Welcome Sci-Fi Authors and Readers! Showing 1,151-1,200 of 1,575

[Gwyndolyn]

Hello, I'm new to Goodreads, so I hope I'm doing this the right way. I wanted to share my newly published book, The Soul Eaters, available now on Amazon. It is the first book of The Thin Hex Line series!

The Soul Eaters follows the Syndicate, a human Federation scout ship helmed by Captain Arturo "Reaper" Phillips, a war hero from the First Contact War. An SOS signal changes their lives. The discovery of strange new creatures dubbed eos, or Eaters of Souls, are half-machine, half-flesh monsters with an endless hunger. Freshly arrived within the Milky Way Galaxy, they are here to eat until their hunger is sated, or nothing is left. It is up to the Syndicate to investigate this threat.

You can find the book on Amazon here as an ebook and a paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RCZFW9Z

It would mean the world to me if you guys checked it out and let me know what you think of it. This series is only just beginning and it's going to be one heck of a journey for everyone involved!

The Soul Eaters

[Tyler]

In the ruins of the world that was lies the city of Dios, a haven protected from the hostile environment known as The Outlands. Ruled by an oppressive Patriarch, the people of Dios are conditioned in fear. The smallest infraction could result in banishment to the Outlands, a fate worse than death.

With his make-shift family of “Undesirables”, Jett Lasting struggles to find his place in a world where drawing attention to yourself can get you killed. His very existence is considered a crime. To survive, he must avoid guards, beggar gangs, and an ever-growing tension that could drag the whole city into chaos. Jett unwittingly becomes entwined in a plot to overthrow the government where his choices could lead to freedom or the death of everyone he’s ever known or cared about.

https://www.amazon.com/Outlands-Tyler...

[Mardine]

Hello! My name is Mardine Perrins, and I am the author of Expiration Date, which is due to come out in March 2021. Expiration Date is a dystopian thriller that asks us to consider how you'd live your life differently if you knew the date of your death. I'm currently looking for reviewers of my book. Please contact my team at info@writepublishsell.co to request a digital ARC.



Thank you!
Mardine

[Mark]

Writing Tips: Creating Your Own Language

In the world of Fantasy and Science Fiction, one will often have a variety of alien races and cultures. Naturally, not all of such races know how to speak English (or any other Earthly language for that matter), which raises the question, should the author create a language of his own for some of these critters to use.

The answer depends on how much it will add to your world versus the effort involved. For instance, if some alien is only going to utter something in his native tongue for about two lines throughout an entire 300 page book, then you could either just describe it as a generic line like "then he uttered something in his own tongue I couldn't catch", or maybe just make up a few words simply for those lines ("Klatu Varata Nikto"). But if this alien language is a major component of the story, pieces of it used from time to time as insults, side comments, or the occasional greeting, then something a little more extensive may be required.

So, how extensive? Well, if you're going to invent your own language, do it right, or at least enough to make it look real in the story. Like for anything, always work out a bit more than you'll need in the story. Start with some basic grammatical rules; is it a phonetic language, does the adjective come before or after the noun, must every second sentence end in a whistle, etc.. No need to become a literary professor, just enough detail to work for the sentences you plan on constructing.

Next is any stylizations that need to be incorporated. One race might use sounds that sound more like growls, another like whistles, one language have a preponderous of vowels, which another nearly lacks them completely, or some culture might see the need for three silent letters at the end of every word. Whatever you decide, just keep it consistent. You're trying to create a distinctive sound for your language; in much the same way that someone can recognize someone speaking Spanish without knowing the language, you should be able to know how your own language sounds.

And now the fun part, creating the dictionary. This pretty much amounts to putting random letters together, at least at first, but just make sure to keep within the guidelines you've set up fr yourself. After a while, you may find a pattern forming, or you can build larger words with the smaller ones you'd previously formed, or slightly alter one word if you need something with a similar but different meaning as the first. For instance: In Maldene "daln" is the word for "land", while "Te" means "tall". Put them together, and "Tedaln" means "tall land", or "mountain". Another Maldene example, are the words for "Thank-you"; there are four different words for thanks, each with the same base first syllable, just the second half of the word is changed depending on the type of thanks desired to give..

Whatever pattern or style you decide upon, stick with it, keep it consistent. You can use some elements from more earthly languages and tweak them from there, or just let your imagination fly. Above all, though, the word has to be something that people can speak, or that at least some sort of living creature can pronounce. Say it out loud if you're in doubt, or if it's a language that a non-human with alien vocal chords would say then try to imagine what the sound would be like if you heard it before putting it into letters.

Once you have enough alien words in your dictionary, the next question is how often should you use them. With one notable exception, I keep it to things such as cuss words, local phrases (the equivalents of "I love you" or "go jump in the lake"), references that have no direct English equivalent, time periods (a "rel" is a Maldene year, equal to 3.6 Earth years), and such. Just occasional use; you don't want large swaths of your book in something the reader has to look up in an appendix to decypher. It also helps to use words whose rough meaning can be seen through context ("Wait a tid" in Maldenese is about the equivalent to saying "wait a sec").

But that one notable exception I mentioned? A certain scene in one of the books where the point of view switched to that of an alien who just dropped in; said character heard everything the main characters said in all Maldene words for a couple of pages until the situation was rectified. I wrote the entire scene in English first, then translated the lines said by the main characters (as heard by the alien) into Maldenese.

[C.C.]

