jump to navigation

God’s Assassin is Available and Updated June 9, 2017

Posted by Al Philipson in Last Train from Earth, Science and Science Fiction news.
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
add a comment

Cover 108x162If you picked up a copy of God’s Assassin while it was on sale, go back to Amazon  and download the latest version.

FTL has published a new version with some small fixes in one of the last scenes: a mixup between Military Police (Marine) and Shore Patrol (Navy). My fault. I changed the cops and forgot to change the ratings (Sergeant vs Petty Officer, etc.).


It’s 2608 (Earth Calendar) and the Empire is at war with the Angels Of the Lord — and losing.

In the midst of the war, Lady Victoria Chandler, a direct descendant of “Rock” Chandler, struggles to balance her five lives:
-She’s the presumptive heir to an earldom that spans a continent on her home planet of Camelot,
-Hot Royal Navy fighter pilot,
-Spy,
-Reluctant assassin, and
-The hope for freedom from bondage for an entire world.

And all she has to do is keep from getting caught, stay alive, and find the spy within the navy’s high command.

Complete story in one volume. No cliff-hangers.

PG-13 (some violence).


Cover SuperThumbThe first book in the series, Escape from Earth, is also available.


It’s 2206 and the president of the Free States of America is scheming to declare herself a dictator after the 2208 election.

When Eric Stewart, inventor of the Stewart Faster-than-Light drive and owner of the giant Stewart Industries conglomerate, discovers her plot, he launches a desperate plan to escape to a virgin planet with as many people and as much industrial capacity as he can. But he and his fellow conspirators have a spy in their midst.

It’s a race against the president’s enforcement squad and time — and the time-bomb is ticking.

Complete story in one volume. No cliff-hangers.

Rated PG-13 (some violence)

What Constitutes a “Novel”? August 17, 2014

Posted by Al Philipson in Last Train from Earth.
Tags: , , , ,
add a comment

When I was a young fellow, the average “novel” was 50,000 words. One of those narrow mass market paperbacks that used to be everywhere, but are rarely seen today. Any thing less was either a novella, an even shorter “novelette” (harken back to the old “Ace Doubles”), or a short story.

Somewhere along the line, the public started demanding larger books and the publishing industry complied. 100,000 words became the “standard” for a “novel”. 50,000 words was still technically a “novel”, but the industry wanted to put the fatter books on the shelves. A fat book had more of the spine showing and attracted buyers more easily than the thinner books of the past. And they could charge more for it. (more…)