Today, I’m very excited to chat with both Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell about their newest novella, Light Chaser. This story multi-faceted story packs an explosive punch, taking us through an action-filled journey that spans centuries and worlds. The science is impressive, the technology is dazzling, but it’s Amahle and the journey she goes on to find herself that readers will connect with the most.

Today, we talk to Peter and Gareth about their writing day, the process of co-authoring a novella, and what each of them have planned next.

Thank you so much for talking to me today! Can you tell us a little about yourselves? How did you get started writing?

PFH: It was something I’d always wanted to do, which I think comes from being a big reader when I was younger.  I had the opportunity in my mid/late twenties (too much spare time) so I started off writing short stories, and progressed to a full novel over the next few years.

GLP: Like Peter, I always wanted to be a writer. In primary school, at the age of six or seven, I wrote a story called ‘Death Trap’ and my grandmother said I should be a writer. After that, my fate was sealed. If I read a good book, I immediately wanted to write my own version. I filled spiral-topped reporter’s notebooks with thinly disguised Star Wars/Battlestar Galactica/Blake’s 7 fanfic. The story recounted the adventures of a crew of intrepid space traders and their aged vessel, The Argo. As it was handwritten, there were no rewrites. The story progressed episodically, with new adventures or plot twists thrown in whenever the pace started to lag or I watched a particularly exciting episode of Star Trek or Doctor Who.

Sadly, I’ve no idea what became of those notebooks. I can’t even remember the title of the story. The books went astray decades ago. I suppose they may be hidden away in a dusty corner of the attic, but I haven’t laid eyes on them for 40 years. Maybe they’ll show up one day – but on the whole, it’s probably for the best if they don’t.

What does your typical writing day look like?

PFH: Typical. As in, before the deadline rushes up and I’m writing till the early hours and most of the weekend. In the morning I’ll read through what was written yesterday and polish as best I can. That way, by the afternoon I’m mentally back in the story at the point I finished, so I can carry on writing the new stuff.  I’ll also amend the chapter notes if anything new has emerged in the story.

GLP: Since the pandemic hit, there’s been no such thing as a typical day. I used to write while the kids were at school, and in the evenings after they’d gone to bed. Lockdown meant they were home all day, and as they’re now older teenagers, they stay up later than I do! I have to snatch writing time in between parental duties, and make the most of those stolen moments.

You both write individually, how was it to work on a book together? How did that process differ from your writing individually?

PFH: The process was different because we wrote alternate sections, so although it was plotted out in advance in considerable detail, I would wait until Gareth delivered his section before I’d write mine and send it back to him.  Despite the sections being very distinct, I wanted to see what he’d done before moving the character on.  There were often aspects he’d created which I’d reference.

GLP: I found the whole process very exciting, because it meant I got to read a Peter F. Hamilton story before anyone else! It was also a lot of fun, as we passed sections back and forth, and incorporated each other’s developments into the next section. In that sense, it kind of felt that the story took on a life of its own, as it morphed and unspooled before us.

Light Chaser is such an immersive world with an expansive plot packed into such a tight narrative. What were the biggest challenges in writing this story?

PFH: For me it was continuity. The sections were by necessity set on very different and diverse worlds, but the overall story arc had to flow easily taking those experiences into account.  We did a lot of polishing in the editing to make that flow as smooth as possible.  I think we succeeded, certainly the editor didn’t ask for any massive changes or point out glaring errors.

GLP: The action takes place over vast distances and huge swathes of time, so it was a challenge to maintain continuity and urgency, but I feel we managed it. Certainly, the few reviews I’ve read since it came out speak of the constant ramping-up of tension.

Are there any Easter eggs or cross-connections between Light Chaser and any of your other worlds?

PFH: Not really, although without spoilers, the physical/metaphysical aspect of the universe is the same as my earlier novella, A Window Into Time.  But that’s all, there is no other connection between the two.

GLP: Although the main character, Amahle, shares a certain spiritual kinship with some of my other characters, Light Chaser is entirely its own thing.

Would you write more in this world? Why or why not?

PFH: Probably not.  The story of the Light Chaser is self-contained.

GLP: We told the story we set out to tell.

Do you have plans to write any more books together?

PFH: No current plans, but never say never.

GLP: That would be a lot of fun, but as Peter says: no current plans.

What are you reading, listening to, watching right now?

PFH: About to start reading Austral by Paul McAuley.  Listening to The Human Demands by Amy Macdonald.  Streaming The White Lotus.