Honestly, you are best avoiding fabricating, inventing alien languages. Instead, as suggested resort to grunts, groans, whistles, whines and “Pardon can you repeat that for me in English (or appropriate language)”.
Tolkien spent a lifetime on elvish, dwarfish and others creating voluminous histories, dictionaries and evolving structures for each regarding the rules, conventions and pronunciations. He was a real Professor, student of language and Middle English. In the end in the Lord of the Rings barely makes use beyond a couple of notable entries. The ring inscription and the entrance to Moria. No one will sit through reams of gibberish, continually flicking back and forth to your carefully crafted appendix of translations. If you append the English translation, immediately after then the effort is for naught and the reader knows to skip the gibberish. The forced inclusion only ruins the pace of any story. What was the point you were trying to make? These are aliens? The two heads and twelve arms probably gave the game away earlier.
Star Trek has reams of fantasy constructions incorporated into Klingon. The original series was almost 60 years ago. Real academic courses, dictionaries now exist where acolytes, students regurgitate this nonsense at the numerous fan events. Actual accredited linguists are frequently employed on TV shows to construct these, and unless you have such experience best not pretend and do a half-hearted job.
The butt of many a joke on the Big Bang Theory, in the end, the whole thing is utterly pointless. Even the countless Trek series barely make use, relying instead on the ubiquitous Universal Translator, and the occasional convolving text, something you cannot replicate on the printed page.
Admirable reference to "The day the Earth Stood Still", but even there you have pretty covered the entire extent of the mysterious alien dialogue.
If you want to do it right and be consistent, then pick a foreign language from Google translate. Enter your text and transcribe the output using a custom font. If nothing else, it will legitimately obey rules, and should you need to correct, append or augment it will still work.
Here is the same as above in Gaelic courtesy of Translate. :) (Note the odd recognisable word there to tease and give you hope of understanding. It will even reverse out in a reasonably comprehensible fashion.)
Gu h-onarach, tha thu nas fheàrr a bhith a ’seachnadh saothrachadh, a’ dealbhadh chànanan coimheach. An àite sin, mar a thathas a ’moladh a bhith a’ cleachdadh grunts, groans, whistles, whines agus “Pardon an urrainn dhut sin a dhèanamh dhomh a-rithist sa Bheurla (no cànan iomchaidh)”. Chuir Tolkien seachad beatha ann an elvish, dwarfish agus feadhainn eile a ’cruthachadh eachdraidh toirteil, faclairean agus structaran mean-fhàs airson gach fear a thaobh riaghailtean, gnàthasan agus fuaimneachadh. Bha e na fhìor Ollamh, oileanach cànain agus Beurla Mheadhanach. Aig a ’cheann thall ann an Lord of the Rings is gann gun dèan e feum nas fhaide na dà chlàradh ainmeil. An sgrìobhadh fàinne agus an t-slighe a-steach gu Moria. Cha bhith duine a ’suidhe tro reams de gibberish, a’ sìor bhriseadh air ais is air adhart chun eàrr-ràdh eadar-theangachaidhean agad a tha gu faiceallach. Ma bheir thu a-steach an eadar-theangachadh Beurla, dìreach às deidh sin tha an oidhirp airson naoidh agus tha fios aig an leughadair an gibberish a sgiobadh. Chan eil an in-ghabhail èiginneach ach a ’sgrios astar sgeulachd sam bith. Dè a ’phuing a bha thu a’ feuchainn ri dhèanamh? An e coigrich a tha sin? Is dòcha gun tug an dà cheann agus dusan gàirdean an geama air falbh na bu thràithe. Tha Star Trek air ath-thogail de dhealbhan fantasy a thoirt a-steach do Klingon. Bha an t-sreath tùsail faisg air 60 bliadhna air ais. Tha cùrsaichean acadaimigeach fìor, faclairean ann a-nis far a bheil acolytes, bidh oileanaich a ’tighinn air ais leis na nòsan sin aig na tachartasan luchd-leantainn. Bidh luchd-cànanach dearbhte gu tric air am fastadh air taisbeanaidhean Tbh gus iad sin a thogail, agus mura h-eil eòlas mar sin agad is fheàrr gun a bhith a ’leigeil ort agus a’ dèanamh obair leth-chridheach. Aig a ’cheann thall tha fealla-dhà air Teòiridh Big Bang, aig a’ cheann thall, tha an rud gu tur gun fheum. Is gann gu bheil eadhon an t-sreath Trek gun àireamh a ’dèanamh feum, a’ cur earbsa an àite an Universal Translator uile-làthaireach, agus an teacsa connspaideach bho àm gu àm, rudeigin nach urrainn dhut ath-riochdachadh air an duilleag clò-bhuailte. Iomradh ionmholta air "The day the Earth Stood Still", ach eadhon an sin tha thu air dèiligeadh gu ìre mhòr ri conaltradh dìomhair coimheach. Ma tha thu airson a dhèanamh ceart agus a bhith cunbhalach, an uairsin tagh cànan cèin bho Google translate. Cuir a-steach an teacsa agad agus ath-sgrìobhadh an toradh le clò àbhaisteach. Mura h-eil dad eile, cumaidh e gu dligheach ri riaghailtean, agus ma dh ’fheumas tu a cheartachadh, a chur ris no a mheudachadh obraichidh e fhathast.

[Mark]

C.C. wrote: "Honestly, you are best avoiding fabricating, inventing alien languages. Instead, as suggested resort to grunts, groans, whistles, whines and “Pardon can you repeat that for me in English (or approp..."
Of course having actual words (whose meaning one can look up) can add a bit more realizing to the narrative other than just describing grunts and squeaks. It's on the level of inventing magic phrases and such like for harry Potter. You don't need to be a professional linguist to know that language originally came from some caveman assigning meaning too his various lverbalizations then making sure to keep them consistent; linguistics and linguists came AFTER language itself was conceived. All you need to do is maintain a consistency, and have enough to insert on occasion where it might season the story a little. Alien cuss words, for instance, or perhaps a uniqud name that one tribe has for something that doesn't directly translate into english. Saying a word is better than just having "and then he said a word I didn't recognize but said it means 'THIS'"... then everytime 'THIS' comes up you can only have "and then he said 'the word"" instead of simply giving a word you made up.
I also made up m,y language (and alphabet) before there was Google Translate... or Google, for that matter.

[Tyler]

Mark wrote: "C.C. wrote: "Honestly, you are best avoiding fabricating, inventing alien languages. Instead, as suggested resort to grunts, groans, whistles, whines and “Pardon can you repeat that for me in Engli..."

I actually find a sort of "translate" method as you have described to be really a cool element for adding depth to world building. I did that for my story and created a glossary of replacement words to keep them consistent. It's not whole-world as my story is a future dystopia. I basically just created new slang based on expressions that felt consistent to the world they lived in.

I think as long as you are consistent it works really well. With an alien language, it's assumed it would be more advanced than ours, requiring extra phenomes of expression, but as a reader, I love those details unless they become really heavily used and distracting. I dont want to learn another language to read a book, but it's really cool feeling like their is one. What you described, I really like the sound of.

[Tyler]

C.C. wrote: "Honestly, you are best avoiding fabricating, inventing alien languages. Instead, as suggested resort to grunts, groans, whistles, whines and “Pardon can you repeat that for me in English (or approp..."

