Elder Living

EarthCent Universe #7

by E.M. Foner

In space, everybody loves a good documentary...

The retirees from the independent living cooperative on Flower are putting on a documentary film festival for elder directors, leading to a flood of submissions from the advanced species. Meanwhile, the staff of the fledging Human Empire is trying to establish a document trail for an early milestone review by the artificial intelligence that runs the galactic tunnel network. Will humans be shut out of their own awards by superior competition, and will the Human Empire’s quest to replace EarthCent be derailed?

Genres: Science Fiction

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 2, 2024

About the author

I wrote Date Night on Union Station while taking a break from work on a science fiction epic I've been struggling with for years. The goal was to cheer myself up and to find out if there is still an audience for a science fiction comedy that gets its laughs from dialogue and funny situations rather than from gross-outs and shocks. As many readers have pointed out, the EarthCent series could be rated PG under the old fashioned system, no bloodshed, no graphic sex, no four letter words. And after years of imagining a galaxy for my epic in which multiple human civilizations are at war with each other, it did me a world of good to write about a galaxy where most people are just trying to make a living and find some joy in life. I received so many requests to extend the Date Night universe into a series that I put aside my epic for an extended period to write a sequel, Alien Night on Union Station. The events take place five years after the conclusion of Date Night, and the plot involves a mix of business, diplomacy, gaming and family relations. As a bonus, we finally get to meet Kelly's mother. After the positive response to Alien Night, I wrote a third book for the series, High Priest of Union Station, which is currently in the editing stage and due out in mid-October. I just started a book that extends the EarthCent galaxy with a different mission and cast of characters, though they may intersect at some point.

Reviews

[Diana T-C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series, and the other spin-off series - characters pop in from the other series because they are all in the same expanded storyline. The characters are smart and likeable and the ideas woven through the stories are interesting, novel, and complex. Quality writing and ideas that intrigue - in this book was an especially interesting concept of how to change theater seating - these futuristic engineering or tech or business ideas are scattered throughout all these books and are what make them stand out from the usual books published.

[John Stults · Rating 5 out of 5]

another home run

A great story, as always it
Is loaded with one liners zinging everything from gov to education and more. Also some really good insights on holding. Or really not holding. Grudges. I won’t go into a lot of details but the story was maybe a bit more twisty than normal and as with all the stories I was sad to see it end. I highly recommend this novel and can’t wait for the next one.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elder Living sees the launch of a film festival hosted by the Human Empire wherein all the entries must be documentaries created by elder members of the tunnel network species. At the same time, the young administrators of the same Human Empire are gearing up for their first milestone inspection.

We see most of the action through the eyes of those most directly involved, the elderly humans who have been the focus of the EarthCent Universe spin-offs as well as several characters who pop in from the other, related series.

All in all, this one started a bit slow for me but really picked up in the latter third of the story when all the events begin to come to a head.

NOTE: This is preceded by "Bits of Catalyst" (EarthCent Metaverse 3) and followed by "Royals on the Galactic Tunnel Network" (EarthCent Auxiliaries 6).

[David P. Duffy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kibbutz Style Socialism Masquerading As Free Enterprise

The Marxist kibbutz-style socialism guided by ‘benevolent’ AIs manipulating humanity and alien races into making the correct choices, all cloaked in pseudo free enterprise and pseudo freedom of will, continues in the author’s latest addition to his prolific universe.

Hapless human males are straightmen to the females’ control and vaudevillian humor. The aliens are the only engaging characters as they’ve been domesticated fully by the AI hierarchy. Feminism, veganism, brain chipping, all are considered normal & convenient. Plus, the heavy doses of Judaic mysticism—magic, abound.

It’s all very, very Bolshevik to a reader who reads it and the other books in the series closely.

[David Provan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readable

But not interesting. A meandering tale leads to a flat denouement. The romance is barely visible and the attempt to introduce antagonism is feeble.

Somehow the later EarthCent books don't work well. Maybe it's me.

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great brain

I reccomend buying and reading 5 book bundle of Union station first. A cast of thousands, could have used a Dramatis Personae. A non violent battle of principles? The drugged chocolate bar reminds of how hippies used to add drugs to things.

[Elaine Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slow and involved

If I hadn't read the entire series as they came out I don't think I would have been able to follow the story. But I think it resolved really well and I look forward to the next... whichever story line it comes from.

[Julie Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

E M Foner once again delivers. Human governance is up for its first review, there is a glut of avocados and several thousand documentaries to review. Flower and her inhabitants are always up for the latest challenge. Life in space with friends and aliens as you’d like it to be.

[LinHigley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Documentary of how to make Earth independent.

How to handle documentary on a grand scale. The lulaby that put baby's to sleep is a wishful twist of pure science fiction gold. Bugs everywhere should have anticipated.

[stephanie huntington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining and engaging

[Scott]

Another good story. These books are always refreshing and entertaining.

[Doug Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a good read

The latest in the series met my standard of the previous books. An entertaining story with a good plot twist near the end!
This is a terrific series and I look forward to the next book.

[MaryAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's always something going on in the EarthCent Universe! This time it's a festival of documentaries by elderly documentarians, sponsored by the Human Empire and organized by the residents of Flower! What could possibly go wrong--or incredibly come out right?!