#crosstime — Public Fediverse posts

I'm getting near the end of _The Paratime Police Chronicles, Volume 1_¹, and have just started "Paratime Paradox". This is a meta #ScienceFiction story that could go very dark, though I doubt John F. Carr will take it in that direction. #SciFi

The highest law of the Paratime Police, and First Level society in general, is to keep the Paratime Secret – the reality that other timelines exist, that people can travel between them, and that citizens of one line are exploiting other lines – safe from outsiders. In this tale, routine monitoring by the Bureau of Outtime Intelligence on the Europo-American Subsector has turned up a possible major leak. #AltHist

It seems that someone name H. Beam Piper is writing #paratime stories in _Astounding Science Fiction_ magazine. He's even using "Verkan Vall" and "Tortha Karf" as a characters, among other actual people's names. Piper tells about actual events that these people have been engaged in, like the capture of an escaped Venusian Nighthound. #crosstime

Given that it's not unusual for people who discover the Paratime Secret to be killed, and that in reality H. Beam Piper committed suicide in the mistaken belief he was a failure (his agent died, leaving Piper unaware he'd sold several stories), it's theoretically possible that Verkan might have to kill Piper to save the former's civilization. #AlternateHistory

Now, it's not likely that Carr will kill the author whose oeuvre has been the basis for half of his own stories, but at the start of the story, it's a possibility. #SFF

[1] Really should have epub-split this; will the next.

#Books and #stories completed in
June 2024: 19 ss | 04 nvt | 03 nva | 09 nov
(May was: 20 ss | 08 nvt | 02 nva | 07 nov)

Expediter - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Freedom - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●○○○

A Letter from the Pope ⬘ Harry Harrison & Tom Shippey (ss) ●●●◐○ #AH

Gunpowder God - John F Carr (nov) {Kalvan 6} ●●●◐○ #AltHistory

Lucky Strike ⬘ Kim Stanley Robinson (nvt) ●●●◐○

Doomsday Eve - Robert Moore Williams (nva) ●●◐○○ #AceDouble

I'm a Stranger Here Myself - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●◐○

The Sleeping Serpent ⬘ Pamela Sargent (nvt) ●●●◐○

The Terraformers - Annalee Newitz (nov) ●●●●◐ #reading

Imitation Game ⬘ Rudy Rucker (ss) ●●●○○

Weinachtsabend ⬘ Keith Roberts (nvt) ●●○○○

Chicago 1871 - James E. Merl (nov) ●●●○○ #TimeTravel

Subversive - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

The Hos-Blethan Affair - John F Carr & Wolfgang Diehr (nov) {Kalvan 7} ●●●●○

Ten from Infinity - Paul W Fairman (nva) {aka ‘The Deadly Sky’ or ‘Ten Deadly Men’ | by ‘Ivar Jorgensen’} ●●●◐○ #ClassicSciFi

Waiting for the Olympians ⬘ Frederik Pohl (nvt) ●●●◐○ #SFF

Darwin Anathema ⬘ Stephen Baxter (ss) ●●●○○

Summit - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Down Styphon - John F Carr (nov) {Kalvan 8} ●●●○○ #AltHist

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

And Then the Town Took Off - Richard Wilson (nva) ●●●◐○ #AceDouble

Combat - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●◐○○

How Do I Do? - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

Unborn Tomorrow - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Atlantis: The Lost Continent ⬙ C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne (nov) ●○○○○

Bargain from Brunswick - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

Turn Your Radio On - Wood Hughes (nov) {Grantville} ●●●◐○

The Star Seekers - Milton Lesser (nov) ●●●○○ #SciFi

Day of Judgment - Edmond Hamilton (ss) ●●●○○

The Portal in the Picture - C L Moore and Henry Kuttner (nov) ●●●◐○ #CrossTime

Reservation Deferred - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

The Common Man - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Clockwise - J S Johnston (ss) ●●●○○

Revolution - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Living Lies - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●●○

Completed the anthology The Mammoth Book of Alternate Histories, edited by Ian Watson and Ian Whates. (Stories from it marked with ⬘.) I'd read the Robinson and Pohl tales before, but the other two dozen stories were new to me. I've begun the anthology Atlantis and Lemuria: 13 Classic Tales (marked ⬙). After how bad the first tale was, I don't expect to try more than a novel or two per month.

Finished Carr's extension of Piper's Lord Kalvan stories. #6 was solid, #7 was better, but the concluding #8 was a letdown. I find battles boring, and much prefer making stoves and perfecting paper, but to have two cities fall to Hostigos forces without being conquered feels like Carr just wanted the series to be over.