That's a way to do it, but it can also cheapen the world you are creating. When the reader feels like there is a thought out language that exists, the writer can give little doses in clever ways (without going full Tolkien and it can work really well. Avoiding and dismissing as grunts is the safest way, but also has the lowest upside.

[Mark]

Tyler wrote: "C.C. wrote: "Honestly, you are best avoiding fabricating, inventing alien languages. Instead, as suggested resort to grunts, groans, whistles, whines and “Pardon can you repeat that for me in Engli..."
I do it sparingly and ijn context. So usually you can guess what a word basically means by the way I use it. So, something like "Wait a tid," doesn't sound too far off from "Wait a sec." I use it more to accent but never constantly. The one exception I mentioned at the end of the article because I thought it would be real geeky fun for the new visitor to hear the locals speak in maldenese for about a page before the wizard gets off a translation spell... whereupon said visitor faints from extreme culture shock (someone from a tech world with no magic suddenly faced with some primitives that have such magic powers? reason enough).

[Tyler]

Yea, when it's an easy to grab replacer word I think that's a really good device. Joss Whedon used it in the show Firefly and it just added a little extra authenticity. The idea that in a different time/world language would be exactly the same is absurd. While it is safe to use grunts and groans all that to hide the language barrier...that also risks pure apparent laziness. If an author isnt willing to dive in and develop the different cultures they are writing...how good can the writing be you know? Little language play makes for a compelling reality shift that the reader is still capable of tracking.

[Mark]

Tyler wrote: "Yea, when it's an easy to grab replacer word I think that's a really good device. Joss Whedon used it in the show Firefly and it just added a little extra authenticity. The idea that in a different..."

I figure this way: Johnny Carson had a saying "buy the set-up, buy the bit". He was referring to jokes, but the same can be said in writing. If you can get the reader to believe in the possible reality of a world, to make it as realistic as possible (within it's own context) so that the reader might think that someplace in the Multiverse that a place like this just might exist, then said reader will more emotionally buy into what's happening in the story. For at least those few pages he might suspend his own reality and get involved in the story. Every little bit that helps that projected reality along– including a light sprinkling of a new alien language– is welcome.
For my own series, I have a whole lot more than a new language, and each book in the series I add in a couple more appendices from my world notes. Sure, there is enough in the context fo the story itself to get the meaning, but what geek doesn't mind a little extra reading to fill in the blanks to the background?

[C.C.]

Language is much more than the first caveman scribblings, utterings with random vowels and consonants haphazardly slammed together. Unlike ancient Egyptian, Yurok or even Gaelic which are considered now dead, language evolves, adapts, blossoms over time. Outside influences, invasions both hostile and those brought about by displacement, relocation changes the nature, the essence, the fundamental core. The Vikings, Saxons, Normans all brought their own peculiar brand to dissolve in the melting pot of discourse. Regional dialects emerge, often in rebellion to imposition or abridged, contracted, twisted by necessity. English, in particular, is a volatile construct, drawing historically much from Ancient Roman, Latin and Greek. The original etymological roots not always so apparent. In later times, with the growth of the empire, we pilfered countless examples to add the common parlance, from around the globe. Hopes this hideous, ravenous amalgam might be supplanted one day by a universal substitute in the shape of Esperanto, were swiftly dashed.
A thought on the use of a cuss or swear. Of the many people I have met over the years, who come to Britain to learn the language. Rarely do they survive unscathed, often amassing a prodigious assortment very early on. Rarely is this ever a two-way street. So if you propose encounters with aliens, then the use should be sparring, limited and short-lived. If the aliens are the ones in charge. Then the dominant language will be theirs, the use of a native tongue, a potent weapon in the arsenal of rebellion.
A little over a hundred years, we began casting our cacophony of voices out into the void. Stronger, more potent in recent times, Proxima must be well versed in our endless witterings by now. Scientist, SETI postulated mathematics would form a solid, well-reasoned foundation for the hopes of cross-communication rather than English or some other terrestrial tongue.
The point of all this, true languages are not static they have a history spanning millennia, not constructed in an isolated vacuum for simplistic plot convenience.
I too predate Google, the internet in fact, but utilise the modern tools available, not shun the revolution. In my youth, I purchased many an aged dictionary from 2nd hand sellers to peruse for discarded abandoned forms in the hopes of a subsequent belated revival. Crafted many a long list on scraps of paper.

The main protagonist in my current efforts is Keira Rache. The name is normal enough to pass for real however Keira comes from the Gaelic, Irish in this case meaning Dark while Rache is from the German translating as Revenge. So we have a subtext, for those interested of Dark Revenge, a theme which we explore in the novels. Like Gandalf, which is a wizard in the Scandinavian tongues, it is there for those that might care to look a little deeper.

[Bruce]

It is possible to have a character come across a written language, even a pinto-language. I my book "Dogmas, Gods, and Simiucrons", a character stumbles a crudely drawn message. Here is a sample.

On the twelfth day, I walked back to where we had left Lokoshim. I knew she must have gone already. I was about to leave when I saw something almost covered in snow. I brushed the snow aside. There were figures in the snow:

THE FIGURES


They are drawn figures that don't reproduce here sowing stir figures, mountains and an eye. Threader can try to figure them out but a character does for the reader. The books continues


At first, I couldn’t figure it out, but I worked at piecing it together and finally read:
“Great Grandmother,
Lokoshim happy tribe goes to Lokoshim’s tribe. See you at Lokoshim’s tribe.
Lokoshim

This is cause of another language that perhaps works

[Mike]

I am currently writing a science fiction novel. I am still editing, but getting near to my last revision. As now, it reads 114,546 words. A little on the long side, but I am still slicing and dicing, so it should end up shorter.

[Scott]

Hello All!

Here is a little blurb about me...

LOST HELIX
A sci-fi adventure/mystery
by award winning writer
Scott Coon

Scott Coon is an award-winning short story writer and former U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst. He served for six years, including a tour in Kuwait where he received the Joint Service Achievement Award. Now a software developer for a major bank, Scott brings his computer and military experience into his work, along with a sense of spectacle. See his website for links to his published shorts and his papers on the art and business of writing, as well as his debut novel, LOST HELIX.

http://www.LostHelix.com

[Alexander]

Alexander R. Egan
CLOVER

To look at me you would think I'm your ordinary housecat named Clover. While its true, I am a cat, what you cannot know from just looking at me is that I am also an alien. I am an alien from another solar system and I've been dispatched as a scout in search of something vital to my species.

