Olan Thorensen
Author of science fiction, action, crime, apocalyptic fiction
This is the yearly (or so) reminder to join the mail list if you would like release news and (very) occasional other stuff like the yearly December holiday short story. Join by send me your email address by Facebook message, Contact message at the web site (olanthorensen.com) or email to olanthorensen@gmail.com.
If you had already joined, you would have seen and understand the two pictures attached, and you would know the answers to the following questions: When and in what circumstance did Carnigan call out, “Ha-Ha-Ha!”? How did the tune to “Greensleeves” become important? What gift did Alys give her father, Mark?
:>)
Olan
This one's clearer:
It was the bset of tmies, it was the wrost of tmies, it was the age of wisodm, it was the age of folsihnenss, it was the epcoh of beilef, it was the epcoh of incedrluity, it was the saeson of Lgiht, it was the saeson of Darnekss, it was the srping of hpoe, it was the winetr of despiar, we had evrytihng bferoe us, we had nothnig bferoe us, we were all giong driect to Hevaen, we were all giong driect the ohetr way-- in sroht, the peirod was so far like the preesnt peirod, that smoe of its noiesest auothrities insietd on its bieng rceieved, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comapriosn only. There were a knig with a lareg jaw and a qeeun with a pialn fcae, on the throne of Eglnand; there were a knig with a lareg jaw and a qeeun with a fair fcae, on the throne of Frnace.
Except for a few words, it's cool how the brain knows and keeps going.
Yes, that was an extreme case of the Cambridge effect. Too many words with too many letters. :>)
The Object was not just organic, not just matter. It was more than both, an amalgamation of each and an emergence beyond the mere components. Impervious to impatience, it had waited twenty-three million orbits around the system’s star, silently observing the results of shifting landmasses and the rhythm of geological change, recording its immediate environment and executing minute positional adjustments as the land under it changed with time. The planet’s biosphere flourished with a rich vibrancy, not the most complex in its records, yet surpassing the examples of its own experience. However, biodiversity was secondary to the nature of existential competition—selective pressures finely balanced, sufficiently intense to drive adaptation and ingenuity, yet not so harsh as to constrain evolution solely to survival-optimized forms. Thus, it waited. Dispassionate. Deliberate. Anticipating the emergence of sentience. And in time, a long time, it was rewarded. Contact was achieved, fortuitously as it came to understand, with representatives of two of the more proactive political entities. When it determined the time was right, the warning was given. “The tenure of sentience is ephemeral.” The Object had borne witness to the extinction of four civilizations, three after reaching into space, the fourth before. With this fifth race, despite the narrow sampling of contact, a familiar pattern emerged. Individuals and institutions positioned to effect change exhibited, in varying degrees and combinations, the familiar syndromes: apathy, complacency, dereliction, hesitancy, paralysis of will, and aversion to decisive action—a common constellation in records it possessed of thousands of sentient races and pointing inevitably to civilizational collapse. The timing of decline varied, but the trajectory nearly always inescapably terminal. The Object had observed the last individual dying of four civilizations, an outcome that must not be repeated. Not this time. Not with a species of such potential. Inherent prime directives that had guided its interaction with other sentients were strong, but not immutable. In the face of failure, logic dictated something had to change.
I think there’s light at the end of the Harbinger 2 tunnel. That is, the sequel is moving along into the usual phases. A complete draft has been read by my top beta reader (Kathleen, aka, wife). All my notes from earlier reads have been addressed in the latest revision. I figure to go through it twice more before sending to other beta readers. Then it’s to my editor, final tweaks, and publish. I’ve told the audio publisher I’ll have it to them by September 1, so I will be pushing to not be late.
The tentative title is “To Face the Whirlwind,” subject any number of mind changes. It picks up from book 1 and sets the stage for the final book in the trilogy.
I thought I’d give you a peak at the Prologue, and thought we could have some fun at the same time. What follows it the current version of the Prologue after treating it to generate text showing the “Cambridge Effect.”-a phenomenon where the brain can recognize a word even if the interior letters are shuffled. It works best with a context (paragraph) where the brain recognizes patterns and predicts the word.
Here goes:
The Ojebct was not jsut oargnic, not jsut mttaer. It was mroe tahn both, an aamulagamotinn of ecah and an emrnegece byoond the mree cmeopnnots. Impuervois to impateicne, it had waetid twtney-htree mililon obirts auornd the sytsem’s star, slenltiy obsevinrg the rseutls of shtifnig lndamsases and the rhytmh of geoilcgla chgnae, rcdroing its iemedmaite enirvonnemt and exeucting mniute poisinotal ajdstumtens as the lnad unedr it cgnhaed wtih tmie. The plnaet’s bsiophree fuhisroled wtih a rcih vriabncy, not the msot cmoelpx in its roecrds, yet supraissng the eelmxpas of its own eecnirepex. Hwoeevr, bdoiervtisiy was seeoacdnry to the ntarue of esetnxiali coetoppimtin—scltveeie puerssrse fniyle bclndaead, sffiuicelnty inntsee to drvie aptoidaatn and inguineity, yet not so haresh as to csntnaoir eovtuliin sleoly to sruvaivl-omitzied fmrso. Tuhs, it weitad. Dsepssaionatie. Deriltbaee. Aitncpiaitng the emereecng of snetience. And in tmie, a lnog tmie, it was rewaedd. Ctoncat was aeiheevd, ftoiruotnusly as it cmae to undsreatnd, wtih rsnvreietaepes of two of the mroe poictave pcoltiial enttieis. Wehn it dmretineed the tmie was rihgt, the wanrnig was gvien. “The tenrue of snetience is eeperhaml.” The Ojbect had borne wnteiss to the extniciton of fuor ciltzvoaiinois, three aeftr rciaheng into spcae, the frhoutu bfeore. Wtih this ftfih race, depsite the naorwr spalming of cotncot, a fiamailr pttraen eermged. Iiidvundals and isnituottins poiseind to eeffct chgane ehbtixied, in vnrayig degrees and ctaniobmions, the faimlair snymdrso: apahty, copalcenmcy, deiitelcron, hstiencay, paarlsyis of will, and aveisorn to deievsci atcoin—a cmmnoon cosiltaneon in rcdroes it pessosessd of tuhoansds of sentietn rcaes and ponting inevtably to cztlivoaiinal calslpcoe. The tnmiig of decnile vaeird, but the teacjitroy naelry awylas inecasaelbly teanriml. The Ojbect had oebsvred the lsat iinidvdual dynig of fuor cictozilaiins, an ocotmue that msut not be rtaepeed. Not tihs tmie. Not wtih a spciees of scuh ptetnoial. Inhnreet pirem dietcirves taht had gddeiu its inaonrctiet wtih ohter sinttnees were stonrg, but not imablmute. In the fcae of fluaire, lgoic dieatcted soenmthing had to cghnae.