The Republic of Heaven

Coming when it's ready:

• 'Hello Emmy.'
  
  'Hello 'Down.'
  
  'Welcome abroad. A moment, please. There is a... question I must ask you before I open the airlock door and let you into my life-system.'
  
  'Go on.' His face is unmoving.
  
  'Are you armed?'
  
  'What if I am?'
  
  'You know the answer to that. Emmy, if you do not assure me that you carry no weapons I shall not be able to allow you to board me. In fact, I may not be able to let you return to the Money either. Both the shuttle and I are valuable assets of humanity. I am sure you understand me. If you do not tell me that you are not armed I shall have to kill you.'
  
  'And if I tell you that I am not armed, but I lie? What will happen then?'
  
  'You will not lie to me. I know you better than that. Now tell me, are you armed?'
  
  'No, I am not.'
  
  'Good.' I open the airlock's door. 'Please come in and make yourself at home.'

On the nth revision. This story will just not settle

Love that! It's very sci-fi (hopefully intentional!)

... It's very sci-fi (hopefully intentional!)

Very much so This tale (when it finally emerges) will be the latest in a chain of linked stories about the people who live on the world of Glory, where refugee humanity has fled following the outbreak of the life-destroying Ochre Plague on the Lost Earth.

The actions and motivations of Emmy and the 'Down won't make a great deal of sense unless you have read at least one other story - The Guiding Star. Other stories centred on the McLuskie family include The Tides of Glory, Tank Five, The Sea-Change, The Phantom of the Archipelago and Terror of the Skyway Raiders. An unrelated tale which some readers seem to like is Across the Straits of Mercy.

They're all here in the Artroom. You only have to look

hey peter,

i haven't been at the pub of heaven for a loooong time, but i remember a couple of your Glory stories from your livejournal, and i'm glad they're also posted here. (i think Tides was my favourite, though it's been, gosh, years since i read it, and they all deserve a re-reading.)

how's this latest one going? you need to finish it! i want more! :)

-- darren

It's actually been finished for some time. I'm hanging on to it because I have the idea in the back of my mind that it would be fun to assemble all the Annie and Emmy stories together and publish them on Kindle.

But... bearing in mind the pitiful sales of THE BOY I am rather wondering whether it's worth the effort.

well, you got one more sale at about ten to six this evening. i'll make sure to review it on amazon when i 've finished it. :)

i'm up to a matter of discipline so far and i'm really enjoying what i've read of the book so far. i'm sure i've read first term only before, and maybe a matter of discipline, but it's been such a long time it's almost like reading them afresh.

good luck with the kindle sales, peter. if it's not selling well, i can promise it is not due to the quality of the contents. (though i can't say i'm overly fond of the cover...)

i really hope you do publish a glory collection. keep me posted -- i'll be the first to purchase it!

-- darren

well, you got one more sale at about ten to six this evening. i'll make sure to review it on amazon when i 've finished it.

Thank you!

(though i can't say i'm overly fond of the cover...)

This is the image I wanted to use for the cover:



It's by Chaim Soutine. Unfortunately it doesn't come out of copyright until 2014, so as I'm no kind of graphic artist I had to resort to using material of which I was sure I owned the rights.

If anyone wants to volunteer to make me a better cover for little glory and less money, please step forward!

yes, i like that cover art much more -- it's much more fitting for the tone of your vale stories! all the same, if the only critiscism of a book is its cover, you should be very pleased :)

i've just started on the final section, men and gods, so i'll let you know what i thought of it soon!