When my search collides with Bradley and his misfit friends things begin to happen which endanger the humans and could put an end to an entire population of aliens that no one even knows exists.

Available on amazon

[Mike]

Jaleta wrote: "If you're a reviewer, please let me know. The ebook for my novel isn't released yet, but I can send you a PDF if you're willing to write a review here and on your blog.

I'm terrible at shameless s..." I might be willing since I, too, have a sci-fi novel near completion. Send me more information about your book at m.sherer@yahoo.com

[Mark]

Writing Tips: Multiple POVs in an Epic Story

Writing an epic story takes a lot of planning, and by epic I'm talking something that spans multiple novels, has scenes that take place all over the world in question (or even on multiple worlds, where applicable), and has more than one major event taking place at the same time. Telling such a story requires many things, not the least of which are lots of main characters.

Most stories have just the one Point of View (POV), because that's all that's usually needed. But for something epic, you're gonna need a number of POVs, which means establishing several characters ahead of time to do the job. Why this need, you ask? Take something like the Civil War, or World War II. A whole lot of battle fronts and stuff going on all at once, and to make the reader feel for everyone involved, at each such event he needs at least one character he can identify with as the voice of that seen; a POV character. Any battle or event feels more personal if you have one guy in the field through whose eyes it is seen, rather than simply some generic overview from on high. So, early on in your epic, establish a number of characters as your first-line. They could all come from the same group, or at least interact somehow, but they should be well established personalities before they are needed. Then later as your plot develops and you find a need for one guy to go to the western front, while another has to sneak in to spy on the enemy battle plans, and yet a third is on a quest with a couple of friends to find the Mgic Gizmo that will make all the pain stop. Each of these requires a POV character to ensure that the reader will feel the import and emotion of the scene in question.

With multiple main characters, you don't have to focus on just the ONE event, but display equal concern with everything going on. After all, this IS an epic, so you're free to have a LOT of important events mixing it up. In fact, the bigger and more complicated the epic, the more characters you DO need to keep track of it all. So, don't be afraid of breaking the rules and having a lot of main characters; it saves the ONE characters from having to be everywhere at once.
Mark Anthony Tierno

[Vladimir]

Es mi fiel deseo, que conozcan de cerca mi libro: VIAJEROS DEL TIEMPO. Su contenido, de Ciencia Ficción, tiene como motivo de ser, enseñarnos el futuro de la Raza humana, y nos explica que llegará a constituirse una civilización de viajeros en el tiempo. Por ahora, solamente contamos con un poco de profecía, de todo lo que es movimiento en el tiempo. Estamos en "La Era de la Información", y este trabajo mío, nos predice una época en que los humanos llegarán a realizar travesías por los tiempos. Creo que el porvenir humano no es la autodestrucción, sino la hermosa realidad de más que predecir el mañana: ir allá en persona.
Comuníquese conmigo; quiero que sea mi amigo y comprenda un hermoso porvenir esperándonos: viajes en el tiempo.

[Everleigh]

Hello Everyone,

I am Everleigh Miles.

I write sci-fi fantasy romances. I currently have two series out, The Fourth World Series, and Arcana of the Fourth World. They are available through Smashwords, Amazon, Kobo, Apple, and various other suppliers.

The Fourth World Series is six books following the adventures of Thorn and Briar, and the development of their relationship throughout all the various challenges and hurdles that the Fourth World and Thorn's people throw their way.

In Arcana of the Fourth World, we see the Fourth World and many of the characters from that series from different perspectives as we are introduced to the reclusive Arcana and the threat they pose to the Fourth World.

I am currently working on a trilogy set in the Fourth World, titled The Dark Crown, which will be released April/May.

[Scott]

Scookie's Review on YouTube
Samantha Cook reviews LOST HELIX
.
Stuck on an asteroid mining facility, DJ dreams of writing music. But when his dad goes missing, DJ finds a file containing evidence of a secret war of industrial sabotage, a file encrypted by his dad using DJ's song Lost Helix. Caught in a crossfire of lies, DJ must find his father and the mother he never knew.
.
Learn more here!
http://www.LostHelix.com
.
Or go right to the review!
https://youtu.be/B8ssvxoTQtE

[David]

Hello everyone. I'm David Cuff, author of The Last Noah. I have just launched my Author website ... please feel free to take a look!
https://dnacuff.com

To celebrate that, I've made The Last Noah free to download this weekend. You can get it via my site, or directly from here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YTZG12C
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YTZG12C

The Last Noah... In space, nobody is watching your reality. Or are they? Follow the mysterious adventures of our two unwilling space travellers, and discover what is really going on...

[John]

My next book, The Awakening of Artemis (release date some time in 2021) imagines The Wizard of Oz in 2049 America, where Dorothy is a young military officer. In this dystopian world, the elites make all the rules and artificial intelligence enforces them. www.johncalia.com

[Vladimir]

Les presento mi libro: VIAJEROS DEL TIEMPO. Es un trabajo literario cuyo contenido, de Ciencia Ficción, posee dos temas principales: profecía y viajes en el tiempo. Nos expresa este, que los dos tópicos de los que habla, en verdad están basados en lo mismo: movimiento en el tiempo. Relata en su análisis la historia humana, tanto pasado, presente y futuro profético, como pasado, presente y futuro en los viajes en el tiempo. Nos razona que todo movimiento en el tiempo, en realidad a estado desde siempre presente y es tan existente como los tres tiempos citados.
Para usted será más fácil creer en la eterna profecía, pero lo que es parte de qué marca el cronómetro, Es, siempre que halla algo igual a los tiempos. Los viajes en el tiempo han estado con nosotros desde la antigüedad, aunque, parecido en algunos casos, sólo los privilegiados seres, tuvieron acceso a ellos. Aprenda conmigo la historia humana en el tiempo, narrada sin dudas y expuesta del modo en el cual se vivió, sin faenas falsas, tanto profética y físicamente.
Si quiere mi libro, mándeme su correo, y lo pondré ahí.

[Michael]

Mike wrote: "I am currently writing a science fiction novel. I am still editing, but getting near to my last revision. As now, it reads 114,546 words. A little on the long side, but I am still slicing and dicin..."

