I know it’s a direct follow-up from my last post, but why not? After all, Sirius B’s companion world is a fascinating place in my science-fiction-cum-space-opera setting. I now have hard numbers, which dictate tidal locking, the question of it being a moon, the orbital … Continue readingMore Thoughts on my Planet “Cerberus”
“Will, if we’re not on Mars, you tell us where we are?” “I’m not sure yet, we might even be on Cerberus.” Cerberus? So asked Penny Robinson to her older and brainier brother Will Robinson in “Lost in Space”. For a long time I wondered … Continue readingCerberus: A World Like No Other
Having experienced the climate of coastal California, I’m liking it well enough, but there’s room for improvement: it’s a bit too warm, too foggy and cloudy, and way too humid. I’m also missing the spectacular desert landscapes of the interior and the wide daily ranges … Continue readingWorldbuilding the Ultimate Desert Coast
I was reading up on the Flying Dutchman last night, which I can’t help but feel is the coolest thing ever (to the point that if I got an alt I’d style myself “Willem van der Decken”, i.e. its legendary captain), and I came across … Continue readingA World where if You look far enough You’ll see Yourself…
Well, I’ve finally released one of the stories I had in my backlog, a planetary-romance-style space opera story about the last days of a mysterious jungle planet, as told through the eyes of a mail-order bride who has a rather…rocky relationship with her titular husband. … Continue readingMy World Is Never Was: New Sci-Fi Novella Out!
Years ago I established that in my alternate-historical/science-fictional setting a Russian-led expedition is the first to reach Mars in 1963, 22 years after the first manned spaceflight, and 14 years after the first landing on the Moon. Now that I’ve written up the first flight … Continue readingWorldbuilding the First Mars Landing
With regards to colonization in science-fictional alternate histories such as the one I primarily write in, my mind has been wandering lately to Antarctica, ruminating over what sort of colony would be best: an ice cave a la Project Iceworm, a giant vehicle or road … Continue readingCloud Cities of Antarctica
“What about winter?” “You’ve already had it!” “We’ve had one, yes. What about second winter?”. On a planet with high axial tilt and/or an eccentric orbit, a short temperate summer can be envisaged, coupled with long cold winters beyond the ken of anywhere on Earth. … Continue readingArgon Snows on an Ice Dragon Planet
I’ve been doing some more brainstorming for my “Naked Jungle in Space” story, and I’d like to give an update. I’ve decided to change things up a bit for the castaways; instead of standard-issue humans, I’m going to make them mermaids. In my universe’s case, … Continue readingMermaids of the Naked Jungle
I’ve been doing some brainstorming and worldbuilding lately for a story in my far-future science-fiction setting that is basically “The Naked Jungle” in space. Based on the 1937 short story “Leiningen Versus the Ants” by Carl Stephenson, “The Naked Jungle” was a 1954 film starring … Continue readingWorldbuilding a Naked Jungle…in Space