The Astronomicon series of books is based on an idea I had back in 1998. It developed over the next three years until, in 2001, I began to write the first draft of some of the key story passages. The first book, Voyage of the Elysian, was originally envisioned as a stand-alone story, similar but unrelated to the Astronomicon concept, but partway through writing it, I realised that it fitted perfectly with the Astronomicon story. Better still it would give a perfect introduction to the Astronomicon universe, the kind of technologies involved and Earth’s level of space exploration. It also gave a slight taste of the background politics which becomes much more important in later books.
After some minor plot modifications and a rewrite of the political scene behind the events affecting the Elysian’s mission, Voyage of the Elysian became the introductory book of the series. It not only sets the scene for the later books but also introduces some of the characters who feature in later books. This is most certainly not the universe described in Star Trek!
Each novel tells the next important step of Earth’s development into the future, combining to become a true science-fiction epic. They chart the events which change human opinion of our place in the universe, that make us realise that being human is so much more important than patriotism to any individual country.
The books are split into two main groups. There are “Core” novels that continue the central storyline, forming a sequential account. There are also “Universe” novels that are set within the Astronomicon Universe but do not form part of the main series. These are stand-alone books that can be read independently of the others, and whilst they might make passing references to events and people in the Core novels, they do not rely on any prior knowledge.
Anyway, I sincerely hope you enjoy the books and I would love to hear your feedback.
Thanks,
Paul.