I don't think that is too long. In Sci-Fi or Fantasy, there is much more required for scene setting and explanation. By paring your work down too much, you may lose the reader if he/she gets confused about the setting/technology/etc. That's my two cents worth!

My books are running around 130,000 words. I have five books I'm getting ready for a release. They are all related. The first two involve Trevor Van Leeuwan -- a character descended from the great-grandfather, Marcus Aurelius Van Leeuwan, in the last three prequels. In a sense, the last three -- I'm calling a Trilogy, because they follow a set of characters over an expanded period of time. I do have some repetition, but only what I felt was needed. I strived for presenting each one such that it would work as a stand-alone novel without the benefit of reading the other two in order -- or reading them at all. Nevertheless, I believe the build-up to the final book in the Trilogy is that much more powerful after reading the first two in order.

The settings I created in the first two novels inspired my writing of the prequels. I wanted to show how their world (and that setting) came about in the first place. And now I have a span of roughly a century in between those settings giving me plenty of room for additional works. So, fear not!

[Maria]

Hello All!
I am a newly self-published author writing romantic space opera. Book One of my series, The Curse Of Sotkari Ta, is available on Amazon, KU, and online bookstores everywhere. This series involves alien abduction, people with telekinetic and telepathic abilities, galactic war, transportal, steamy romance, conflict, and memorable characters. Book Two will be released later this year and I am also looking to revise the cover of Book One to have a consistent series look and feel.
I am active on twitter: https://twitter.com/MariaAPerez1
Here is my FB Author page: https://www.facebook.com/MariaAPerez....
And my website is: https://www.mariaaperez.com/

I look forward to engaging with more readers!
Thank you.
Maria

[C.C.]

Buenos días

Queridos miembros del grupo

Soy C.C. Restrepo, escritor colombiano publicado en España y autor de la novela de Fantasía y Ciencia Ficción «De la tierra hasta el cielo: Preludio». Encantado de conocerlos, aunque sea por este medio.

Hace unos días me vinculé a esta red, y ahora que tengo la certificación de autor de Goodreads quería darles las gracias por habilitar este espacio e invitarlos a que conozcan más de mi obra. La novela ya está disponible en muchas librerías de España, también lo está para su envío fuera del país en su versión digital o física:



¡Estoy disponible para lo que necesiten, un abrazo desde Colombia!

[Brian]

Hi I'm a new Goodreads author My name is Brian_McMahon the underscore to separate me from others so named, My first fiction book is entitled, C.H.O.N.A.S THE INVADERS which is part dystopian SF and part biomedical thriller. It describes an attack on earth by an alien microbial society both from the point of view of the aliens and of the earths defenders. The aliens have no weapons but parasitise their victims brains enslaving them to aid their invasion. They are opposed by groups of biomedical scientists who must nullify the aliens before they control us all.
The resultant battle occurs globally involving groups in the US Japan China and Africa and leads to a thrilling conclusion where the alien leaders are defeated but their implants remain. Only evolution will reveal the final outcome
As this is my first novel I am eager to get constructive comments reviews etc.

[Mark]

Writing Tips: Combining Fantasy and Science Fiction

Most genre stories are either Fantasy, with wizards and magic swords, or Science Fiction, with space ships and ray guns. Very rarely do you ever find something that combines both, and even then it's usually done very badly. The old "I got my wand and he has his ray gun" approach. So, how is one to more skillfully combine these seemingly opposing genres? In my own novels, I like to mix and max genres a bit, and so have done quite a bit of Fantasy mixing with SF. So, in this short article, I will try and give what tips I can.

The first thing you must do is define "magic". For myself, I just define it as another force in the universe, like electricity or nuclear power; a force that can be accessed by those trained to do so. Not unlike how a psychic uses his mental powers, only a wizard uses his mind to draw upon powers greater than himself, the way a transistor uses a small amount of voltage to control a far greater amount of voltage.

Okay, now that we have a definition, we can figure out how to work it into a SF universe. Science Fiction is an extrapolation of science that might or could be, of how science might some day be able to do what seems to be nearly impossible. Sounds like a pretty goo approximation of what a wizard does with his magic spells. Whatever rules you dream up for how magic works on your world, keep them consistent, just like you would for a science. If it takes a certain set of circumstances, words, or powders to conjure forth a ball of fire, then have the characters do it that way every time (unless you make a point of one character having found a better way, then explain why and how). If there is a law of Nature that says something like every spell must create an equal and opposite reaction someplace, or have a certain type of side effect, then remember to keep that in there as well. Do NOT go for the “well, it works because it's magic, so there"; that isn't any more satisfying than in SF when you have "temporal physics makes my head hurt" as the sole scientific explanation behind some self-contradictory time travel effect because you wrote yourself into a hole. Everything has a logic o its own, just remember to keep it internally consistent; even if the characters don't know the reason or science behind the magic, you as the writer must have it detailed somewhere in your notes (and you WILL be keeping notes).

Now that we have laid a logical foundation for our magic, it should be easy enough to combine such elements of Fantasy into our SF. Mixing creatures from either genre is no different: how is fighting a dragon any different than aiming your blasters at the Giant Space Mongoose of Alpha 9? That leaves the Magic vs Science and the Clashing Cultures.

Guys come down in a space ship into what seems like a primitive society. Been done before many times in SF, now we just add in the fact that, while the locals know almost nothing about Physics and Electronics, it is the advanced invaders who are seen as the primitives by their complete lack of understanding of magic. You can get a lot of interesting interactions from this. Or the wizard who opens up a portal to drop him into the middle of a spaceport. Of course, if the spaceport is used to visitors from other worlds, no matter how they choose to arrive, then you have the landing strip where the ships land (be they powered by antimatter or magic pushing enchanted sails) and another area where personal portals can open up; landing beacon or portal beacon to home in on, the end is the same.

And who says that the forces of magic and science cannot interact? A spell designed to bend light would be quite effective against a laser. Or how effective would body armor be if someone could change it into pudding? Not to say that such consequences are automatic though; certain types of materials may have more inherent resistance to physical change- be it from a magic spell or transmutation ray-gun- than others. And that lightning bolt the wizard just conjured forth still has to hit the target, and if the target is protected by a deflection field, or covered in a special high tech suit that grounds the charge into a battery, then wizard and Tech would be equally matched.

