The Cosmic Codex

By: Brian Scott Pauls
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  • Living in a science fiction universe...

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    Brian Scott Pauls
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  • What sf authors does an sf legend recommend?

    What sf authors does an sf legend recommend?
    Sep 19 2024
    My novelette, An Illicit Mercy, is part of a new promotion in September: Free Fantasy & SciFi.Seventy science fiction and fantasy books, available at no cost.For a chance to live, would you leave everything you know behind?Get your FREE copy of If I Go!Home with his overwrought older sister as a deadly flu pandemic sweeps the globe, sixteen-year-old Daniel is scared and out of his depth. Unable to reach his parents, his only source of comfort as the world falls apart are his faithful pets. When a chance to escape the flu is dangled before him, Daniel is confronted with an agonizing choice that will change his life forever.On September 10, I had the honor of watching a live virtual lecture by Samuel R. Delany, presented by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC.)Hosted by SAIC assistant professor Dr. Kirin Wachter-Grene, the conversation with Delany ran for over an hour-and-a-half. Most of the discussion focused on his background growing up as a dyslexic, gay, black man in New York City, including references to multiple books in which he delves into this history.Thanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Of particular interest to sf readers, however, is the answer to a question about what science fiction authors Delany himself reads. It surprised me to learn Delany has never read much science fiction, and still doesn’t do so today. But regarding those authors whom even he finds compelling, he recommended two—Joanna Russ and Ted Sturgeon.Born in 1918, Hugo and Nebula award-winner Sturgeon published his first science fiction story in 1939 and continued writing for over four decades. Of his theme, he said, “I think what I have been trying to do all these years is to investigate this matter of love, sexual and asexual.” This may well be the attraction for Delany, who has written so much on the subject of sex himself.Feminist and Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning author Russ was born in 1937. Raised, like Delany, in New York City, she published her first short story in 1955. In the SAIC lecture, Delany discussed how he and Russ carried on a long correspondence, currently being compiled for publication as a three volume series. Given Delany’s first-hand experience of racism, and Russ’ first-hand experience of sexism, it’s understandable why they might have had quite a lot to share with one another.Delany is the subject of the third annual Sturgeon Symposium, hosted by the Gunn Center for Science Fiction at the University of Kansas from October 24-25. He plans to attend.Club Codex is reading and discussing The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith through the end of September.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!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.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
  • Against the empire

    Against the empire
    Sep 7 2024
    My novelette, An Illicit Mercy, is part of a new promotion in August and September: Thoughtful Science Fiction.Nearly 35 science fiction and fantasy books, available at no cost.Get your exclusive copy of the short story When Traitors Fall by Abby J. Reed.250 years before a ship crashed onto a blood soaked planet . . .After the Solterans invaded his galaxy, Emil Lopez is one of the last remaining cadets in the Avonley Defense Academy. All he wants is to make a name for himself and prove to the world he is no traitor. Unlike his parents.When the Solterans attack the ADA, Humanity's final stronghold, Emil is paired with the famous Captain Young for the epic battle. Emil's chance to make a difference, and a name for himself, skyrockets. Until he must choose between the loyalty he's always prized and the legacy he's always longed for, at a steeper cost than he ever dreamed.Interstellar empires, despite their scientific implausibility, are perennial favorites in science fiction, and this year’s Hugo Awards are no exception. Novels featuring this fan-favorite trope won in two literary award categories. A third honors an author who has imagined an empire which may be more earthbound, but is just as fantastic.Thanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Best NovelSome Desperate Glory, by Emily TeshWorld Fantasy and Astounding award-winner Emily Tesh grew up in London and currently teaches classics in the UK.The Macmillan website describes Some Desperate Glory in this way:While we live, the enemy shall fear us.Since she was born, Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the murder of planet Earth. Raised in the bowels of Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, she readies herself to face the Wisdom, the powerful, reality-shaping weapon that gave the majoda their victory over humanity.They are what’s left. They are what must survive. Kyr is one of the best warriors of her generation, the sword of a dead planet. When Command assigns her brother to certain death and relegates her to Nursery to bear sons until she dies trying, she knows she must take humanity's revenge into her own hands.Alongside her brother’s brilliant but seditious friend and a lonely, captive alien, Kyr escapes from everything she’s known into a universe far more complicated than she was taught and far more wondrous than she could have imagined.Thanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! This post is public so feel free to share it.Best SeriesThe Imperial Radch trilogy by Ann LeckieHugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award-winner Ann Leckie has created a complex universe of sentient warships, “zombie” crews, and an absolute ruler difficult to kill because they inhabit multiple bodies at the same time.The Hachette website describes Ancillary Justice, the first book in the series.On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.Breq is both more than she seems and less than she was. Years ago, she was the Justice of Toren — a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of corpse soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy.An act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with only one fragile human body. And only one purpose — to revenge herself on Anaander Mianaai, many-bodied, near-immortal Lord of the Radch.Astounding Award for Best New AuthorXiran Jay ZhaoBSFA Award winner Xiran Jay Zhao was born in China and immigrated to Canada as a young child. They began writing at 15 and published their first novel, Iron Widow, in 2021.Zhao’s win this year is especially significant. In 2023, they were inexcusably blocked from contention for the Astounding Award at the 81st World Science Fiction Convention in Chengdu, China. The Hugo Award administrators made this unjust decision to avoid offending Chinese censors.The Penguin Random House website includes the following summary for Iron Widow:The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall of China. It doesn’t matter that the girls die from the mental strain.When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But when she gets her vengeance, it becomes clear that she is an Iron Widow, a rare kind of female pilot who can sacrifice males to power up Chrysalises instead.To tame her frightening yet valuable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest male pilot in Huaxia, yet feared and ostracized for killing his father and brothers. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will take over instead, then leverage their combined strength to force her society to stop failing its women and girls. Or die trying.Club Codex is reading and discussing The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith...
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    5 mins
  • "Probability Amplitudes": Mapping the road ahead

    "Probability Amplitudes": Mapping the road ahead
    Sep 2 2024
    My novelette, An Illicit Mercy, is part of a new promotion in August and September: Thoughtful Science Fiction.Nearly 35 science fiction and fantasy books, available at no cost.Flying blind risks everything.Join the mission! Get your FREE copy of The Storm of the Eye by Dan Daetz. A former test and fighter pilot, Dan has injected this story with gritty aviation realism and a surprise twist!When the Laggan United Defense force yanks novice fighter pilot "Thrower" Larsen off leave on his birthday, he's thrust immediately into action. Thrower joins an aerial assault against a band of Shadowers: scrappy rebels who love a good ambush in the dusky canyons of the Twilight Frontier. With his flight lead and commando force out of action, Thrower and his trusty gunner must go after a Shadower fleeing with a box of high-value technology. In the process, he receives a most unexpected birthday surprise. Last September, I increased the word count required for Probability Amplitudes, my first collection, from 120,000 words to 160,000 words. And in April I unveiled a new cover.Thanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.My upcoming novelette (in the October issue of Boundary Shock Quarterly) has allowed me to chip away at this intimidating goal. So I’ve updated the spreadsheet I use for tracking my progress.Bottom line: 56% of the project is now in a status of “First Draft” or later; 43% of the required word count remains to be written.New Material Required: 69,013 wordsFirst Draft: 82,352 wordsFinal Draft: 8635 wordsTOTAL: 160,000 wordsThanks for reading The Cosmic Codex! This post is public so feel free to share it.As the manuscript takes shape, I periodically revise my process, with some stories shifting back to “First Draft” after spending time in a more mature stage. This happens when I determine such stories require additional effort. So if you review my previous updates and it looks like I’m “cooking the books,” I am. But only to make the finished product better.The best news is, it looks like I now have a list of all titles that might appear in the collection. And only one is a new story remaining to be written. The rest are works I need to complete, expand, or rewrite, but not start from scratch.I’m looking forward to holding the finished book in my hands!Club Codex is reading and discussing The Hieros Gamos of Sam and An Smith through mid-September.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!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.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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    2 mins
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