And the plot thread of the atomic blast and the impending prole revolt on Home Timeline was simply dropped, unless we're to infer from the months-long communications cut-off the outtimers on Kalvan's timeline experienced that Home Timeline is suffering a major war right now, with many conveyor hubs destroyed.

This is the worst month possible for neatly filling out the calendar, with two single-day rows requiring one-day-wide titles. There won't be another thirty-day month starting on a Saturday until April 2028. #koReader

#Books and #stories completed in
June 2024: 19 ss | 04 nvt | 03 nva | 09 nov
(May was: 20 ss | 08 nvt | 02 nva | 07 nov)

Expediter - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Freedom - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●○○○

A Letter from the Pope ⬘ Harry Harrison & Tom Shippey (ss) ●●●◐○ #AH

Gunpowder God - John F Carr (nov) {Kalvan 6} ●●●◐○ #AltHistory

Lucky Strike ⬘ Kim Stanley Robinson (nvt) ●●●◐○

Doomsday Eve - Robert Moore Williams (nva) ●●◐○○ #AceDouble

I'm a Stranger Here Myself - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●◐○

The Sleeping Serpent ⬘ Pamela Sargent (nvt) ●●●◐○

The Terraformers - Annalee Newitz (nov) ●●●●◐ #reading

Imitation Game ⬘ Rudy Rucker (ss) ●●●○○

Weinachtsabend ⬘ Keith Roberts (nvt) ●●○○○

Chicago 1871 - James E. Merl (nov) ●●●○○ #TimeTravel

Subversive - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

The Hos-Blethan Affair - John F Carr & Wolfgang Diehr (nov) {Kalvan 7} ●●●●○

Ten from Infinity - Paul W Fairman (nva) {aka ‘The Deadly Sky’ or ‘Ten Deadly Men’ | by ‘Ivar Jorgensen’} ●●●◐○ #ClassicSciFi

Waiting for the Olympians ⬘ Frederik Pohl (nvt) ●●●◐○ #SFF

Darwin Anathema ⬘ Stephen Baxter (ss) ●●●○○

Summit - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Down Styphon - John F Carr (nov) {Kalvan 8} ●●●○○ #AltHist

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

And Then the Town Took Off - Richard Wilson (nva) ●●●◐○ #AceDouble

Combat - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●◐○○

How Do I Do? - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

Unborn Tomorrow - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Atlantis: The Lost Continent ⬙ C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne (nov) ●○○○○

Bargain from Brunswick - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

Turn Your Radio On - Wood Hughes (nov) {Grantville} ●●●◐○

The Star Seekers - Milton Lesser (nov) ●●●○○ #SciFi

Day of Judgment - Edmond Hamilton (ss) ●●●○○

The Portal in the Picture - C L Moore and Henry Kuttner (nov) ●●●◐○ #CrossTime

Reservation Deferred - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

The Common Man - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Clockwise - J S Johnston (ss) ●●●○○

Revolution - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Living Lies - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●●○

Completed the anthology The Mammoth Book of Alternate Histories, edited by Ian Watson and Ian Whates. (Stories from it marked with ⬘.) I'd read the Robinson and Pohl tales before, but the other two dozen stories were new to me. I've begun the anthology Atlantis and Lemuria: 13 Classic Tales (marked ⬙). After how bad the first tale was, I don't expect to try more than a novel or two per month.

Finished Carr's extension of Piper's Lord Kalvan stories. #6 was solid, #7 was better, but the concluding #8 was a letdown. I find battles boring, and much prefer making stoves and perfecting paper, but to have two cities fall to Hostigos forces without being conquered feels like Carr just wanted the series to be over.

And the plot thread of the atomic blast and the impending prole revolt on Home Timeline was simply dropped, unless we're to infer from the months-long communications cut-off the outtimers on Kalvan's timeline experienced that Home Timeline is suffering a major war right now, with many conveyor hubs destroyed.

This is the worst month possible for neatly filling out the calendar, with two single-day rows requiring one-day-wide titles. There won't be another thirty-day month starting on a Saturday until April 2028. #koReader

#Books and #stories completed in
June 2024: 19 ss | 04 nvt | 03 nva | 09 nov
(May was: 20 ss | 08 nvt | 02 nva | 07 nov)

Expediter - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Freedom - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●○○○

A Letter from the Pope ⬘ Harry Harrison & Tom Shippey (ss) ●●●◐○ #AH

Gunpowder God - John F Carr (nov) {Kalvan 6} ●●●◐○ #AltHistory

Lucky Strike ⬘ Kim Stanley Robinson (nvt) ●●●◐○

Doomsday Eve - Robert Moore Williams (nva) ●●◐○○ #AceDouble

I'm a Stranger Here Myself - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●◐○