But that still has Magic and Science in competition, we want to combine them, use them side by side. Imagine a world where the basic structures are like medieval castles, only the stonework is reinforced by rebar and high-tech materials, then protected with magical runes designed to strengthen the walls, protect them against explosions and magic spells. Or the special blaster gun: you can't put a homing chip on a packet of energy the way you can a missile, but you can place a magic spell designed to aim it truer to its target, and its power pack could be supplied by magic so it won't run out. Or that most prime of combinations, the Technomancer; part technician, part wizard, he blends elements of magic and science together, because after all isn't Magic just another field of science.

Try to be artful when you blend the two, creative. Use your mind to think of the logical consequences of Magic and Science, either in opposition or together, for Logic is the one commonality you have to bridge Fantasy and Science Fiction. Use it with care.
Mark Anthony Tierno

[Sean]

Hello!
My name is Sean Leslie and I have recently released my debut novel “The World of Flying”! It’s a science fiction novel about the worlds first flying car company. Here is the back cover description:

The year is 2061, and the world's first and only flying car company, AirWay, has completely monopolized the transportation industry. With the invention of the flying car, the Model H Barnstormer, as well as the Air-Bus transit system, land-cruising vehicles have been nearly wiped off the map. The story follows Stan Beverley, the founder and CEO of AirWay, and Oliver Dwyer, a construction worker whose wife and son tragically perished in a Barnstormer crash years ago. While his heart is filled with pain, the world around him is under a global recession and economic collapse, leaving Oliver with no choice but to work for the company he despises so much.

It is available for both eBook kindle and Paperback! I would be thrilled to even get one more person enjoying my book, all the support is greatly appreciated.

Here is the link:

https://www.amazon.ca/World-Flying-Se...
Thank you for your time!


Sean

[Michael]

Comment on the release of "The World of Flying" by Sean Leslie -- goodreads.com

I'm also in a quasi-release of my first book -- Sol is Not Lost -- which takes place even farther into the future. The flying cars are part of the background (since they finally came and the government cronies could make a few bucks not to mention a plethora of senators, representatives, and their families making a killing on inside information.) Yours sounds like an interesting book on a subject I have been thinking a lot about lately. Amazon is a near monopoly (charging outrageous kickbacks for selling books, and working on price fixing to boot.) Then there is Uber, Apple, Google, etc. All provide excellent products and services, but what are we not seeing? How is competition being squeezed far from prying eyes? I've been writing about corporations who are not out for full-spectrum-dominance and who are fighting the crony capitalists and their government bully-boys with whom they work hand-in-glove. Numerous large corporations could not operate as they do without the help of government enforcers and regulatory capture of the marketplace. They belong to the same gang of thugs. I once interviewed for a job at Google. It was probably the strangest interview with the strangest people I ever came across in Silicon Valley. In retrospect, I'm glad I did not get that job. I'm sure your book is taking on the age-old saga of one man fighting the system and I trust you are treating that subject well and in a new light. Sol is Not Lost, and my prequels, The Van Leeuwan Trilogy - The Gifted, The Serendipity Factor, and Treason, are in part, about like-minded people with brains and conscience who band their considerable resources to make significant dents in the side of the Leviathan. I'm looking forward to your book, but I'm still in the midst of coding for my website soon to be online. In the meantime, I'm giving away 100 e-book copies of Sol is Not Lost, . If anyone wishes, they can make a request via email: authorScharen@physicist.net -- specify .epub or .mobi or I can e-mail the .mobi directly to your Kindle.

Michael Scharen

[Michael]

Mark wrote: "Writing Tips: Combining Fantasy and Science Fiction

Most genre stories are either Fantasy, with wizards and magic swords, or Science Fiction, with space ships and ray guns. Very rarely do you ever..."



Most genre stories are either Fantasy, with wizards and magic swords, or Science Fiction, with space ships and ray guns. Very rarely do you ever..."

You make good points. However, my personal opinion is that science-fiction needs to be further separated from the other genres that it is lumped in with such as sci-fi and fantasy or sci-fi and horror. Since I first began reading sci-fi, I could never figure out how it became linked with horror. The only thing I came up with was that both were such small sections in the book stores that they scrimped on the signs for the aisles too. They have nothing in common. Perhaps what you are describing is something entirely new on its own. I believe pure science fiction must be believable in the end on some level. Granted, the Jedi Knights level of mysticism adds to the Star Wars line, but that is as far I personally wish to go. The near cousin to mysticism and sorcery in sci-fi is time travel. On its own, there have been a few very good stories that focus on it. The flip side is that franchises like Star Trek have made themselves completely ridiculous in using it to bail out the increasingly watered down plots. I believe sci-fi can save itself by concentrating a bit more on the human interaction side of their stories and less on special effects and superpowers. Humans in the future will have the same foibles that they have now, with slightly different ways of dealing with them.

[Michael]

Kayla wrote: "Escape Reality by Kayla Frost


**The first few chapters can be read for free on Amazon**

Edith lands on an alien planet after ..."

Those sound like very good topics for sci-fi, especially since we have folks like Elon Musk discussing electronic brain enhancements. Today's sci-fi may become tomorrow's science reality -- for good or ill. Anyone who has seen videos of folks with implants that were blind, or could not see color, or a child who could not hear her parents and now suddenly is able must look at the flip side. That is what sci-fi is all about -- picking a plausible tech enabled scenario and doing a philosophical dissection of it right there. My own books are based upon the establishment of thriving human colonies on Mars and in more secret locations -- away from those who would only abuse such breakthroughs. Yes, I'm talking about the tax farmers and their revolving-door partners who think they should be running the planet(s) (and reaping the profits.)

My settings are dystopian but worse because most people living in them just go along to get along. I envision a critical mass of folks with the talent, the resources, and the intelligence networks to Fight for the Future. Here is an excerpt from Treason -- the third book in The Van Leeuwan Trilogy and prequel to my first book Sol is Not Lost.

