Regretfully, a recent update has broken the contact form! I will try to get it replaced at some point.
If you wish to contact, please email author at suspendedearth dot com.
Alternatively you may comment on the page, which may not be private.
The Official Site of Science Fiction & Fantasy Author M. R. Mortimer
Regretfully, a recent update has broken the contact form! I will try to get it replaced at some point.
If you wish to contact, please email author at suspendedearth dot com.
Alternatively you may comment on the page, which may not be private.
Dear MR, had a good look round your website – loved it, esp. the Universe and Extra Content bits. Will certainly read some of these when I have finsished what I am reading at preseent (half way through Ancilary Justice).
I was really interested in your timeline, as you are doing something not unlike what I am attempting (2000 years of history as a background for Short Stories (some now published in Bastion SF). So, liked your timeline – wondered how much of a problem it was keeping the whole thing cohereant as your narrative grows?
Anyway, good if you could check out ‘Price of Starlight’ at http://www.garrickfincham.com and let me know what you think!
G.
Hi Garrick,
Thanks for looking around and taking the time to comment! In answer to your question, keeping it coherent has not been as difficult as I first thought. Perhaps it is because of the expanse of space, you can sort of, pick another planet and not tread on the other one’s toes, where if the entire thing was, say, one small province somewhere, it would be harder. That said, a few of the books do have some interaction – with shared characters, settings etc. Suspended Earth, Starlight, and Armada’s Disciple have characters that cross over, while spanning over more than a century. Suspended earth started many of the places off, and so far keeping it consistent has not been a problem. Technology and history is shared across Dance of Nevermind and Shades of Farthrow, but they venture to unique locations with unique characters, so provided the history remains consistent, there is less to worry about. My upcoming Naradhan books step out of this universe, though they could be seen to be prequels some time before hand. They take place in a solar system that has not yet reached beyond our own star, predating the (so far) described history of the other books.
This is not to say it is easy, you must always be sure to keep things properly in place. I anticipate some care must be taken if and when I get into the prequels that examine the events surrounding the first Banshick war, a possible trilogy that must be done properly or else it will not sit correctly with the history described in the other books, set centuries later.
It is always nice to check out a new read, so I will look at your site when I get a moment.
Thanks again,
M.
Super, thanks. My own world is more cramped, so it is a bit of an issue – and the blog is about keeping it straight, as much as anything. Which of your books should I start with?
G.
That is a difficult question. It would depend on your preferred style of SF. I try to write each novel to be a different “flavour” of the genre. While Suspended Earth was the seed from which my universe grew, all the novels are stand alone, so you can read them in any order. Of those so far released, the most popular in that sense is Dance of Nevermind, which takes place on a single colony planet. It was my third novel, and is still my favourite in terms of setting. It does make reference to the history of the novels, but in no way is it necessary to read them in the order they were released. I guess if you read the information about them, pick the one that you think sounds the most interesting to you at the moment!