by David Backman | Mar 3, 2025 | Blog
SPOILER ALERT! There are spoilers for The Lightning in the Collied Night below! Time travel is one of the most, if not the most, used tropes in science fiction. Some people—including Lai Shen—believe it’s way overused. Why is it so popular in science fiction?...
by David Backman | Feb 14, 2025 | Blog
(Based on characters in The Lightning in the Collied Night and The Loss of What Is Past) 14 February, 2142 “I’m sorry, An, I don’t think I can make it for dinner tonight,” United Earth Chief Physicist Kapono Ailana’s hologram said as it hovered just above his...
by David Backman | Jan 23, 2025 | Blog
Sixty-five years ago today—January 23, 1960—two brave explorers dared to go where no person had gone before: to the deepest point of the Earth’s oceans. Swiss engineer and oceanographer Jacques Piccard and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh (pictured above; Piccard...
by David Backman | Dec 30, 2024 | Blog
(Based on characters in The Lightning in the Collied Night) October 15, 2052 “Kapono, I’ve completed static, unit, and integration testing of the language subroutines for Patch 15,” Asnee Shinawatra said over his shoulder to the Prometheus Project’s chief scientist....
by David Backman | Dec 20, 2024 | Blog
(Based on characters in The Lightning in the Collied Night) September 29, 2043 Lai nervously tapped her right foot on the plush navy-blue carpet as she waited in the small reception area for her interview with the director of the Harvard Center for Astrophysics. It...
