Episodes

  • A funny thing happened on the way to the past

    A funny thing happened on the way to the past
    Jun 27 2024
    My novelette, An Illicit Mercy, is part of a new promotion in June and July, Get the page turners before they’re gone!Nearly 60 books available for free.Get your FREE copy of Wait for MeThis is an intense crossover short, where two of Dawn Chapman’s favorite characters meet the main character from Tailspin. Enjoy! Sometimes, the hardest thing you'll ever do is tell someone you love them.Amid intense helicopter missions, a teenager arrives at Rise Hospital, requiring life-saving yet experimental tech. Nico and Lacy are called in for their expertise, with no clue who this stranger is or how meeting him will change their lives forever. Lacy's skills as a magic healer will be pushed to the limit.For the first time in a long time, Niko and Lacy spend meaningful time together when it matters most to their relationship. Niko realizes that if he never says those words, he might lose Lacy for good.In 1995, Australian genre small-press Chimaera Publications founded the Aurealis Awards to honor “the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror writers.”Thanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This year, sff author Tansy Rayner Roberts has won the Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel with her time travel comedy Time of the Cat. Roberts holds a doctorate in Classics and reads her work on the podcast Sheep Might Fly. She lives in Tasmania.Thank you for reading The Cosmic Codex. This post is public so feel free to share it.Here’s the description of Time of the Cat from the book’s Kickstarter page:It’s time to take history seriously.The cats and humans of Chronos College know that time travel is the best job in the world, and nothing bad can ever happen to them in the past… except that one time they lost a traveller. And that other time they lost a cat.Now they have a chance to make up for past mistakes by rescuing a long lost legend. If only they could convince Professor Boswell, the grumpiest marmalade tabby of all time, to join their mission to the Swinging Sixties, and save one of their own. (Plus pick up a missing episode or two of their favourite TV show along the way.)Join Ruthven, Boswell, Monterey and Lovelace on the most chaotic time travel adventure of their lives. Featuring special appearances by Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn, famous actress Fleur Shropshire, and the even more famous house where they filmed Cramberleigh between 1964-1986.Way to go, Tansy!Have you read Time of the Cat, or do you plan to? Please share your thoughts!My latest novelette, “Long Night On the Endless City,” appears in Boundary Shock Quarterly 26: Tomorrow’s Crimes:On the vast ring habitat Ouroboros, Jel and her synthetic companion Marcus search for Arja, the third member of their triad. This quest leads them to a cryptic technology cult with questionable motives. When they suffer a vicious attack, Marcus and Jel join forces with one of Ouroboros’most renowned computer and robotics experts to get to the bottom of the mystery.This thought-provoking sf tale explores artificial intelligence, religion, and the ties that bind families together in a fast-paced story full of action, intrigue, and heart.Club Codex is finishing our discussion of the Prometheus Award-winning novel “Cloud-Castles” by Dave Freer in June.Follow along with my thoughts on this novel and contribute your own in the following thread:Click here for more details about Club Codex in 2024. Please join us! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecosmiccodex.com
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    2 mins
  • Hell on wheels

    Hell on wheels
    Jun 21 2024
    My novelette, An Illicit Mercy, is part of a new promotion in June and July, Get the page turners before they’re gone!Nearly 60 books available for free.My latest novelette, “Long Night On the Endless City,” appears in Boundary Shock Quarterly 26: Tomorrow’s Crimes:On the vast ring habitat Ouroboros, Jel and her synthetic companion Marcus search for Arja, the third member of their triad. This quest leads them to a cryptic technology cult with questionable motives. When they suffer a vicious attack, Marcus and Jel join forces with one of Ouroboros’most renowned computer and robotics experts to get to the bottom of the mystery.This thought-provoking sf tale explores artificial intelligence, religion, and the ties that bind families together in a fast-paced story full of action, intrigue, and heart.Get your FREE preview of Fallen!This is a sneak-peek of the first book of a two-part series. The sequel, Risen, is coming soon.Brendan Murphy nearly died fighting for his country.Now he’s trying to stop a war.Five years ago, alien ship appeared in low orbit all around the world and stayed there, waiting. A highly advanced alien race known as the Sabia lingered with little contact with humanity, and the worlds’ governments have been eager for answers – and access- for years.When combat veteran Brendan Murphy is wounded stopping an attack on a Sabia diplomat, he finds himself whisked aboard one of their ships and given medical aid. This rare opportunity finds him walking a tenuous line between burgeoning friendships and secret agenda that will test his loyalties and sanity in ways he can’t begin to imagine.Club Codex is finishing our discussion of the Prometheus Award-winning novel “Cloud-Castles” by Dave Freer in June.Follow along with my thoughts on this novel and contribute your own in the following thread:Click here for more details about Club Codex in 2024. Please join us!The recent premier