In a future where humanity’s ambitions stretch beyond Earth, Mark Mason, visionary founder of Selene Corp, battles to steer his company toward a daring new frontier. Stationed in the microgravity of an L5 office, Mark rejects the allure of Mars—a planet he deems a seductive trap, doomed by its thin atmosphere, lack of magnetic field, […]
In a high-stakes game of deception and betrayal, Milton has stolen priceless artifacts from his dangerous brother, Morris, and hidden them where no one would dare look—on the Moon. Under a false identity, Milton navigates a web of family grudges and cosmic ambition, with his sister Mary as his wary ally. As they plot to […]
Stranded on an uncharted island after a brutal hurricane wrecks their ship, a group of castaways clings to hope fifty-three miles from Bermuda. Sent to find help, one survivor treks along the endless beach, GPS in hand, only to discover a chilling anomaly: no matter how far he walks, the coordinates refuse to change. As […]
In the frigid, uncharted expanse of the Kuiper Belt, where the Sun is but a distant pinprick in an endless void, Ian Baird stands alone—a solitary caretaker of a deep-space radio telescope array, tasked with listening for whispers of alien life. But the darkness here is more than just the absence of light; it’s a […]
When does instant communications become a liability? Check out this new Vignette. Torn MacAlester’s Fabulae Lunae The Lunadyne Incident and Other Stories (buy now)
This article is the first follow-on to a series on first contact. This is part of a series of articles about science fiction world building: From the moment the first experiments with radio began, the possibility of detecting alien transmissions became real. If there was an advanced civilization on Mars, it would be […]
In the sub-genre of hard science fiction, an attempt is made to ensure that the science in the story is somewhat correct. One issue that I have been following is the possibility of life on exoplanets. Anton gives a wonderful update on the DMS possibility on K2-18b. — Even though the detection has been questioned. […]
A near future science fiction vignette by Torn MacAlester Torn MacAlester’s Fabulae Lunae The Lunadyne Incident and Other Stories (buy now)
Steamboat (Lunar Lander from “Golf and Outgassing”): This is the primary spacecraft used by Annie MacInturner and Milton Johnson for their mission in the Fra Mauro region. Steamboat is a modern lunar lander designed for a two-day surface stay. It comprises a descent stage, which remains on the lunar surface (similar to Apollo landers), and […]
So can we colonize space like homo sapiens moving out of Africa in the stone age, or like the Pilgrims colonized Massachusetts in the 1600s? How about crossing the land bridge to the Americas during the ice ages? The success of those efforts built upon two things: The stuff they brought with them, and The […]