Science Fiction – Page 2

Patreon Benefits

I’ve posted a number of Patreon only benefits, like more images from some of the AI Studies and I’ll also always give early access to the next installment of the books that are posted on here for free. Probably, I’ll offer whole chapters as Early Access rather than the by week releases.

Anyone who is a paid member for at least six months out of a year (based on their original subscription date) will receive The Half Elven Orphan as part of their Patreon benefits. Right now, as soon as you qualify you would receive the beta reader version of the book in pdf and epub formats and I’ll make the ‘as published’ version available as soon as its released too.

Next year’s 2025 patreon book will probably be Volume I of the Total War series, Dropship Down. Up until December 2025 anyone who has been a member for a total of twelve months will of course receive both books, as I obviously didn’t launch my Patreon page until September 2024.

Influences: Robert Heinlein

The work of Robert Heinlein, one of the fathers of science fiction has been a big influence on the Total War setting. Most people know him from the book Starship Troopers and the awful movies that are based on it. (My apologies to the movie fans, but if you read the book first, the movie was a grand disappointment.) The book is part military coming of age novel, part political and social treatise, which are all themes that are at least a little present in the Clausewitz series.

Heinlein wrote much more than Starship Troopers. Stranger in a Strange Land tells the story of a human who grew up among aliens on Mars returning to Earth for the first time, giving a point of view of human society that’s just a wonderful exploration of our strange habits. Glory Road is one of my favourites. It’s a fantasy book, essentially and the story told seems to resonate though I never really know why. I think it appeals to everyone’s sense of adventure. The list of Heinlein’s work which can get very weird and even pornographic, exploring all sorts of taboos, is all intriguing. That man’s mind must have been an interesting place.

Here are Amazon links to some of my favourites and yes, I may earn a commission if you purchase through these links.

Starship Troopers
Glory Road
Stranger in a Strange Land

Invaders – AI Study

Another AI study. This is a scene that you may well encounter in the Total War series… or not. Who these guys are should become clear somewhere in The Nuclear Hello (Clausewitz II).

Droopy Dropship

A very quick and rough 3D model I did in OpenSCAD because I wanted to get a better idea of what was going on in and around the “EV-722” dropship that is an important part of the Dropship Down science fiction series in the Total War setting. The three figures represent people 1.7m, 1.8m and 1.9m tall.