The Sleeping Serpent ⬘ Pamela Sargent (nvt) ●●●◐○

The Terraformers - Annalee Newitz (nov) ●●●●◐ #reading

Imitation Game ⬘ Rudy Rucker (ss) ●●●○○

Weinachtsabend ⬘ Keith Roberts (nvt) ●●○○○

Chicago 1871 - James E. Merl (nov) ●●●○○ #TimeTravel

Subversive - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

The Hos-Blethan Affair - John F Carr & Wolfgang Diehr (nov) {Kalvan 7} ●●●●○

Ten from Infinity - Paul W Fairman (nva) {aka ‘The Deadly Sky’ or ‘Ten Deadly Men’ | by ‘Ivar Jorgensen’} ●●●◐○ #ClassicSciFi

Waiting for the Olympians ⬘ Frederik Pohl (nvt) ●●●◐○ #SFF

Darwin Anathema ⬘ Stephen Baxter (ss) ●●●○○

Summit - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Down Styphon - John F Carr (nov) {Kalvan 8} ●●●○○ #AltHist

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

And Then the Town Took Off - Richard Wilson (nva) ●●●◐○ #AceDouble

Combat - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●◐○○

How Do I Do? - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

Unborn Tomorrow - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Atlantis: The Lost Continent ⬙ C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne (nov) ●○○○○

Bargain from Brunswick - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

Turn Your Radio On - Wood Hughes (nov) {Grantville} ●●●◐○

The Star Seekers - Milton Lesser (nov) ●●●○○ #SciFi

Day of Judgment - Edmond Hamilton (ss) ●●●○○

The Portal in the Picture - C L Moore and Henry Kuttner (nov) ●●●◐○ #CrossTime

Reservation Deferred - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

The Common Man - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Clockwise - J S Johnston (ss) ●●●○○

Revolution - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Living Lies - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●●○

Completed the anthology The Mammoth Book of Alternate Histories, edited by Ian Watson and Ian Whates. (Stories from it marked with ⬘.) I'd read the Robinson and Pohl tales before, but the other two dozen stories were new to me. I've begun the anthology Atlantis and Lemuria: 13 Classic Tales (marked ⬙). After how bad the first tale was, I don't expect to try more than a novel or two per month.

Finished Carr's extension of Piper's Lord Kalvan stories. #6 was solid, #7 was better, but the concluding #8 was a letdown. I find battles boring, and much prefer making stoves and perfecting paper, but to have two cities fall to Hostigos forces without being conquered feels like Carr just wanted the series to be over.

And the plot thread of the atomic blast and the impending prole revolt on Home Timeline was simply dropped, unless we're to infer from the months-long communications cut-off the outtimers on Kalvan's timeline experienced that Home Timeline is suffering a major war right now, with many conveyor hubs destroyed.

This is the worst month possible for neatly filling out the calendar, with two single-day rows requiring one-day-wide titles. There won't be another thirty-day month starting on a Saturday until April 2028. #koReader

#Books and #stories completed in
June 2024: 19 ss | 04 nvt | 03 nva | 09 nov
(May was: 20 ss | 08 nvt | 02 nva | 07 nov)

Expediter - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Freedom - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●○○○

A Letter from the Pope ⬘ Harry Harrison & Tom Shippey (ss) ●●●◐○ #AH

Gunpowder God - John F Carr (nov) {Kalvan 6} ●●●◐○ #AltHistory

Lucky Strike ⬘ Kim Stanley Robinson (nvt) ●●●◐○

Doomsday Eve - Robert Moore Williams (nva) ●●◐○○ #AceDouble

I'm a Stranger Here Myself - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●◐○

The Sleeping Serpent ⬘ Pamela Sargent (nvt) ●●●◐○

The Terraformers - Annalee Newitz (nov) ●●●●◐ #reading

Imitation Game ⬘ Rudy Rucker (ss) ●●●○○

Weinachtsabend ⬘ Keith Roberts (nvt) ●●○○○

Chicago 1871 - James E. Merl (nov) ●●●○○ #TimeTravel

Subversive - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

The Hos-Blethan Affair - John F Carr & Wolfgang Diehr (nov) {Kalvan 7} ●●●●○

Ten from Infinity - Paul W Fairman (nva) {aka ‘The Deadly Sky’ or ‘Ten Deadly Men’ | by ‘Ivar Jorgensen’} ●●●◐○ #ClassicSciFi

Waiting for the Olympians ⬘ Frederik Pohl (nvt) ●●●◐○ #SFF

Darwin Anathema ⬘ Stephen Baxter (ss) ●●●○○

Summit - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Down Styphon - John F Carr (nov) {Kalvan 8} ●●●○○ #AltHist

