Ever since 1949 when I discovered the magazine 'Astounding Science Fiction' (now Analog), I have been hooked on the genre. In those days, one of the highlights of existence was the anticipation of ...ver maisEver since 1949 when I discovered the magazine 'Astounding Science Fiction' (now Analog), I have been hooked on the genre. In those days, one of the highlights of existence was the anticipation of waiting to see what the giants of Sci-Fi, like Asimov and Heinlein, would dish up next.
After a career mainly spent in Technical Writing, I retired in 1986. A few years ago I joined an evening class in Creative Writing. So, of course, my initial attempts were in my favourite genre. One of the authors that I liked was Randall Garratt and his series of Lord Darcy stories. They were all set in the mid-twentieth century and was intriguing to see what would happen if magic had superseded science. I thought to try my hand at bringing this milieu up to date.
What if the American war of independence had never happened? What if the British government had satisfied the American colonists. I suppose that there would have been a Governor General instead of a President. Someone like Sir William Clinton, KGB, perhaps.
I had long been thinking of a concept that I don't recall seeing anywhere else. An idea for breaking Einstein’s speed limit of 186,000 miles per second. What if... a limited form of time travel could be experienced at the same time as moving through space. This could provide for 'warp' speeds without breaking Einstein's speed limit.
Of course radio communications would be ineffective and some other means would have to be invented. Thus, the idea of the 'Bill Axon' stories was born.ver menos