters, all written in first person. A challenge, for sure, for both writer and reader. In this case, I’m happy to report that all three characters are engaging with very different takes on life and their purpose in the world. Shann, the captain, takes center stage, with the difficult decisions she must make and how that impacts on her both emotionally and psychologically. Johansson, communications specialist, is both ambitious and eager to please, and yet impetuous enough to disregard orders and take risks with her own life, if she feels that’s the right thing to do. Sellis, a technician, finds himself in an impossible position when his past catches up with him.
Two of Stroud’s characters have a physical impairment. Captain Shann was born with no legs and has a career and a home on board the rescue ship the Khidr, which she loves. Johansson has a prosthetic arm which is just as good as the real thing, except when it’s damaged and she has to function without it in order to save her life and those of the crew. I must admit that Sellis is my favorite character; his struggle to understand himself and his gambling addiction was, well, addictive.
Betrayal abounds! But who is the traitor and is there more than one? As well as the intrigue, there is plenty of action and suspense as our favorite characters face one challenge after another. I’m looking forward to reading the next in The Fractal Series: Resilient and the ongoing adventures of Captain Shann and her crew.
Allen Stroud at Humber SFF Author Event
Chugg’s Cafe in Beverley offered a cosy environment for Humber SFF’s latest author event. I found myself thoroughly entertained by Allen’s relaxed, story telling style. And he certainly had some interesting stories to tell. He was humorous, insightful, and happy to entertain questions, even during the break. As he said, as a university lecturer he is used to talking all day 🙂
I was lucky enough to pick up all three of his novels at the event. I’m currently enjoying the first in the series, Fearless, and can’t wait to read the others!
The Martian Wave – 2024
I’m very happy to announce that my short story, ‘Finders Keepers’ has been published in this year’s edition of The Martian Wave by Hiraeth Publishing. This is a story of exploitation and the bravery of the few who stand up for what is right. It is set in the same universe as my SF books and explores the pivotal moment in history when the planet Ghyllach and its valuable crystal resources are first discovered by the Calestis Coalition of planets. The profiteering mining consortium soon discover they have bitten off more than they can chew!
Second Hand Skin
This short story was inspired by a ‘What if…?’ that has rattled around in the back of my mind for years. What if the clothes you were wearing turned into your skin? What effect would that have on individuals, families, communities? Would the world become a more inclusive place given that everyone had their own unique look, their own unique biology? No more cliques, niches, bolt-holes? Or would we find a whole new way to divide and discriminate?
I took my initial draft to the Milford Speculative fiction group, whose members provided a wealth of advice. Rewrites went around my other writing groups until I finally settled on a form that I thought best suited the story. ‘Second Hand Skin’ was recently published online in The Chamber Magazine. You can read the story here.
HUMBER SPECULATIVE FICTION NIGHT
I was back at the King’s Head in Beverly for the latest Humber SF event. The evening featured two wonderful authors: Sunyi Dean and Daniel Godfrey, who provided entertaining readings from their latest novels, talked about their writing practice and answered lots of questions from the audience.
Sunyi’s said she wanted to celebrate the north of England and so set her book, The Book Eaters, in Yorkshire. Promoted as ‘gothic fantasy horror’ this is a story of ‘escape, a mother’s savage devotion and a queer love.’ This book contains two timelines, one in the present day and the other having a definite Victorian feel to it—inspired by Sunyi’s love of the work of the Bronte sisters. With a smile, Sunyi told the audience that her editor said her book was ‘fantasy for people who hate fantasy’—those in the audience who had read the book were keen to disagree—they loved it! This is Sunyi’s debut novel and it’s clearly a winner. When asked about the process of finding a publisher, she did comment that there is an industry shift away from ‘series’ and towards stand-alone books or duologies.
Daniel’s book, The Calculations of Rational Men, is set in the 1960’s, following an alternate history where the UK is subjected to a nuclear attack. Five hundred prisoners are trapped underground awaiting the ‘all clear’. Those that had read the book were impressed by the clear 1960’s level of awareness of medical knowledge (the protagonist is a medical doctor imprisoned for murder) and the then understanding of nuclear weapons and the effects of radiation. Daniel used a 1960’s medical book as a reference and said he was lucky to find information on how nuclear shelters would have operated. He even went to have a look around a nuclear bunker in York. One audience member commented: it was amazing how much happened (in the book) given the limited space the men were trapped in.
A very entertaining evening with two more books added to my reading list!
Loving Life in the Rain 