GLP: I’m working through Megan E. O’Keefe’s Protectorate trilogy and enjoying it immensely. Listening-wise, I’m currently obsessed with St. Vincent’s new album, Daddy’s Home, which I’ve been playing on heavy rotation. And I’m late to the party, but I’ve just finished bingeing Star Wars: Rebels, which is just fantastic, and the best Star Wars I’ve seen since The Mandalorian.

What book would you guys recommend to readers? To aspiring writers?

PFH: For readers, Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, which is what I can only describe as pure SF, set in the far future with some intriguing aliens.  Writers, The Dervish House, by Ian McDonald, whose prose is never less than perfect.

GLP: For readers, I echo the recommendation for Adrian Tchaikovsky, and also suggest Aliette de Bodard’s Xuya series of novelettes, especially The Tea Master and The Detective. For aspiring writers, I’d recommend Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

PFH: The usual, because it’s the best: just keep writing.

GLP: And don’t stop reading!

What’s next for you both?

PFH: I’ve just finished writing my Arkship Trilogy, and I’ll be going back to large-scale space opera again, set in a new universe.

GLP: My novel Stars and Bones is due out from Titan in Feb 2022. It’s the first of a two-part space opera that takes place after aliens have kicked humanity off the planet Earth in order to give the biosphere a chance to recover.

Gollancz will also be publishing an expanded edition of my book: About Writing: A Field Guide for Aspiring Authors.

The post Q&A: Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell, Co-Authors of ‘Light Chaser’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell team up in this explosive, action-packed novella about a love that transcends lifetimes and is powerful enough to destroy an empire.

Amahle is a traveller who sails through the universe with nothing for company but the ship’s AI. Known throughout the universe as a Light Chaser, her route takes her to worlds throughout The Domain, where she collects memories in exchange for various goods.

But when she discovers memories from different lives and different worlds that are meant for her, and seem to be from the same person, she begins to question her entire existence. Each memory unlocks Amahle’s own memories and slowly reveals an elusive enemy with a horrifying plan. Amahle realises she’s the only one who can do anything to stop it, but it will cost her everything.

For a shorter book, this story packs an incredible punch. Light Chaser comes in at 173 pages, yet it is epic and expansive, taking us through worlds and lifetimes in rapid succession. Rather than feeling rushed or lacking, the prose is razor sharp, carving out exactly what we need to understand the world and the technology while propelling us forward.

We are thrown into the story with a beginning that serves to disorient us as much as inform. Which makes sense as Amahle herself is unsure of who she is, or rather, who she was. Thanks to genetic modification she lives longer than most humans, and since she travels incredible distances across galaxies, time dilation means she’s as close to immortal as anyone can get. More than that, she collects memories, living other people’s lives to preserve the continuity of reality and keep the universe stable. And there’s only so many memories a person can keep. With each life she experiences through these memory necklaces, she loses pieces of herself. Until one of the memories asks her to remember.

Light Chaser is an epic space opera, spanning entire galaxies within the covers. And yet, it’s an intimate story of how a person can lose themselves in the mundanity of existence. Amahle is a distant character. She spends most of her time with her AI. Humanity is something she watches from a distance. Even when she interacts with them, it’s a moment, something she plays with rather than immerses herself in. It’s difficult to know her, to really connect with her, because how well can we know a character that doesn’t know herself. Amahle sees hundreds of civilisations, meets thousands of people, and yet, she prefers her time alone, living in the memories rather than the reality.

Over time, Amahle loses herself, something she acquiesces to, believing there’s nothing worth holding onto from her own life. She’s helpless and it’s only in the process of remembering who she is that she becomes powerful once again. This is a journey we undergo with her, discovering and solving the mysteries as she discovers them while getting to know her as she reconciles who she was with who she wants to be. It’s impossible to not draw parallels between Amahle and how easy it is to get lost in our own technological worlds, to lose our connection through too much connectivity. How much do we lose? And who would bring us back?

This is a story that could easily have been expanded. We could have spent more time in the various worlds. Lived with Amahle and gone through a deeper journey of discovery. But there’s a sort of poetic irony that while Amahle’s travels span thousands of years, the book is condensed into only the essentials, giving us what we need, letting us experience only what’s essential. It doesn’t diminish from the story, instead the focused prose gives us a sense of what Amahle herself experiences. Glimpses of civilisations in time, the feeling when days blur together making them both endless and fleeting, the longing for something, anything to change. This isn’t a story meant to linger. We meet Amahle at a point when she longs for change, creating a subtle urgency driving her forward. She doesn’t want to focus on the past, no longer wants to live in memories, or rely on superficial forays into unchanging worlds.

