About the Setting

In another universe, in a galaxy strangely similar to our own, there’s a bubble of space a couple of thousand light-years across – somewhat distorted by bumping into the edges of the galactic disk to acme and nadir – filled with millions of stars, bound together by an ever-expanding spiderweb of manufactured wormholes, and bright with the EM babble of civilized life.

These are the Associated Worlds, sprawling myriad species, polities, philosophies, corporations, clades, and cultures.  From the hypercivilized Powers at their heart – the Empire of the Star, self-proclaimed jewel of the galaxy; the Photonic Network, by, for, and of digital intelligences; the Voniensa Republic, standing up for the natural sophont in a galaxy leaving them behind; and more – to the brawling colonies of the Periphery and Beyond, trillions of lives are lived, each with its own story to be told.

These are some of them.

About the Author

A professional dilettante, Alistair Young was born in England and now lives in Wichita, Kansas with his wife and two dogs.  One morning, he woke up with a universe in his head, and knowing this was a sign of either insanity or literature, started writing and hopes for the best.