of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the latest movie in the Mad Max franchise, provides a good opportunity to correct the record regarding the origin of a couple of popular cinematic characters.A number of science fiction movie franchises have their origins in sf literature. Often, this debt is acknowledged, but sometimes credit doesn’t go the the author who deserves it.Thanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The latter appears to be the case for the popular characters Max Rockatansky from the 1979 movie Mad Max, and Snake Plisskin from the 1981 movie Escape from New York. While it may be easy to distinguish between these two charismatic, post-apocalyptic anti-heroes because of their unique settings, they appear to share a common ancestor in Hell Tanner, the protagonist of Roger Zelazny’s 1967 Hugo-nominated novella ”Damnation Alley”.While I can’t prove George Miller, director of Mad Max, and John Carpenter, director of Escape from New York, read “Damnation Alley”, it seems likely.Consider, for example, one of the first scenes in Zelazny’s novella:He saw the roadblock and turned. They were not sure how he had managed it that quickly, at that speed. But now he was heading away from them. He heard the gunshots and kept going. Then he heard the sirens.He blew his horn twice in reply and leaned far forward. The Harley leaped ahead, and he wondered whether they were radioing to someone farther on up the line.He ran for ten minutes and couldn’t shake them. Then fifteen.He topped another hill, and far ahead he saw the second block. He was bottled in.He looked all around him for side roads, saw none. Then he bore a straight course toward the second block. Might as well try to run it.Reading this is like watching a Mad Max movie in my head. A harried protagonist deals with armed attackers while navigating a high speed vehicle down a perilous road. And make no mistake, Hell Tanner’s driving skills are a match for any character Miller ever created for the Mad Max series.Thank you for reading The Cosmic Codex. This post is public so feel free to share it.It turns out Tanner is running from a deal he made in exchange for a full pardon from the national (you read that right) government of California. He’s been serving time for the extensive rap sheet he’s run up in his 25-30 years of life. But now he’s having buyer’s remorse. To earn his pardon, he has to deliver the vaccine for bubonic plague to an infected Boston before all its residents die. The problem is he can only accomplish this in time by running Damnation Alley, the coast-to-coast route across a post-apocalyptic (like Rockatansky’s Australia or Plisskin’s New York) America. The only person to do this successfully was the messenger who delivered the news of the epidemic to California. And he immediately died of the injuries he sustained en route.A prisoner of the national government is coerced into service facing a hellscape for the greater good. If this plot sounds familiar,...
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    9 mins
  • Space adventure about contemporary problems

    Space adventure about contemporary problems
    Jun 14 2024
    My novelette, An Illicit Mercy, is part of a new promotion in May and June, Science Fiction & Fantasy Reads.Check out over 80 books available for free.My latest novelette, “Long Night On the Endless City,” appears in Boundary Shock Quarterly 26: Tomorrow’s Crimes:On the vast ring habitat Ouroboros, Jel and her synthetic companion Marcus search for Arja, the third member of their triad. This quest leads them to a cryptic technology cult with questionable motives. When they suffer a vicious attack, Marcus and Jel join forces with one of Ouroboros’most renowned computer and robotics experts to get to the bottom of the mystery.This thought-provoking sf tale explores artificial intelligence, religion, and the ties that bind families together in a fast-paced story full of action, intrigue, and heart.Get your FREE copy of Elemental by Liane MahughRaya's ability to control the elements is more than a way of life - it could be her death sentence. Sent on a solo mission to Earth, she runs into trouble when her ship crashes near a small town. Will her supernatural powers be enough to keep her safe on this unfamiliar world?For Raya to make it home, she must learn to trust the teens who befriend her while keeping the truth about her mission a secret from them. It doesn't take long for her new friends to wonder: was she sent to help, or destroy us?Read Elemental now to find out if Raya will triumph or be taken down as a threat to mankind.Elemental is the first in the series. Be sure to follow-up with Book 2 - Down Comes the Dark.The science fiction young adult novel (or “juvenile,” as it used to be called) has been with us since Robert A. Heinlein published Rocket Ship Galileo in 1947. While they may not have been labeled as such, many of Andre Norton’s science fiction novels also read like juveniles. Her protagonist is usually a young adult, almost always an orphan, who has to find his (most are young men) way in the galaxy. In my hometown library, this ambiguity caused Norton’s duology The Zero Stone (1968) and Uncharted Stars (1969) to be cataloged with the children’s books. Meanwhile, I could find the very similar Sargasso of Space (1955), Plague Ship (1956), and Voodoo Planet (1959) in the adult section.While the library may have been confused, sf readers weren’t. In 2005, the year Norton died, the Young Adult Fiction Committee for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association created the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, since renamed the Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction.Charlie Jane Anders received the 2023 Andre Norton Nebula Award for Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak, the middle book of her Unstoppable space adventure trilogy.Anders tells the story of several teenagers from Earth who’ve been transported to the multi-species galactic civilization known as the Firmament, which is protected by the Royal Fleet. The protagonist is Tina Mains—an adolescent who is also an immature clone of Captain Thaoh Argentian, hero of the Royal Fleet. A procedure to restore Argentian’s memories doesn’t work as expected, so for the most part, Tina must manage using her own resources and those of her friends.The previous volume, Victories Greater than Death, ended with a big win pointing to deeper, darker mysteries. The middle book explores where each of the kids go in their new lives, including their relationships with one another and those they meet along the way.Thanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.With this novel, Anders continues her examination of two main themes from the first book and elevates another to primary status.Gender identity is one significant theme, including how languages refer to this characteristic. Members of the Royal Fleet, as well as other citizens of the Firmament, often introduce themselves to new acquaintances by providing both their name and their preferred pronoun. Automatic translation accommodates the gender-fluid by updating those they meet regarding their current pronoun.Informed consent is another theme carried over from the previous novel. This topic comes up frequently in conversations between the teenagers, whether they are close friends or dating one another.Cultural imperialism is the newly-elevated theme. While the first book touched on this idea, developments during the novel’s climax make it a major concern in Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak.This is a lot of territory to cover in a young adult book, and for the most part Anders pulls it off.She aptly handles a large cast without confusing readers about what’s going on or who’s doing it. In this volume, she innovates on the structure of the first book by labeling sections with the name of the current point-of-view character. This helps prevent the reader from getting lost in the details and keeps the overall storyline clear.Anders is talented at describing non-human species in ...
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    16 mins
  • The thief who could topple an empire

    The thief who could topple an empire
    May 26 2024
    My novelette, An Illicit Mercy, is part of a new promotion in May and June, Science Fiction & Fantasy Reads.Check out over 80 books available for free.My latest novelette, “Long Night On the Endless City,” appears in Boundary Shock Quarterly 26: Tomorrow’s Crimes:On the vast ring habitat Ouroboros, Jel and her synthetic companion Marcus search for Arja, the third member of their triad. This quest leads them to a cryptic technology cult with questionable motives. When they suffer a vicious attack, Marcus and Jel join forces with one of Ouroboros’most renowned computer and robotics experts to get to the bottom of the mystery.This thought-provoking sf tale explores artificial intelligence, religion, and the ties that bind families together in a fast-paced story full of action, intrigue, and heart.A reluctant thief. A caring robot. A death that changes everything.Get your FREE copy of Neuracode - Part 1 by Eris Goode and Kris Ruhler.QUINN wants nothing more than to live a normal life after being rescued from the New Realm station. But when he and his eccentric friend Hana encounter Cass, he finds himself dragged into countless daring schemes.Normal is no longer an option.And with their most ambitious job on the horizon, the stakes are higher than ever. They’ll need to pull out all the stops—their lives depend on it.TSUKI is a special PAC—Personal Assistant and Care—bot. Her unique personality chip allows her to experience the intricacies of life, including a wide spectrum of emotions.Humanity is hers to embrace.Through painting and taking care of her friends, Tsuki enjoys her life on the New Realm station. But she’s about to discover everything she thought she knew about humanity is wrong. So very wrong.Neuracode: Part I is the first half of the prequel to Project Juniper, a thrilling YA/NA cyberpunk series written by Eris Goode.Science fiction author Bethany Jacobs once taught sf and writing at the college level. Five years ago she left academia for the education technology field so she would have more time to write.Thanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.On March 29, presenters at Norwescon announced Jacobs as the winner of the 2024 Philip K. Dick Award for her first novel, the space opera These Burning Stars.From the publisher’s website:A dangerous cat-and-mouse quest for revenge. An empire that spans star systems, built on the bones of a genocide. A carefully hidden secret that could collapse worlds, hunted by three women with secrets of their own. This is an explosive space opera debut from one of the most powerful new voices in science fiction.On a dusty backwater planet, occasional thief Jun Ironway has gotten her hands on the score of a lifetime: a secret that could raze the Kindom, the ruling power of the galaxy.A star system away, preternaturally stoic Chono and brilliant hothead Esek— the two most brutal clerics of the Kindom—are tasked with hunting Jun down.And tracking all three across the stars is a ghost from their shared past known only as Six. But what Six wants is anyone’s guess. It’s a game of manipulation and betrayal that could destroy them all. And they have no choice but to see it through.Thank you for reading The Cosmic Codex. This post is public so feel free to share it.Sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, and supported by the Philip K. Dick Trust, the Philip K. Dick Award is “…presented annually…for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States.”Congratulations to Bethany Jacobs!She currently lives in Buffalo with her wife (and her dog!)Have you read These Burning Stars? Do you plan to? Please share your thoughts! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecosmiccodex.com
