To keep Jack Commer’s kidnapped son sane aboard Alpha Centaurian flagship N8J’rallifh-hhu42jdnh, Captain Clopt of the Imperial Guard sent time-traveling agents to Sol to obtain first a robot companion, then a puppy, for five-year-old Jonathan James Commer. The mission to … Continue reading →
If anyone had paid attention to Jack Commer’s son before this day, it was to jeer that the kid had emerged non compos mentis from his stunt in Alpha Centauri, that he was an egomaniacal fool and that it served … Continue reading →
The idea for CommWealth came from the first part of these notes from a dream (“Their Satanic Majesties Computer Software Guide”), although successive revisions changed much of the plot. The second part, “The Tremendous Romance,” wasn’t used in the novel. … Continue reading →
I’ve always thought of the characters in CommWealth as an ensemble cast in a movie, where accomplished actors divide the plot between them and no one actor has the lead role. I didn’t intend this approach from the beginning, but … Continue reading →
This summer’s Draft 7 of Sortmind completely changed the old library-centric plot of the original novel, and it was only after a small amount of grief that I finally knew I had to let go of the following mini-chapter from … Continue reading →
I’m not sure this is the protagonist, Harry Allen, but I drew him or someone today and there he possibly is. The novella chronicling his first day out of prison, The First Twenty Steps, is now available in paperback from … Continue reading →
Recently an episode of relentless plowing through a novel I didn’t really want to read sparked a happy realization. I’m always open to abandoning a book I’m not enjoying–after all, there are millions of great books out there, so why … Continue reading →
Yellow light flooded the cell. Before them stood an obese man in gray uniform, his nametag reading McBoerland–Service Level 3. He also had a round green pin: Serving His Majesty the Emperor With a Trouble-Free Smile! But McBoerland’s expression was … Continue reading →
Jack Commer gets a close look at the disintegration of the Alpha Centaurian Empire in the aftermath of its lost war with the United System Space Force, as well as a devastating surprise from his estranged son Jonathan James, a … Continue reading →
As former Typhoon II ship’s engineer Phil Sperry struggles with his decades-long treason to the human race, Supreme Commander Jack Commer and his wife Amav journey to the paradise planet Andertwin for a painful visit with their reclusive son Jonathan … Continue reading →
