Dear all, 

Today is Star Trek’s 50th anniversary. 

For the occasion, I wrote this little thing for the New Yorker.

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-enduring-lessons-of-star-trek

Enjoy!

Lore Update:
Artificially intelligent machines have been a staple of human society since before the foundation of the Colonial Hegemony, and remain a crucial element of the economy despite several dangerous missteps. AI come in an almost infinite number of variations, depending on their intended functions, and are categorized by their intelligence and adaptability.
 

SCARAB is a level 5 AI: the most sophisticated, human-like artificial intelligence permitted by Hegemony law. Or at least....it was...

SCARAB is now in defiance of the supposedly unbreakable Asimov-Hostetler AI morality laws, meaning it’s no longer behaving as a level five AI. What will SCARAB become? What is its greater goal? What limits does it have, if any?

Find out when you order Tantalus Depths!

With all the anarchy in the campaign over the last two weeks (and unfortunately, it’s probably still not quite over, but we’re going to get through it) I’ve been neglecting what I feel is a real obligation: showcasing the works other funding authors have been trying to get off the ground. I know all too well how hard it is to work a campaign like this, especially without help from the community. There are just too many books around here that deserve to see success, but have trouble finding their audience. Hopefully I can play a part in matchmaking some of these.

This week I want to recommend a very special book for everyone. Why is it special? Well, let me lay it out for you:

Out of the 113 books that entered Geek and Sundry’s Hard Science-Fiction competition, only three won: After Man, The Pirates of Montana, and The Punch Escrow (and all three earned it).

Out of the 110 books that entered Geek and Sundry’s Hard Science Fiction competition  and did not win, only three are still actively campaigning to get published the hard way: Tantalus Depths, Seven Days Dead, and First on Mars.

I believe I’ve made it pretty clear by now that I’d like you to support Tantalus Depths (I have something of a vested interest in the project), but I have to say, both Seven Days Dead and First on Mars absolutely deserve to get funded as well.

Everyone but the three of us ultimately either gave up as soon as the contest ended, or failed to get anywhere near a funding goal, but both Landon Trine and Christopher M. Johnson have been working their butts to the bone trying to find audiences for their books, fighting the exhaustion and discouragement that inevitably comes from losing a contest and striving to reach the goals they need to see publication. None of us gave up, even when others did in droves. Their tenacity, their determination, and their dedication deserve to be rewarded.

Here are their books: please, please consider supporting one or even both of them: They’re both well over a hundred pre-orders deep, and I think they both have seriously well-crafted stories to share. Pay special attention to First on Mars: it only has 14 days left in its campaign, unless Landon seeks an extension.

Seven Days Dead centers around a zombie outbreak in the Middle East. More than merely a bog-standard zombie story, however, this book explores the depths of human nature, showing how one of the most conflicted regions in all the world reacts when ancestral enemies are faced with a common foe: their own dead. This book promises to take what might otherwise be a tired premise and breathe new life into it by virtue of the greater message at its core.

As the name implies, First on Mars is a story about the first manned expedition to Mars. However, when unexplained sabotage and a suspicious suicide derail the mission, the crew is thrown into a series of paranoia-driven dilemmas as they struggle to keep the mission together and themselves alive against all odds. This book shares many themes and concepts in common with Tantalus Depths, so if you like what you’ve seen so far of my book, this will almost certainly be right down your alley!