"...Marcus Aurelius Van Leeuwan is right. If I had my hands on your technology, there's no telling what I might do. There's no telling what the largest governments on Earth would do there or on Mars. There would be no stopping them. And yes, they would come out here looking for you. Your lovely planets would either be laid waste or they would become resorts for the idle rich while people back home worked harder and harder for them every day with no hope of a better life – ever..." -- Malcolm Aldrich

My heroes, while at the same time acting as entrepreneurs and innovators, amass the wherewithal to make men free again. At the same time, they know that the rest of humanity is not ready for certain technologies to be unleashed by governments. They strive to eliminate governments before they can do much more damage.100 copies of my first e-book - <
/i>Sol is Not Lost -- are available for free by emailing authorScharen@physicist.net with a request. Ask for .epub or .mobi format, or I can send the .mobi to your Kindle address

[Bruce]

Where in this discussion is the more anthropological SciFi? These stories deal with different societies and cultures with or without magic or ray guns. The emphasis is on societial issues that imagined societies create.

[C.]

Lemme try that again.
My book, Six Strings, debuted on 02/09 this year. I would love some reviews on it here on Goodreads.
It is full of thrills but many would say it is horror. I can provide more details as well as the word document of it if you are interested. please let me know.

[[deleted user]]

Comments on Several Topics:

What makes a good story?
I thought about that for years including what makes a good book, good play, or good movie. I have reached a conclusion which is that for any of these articles to be good, they must aid in the willful suspension of disbelief. What do I mean? When we read a book, see a play, or a movie, we know inwardly this is not real, we are watching or reading something that is false. However as we read or watch, does the story construction, dialog, setting, character, and actions taken in the book, play or movie make us want to suspend our disbelief of these items. Any good book, show or whatever carries us along even though we know in our heart of hearts it is all BS. That is my advise to movie directors, playwrights, and authors, you want to make a good tale, make me want to believe in it. Otherwise you are wasting your time and mine.

Can you mix Fantasy and Science Fiction?
Yea, it is called Star Wars
Science Fiction are stories about people and technology based on known scientific principles or extrapolation of those principles. The technology must be current at the time the story is written. Take Wells' War of the World. When he wrote it, it was science fiction because we simply did not know what the surface of Mars was like. The discovery of canals (although later proved false) led credence to the story. If we wrote the same story today, it be Fantasy because now we know in graphic detail what the surface of Mars looks like. We now know that no life exists there that we have found. You might make a believable science fiction story about the discovery of some microbe on Mars and get away with this, but alien civilization, no way. SF reads the science books and operates within their bounds or what we think their bounds are. Fantasy partly or completely throws the science books away.

Can you invent a new language for to your books?
Yes you can, but it takes a lot of work because the syntax, form, root structure all have to be logically formed and then used within that logic. It it extremely difficult unless you are an expert on the structure of languages and their history. Don't believe me, ask J. R. R. Tolkien or his children the fits he went though to create the languages of Middle Earth, and he was an expert in languages.

Anyway my $0.02

Shameless Plug time:
Read my fantasy books set in a period of ancient Greece:

The Forest of Allund
The Laughing Gods
Demigod

All available on Kindle.

Cheers

WA

[Len]

We're living through a dystopia and It's not much fun is it?

Actually, we are beyond the threshold of the Space Age. Just now, SpaceX successfully flew Starship 10 including a perfect landing. They are already moving to 11 with the goal of Starship 14 going into orbit. If all that happens, in 2024, two unmanned Starships will travel to Mars, carrying supplies needed by first colonists in 2026.

Imagine Mars today is very much like California before James Douglas discovered gold while cleaning the traces of Johann Sutter's saw mill. The minute the Martian James Douglas finds gold, silver, platinum, palladium or rare earths, the race is on by nations, companies and individuals to stake their claims on Mars.
Prospectors

[Len]

Prospectors will like flies over the first years, very much like Jamestown and Plymouth where the death rates over the first years was about 50%. It took several generations in both Massachusetts and Virginia before their death rates approximated Europe and China. The same will be true on Mars.

Elon Musk plans refueling in orbit. It is revolutionary in its concept because travel in space will depend on the size of the fuel tanks. The bigger the refueled tank, the faster and farther the ship goes. The bigger the tank, the bigger the ship. By 2040-2050, ships traveling to Mars and elsewhere will dwarf the cruise ships of today. They will make possible Musk's million or more Martians by the end of this century

Finally, the announcement by Alphabet (Google) that they had invented the first quantum computer (Sycamore) prompted an announcement by scientists at JPL that Sycamore (and other quantum computers) would be the key to unlock Miguel Alcubierre's Warp Drive which makes possible travel at 10 times the speed of light before the end of this century.

The 21st Century is the beginning of the next great age of interplanetary and interstellar exploration, exploitation and colonization. If sci Fi authors can't find stories in all this worthy of writing about, they need to find another line of work.

[Vladimir]

VIAJEROS DEL TIEMPO: "Libro asombroso", dice un buen crítico de libros. Estoy muy interesado en que ustedes conozcan su contenido, y lo he puesto a precio de costo en Amazon. Soy sincero, este escrito habla con realidad de la historia humana total, pasado presente y futuro.
Sígame, soy Vladimir Rodríguez, almirante de una flota de naves imaginarias que los guiará por los tres tiempos, rumbo a un universo llamado La Realidad, y después a otro llamado La Idealidad o Paraíso, el último distante en el futuro. No tiene que subirse a una nave, solamente sígame a través de las páginas del mencionado libro.
Soy su Amigo, Vladimir Rodríguez, quien lo invita a algo nuevo y desafiante. El futuro nos espera. Escríbame y pídame leer mi trabajo. Si no le gusta, capaz soy, como aquel que tiene absoluta seguridad de lo que escribe, de pagarle su tiempo de lectura. Lo desafío, escríbame y lea; lo que leerá, nunca lo podrá hallar en otro libro.

[Michael]

Len wrote: "We're living through a dystopia and It's not much fun is it?

Actually, we are beyond the threshold of the Space Age. Just now, SpaceX successfully flew Starship 10 including a perfect landing. Th..."

We do live in a dystopia of our own making. The covid19 hysteria and climate change blather are only two of scores of their dark insidious propaganda cousins. The many lies we are told are so overwhelming that many just shut off in the hopes that it will all go away. The idiocy must be fought on every front.