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    3 mins
  • Ninety degrees from everything

    Ninety degrees from everything
    May 16 2024
    My novelette, An Illicit Mercy, is part of a new promotion in May and June, Science Fiction & Fantasy Reads.Check out over 75 books available for free.My latest novelette, “Long Night On the Endless City,” appears in Boundary Shock Quarterly 26: Tomorrow’s Crimes:On the vast ring habitat Ouroboros, Jel and her synthetic companion Marcus search for Arja, the third member of their triad. This quest leads them to a cryptic technology cult with questionable motives. When they suffer a vicious attack, Marcus and Jel join forces with one of Ouroboros’most renowned computer and robotics experts to get to the bottom of the mystery.This thought-provoking sf tale explores artificial intelligence, religion, and the ties that bind families together in a fast-paced story full of action, intrigue, and heart.Get your FREE copy of Designating the FutureThe newest colony, Merocius, represents hope for a brighter future, away from the overpopulated Homeworld. But landing a spot on “The Aspire” is difficult.They need the best of the best on this mission because there’s no room for mistakes. The ship is the largest, the distance the farthest, and the solar system the most unexplored. Nothing can go wrong.To say they’re being highly selective would be an understatement.Meet the crew of The Aspire before they find out if their post’s approved and see how close some come to being left behind.Join my newsletter and get Designating the Future today!by Brian Scott Pauls with the help of ChatGPT 3.5The quest to understand the fundamental nature of our universe has been a driving force in human exploration and scientific inquiry for centuries. One of the most intriguing questions that have puzzled scientists and philosophers alike is the true dimensionality of the space we inhabit. While we experience the world in three spatial dimensions, theoretical physicists have proposed the existence of additional dimensions beyond our conventional perception.Thanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.A number of science fiction writers have based stories on the concept of additional dimensions:“‘—And He Built a Crooked House—’” by Robert A. HeinleinYoung, eccentric architect Quintus Teal designs a house based on a tesseract, a four-dimensional geometric shape. However, when an earthquake strikes, the house collapses, but not in the way one might expect. Instead of crumbling to the ground, the structure folds in on itself, creating a bizarre and mind-bending labyrinth of interconnected rooms and corridors. As Teal, his friend Homer Bailey, and Bailey’s wife Matilda explore Teal’s strangely distorted creation, they must grapple with surreal challenges posed by its now four-dimensional shape. With wit and ingenuity, Heinlein crafts a tale that explores the boundaries of perception and reality, challenging readers to rethink their understanding of space and dimensionality.“Mimsy Were the Borogoves” by Lewis PadgettThis captivating tale, written by C. L. Moore and Henry Kuttner under a pseudonym, begins when a box of futuristic toys from the future is accidentally sent back in time and ends up in the hands of two young siblings, Scott and Emma. Unbeknownst to the children, the toys are designed to enhance intelligence and perception, in part through the understanding of non-Euclidean and multidimensional geometry. As their minds expand and their perceptions shift, the children's newfound abilities lead them to uncover secrets that reshape their understanding of reality. Through its blend of science fiction and fantasy, "Mimsy Were the Borogoves" explores themes of childhood innocence, the nature of intelligence, and the transformative power of imagination.A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’EngleThis young adult novel is a timeless tale of adventure, courage, and the power of love across the dimensions of space and time. The story follows Meg Murry, her brilliant brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe as they embark on a cosmic journey to rescue Meg's father, a scientist who has disappeared while researching interdimensional travel. Guided by three mysterious beings—Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which—the children traverse the universe, encountering strange worlds and confronting dark forces that seek to enslave entire civilizations. "A Wrinkle in Time" invites readers of all ages to ponder the mysteries of the universe and the infinite possibilities that lie beyond the confines of ordinary reality.Thank you for reading The Cosmic Codex. This post is public so feel free to share it.In this article, we delve into the fascinating realm of multidimensional space and explore the various theories that attempt to explain how many dimensions may make up our universe.The Three Dimensions We KnowOur everyday experience of space is defined by three spatial dimensions: length, width, and height. These dimensions allow us to navigate and ...
