Читать книгу The Tides of Altamar - Brian Gonzalez - Страница 3

Preface

This is the second book in the On Distant Worlds series. If you have not read the first book, you will still be able to read this one as a stand-alone novel. However some sections, most notably the Interludes, feature characters and storylines continued from the first book. To fully place these in context, I recommend picking up the first novel when you have the chance. There are no major spoilers for Book 1 in this book.

The inspiration for one sub-theme of this novel was ancient graffiti. Many centuries ago a pilgrim traveled to a temple in the Middle East and etched his name and the date in a wall to record his visit. I gave his name to the major character in Part 1, and his motivation to other characters in other sections.

The cover is pure and utter fiction. The F-drive torch should not be lit. The Ice-Ship would never go close enough to a star that you could visually make out its surface. Surface structures would not be visible at this scale. There are a couple of things wrong with the planet as well, according to the story. The odd proportions of a cover are challenging, as is the need to create a composition which has bleed room on the edges and space for titling. Let’s just say I’ve learned a lot about designing book covers. But I’m not unhappy with it; I was attempting to channel the science fiction artists of the 60’s and 70’s (if they had had Photoshop) and I think I got within striking distance of that goal.

To learn a little more about the ODW universe, visit ondistantworlds.com. The site is more or less always under construction so please excuse the dust. Don’t miss the timeline.

Thank you all for your support,

Brian Gonzalez

California, 2013