Mindscape

by M.J. Deakin

Evolution is a 'chance' affair, as it comes in small surges and by its very 'nature' is never a guaranteed success. Civilizations had risen and fallen throughout the evolutionary history of Homo sapiens and as a race they had flourished despite their inherent propensity for self-destruction. However, humanity's tenuous grasp on existence in the cosmic scheme of things was about to be dealt a truly devastating blow. A 'wanderer,' a piece of stellar debris left over from a far distant collision in time and space. Never quite 'captured' by any star of significance until now and it was on an undetected and unavoidable collision course with Earth. We never saw it coming and even if we had, it took just over seven days from passing Pluto to time of impact on Earth, one week... The impact triggered a premature ice age as the Earth slowly began to freeze and the brilliant spark that was mankind began to freeze with it. Of four billion souls that had inhabited the Earth at the time of impact only ninety-four survived to make it to the safety of the Moon colony. The half a million settlers felt the shock and pain in their minds from the aftermath of the impact, watching with helpless horror as their mother planet died. The 'womb' that had supported and made possible their fragile existence had within hours become hostile and uninhabitable to them.

190 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 2004