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    10 mins
  • When minds collide

    When minds collide
    May 4 2024



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecosmiccodex.com
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    6 mins
  • "Probability Amplitudes" has a new cover

    "Probability Amplitudes" has a new cover
    Apr 26 2024
    My novelette, An Illicit Mercy, is part of a new promotion in April and May, Free Sci-Fi and Fantasy.Check out nearly 75 books available for free.My latest novelette, “Long Night On the Endless City,” appears in Boundary Shock Quarterly 26: Tomorrow’s Crimes:On the vast ring habitat Ouroboros, Jel and her synthetic companion Marcus search for Arja, the third member of their triad. This quest leads them to a cryptic technology cult with questionable motives. When they suffer a vicious attack, Marcus and Jel join forces with one of Ouroboros’most renowned computer and robotics experts to get to the bottom of the mystery.This thought-provoking sf tale explores artificial intelligence, religion, and the ties that bind families together in a fast-paced story full of action, intrigue, and heart.Get your FREE copy of The Great Asteroid TheftA Star Lawyers Series PrequelThe Great Asteroid Theft – Murder, conspiracy, clash of rival star nations over vast wealth from mining asteroids. And sizzling romance on the frontier world of Olathe-5.Alien claim-jumpers are robbing asteroid miners of their hard-won discoveries in the vast, four-belted Olathe System. These pirates are carting off high value ores while officials of the Terran Commonwealth take bribes to look the other way.Meet young attorneys Tyler and J.B. Matthews long before they launched Star Lawyers Corporation. You’ll also encounter the spicy East Indian Lieutenant Varuna Singh, attorney with the Energy Consortium who teams up with the Matthews brothers to stop the Great Asteroid Theft.The Star Lawyers series starts at Olathe-5. Be there when Tyler and J.B. launch their careers in this 32nd century, crime and punishment legal thriller.I’m a visual thinker. Pictorial representations of my work serve as both an inspiration and a motivation to write.In previous posts about my upcoming collection, Probability Amplitudes, I’ve used the following image of the cover:I purchased this image in 2021, when I first began working on my first collection in earnest. I saw it available online and grabbed it before someone else did. I also wanted to see what my as-yet-nonexistent book would look like. Seeing it helped me believe I could do it.Thanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Since then, the length of Probability Amplitudes has increased, both in overall word count and the number of stories. This calls for a change in the subtitle. As any modification requires me to go back to the cover creator and pay a change fee, I’ve been holding off until I’m certain how many stories the book will contain.In the meantime, three years have passed. Tastes change. Even when I bought this cover, the image may have been on the outer edge of what the market preferred. Now I’m concerned it may be completely out-of-date.While I’ve been working on my stories, I’ve also been experimenting with artificial intelligence tools. These include Midjourney, which I use to create digital illustrations for The Cosmic Codex.Thank you for reading The Cosmic Codex. This post is public so feel free to share it.I realized with Midjourney and an affordable BookBrush subscription, I could make custom book covers using BookBrush’s cover creation tool. I tried it, and was more impressed with the fonts available from BookBrush than I had been with those on the cover I bought. I also felt Midjourney did a respectable job producing a background image, allowing me to specify elements I liked about the purchased cover. And if I change my mind, I can create new mock-ups myself, whenever I want.See the result below:When I shared both covers with a few prospective readers, asking which they preferred, sentiment was overwhelmingly in favor of the new cover. I plan to use it for the book when I’m ready to publish.As far as that goes, I’ve made a little progress chipping away at the amount of new material required. It’s down to 46% (from 47%) of the anticipated 160,000 words. But I noticed I had mis-categorized some material as “Final Draft” which was really “First Draft.” I’ve corrected this in the following chart:I still have long way to go, but I’m encouraged by what I’ve accomplished so far. The end is in sight.See below for links to three short stories (and the excerpt of another) which I plan to include in Probability Amplitudes.Short Stories* “The Play of Light In the Present Moment”* ”Critical Impact Vulnerabilities”* ”Chthonic Echoes”Excerpt* Long Night On the Endless CityQuestions or comments? Please share your thoughts! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecosmiccodex.com
