Tobias S. Buckell Hits Kickstarter with New Xenowealth Novel
Caribbean-born Tobias S. Buckell hasn’t published a new book in his Xenowealth saga since 2008. Fans of Crystal Rain, Ragamuffin, and Sly Mongoose have been hoping for another book in the series, particularly since Sly Mongoose ended with a huge plot shift that opened up Buckell’s “universe” to an infinite number of new stories. But publishing is a wicked beast, and things don’t always go as planned. That is until Kickstarter showed up and started changing the game for writers. Buckell has taken the next installment of the Xenowealth saga to the indie funding/incentive platform and is calling on fans to help him reach his $10,000 goal: One of the most frequent questions I get is this: ‘When will you write a sequel to Crystal Rain/Ragamuffin/Sly Mongoose?’ The truth is, I have most of the outline for the fourth book already written, as well as a chunk of the opening already done. And I think it would be great to see it fully written. Using Kickstarter, it seems to me that we can put together a very cool project. One where I can present readers of this existing series with a sequel, while allowing everyone to basically pre-order the novel. If enough people commit to backing it, readers will get an awesome eBook (I create eBooks for freelance income on the side), or a great hardcover (with the help of a great designer), with even cooler rewards for those who want to read the book as it is being written or who want to leave their mark on the Xenowealth universe. The Xenowealth novels have always been fairly unique with their diaspora characters in the future, bringing a range of diversity to straight up adventure novels, with bits and pieces of Caribbean inspiration folded in for good measure. Allowing readers to pre-purchase the next Xenowealth adventure is an exciting prospect, and I hope that many of the dedicated readers of the first three books are as as excited as I am about a chance to come back to these worlds and characters. If we can raise $10,000, upon completion of the novel (I will start writing it January 1st at the latest, and will finish in June), backers receive their rewards (those backing the project for above $250 get to read along live, however) once the book is finished and turned into an eBook and limited edition hardcover. The project has to meet its minimum funding goal by the 19th of October (by 2:56 PM EDT). And what’s in it for readers? Depending on how much you give, you can receive ebook or hardcover copies of the finished product, have a character or spaceship named after you, or even have a short story set in the universe written specifically for you. There are also incentives to publicize the hell out of the project. Buckell has set a series of goals above $10,000 that, if reached, will result in lots of cool extras for everyone who donates (artwork, etc.). But the main goal is that $10,000. So the question is: are you going to donate? Because I am…as soon as I get my next paycheck. ——————————– P.S.: You can check out our interview with Tobias S. Buckell here.
Question of the Week: Which science fiction novel would you start middle school kids on and why?
Since our latest episode is a little on the dark side, we thought it would be a good idea to have a happier question for you all to think about. We’ve also brought in a friend to sweeten the deal: Shaun The hard thing about choosing books for middle school kids is that a great deal of books for their age group that are fantastic in nature are actually fantasies, rather than science fiction. There isn’t enough science fiction written explicitly for their age group, let alone for the two groups around them (children’s lit and young adult). If we were talking high school, the doors would be wide open for all kinds of stuff, from John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War to Tobias Buckell’s Xenowealth novels (Crystal Rain, Ragamuffin, and Sly Mongoose). But because this group is a young group, content is a big issue. I have no doubt that they can handle more adult material than we’d like to think, but they are still younglings. With that in mind, I would have to pick The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. The novel may not be meant for middle school kids, but it’s hilarious, fun, and all kinds of weird. Whether they’ll get all the jokes is irrelevant, because the characters are funny enough on their own. The big question, of course, is whether Adams is a good gateway into the SF genre as a whole. I don’t think I can say… Jen Honestly. I have no idea! I started reading science fiction earlier than middle school, but I think the same books are appropriate. However, they’re a little outdated. To be honest, though I haven’t even read the series yet, I would start with The Hunger Games. I’ve always been of the opinion that to get a kid interested in something for the first time, you have to play to their interests. Not only is The Hunger Games a new series of books, it is also being made into a series of movies. Double win to a teenager (especially if that hot guy from Beastly and I Am Number Four is in it, then you’ll get every girl in America reading the series). I see no reason to throw them straight into the complexities of Ender’s Game or something by Heinlein. I started with Ray Bradbury and Madeleine L’Engle (although I was never a big L’Engle fan) and these are still great authors to begin a science fiction journey with, but to snag a kid so late in the game (yes, I’m calling middle school late) – appealling to them on a less “literary” level might be a good way to go. Patrick Hester Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. I think the story is accessible to kids because it’s about kids, their relationships and a lot of themes involved with growing up that they’ll relate to. Plus, the kids are the smartest people in the story (for the most part), which I think they’ll like too. So, what do you think would be a good SF book to start middle school kids on? Let us know in the comments!
