My latest novel is a sci-fi mystery story set in 2064, in a world based loosely on our own where immortality has been achieved via workable, but imperfect, hologram simulation technology. Check out the amazing cover, which was designed by Kat Bastow and incorporates elements by Bruno Thethe and Irina Bg. I think it manages […]
This month for me in PC games, the city-builder Surviving Mars by Haemimont Games via the mighty Paradox Interactive is undisputed royalty, but this recommendation comes with a health warning. I picked the game up a while back and got around to giving it a go this month, intending one of my quick tests to […]
Sci-fi’s impact on the mainstream is surely stronger than it has been for a long, long time – but let’s hope that the in-depth characterisation that elevated the SF of yesteryear isn’t sacrificed on the altar of beautiful surfaces. Take the mega-success of Squid Game, the survival-game dystopia with a strong anti-capitalist theme that has, ironically, […]
It’s always a good day out, of course, but it’s a particularly great time to visit Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre in Cheshire at the moment. Crisp weather and few crowds make for a relaxed, unhurried and still relatively socially distanced experience, and the grounds surrounding the radio telescope are also showing off the winners and commended entries […]
Need to focus on writing while ambient and electronic sounds wash over you? Here’s my go-to Spotify playlist… stick it on shuffle for minimal vocals, maximum dreamy ambience, SF-themed electro, synthwave, headphone electronica and more. I’m a science-fiction writer, so there’s a broad theme of space and futuristic SF stuff running through my selections. When […]
Dystopian fiction just became even harder to write today, as reality upped its game considerably with Amazon’s announcement of the Astro domestic robot… This 20lb, two-foot-tall domestic surveillance droid is designed to offer its owners “peace of mind” – ‘in exchange for you handing over every last scrap of you and your family’s privacy forever’, […]
Settle down people, because this month has been all about waiting out the countdown to the release of Aliens: Fireteam. I think it’s excellent, delivering exactly what it says on the tin. You’re one of a three-person team (preferably multiplayer for best experience) comprising character tropes from the Cameron film, the vibe of which it nails from the […]
Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers is my favourite SF story. Day by day, its main thesis – that we’ve all been replaced by emotionless simulacra who look, sound and think alike – becomes less of a sci-fi idea and more of a prediction. An example: a number of podcasts I’ve heard recently featured authors arguing about […]
Here’s the latest in what’s becoming something of a series of recommendation posts, offering my latest picks from internet space-radio specialists Soma FM’s Groove Salad and Deep Space One channels – always my preferred pick for ambience when I’m writing. It’s also the kind of stuff I imagine that Avion pilot Vonya of Ok’cuu from […]
I’ve been working my way through the much hyped and then equally maligned Cyberpunk 2077 on PC of late – it’s another of those sitting-at-a-time type open-world type games I like to pick up, play for a few hours and put down again, and I thought it was worth a few words. I’m also going […]