Foothold: The Story of Mankind’s First Expedition to the Stars
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Adventure. Adversity. Hope. A starship with eight people is launched into the unknown for the epic adventure of a lifetime. In the second half of the 21st century, Earth is struggling under the load of an ever-increasing population and a degrading environment. The tide of human politics ebbs and flows. Rising above the turmoil, the will is found to build one lone starship and launch it toward Tau Ceti. Hope for the future, hope for humanity.
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An interview with the author
Is this the original edition?
No, it was professionally re-edited and given a new cover in May 2016.
How would you describe Foothold?
It’s a space colonization adventure. There’s adversity, but no violence. There’s science, but not so much that the characters and adventure are lost in technobabble.
So it’s not for those that like hard science fiction?
I love hard science fiction! Any book that features interstellar travel needs technological breakthroughs, and Foothold is no exception. The science is deliberately low-tech in some ways though, as our colonists need hardy technology that they can repair themselves. As the series progresses, we will see more and more high-technology appearing.
Will the series remain non-violent?
No, that will change in book 2.
Why?
Humans are humans. Wherever they go, conflict is bound to follow. The series slowly morphs into military SciFi as the story unfolds.
It’s the first book of a series, right? Will there be a cliff-hanger?
Yes, Foothold is the first in a series of eight books. It definitely does leave the ending open for the next book, but not in a sudden cliff-hanger that has you reaching for your pitchfork and torch. Oh, and book 2, The Seasoning, is already out!
In the book, a starship is launched in 2063. Surely that’s way, way too soon?
Not if you believe in exponential progress. If we measure what we will achieve in the next 40 years by what we achieved in the last 40, it’s too soon. But I think it’s more likely the pace of change is accelerating and it’s not so far-fetched to think of subluminal star travel happening sooner rather than later, especially consider the impact of artificial intelligence.
If it were a movie, how would you rate it?
PG-13 for language and some mild sexual content.