In my books I write much about the entrepreneurs on Mars and those mining the asteroids, not only for minerals, but for water and hydrocarbons. Titan is covered with methane, ethane and much more. I don't believe any dinosaurs were walking around there. I can't give too much away, but there's a good synopsis in my first book Sol is Not Lost, about the innovators and free-thinkers who do the real work of colonization and those who live by plunder and deceit (government/and cronies) trying to squeeze in or just take over. Only out-of-the-box thinkers would think to drill for oil on Mars -- and find it. Elon Musk declared that the colony he wants to establish will not obey any Earth government, and that is how my books run. The Mars Frontier and the New Settlements, as I call them thumb their noses at the government compounds there. Yes, there is piracy and intimidation, but what else are governments good at?

I do make several comparisons to the pioneers in North America and Australia. I hope that those are very instructive. My protagonists have established a breakaway human civilization far from Earth, but those in the Sol System cannot know about it since we live in a society run by sociopaths. The technology is far too powerful and dangerous to be let loose. But, they have faith in humanity and have their feet in both systems in order to try to guide humanity back toward a better path and taking on the arbitrary power structures head on -- not just marching around carrying placards.

My prequel Van Leeuwan Trilogy follows the patriarch and his friends who first invent FTL travel and go on to establish the twin colonies of Magellan and Bering out among the stars! Soon my website will be up, and I can guide people there.

I'm giving away 100 copies of Sol is Not Lost, in ebook format (.epub or.mobi) to those who make a request to authorScharen@physicist.net. The first six chapters are in audio on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

[C.C.]

I can't believe you missed, omitted Arthur C Clarke from your latest epistle Mark. :)

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

[Johnathan]

Er, SN10 blew up a few minutes after landing. That's not my definition of 'perfect'. https://twitter.com/i/events/13672752...

Actually, we are beyond the threshold of the Space Age. Just now, SpaceX successfully flew Starship 10 including a perfect landing. Th..."

[Mardine]

Hi everyone! My name is Mardine Perrins and I am the author of the book Expiration Date which will be released this Tuesday, March 9, 2021.

I have a giveaway and you can enter by clicking this
link here. The book trailer is also available here.




If you love Dan Brown’s, Deception Point, Michael Crichton’s, The Andromada Strain; and A.G. Riddle’s, The Atlantis Gene, you will love Expiration Date.

A conspiracy theory no one would have guessed.

The age-old story of man’s arrogance that could change the make-up of humankind as we know it.

Expiration dates have been a part of the human genome for the last hundred years, but this is the first time the death rate of infants has increased by fifty percent in the first week of birth across the globe.

In 2168, Albany NY, devastated over the quick death of her cousin’s baby, Cardiovascular tech, Elisa Quinn is not buying Orbis’s, the global government, reason as "another genetic hiccup". Together she and scientists, Ashlei Quinn and Claude Monark, set out to discover what the real reason is for the deviation and this phenomenon and to try and prevent the unthinkable-these short dates becoming the new norm for everyone. Elisa investigates the long-standing gestational supplement of nutriment injections as potentially having an adverse effect and hence gradually changing the make-up of expiration dates. They also consider whether the recent surge of deaths could be a global conspiracy, another shift in the human genome or something yet unforeseen. While searching, they uncover an extremist group, Restituere, and their intentions to take the human race in a direction that suites their needs.

Unless they can prevent this deadly groups plans, their loved ones will be lost and the human race will be altered forever.

[Johnathan]

The premise and plot sound promising, but there are several spelling and grammatical errors in this blurb which might discourage potential readers from buying your book.

[Adam]

Hey, all! I've just released Utopia PR, a sci-fi satire about a public relations rep seeking work-life balance while managing crisis after crisis for a dystopian American president.

"Utopia PR is extremely well-written with humor, wit and imagination, and it’s a lighthearted, uplifting vision into the dark times we’re facing." -- Shane Staley, IndieMuse



Please add it to your to-read shelf! I have a Goodreads giveaway from March 16-April 14 at https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh.... I'm also happy to answer any questions about the book through my profile.

[Andrew]

Hi folks,

I used pre-order with some success in my last book. Bodhi Rising (sequel - https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Andrew-Sw...) is coming out 5/30 and I put it on pre-order on Amazon so it shows up as part of the same series.

Quick question for my author friends and friends-to-be. Do you use pre-order? If so, do you advertise for that?

[Nikolaos]

The World behind Walls Hello everyone! This is my first ever book! It is a Sci-fi, action/adventure story on a futuristic sosciety. Here is a quick sneak peek:

In a world torn asunder, a new Civilization rises from the old ones remains. Its identity newly formed and the memories of our times forgotten. Now, five great Cities stand and grow, on a planet that is swiftly wiping away the painful memory of our existence from its surface; and its Citizens have decided that is for the best.When a mysterious outsider manages to infiltrate the great City of Ozhefford, this utopic New World will come to know the reignition of a war long forgotten. Its calm and peaceful Civilization will be shaken to its core, and learn for the first time the meaning of terror.A young engineer will be swept away into a tempest of power struggles, forced to navigate unknown paths, guided by both altruism and ego, idealism and realism, friends and foes, and an illegal Artificial Intelligence with attitude. Trying to uncover the mystery of their World’s origin, our protagonists will be thrown amid chaos, plots, and schemes and their decisions will affect the whole of Civilization on this planet.“Once, this was a World where one lived wanting for nothing, as long as they are born on the right side of the gene pool. The rest could only ever hope to marvel in their presence. Then came the Rain…”

[Andrew]

Len wrote: "We're living through a dystopia and It's not much fun is it?

Actually, we are beyond the threshold of the Space Age. Just now, SpaceX successfully flew Starship 10 including a perfect landing. Th..."
What an interesting idea! Thanks for sharing about Mars and the gold rush - I hadn't considered it that way.

[Michael]

Andrew wrote: "Len wrote: "We're living through a dystopia and It's not much fun is it?

Actually, we are beyond the threshold of the Space Age. Just now, SpaceX successfully flew Starship 10 including a perfect..."

Three cheers for SpaceX!
Dystopia is right, but there is no one to blame but ourselves. Free Country is a contradiction in terms. Why are we listening to petty potentates? Why do we wear masks that do nothing or spend tens of thousands of dollars upgrading our businesses for a threat that is definite, but far from worthy shutting down society. Start saying NO. Stand up to these self-appointed experts and jackasses who believe they have the right to tell us how to live our lives. We will not be free unless we start ACTING free.

Michael J. Scharen

[T]

I like to review books and post my review. I will ask my friends to read and give reviews about the book. For those who require reviewal of book please contact me through my e mail given below.
thvishnu9395@gmail.com.