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    3 mins
  • An illustrious career in science fiction publishing

    An illustrious career in science fiction publishing
    Apr 20 2024
    My novelette, An Illicit Mercy, is part of a new promotion in April and May, Free Sci-Fi and Fantasy.Check out nearly 75 books available for free.My latest novelette, “Long Night On the Endless City,” appears in Boundary Shock Quarterly 26: Tomorrow’s Crimes:On the vast ring habitat Ouroboros, Jel and her synthetic companion Marcus search for Arja, the third member of their triad. This quest leads them to a cryptic technology cult with questionable motives. When they suffer a vicious attack, Marcus and Jel join forces with one of Ouroboros’most renowned computer and robotics experts to get to the bottom of the mystery.This thought-provoking sf tale explores artificial intelligence, religion, and the ties that bind families together in a fast-paced story full of action, intrigue, and heart.A reluctant thief. A caring robot. A death that changes everything.Get your FREE copy of Neuracode - Part 1 by Eris Goode and Kris Ruhler.QUINN wants nothing more than to live a normal life after being rescued from the New Realm station. But when he and his eccentric friend Hana encounter Cass, he finds himself dragged into countless daring schemes.Normal is no longer an option.And with their most ambitious job on the horizon, the stakes are higher than ever. They’ll need to pull out all the stops—their lives depend on it.TSUKI is a special PAC—Personal Assistant and Care—bot. Her unique personality chip allows her to experience the intricacies of life, including a wide spectrum of emotions.Humanity is hers to embrace.Through painting and taking care of her friends, Tsuki enjoys her life on the New Realm station. But she’s about to discover everything she thought she knew about humanity is wrong. So very wrong.Neuracode: Part I is the first half of the prequel to Project Juniper, a thrilling YA/NA cyberpunk series written by Eris Goode.Like millions of other science fiction readers, and thousands of science fiction writers, I found my view of the sf genre profoundly affected by Robert A. Heinlein. Throughout junior high and high school, the compelling characters and convincing science in his juveniles defined well-written, believable science fiction for me.Thanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.First the idea, then the reality of space travel inspired Heinlein’s writing. Unlike much of his work for adults, many of the juveniles were set within the Solar System. It didn’t matter they were already 30 years old when I read them. Heinlein described a future in which I wanted to live, and made it seem possible.In 2003, the Heinlein Society created the Robert A. Heinlein Award “[f]or outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings to inspire the human exploration of space.” The Baltimore Science Fiction Society presents the award each year.Tom Doherty, founder of Tor Books, is the winner of the 2024 Robert A. Heinlein Award, “…in recognition of Mr. Doherty’s work in bringing the inspiring books of hundreds of authors writing about our future in Space [sic] to public awareness.”Thank you for reading The Cosmic Codex. This post is public so feel free to share it.Doherty was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1935. He majored in chemical engineering and philosophy at Hartford’s Trinity College. Following service in the Army, Doherty entered the publishing field as a sales representative. He worked for a number of publishers, including Pocket Books and Simon & Schuster.In 1980, Doherty founded Tom Doherty Associates Inc. and began to publish using the imprint “Tor Books.” With Jim Baen and Dick Gallen, he spun off Baen Books in 1983. Finding Tor’s growth constrained, Doherty sold the company to a subsidiary of Macmillan in 1987.Today, Tor is a major publisher of science fiction and fantasy, claiming the status of “…the world’s premier publisher of novella-length…” works in these genres.The Baltimore Science Fiction Society will formally present Doherty with this year’s Robert A. Heinlein Award at Balticon 58 on Friday, May 24.Questions or comments? Please share your thoughts! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecosmiccodex.com
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    3 mins