Topic: General thoughts on my latest novel.

Second attempt. Was logged out before publishing this post and lost everything.

I would like some feedback on my current novel, “What Doesn’t Kill Us…” concerning the direction I should head. In the next chapter I’ll publish, I have Eileen and her hardy crew setting up for a trip to Proxima Centauri, and the home planet of the Zhikarese (Muk’ar).

On board with her and her immediate crew are such diverse groups as her friend the x-president, a diplomatic delegation from the UN, the families of the survivors from Eileen’s dad’s expedition, (and their children), various scientists of differing fields of endeavor, and the rest of the spaceship’s crew that deals with the mundane everyday activities.

Should I treat this trip as a festive cruise similar to a sailing cruise to the Caribbean, or make it much more somber and dedicated to finding more about where they’re headed? Or, a combination of the two?

I’ve introduced a method for larger spaces to have their gravity varied and this give me more fodder for games such as 3D dodge ball, 3D billiard and pool, gymnastics that are impossible on Earth, and so on. Give me some more.

There will be a stop at a way station (which doubles as a “border crossing” into Zhikarese territory) where everyone who wishes can leave the ship for a brief time (hours/days/??) and get to see/meet other galactic beings from other star systems. Need some ideas here. I already have one from a friend who loves dragons, so I’m including a whole family of them.

So think about this and see if you can come up with ideas I haven't thought of.

Bill

Re: General thoughts on my latest novel.

Interesting. In just under a month 80 people visited this thread but left not one comment.

Bill

Re: General thoughts on my latest novel.

At least 60 of those were bots. Don't ask me how I know smile

Re: General thoughts on my latest novel.

Spoken like a bot, Kdot.

Re: General thoughts on my latest novel.

Bill I didn't get far with the story (chapter six) before most of last year got away from me, so some of these questions are no doubt due to not having read the next fifteen chapters yet. Where is the story headed? There's no "book blurb" in the content summary as a guide. Aside from being sci-fi, is it a feel good story, a humorous story, is it YA or adult, something dark at the end, a murder mystery vs a thriller, romance, a nasty space COVID awaiting everyone once they reboard from shore leave, and so on? Also, does it lean more toward hard sci-fi or space opera? I tend to think of my Archangel story as "grounded" space opera, meaning I make some effort to explain things without descending into Data-babble mode.

I'm working with Pam at present on her Crystal story and the usual influx of new posts from trial members, but I'll try to get back to your book (and mine, lol) soon.