Available in
October, 2008 from Double Edge Press:
The novel behind the series.
Calamity's
Child
A Novel of the
Frontier
The man who brought you the fantasy epic Speakers and Kings
turns his attention to the future, delivering space opera with rare depth. On the edge of the Human Hegemony lies the
Frontier—the rough and tumble worlds where the law is spread too thin and the
only real government is what people chose for themselves (usually none). Yet despite the danger, there is also
freedom and the infinite possibility of redemption. Loyalty is the watchword and a man is as good as his word. No more, no less.
Against the background of mankind's future expansion into space, Calamity's
Child follows a young orphan and the family that grows around her as they
struggle, internally and externally, to find their place in the Frontier...and
insure no one takes it from them.
Originally released as a series in Ray Gun Revival magazine, Calamity's
Child is finally available under one cover and can be purchased from most
disreputable bookstores or the (reputable) publisher Double Edged Publishing. If you want a signed copy for yourself or
your loved one, email the author at MKeaton (at) archangelpress (dot) net.
Curious to see
if the author is traveling to your area?
Check out the News page for his latest
convention appearances, contests, opinions, and other publications.
Active duty
military? Want extra copies for your
troop? Contact the author for special
pricing.
Library,
school, or state-side post and looking for a guest speaker? Want to host a signing or reading? Want to use the book to promote
literacy? Need an author to work with
your class for a special assignment?
Contact the author.
Still
unsure? Read the series at Ray Gun Revival or take a look at the
Forward by Johne Cook.
Foreword
The enemy of my enemy is... Well,
it's complicated.
Sometimes opposites attract,
sometimes they are merely a marriage of convenience, and sometimes they are
flat-out lethal. More than just a buddy story about Ivan and Red Dog, the
human-hating alien bounty hunter / killer, author M Keaton's Calamity's
Child novel draws from classic sources to deliver a fresh take on the
sort of throwback story that they just don't write anymore.
When our space opera e-zine was just
getting started, one story broke out from among the pack and reassured me that legitimate
sci-fi authors understood what we were trying to do, and gave me hope that we
might find some traction with like-minded fans of golden age sci-fi. That
story was "Subject Real," by M Keaton, and is the first chapter of
the ambitious novel you now hold in your hands. I am happy to report that
its author is as much of a maverick as his characters. In an era of
shrinking readership, I admire anyone who has it in them to buck that trend.
Where today's speculative fiction
seems largely dominated by cyberpunk dystopia and Tolkienesque fantasies, M
Keaton turns his gaze to the near future and the rough and tumble dangers of
the new frontier of space where humans and aliens are thrown together in an
epic struggle for survival and glory. There is a wealth of gritty tales to be
told there, and he tackles the task with confidence and enthusiasm.
This is a story not easily
pigeon-holed into any one category. There is a lot going on here behind the
scenes, with nods to history, philosophy, military tactics and strategy, and
simple human Will in all its implacable ferocity. I like a story that
makes me want to know more about the unwritten back story, and with M, one gets
the impression that there is much he hasn't yet shared with us. M writes
with the savvy wiles of a Mike Resnick and the energetic buzz of a John Scalzi,
managing the neat trick of marrying the best of the past with the freshness of
the cutting edge present.
One thing is certain, with the
adventures of Ivan and Red Dog and the colorful characters of the last
frontier, you can take the human out of Earth, but you can't take the Earth out
of humans.
God help us all.
Johne
Cook
Editor,
Ray Gun Revival magazine
Breezeway,
WI
September 2008
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