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I’ll give you a free copy of my novels if you promise to write an honest review on Amazon.com

My First SciFi Novel

The Prequel

Imagine a far-distant future...

The year is 9900 AD. The human species has changed itself in profound ways. Genetically redesigned babies are born from a tank, not a womb. People are smarter, stronger, faster, kinder, and better in every way than the original human ape. After reaching maturity, humans do not age.

They do not get sick. They do not die of natural causes. They are virtually immortal. The world's population is small and new people are created only to offset the rare accidental death.
   That future society is different from what today's humans would call normal. Couples do not marry. There are no families, though many people belong to loose friendship groups called "tribes." There are no children or elderly people. Everyone is a healthy adult. Pregnancy is obsolete. Sex is casual and recreational. Work is done by machines and computers.
   The latest scientific development is the invention of time travel. The cautious inventor, with the approval of his society, experiments by sending a person into the future and back - by a few days, then a month, then a year, and so on. Finally, a man is sent forward to the year 10,000 - but he does not return. A robot sent forward to 10,000 does not return either. Nothing returns that is sent to any date after January 1, 10,000 - and no one knows why.
   Something unimaginable, mysterious, and ominous will happen to earth and humanity on January 1, 10,000 - but what? How can humanity defend itself from the coming disaster when the nature of the disaster is unknown?
   Each person must choose his or her own way to prepare for "The End of Time."
   One man receives instructions from the future to journey into the past on a mysterious mission. He becomes The Traveler.
   What he does changes everything.

Read a couple of chapters to see if it’s any good.
Purchase for $14.97

Enter this discount code and get $2.00 off: DXMJNEFX

Download a copy in PDF format for $5.00.

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“Traveler” the first part of a two part story.

Part 2 “Tales of the White Witch” has just been published!

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Forbidden Planet

This movie blew my ten year old mind back in 1956. There is more to it than most fifties SciFi flicks. Its assumptions are a bit dated, admittedly. The special effects were cutting-edge at the time but are rather tame by today’s standards.

The plot, however, is profound. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it. Before renting it, read my little review. I think it will increase your appreciation of the flick. Enjoy.

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Why Write?

Writing a SciFi novel has been a longtime ambition of mine. I have enjoyed so many science fiction novels and movies that I wanted to make a small contribution to the genre myself. Traveler is my first novel. I put a lot into it and I’m proud of it.

I wanted to write a book that I myself would love to read. I kept working on the novel until it passed my test. I had to read the novel cover to cover, of course, several times to weed out inconsistencies, date issues (it’s a time travel tale), and typos. Each time I read it, I fiddled with parts that did not satisfy me. Finally, I couldn’t find anything else to change. I like my book.
I also wanted to write a book that some of my fellow humans could enjoy. Reading has been a big part of my life. Thinking about things I have read has been another. I am in the winter of my life now, and I want to share my thoughts with you. My own personal mental experiment will eventually conclude itself as the dust of my generation joins the dust all the others. I don’t think that my little book will become a classic novel or even a classic SciFi novel, though I would be very pleased if it did. I do think that a few thoughtful, intelligent readers will enjoy it, and they will be affected in some way by the characters and ideas that I have stitched together into my story.
Finally, I must admit that making a few bucks on the book would not hurt my feelings.

My Newest SciFi Novel

The Sequel

Imagine a long-distant past...

A time traveler named Adam Walker marooned a young woman named Holly in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in the year 25 AD. He was trying to do her a favor. How Holly became the White Witch and what she did for the next 10,000 years is the subject of this little tale.

Holly, like Adam, was a member of an immortal race of humans, invented by technology in the far future. The end of their world seemed imminent, and they were all trying to deal with something that was going to happen on December 31st, 10,000 AD. No one knew for sure what was going to happen. They just called it “The End of Time” and they all knew that it would be completely unpredictable. Adam thought Holly might like 9,975 years to grow up. She was only 25.
Adam had his own agenda as a time traveler and babysitting Holly was not part of it. He left her to her own devices and returned to his studies in a monastery in Medieval Ireland. Adam was a bit eccentric. He had his own interests and his own pursuits. He was a solitary man and Holly was a bit of a loose cannon.

How Holly became the White Witch and what she did for 10,000 years is the subject of this little tale.

Tales of the White Witch
is the second and concluding volume to

Traveler: A Story of Traveling through Time
also by Terry Duke.

You can purchase a copy for $14.97 from the following site or from your favorite book store.

From CreateSpace $14.97 (my royalty $7.19)

Enter this discount code and get $2.00 off: DXMJNEFX

That makes it a mere $12.97 plus shipping and maybe tax depending on the state you live in.

