I put out the message on all my social media channels but forgot to post here until now. If you’re in the Bay Area and looking for something to do today, I’ll be reading at Passionate Feast Vintage & Book in Crockett at around 2pm. I’ve chosen an excerpt from The Last Crucible (Book 3 of Reclaimed Earth) featuring Aina, an awakened cybrid, one of my favorite minor characters in the series. Also reading will be T.K. Rex, Douglas Henderson, and L. Ann Kinyon.
The other day I found A Solarpunk Manifesto in my inbox, thanks to Joe Stech and his News Refinery newsletter.
I was vaguely aware of solarpunk as a genre, associating it with progressive technological optimism, an alternative to both dystopian science fiction and steampunk. But I’d never read any attempt to describe it explicitly.
Reading the manifesto, my general reaction was yes. Count me in for science fiction as activism, post-scarcity, post-capitalism, post-hierarchical society, and the whole shebang.
While I’ve never described the Reclaimed Earth series as solarpunk, the Ringstation Coalition culture checks all of the boxes. So do aspects of my novelette The Icelandic Cure, and many of my short stories.
So yeah, I guess I’m a solarpunk author, at least in part.
Here’s the manifesto in full, shared via Creative Commons license:
I’m running a short contest to promote my Reclaimed Earth science fiction series. Please enter below if you’d like a chance to win $50 and the first two books of the series. Book 3, The Last Crucible, comes out next year on Flame Tree Press.
Update: This contest has ended. The winner was selected randomly by the gleam.io engine, and paid.
Review in Analog SF
âA well-told story reminiscent of Ursula K. LeGuin or Karen Lordâ
Review in Compelling Science Fiction
âwonderfully entertaining debut novelâ
Review on Whiskey With My Book
âa highly imaginative future Earthâ
Review on Pamela Morris Books
âan incredible and detailed vision of Earthâs futureâ
Review on In Libris Veritas
âI loved the blend of science fiction technology with the rustic iron age advancementsâ
Review on Cemetery Dance
âwildly imaginative and totally entertainingâ
Book blogger and author Darrell Laurant has a new post up about The Guardian (Book 2 of the Reclaimed Earth series) on his site “Snowflakes in a Blizzard.” The post includes some short excerpts. Thanks Darrell!
If you’ve read The Guardian and enjoyed it, please leave me a rating or review on Goodreads or Amazon. A single click or a few words can make a big difference. If you need more motivation than my undying gratitude, I should mention that I will include all reviews retroactively in my upcoming review contest, which will feature a sizable cash prize).
I’ve got some good news to share soon re: the Reclaimed Earth series. I can’t spill the beans quite yet, but I do want to say thank you to those of you who have been reading my blog for years and have followed my journey from aspiring science fiction author to actual science fiction author.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
The Guardian in John Scalzi’s advance reading copy pile
I should say up front that this post is a book plug. But it’s also an honest account of what’s been going on in my head since the orange menace was elected and the stock market graph of human progress took a sharp dip.
Three years into the Trump administration, I’m learning how to manage my emotions around the fact that a narcissistic man-child is systematically dismantling everything good about our country (human rights, environmental protections, voting rights and fair elections, a relatively good standing in the international community, etc.), while simultaneously worsening our preexisting national issues (racism, gun violence, massive wealth inequality, expensive healthcare, etc.). It’s an awful situation that has negatively impacted my own well-being (and I’m a relatively wealthy, privileged white male, with plentiful resources; most have it much worse).
Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén