Science fiction has always been a passion of mine and, paradoxically, so has history. I lost count long ago of how many historical treatises and historical fiction books I’ve read alongside the science fiction classics, especially those with a military flavor. I was also an Army officer, both regular and reserve, for most of my adult life, and gleefully tore through the recommended Army reading list, much of which focused on military history. Combining my interest in history with my military experience and my love for science fiction led me to create a future universe where empires rise, grow old, and collapse only to be reborn and repeat the cycle.
I wrote...
Imperial Sunset (Ashes of Empire)
By
Eric Thomson
What is my book about?
When humanity's first interstellar empire comes crashing down in a murderous civil war, one man fights to save his civilization's greatest treasure from the long night of barbarism — the knowledge and wisdom accumulated by countless societies over thousands of years. With that knowledge preserved, humanity might, one day, regain its place among the stars. But before Captain Jonas Morane, late of her Imperial Majesty’s Navy, can even begin his work to rescue as much as possible, he must lead a ragtag starship convoy through a wormhole network torn asunder by conflict and reach an almost forgotten world.
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The Books I Picked & Why
Dune
By
Frank Herbert
Why this book?
Dune was one of the first epic science fiction novels I read as a teenager, and it had a profound influence on my relationship with the genre because of the sweeping narrative which created a universe where high and low tech lived side-by-side with mysticism. The idea of a story set so far into the future that I could barely grasp the passage of time, but with societies we can still recognize made me realize that humanity will not and probably cannot fundamentally change. And that narrative thread came to influence my own writing.
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Foundation
By
Isaac Asimov
Why this book?
Foundation wasn’t my first Asimov story. On the contrary. My father enjoyed his books, and I tore through his library after discovering them as a teen. But what set Foundation apart from his other work and made it memorable for me was the concept of psychohistory — predicting how humanity would develop through rise, collapse, and rebirth. The idea fired up my own imagination and there is no doubt Asimov’s influence was key in helping me develop as a writer by sparking ideas about the rise and fall of empires, something that always fascinated me as an amateur historian.
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War World: Discovery
By
John F. Carr
Why this book?
The War World series of novels, novellas, and short stories drew me in because they represent a microcosm of what happens when a civilization crashes in an inhospitable environment. I’ve been an avid fan of Jerry Pournelle’s CoDominium universe ever since reading West of Honor and seeing how it evolved for good and for bad through the War World lens, as developed by a long list of fantastic authors, kept intriguing me for years. Many of the concepts developed throughout the series had a marked influence on my own worldbuilding, and for that, it will always have a special place in my pantheon of books.
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The Forge (The Raj Whitehall Series: The General, Book 1)
By
S.M. Stirling,
David Drake
Why this book?
This series, to my mind, epitomizes the idea of a gradual rebirth after a galactic civilization collapses, leaving humans stranded on countless worlds with varying degrees of technology. I found the way in which Drake approaches said rebirth incredibly fascinating as well as entertaining, by using sentient artifacts of the long-vanished empire to guide humans back to the stars. And, as a dog lover, I really enjoyed him using oversized canines instead of horses for his pre-industrial cavalry.
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The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
By
Edward Gibbon
Why this book?
I’ve been an amateur historian for as long as I can remember. The past enthralls me, especially the bits where everything goes wrong and entire societies crumble. I suppose it’s because I agree with George Santayana that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, and the idea has always held a certain fascination. As downfalls go, I figure none had a greater effect on western civilization than that of the classic Roman Empire and for me, it’s the template which explains so many historical cycles of the past and will continue to explain those of the future. Gibbon’s work is the definitive story of that era and a must-read for anyone interested in predicting what the next few centuries might bring.
