Raymund Eich

Science fiction and fantasy - from Middle America to the ends of the Universe

Hi ,

Even though the solstice is a few weeks away, summer is definitely here. My kids are out of school, which means a different day camp every week... and we're having AC problems as I write this. Today is surprisingly cool and cloudy (caveat: for Houston in June) and we have two AC units for the house, so all is good enough. Not looking forward to the repair bill, though....

Speaking of summer, do you have outdoor distractions, family vacations, and other things popping up? It surprised me after all the press about "beach reads" that book sales drop off in the summer. With that, I'm thinking of dialing back the cadence of my Readers Club messages. How does once a month sound? With extra mailings when I have something new on bookshelves.

Let me know what you think. I'm always happy to hear from you.

A Nice Little Ego Boost

A nice little ego boost came my the other day. In the May 2023 issue of Locus, short fiction reviewer Karen Bunham called my story “Aalund’s Final Mission” in the March/April Analog “a solid entry” and said “the climax is well done.” Only two stories from that issue made Ms. Bunham’s Recommended Reading list this month. Score!

Since you’re curious, “Aalund’s Final Mission” takes place in its own universe where relativistic slower-than-light travel is as fast as you can go. But what's the story about?

A captain, a commissar, and the ultimate crisis at 0.99 c: If your propulsion system goes off-line, how can you slow down?

The closest parallels in the rest of my catalog?

Exploration 2127 (Book 1 of The False Flag War)

They came in war for all mankind...

Short novel A Mighty Fortress

Terraforming a lifeless ball of rock is the easy part...

Though the ego boost feels good, it’s time to get back to work on my current project….

Till next time,

Happy reading!

Raymund