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

And Then the Town Took Off - Richard Wilson (nva) ●●●◐○ #AceDouble

Combat - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●◐○○

How Do I Do? - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

Unborn Tomorrow - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Atlantis: The Lost Continent ⬙ C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne (nov) ●○○○○

Bargain from Brunswick - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

Turn Your Radio On - Wood Hughes (nov) {Grantville} ●●●◐○

The Star Seekers - Milton Lesser (nov) ●●●○○ #SciFi

Day of Judgment - Edmond Hamilton (ss) ●●●○○

The Portal in the Picture - C L Moore and Henry Kuttner (nov) ●●●◐○ #CrossTime

Reservation Deferred - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●○○

The Common Man - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Clockwise - J S Johnston (ss) ●●●○○

Revolution - Mack Reynolds (ss) ●●●○○

Living Lies - John Wyndham (ss) ●●●●○

Completed the anthology The Mammoth Book of Alternate Histories, edited by Ian Watson and Ian Whates. (Stories from it marked with ⬘.) I'd read the Robinson and Pohl tales before, but the other two dozen stories were new to me. I've begun the anthology Atlantis and Lemuria: 13 Classic Tales (marked ⬙). After how bad the first tale was, I don't expect to try more than a novel or two per month.

Finished Carr's extension of Piper's Lord Kalvan stories. #6 was solid, #7 was better, but the concluding #8 was a letdown. I find battles boring, and much prefer making stoves and perfecting paper, but to have two cities fall to Hostigos forces without being conquered feels like Carr just wanted the series to be over.

And the plot thread of the atomic blast and the impending prole revolt on Home Timeline was simply dropped, unless we're to infer from the months-long communications cut-off the outtimers on Kalvan's timeline experienced that Home Timeline is suffering a major war right now, with many conveyor hubs destroyed.

This is the worst month possible for neatly filling out the calendar, with two single-day rows requiring one-day-wide titles. There won't be another thirty-day month starting on a Saturday until April 2028. #koReader

Completed in April:

Novels:

Thou Shalt Not Fall - Ralts Bloodthorne {Behold: Humanity! 4} ●●●●○ #HFY

Force of Time - Adrian Cousins {Jason Apsley 3} ●●●◐○ #reincarnation

Essen Steel - Kim Mackey {Ring of Fire | Essen 1} ●●●◐○ #AltHistory

Essen Defiant - Kim Mackey and David Carrico {Ring of Fire | Essen 2} ●●●◐○ #AltHist

Secrets at Sutherland Hall - Jenna Bennett {Pippa Darling 1} ●●◐○○ #mystery #lgbtq

Tempus Fury - Dana Fredsti and David Fitzgerald {Time Shards 3} ●●●○○ #TimeTravel #CrossTime

Starhammer - Christopher Rowley {Vang 1} ●●●◐○ #ScienceFiction

Cities in the Sky - Thomas X. Teller ●●●●○ #reading

The M.A.D. Arch-Angel - Ralts Bloodthorne {Behold: Humanity! 5} ●●●●○ #SpaceMarines

Stories:

Slimy Things Did Crawl - Susan Kaye Quinn {Halfway to Better 1} (ss) ●●●○○ #SolarPunk

Tower Girls - Susan Kaye Quinn {Halfway to Better 2} (ss) ●●●○○ #SFF

Planting the Shell-Bones - Susan Kaye Quinn {Halfway to Better 3} (ss) ●●●◐○

Tombs Without Bodies - Susan Kaye Quinn {Halfway to Better 4} (ss) ●●●◐○

The Day We Stopped Burning - Susan Kaye Quinn {Halfway to Better 5} (ss) ●●●◐○

I Came Home from Saving the Rainforest - Susan Kaye Quinn {Halfway to Better 6} (ss) ●●●○○

It's a Small World - Robert Bloch (nvt) ●●●○○ #fantasy

Clerical Error - Mark Clifton (ss) ●●○○○

The Dreaded Tomato Addiction - Mark Clifton (ss) ●○○○○ #absurd

How Allied - Mark Clifton (ss) ●●●○○ #SciFi

Remembrance and Reflection - Mark Clifton (ss) ●●●○○

Countdown - Mira Grant {Rise 1} (nvt) ●●●●○ #zombies

Everglades - Mira Grant (ss) {Rise 2} ●●○○○ #quiet

San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats - Mira Grant (nvt) {Rise 3} ●●●●○ #books

Some stories are quite short, but their names are long, so I stretched their reading over three or four days to fit in the whole title, once I realized I was going to post the calendar for April. Also, simply seeing the story names in the stats inclined me to read more shorts that I normally would, which is why I epub-split the collections. #koreader