Continuing the discussion of the things I've liked most in my works... Castaway Planet: Eric and I ended Portal fairly certain that this was the last of the series, but not necessarily the universe. The main cast of Boundary had gotten pretty old to be gallivanting around the Solar System. However, when we thought about doing a space-based version of Swiss Family Robinson or Mysterious Island, the Boundaryverse suggested itself strongly as a candidate. So fast forward a century or two, let the humans learn the interstellar [ Continue reading... ]
The Craft of Writing: When I Ignore Science
September 22, 2015 By 1 Comment
Writing science fiction – especially hard science fiction, where you're expected to keep to what modern science believes is possible, rather than inventing force fields, lightswords, faster-than-light-drives, or other accoutrements of space opera – is a demanding task. It's not necessarily harder than writing, say, good epic fantasy; they're both equally difficult, in my view, just with different areas of difficulty. It does, however, have external demands that other types of speculative fiction don't really have to worry about. In my "day [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Planet: Chapter 18
December 11, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Things were busy and confusing around here yesterday -- apologies for missing my schedule! Sakura's out exploring... ------ Chapter 18 Sakura cut, perhaps with unnecessary viciousness, at a bamboolike stalk that blocked her passage. The machete—cut and ground down under Whips' direction from one of the pieces of steel that had formed a major wing support—sliced cleanly through the stalk, which fell, spattering her with drops of blood and an explosion of crimson tendrils from the [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Planet: Chapter 17
December 8, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Time to relax, it's been a long day... ------ Chapter 17 Whips jolted awake as a loud, strident beep! beep! beep! sounded from somewhere above him. That was the camp alarm! Something was coming through the perimeter! The night of Lincoln was, by Earthly standards, pitch-black; even if one of Lincoln's two moons had been up, they were too small to shed very much light. But Whips' ancestors were from the utterly lightless sea of Europa, orbiting Jupiter in the farther [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Planet: Chapter 16
December 3, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Well, Hitomi hadn't gotten herself killed after all... ------ Chapter 16 "Barkcloth," Laura repeated wonderingly, looking at the green sheet which was slowly coming apart under repeated handling. "A beginning to it, I think, yes," Caroline said. "The Polynesians made something like this, called tapa. We'll have to do some experiments, but… I think Hitomi might have found us something really important." Hitomi looked very proud. Laura bent down. "But you also could [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Planet: Chapter 15
December 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Sakura did some exploring before; now there's time to do some work... ------- Chapter 15 "Can't I please come with –" "No." Her mother's answer was firm. "You seem recovered, mostly, but you were in very bad shape for a while yesterday. I don't expect to see any more trouble, but for today you're staying near camp. You'll have plenty more chances to explore, I promise." "Sorry, Saki," her father said, and gave her a consoling hug. That didn't exactly make up [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Planet: Chapter 14
November 26, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Sakura was safe now, time for a little aftermath and a discovery... ------ Chapter 14 Whips wallowed his body back and forth, feeling the coral-based sand squish reassuringly under him. "Hm. That will be good." It had been quite a while since he built a land-nest—years ago, when he and his father had gone on a camping trip with the Kimeis, and that was long enough that he'd had to think about just how you did this right. His first attempt, about three [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Planet: Chapter 13
November 24, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Sakura had discovered the local wildlife was not harmless... ------ Chapter 13 Laura restrained the urge to leap forward. Panic would not help her. Even as she scanned the data from Sakura's internal medical nanos, she categorized the symptoms of the shaky girl. Skin reddening… pupils dilating… heart rate increasing. Sakura was also looking dizzy, disoriented. The data from the nanos confirmed her guess. "It's a hyoscyamine derivative, something like atropine. And a [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Planet: Chapter 12
November 19, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Time to take a real look around their new home! ------ Chapter 12. "No, Akira, you keep it," Laura said, pressing the pistol into her husband's hand. Whips could see he was still reluctant. "But you're the one going –" "I'm the only one here who actually knows how to fight. Police background, remember? And Whips is coming with me and Sakura on the scouting expedition, so that means that you'll need something to protect yourselves with while you get [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Planet: Chapter 11
November 17, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Hey, they're into Chapter 11! (yeah, okay, cheap joke). Time for the castaways to take stock of their situation... ------ Chapter 11 "The seven wilderness survival principles," Melody said, obviously looking at her omni's display, "are positive mental attitude, first aid, shelter, fire, signaling, water, and food." "Not a bad list," Sakura said, dusting off a nearby chunk of coral-rock to sit on, "but some of that won't work. Signaling isn't going to [ Continue reading... ]
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