What more can I do? Come read it to you?

I, at last, I have finished the sequel to Traveler. It was a labor of unexpected difficulty. My characters persistently refused to obey my author-ity. They apparently have minds of their own. They insisted on telling the story their own way. I have to admit that the novel they wrote is much better than the one I had in mind. I never knew when I opened a door who would be standing behind it.

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The Creative Process

Traveler is the first part of a two-part story. The second and concluding novel is Tales of the White Witch.
In the second novel, which I have just finished, I return to the same themes: mortality, the relationship of the sexes, the impact of technology on humanity, and human action (meaning, what do individuals choose to do in response to particular thoughts or ideas?).

I thought that those who enjoyed Traveler might enjoy reading a short article summarizing my thoughts on topics that permeate the novel. Perhaps you would like to read the story of how Jesus failed to come into my heart. I also describe who I think Jesus really was. My exposure to Christianity as a boy were very confusing to me. It caused me to become preoccupied with mortality and the meaning of death. It interested me, as I read my finished novel, to see my ideas motivating some of my characters. Sexuality plays an important part in my novel too.

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Better Living Through Machiavellianism

Niccolo Machiavelli lived about five centuries ago. He wrote a little book of advice to the Prince of Renaissance Florence which became very famous and very scandalous over the years. He advised “The Prince” to make decisions and take actions that would further his (the Prince’s) own goals. He said that there is no compelling reason to consider ethical or moral values when making decisions. That is, do and say those things that will get you what you want. This sounds cold, but Machiavelli was a passionate man, not a cold, calculating intellect. He passionately loved his wife, his children, his mistresses, and his city. He did the best he could to make them thrive and prosper.

In his charming little book he raised a very provocative question: “Is it better to win by cheating or lose while playing by the rules?” He observed that he had known many very successful men. Among them were Popes, Cardinals, Princes, and Kings. All of them, he observed, had lied, cheated, stolen, and murdered to get what they wanted and keep what they had. Read more on my interpretation of Machiavellianism.

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My Review of My Novel

Traveler, my first novel, began as a hobby. I travel a great deal on business, and I have a lot of dead time to kill in airports and hotels. I thought I might write a short story for fun and see if I could get it published in some minor SciFi magazine or just share it with my friends. To my great surprise, the project grew from a pastime into an obsession. The characters came alive in my brain and seemed to live out their adventures while I merely recorded their comings and goings. Chapter followed chapter until my "short story" grew into 343 pages.

The themes of the novel are mortality, the meaning of religion in our lives, the meaningfulness of life itself, the relationship of the sexes, technology's impact on human life, and human action. By "action" I mean this: how does a person translate meaningful thought into meaningful action? Thought without action is purposeless. If Einstein had developed his wonderful theory, but had never shared his thoughts with others, then Relativity would have just been the idle fantasy of a bored patent clerk.

We human apes live in human culture, communicating our thoughts to others, acting in ways that are meaningful to others as well as ourselves, and mimicking each other's behaviors and speech.

I let my characters believe they were immortal, treated them to six centuries of a wonderful life, and then threatened them with death - to see how they would think and behave. Some became heroes, some became cowards, some retreated into fantasy and denial, and some became scoundrels of the worst sort.

Traveler is a good, fun read. Anyone who enjoys "hard" SciFi should preview the book. It has lots of action, lots of surprises, and a handful of fascinating characters. I don't think there is a single SciFi cliche in the book. I predict that you will like it.

I humbly suggest that the two most powerful female characters in all of SciFi make their appearance in Traveler, and I am eager to hear from my female readers about my characters Lyra and Holly. Science Fiction has always tilted toward adolescent boys. Traveler is for grown-up men and women.

There are a few minor sexual episodes in the novel, but they are not graphic. The narrator tastefully closes the bedroom door at the right moment, leaving the reader's imagination to do most of the work. I do not recommend the book to children for that reason. (Also, the book's language and themes would be a little over the head of anyone who has not finished high school.)

I grew up reading the hard SciFi of Heinlein, Asimov, Pohl, Herbert, and Clarke. Later, I enjoyed Larry Niven's superb work, to mention only a few favorites. I was determined to write a novel that I would love to read, and I believe I've succeeded. I hope you will preview the book to see if it is to your taste.

Note: Traveler is Part 1 of a 2 novel series.

Tales of the White Witch

is now available.

From CreateSpace $14.97 (my royalty $7.19)

Enter this discount code and get $2.00 off: DXMJNEFX

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Traveler

The Prequel

A Great Read for SciFi Fans