The distilled storytelling helps the reader focus on the core essence of the story. Like all hard science fiction stories, Light Chaser asks us to examine the role technology plays in our lives. When does convenience halt progress? When does stability hurt us more than it helps us? When does easy connection lead to isolation and loneliness? Each world deals with technology in their own way. Some reject it, some covet it, and some use it as a method of control. But what if none of that is accidental? Technology can advance us, but as Hamilton and Powell make clear, a tool can easily be turned into a weapon. It all depends on who wields it.

Fans of hard science fiction will love the no-nonsense approach to not just the story but the technology itself. This may be a story about the power of love and the importance of finding our humanity in a futuristic universe, but the technology isn’t glossed over or neglected. We get a lot of straight-forward details as to how everything from elements of the ship operates, how these worlds were created and continue to exist, along with how some civilisations have chosen to use technology or outright ignore it. It’s matter of fact, which makes sense given Amahle would no longer be enamoured by anything anymore, but it’s also vivid and wonderous, allowing our imaginations to run wild with the endless possibility such advancements would allow.

This juxtaposition of technology versus humanity is the heart of this story. We rely on it; but we shouldn’t lose ourselves to it. While this book is very much a plot-driven narrative, the philosophical questions raised through the characters and worlds last long after we turn the final page. Light Chaser is a fictional thought experiment, asking us to imagine the meaning of connection, humanity, evolution, advancement, and love in an extreme microcosm. It presents specific questions regarding memory and human connection, and how to move forward technologically without losing our humanity. But these questions apply to broader circumstance and are relevant to our current lives in so many ways. While the story itself plays out one particular resolution, the future of these characters is open and infinite––just like ours is.

Light Chaser is for science fiction fans who love stories that let them turn their eyes to the stars and imagine an infinite future. It’s meant to spark conversation and get us to ask questions. This is a book fans will come back to again and again, as each reading offers more details of things we missed or misunderstood. It may be a short story, but there’s no denying that it’s a powerful one.

Light Chaser is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up Light Chaser? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

In Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell’s action-packed sci-fi adventure Light Chaser, a love powerful enough to transcend death can bring down an entire empire.

Amahle is a Light Chaser – one of a number of explorers, who travel the universe alone (except for their onboard AI), trading trinkets for life stories.

But when she listens to the stories sent down through the ages she hears the same voice talking directly to her from different times and on different worlds. She comes to understand that something terrible is happening, and only she is in a position to do anything about it.

And it will cost everything to put it right.

The post Review: Light Chaser by Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If you’re after some new fantasy books, Chris Wooding’s The Ember Blade follows Aren as he sets on a quest for the Ember Blade, which is the sword of kings, the Excalibur of his people. Or perhaps Grace Draven’s Phoenix Unbound will be of more interest to you where a young woman is sacrificed every year from each village, but Gilene has been doing it for five years thanks to her magic, but now they want to put a stop to her once and for all…

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below which ones you are most excited for!

For A Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig
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A young woman with a dangerous power she barely understands. A smuggler with secrets of his own. A country torn between a merciless colonial army, a terrifying tyrant, and a feared rebel leader. Heidi Heilig creates a vivid, rich world inspired by Asian cultures and French colonialism. Her characters are equally complex and nuanced, including the bipolar heroine. For a Muse of Fire is an engrossing journey that weaves magic, simmering romance, and the deep bonds of family with the high stakes of epic adventure.

The Sisters of The Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
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Raised in a small village surrounded by vast forests, Liba and Laya have lived a peaceful sheltered life – even if they’ve heard of troubling times for Jews elsewhere. When their parents travel to visit their dying grandfather, the sisters are left behind in their home in the woods. But before they leave, Liba discovers the secret that their Tati can transform into a bear, and their Mami into a swan. Perhaps, Liba realises, the old fairy tales are true. She must guard this secret carefully, even from her beloved sister. Soon a troupe of mysterious men appear in town and Laya falls under their spell-despite their mother’s warning to be wary of strangers. And these are not the only dangers lurking in the woods…

The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding
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A land under occupation. A legendary sword. A young man’s journey to find his destiny. Aren has lived by the rules all his life. But then his father is executed for treason, and he and his best friend Cade are thrown into a prison mine, doomed to work until they drop. Unless they can somehow break free… Rescued by a man who hates him yet is oath-bound to protect him, pursued by inhuman forces, there is revolution is brewing, and Aren is being drawn into it. The key to the revolution is the Ember Blade. The sword of kings, the Excalibur of his people. Only with the Ember Blade in hand can their people be inspired to rise up… but it’s locked in an impenetrable vault in the most heavily guarded fortress in the land. All they have to do now is steal it…

And The Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness
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With harpoons strapped to their backs, the proud whales of Bathsheba’s pod live for the hunt, fighting in the ongoing war against the world of men. When they attack a ship bobbing on the surface of the Abyss, they expect to find easy prey. Instead, they find the trail of a myth, a monster, perhaps the devil himself… As their relentless Captain leads the chase, they embark on a final, vengeful hunt, one that will forever change the worlds of both whales and men.

Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton
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In 2204, humanity is expanding into the wider galaxy in leaps and bounds. A new technology of linked jump gates has rendered most forms of transportation–including starships–virtually obsolete. Every place on earth, every distant planet mankind has settled, is now merely a step away from any other. And all seems wonderful…until a crashed alien spaceship is found on a newly-located world 89 light years from Earth, harbouring seventeen human victims. And of the high-powered team dispatched to investigate the mystery, one is an alien spy…

Ignite The Stars by Maura Milan
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Everyone in the universe knows his name. Everyone in the universe fears him. But no one realises that notorious outlaw Ia Cocha is a seventeen-year-old girl. A criminal mastermind and unrivalled pilot, Ia has spent her life terrorising the Olympus Commonwealth, the imperialist nation that destroyed her home. Now captured and exposed, they see Ia’s age and talent as an opportunity. Soon, Ia is trapped at the Commonwealth’s military academy, desperately plotting her escape. But new acquaintances—including Brinn, a seemingly average student with a closely-held secret, and their charming Flight Master, Knives—cause Ia to question her own alliances. Can she find a way to escape the Commonwealth’s clutches before these bonds deepen?

The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes
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Feisty heroes, tricky gods, murderous demons, and spirited giants are just some of the pleasures that await in this fresh and funny take on Maya mythology, as rich and delicious as a mug of authentic hot chocolate.

Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton
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Long ago, a village made a bargain with the devil: to ensure their prosperity, when the Slaughter Moon rises, the village must sacrifice a young man into the depths of the Devil’s Forest. Only this year, the Slaughter Moon has risen early. Bound by duty, secrets, and the love they share for one another, Mairwen, a spirited witch; Rhun, the expected saint; and Arthur, a restless outcast, will each have a role to play as the devil demands a body to fill the bargain. But the devil these friends find is not the one they expect, and the lies they uncover will turn their town—and their hearts—inside out.

Time’s Convert by Deborah Harkness
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A passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of tradition and the possibilities not just for change but for revolution, Time’s Convert channels the supernatural world-building and slow-burning romance that made the All Souls Trilogy instant bestsellers to illuminate a new and vital moment in history, and a love affair that will bridge centuries.

Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven
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Every year, each village is required to send a young woman to the Empire’s capital–her fate to be burned alive for the entertainment of the masses. For the last five years, one small village’s tithe has been the same woman. Gilene’s sacrifice protects all the other young women of her village, and her secret to staying alive lies with the magic only she possesses. But this year is different. Azarion, the Empire’s most famous gladiator, has somehow seen through her illusion–and is set on blackmailing Gilene into using her abilities to help him escape his life of slavery. And unknown to Gilene, he also wants to reclaim the birthright of his clan. To protect her family and village, she will risk everything to return to the Empire–and burn once more.

The Seclusion by Jacqui Castle
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In the year 2090, America has walled itself off from the rest of the world. When her father is arrested by the totalitarian Board, a young woman sets out to escape the only country she’s ever known. While on a routine assignment scouting the viability of dwindling natural resources outside the massive urban centers most American citizens call home, Patricia ’Patch’ and her co-worker Rexx discover a relic from the past containing dangerous contraband―unedited books from before The Seclusion. These texts will spark an unquenchable thirst for the truth that sees Patch’s father arrested by the totalitarian Board.

Daughters of Forgotten Light by Sean Grigsby
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Lena “Horror” Horowitz leads the Daughters of Forgotten Light, one of three vicious gangs fighting for survival on Oubliette. Their fragile truce is shaken when a new shipment arrives from Earth carrying a fresh batch of prisoners and supplies to squabble over. But the delivery includes two new surprises: a drone, and a baby. Earth Senator Linda Dolfuse wants evidence of the bloodthirsty gangs to justify the government finally eradicating the wasters dumped on Oubliette. There’s only one problem: the baby in the drone’s video may be hers.

Check out our other September book picks on our Goodreads list!

Any other releases you’re excited to read this month? Tell us in the comments below!

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