Monthly Archives: September 2024
Mutineers’ Moon – Book One in the Dahak Series by David Weber
Author David Weber says the genesis for this book began with a question. “Assume that earth doesn’t actually have a moon, but rather a giant starship disguised as our moon which has been there for at least fifty or sixty thousand years. Where did it come from, why did it come here, and why hasn’t it left?”
Weber says the answer to those questions built the foundation for this book and its sequels.
Imagine that an alien race came to earth fifty thousand years ago, had a civil war between two factions of their government and was beaten by their advanced AI ship, Dahak. This ship is also the celestial entity we call the moon and during their last battle for supremacy they find themselves stranded on earth with no way to regain access to Dahak.
The two factions of the crew keep themselves young by using cryo-sleep to maintain their lives. Fifty thousand years later they have influenced the earth to gain space flight to re-enter Dahak, although the human population has no knowledge of the moon’s real purpose.
During one of the first flights to the moon, a human is kidnapped by Dahak and convinced to help get the moon back in readiness for a journey to the alien’s home world.
Dahak also wants information about the original crew and whether all of them were part of the mutiny that caused their present dilemma. Another alien race has been spotted closing in on earth’s solar system and only Dahak’s original crew can stop them.
Dahak’s communications system is unable to contact their home world and that means no help is forthcoming to help save the earth.
The lead characters, Colin MacIntyre, Dahak, and what is left of the original crew will have to find a way to co-exist long enough to defeat an alien fleet with nothing more than a ship the size of a moon, and a handful of humans to supplement the crew.
I quite literally could not put this book down, and was excited to know there were two more installments beyond Mutineers’ Moon. If you’re looking for classic science fiction, Mutineers’ Moon is a great choice for your next read.
Solitaire
Unveiling Endless Possibilities: The Essence of Science Fiction
The dictionary defines Science Fiction as follows –
Fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently representing space or time travel and life on other planets.
You generally find things like parallel universes, spaceships, clones, aliens, self-aware AIs, virtual reality, time travel, mind control, interplanetary warfare and humans interacting with scientific methods or technologies.
Some say it should have its foundations in actual science to qualify and the actual technologies should be a plausible progression of the current education and abilities that we have.
There is usually some type of scientific discovery involved.
Future technology is a common theme with the cost of progress a recurrent theme.
Usually set in realities that are plausible but involve survival.
Worlds are often cynical and dystopian but utopian societies can also exist.
These discoveries and technologies are oftentimes analyzed as to whether it is progress that is worth the price or whether the well-intentioned new breakthroughs are either corrupting mankind or furthering its progress. Entire story lines are built around this premise.
Science Fiction has been around for as long as people have had a curiosity about our world and its physical laws. How far can the boundaries be pushed?
Add human characteristics and emotions into this scientific phenomenon, build a plot that weaves in and out of the scenario, and you can create a world of endless possibilities while developing characters that are relatable to your readers.
Bring science into your conflict but be careful not to “dump” key scientific information on the reader too quickly. Give out scientific explanations and background sparingly so as not to overwhelm them so they stop reading. Remember that dialogue, action and flashbacks are all ways to creatively dispense key information.
Some examples of Science Fiction –
Jurassic Park – by Michael Crichton
The Hunger Games – by Suzanne Collins
Journey to the Center of the Earth – by Jules Verne
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – by Jules Verne
The Time Machine – by H. G. Wells
The First Men in the Moon – by H. G. Wells
Dune – by Frank Herbert
1984 – by George Orwell
I have always been a huge fan of science fiction. It’s not only what I read most often, but a genre in which I write as well. You can find my books at my website and other varied locations.
Solitaire
Solitaire Parke - Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books 