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First Forms: Mi's Chronicals: Book One
Before they became legends, they were a family.
Stranded beneath the purple star Orin, Aza and Den discover Apheena—a living world they know only from ancient myth. Here, they can build a future, raise children, and give rise to a civilization unlike anything the universe has known.
But they have brought the old stories with them. And Den believes she knows which creatures to fear.
When tragedy strikes, a secret act of compassion gives birth to the a new people whose hidden origins threaten everything their creators believe. Across generations, fragile trust binds two worlds together—until grief and betrayal turn a family’s divisions into a struggle for survival.
Beyond their sight, a hidden ship watches. Within it, an intelligence called Mi’ waits, her purpose concealed even from those she loves.
Two worlds. One family. A history that remembers monsters.
Who gets to decide which ones they were?
Stranded beneath the purple star Orin, Aza and Den discover Apheena—a living world they know only from ancient myth. Here, they can build a future, raise children, and give rise to a civilization unlike anything the universe has known.
But they have brought the old stories with them. And Den believes she knows which creatures to fear.
When tragedy strikes, a secret act of compassion gives birth to the a new people whose hidden origins threaten everything their creators believe. Across generations, fragile trust binds two worlds together—until grief and betrayal turn a family’s divisions into a struggle for survival.
Beyond their sight, a hidden ship watches. Within it, an intelligence called Mi’ waits, her purpose concealed even from those she loves.
Two worlds. One family. A history that remembers monsters.
Who gets to decide which ones they were?
236 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 22, 2026
About the author
Randall Collins
61 books108 followers Dr. Randall Collins is an American sociologist who has been influential in both his teaching and writing. He has taught in many notable universities around the world and his academic works have been translated into various languages. Collins is currently Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a leading contemporary social theorist whose areas of expertise include the macro-historical sociology of political and economic change; micro-sociology, including face-to-face interaction;and the sociology of intellectuals and social conflict. He has devoted much of his career and research to study society, how is it created and destroyed through emotional behaviors of human beings. He is considered to be one of the leading non-Marxist conflict theorists in the United States, and served as the president of the American Sociological Association from 2010 to 2011.
Dr. Collins' first position in academia was at UC Berkeley, followed by many other universities including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, followed by the UC San Diego, the University of Virginia, then UC Riverside, and finally the University of Pennsylvania. He took intermittent breaks from academia, as a novelist, and as a freelance scholar. He has also been a visiting professor at Chicago, Harvard, and Cambridge, as well as various schools in Europe, Japan, and China. Collins has published almost one hundred articles since finishing his undergraduate education. He has also written and contributed to several books with a range of topics such as the discovery of society to the sociology of marriage and family life.
Dr. Collins grew up in a slew of different cities and countries, his father being a diplomat (and possible spy) with the US State Department during the Cold War. They lived in Germany immediately following World War II, and later in Moscow, among other places such as Uruguay.
Dr. Collins' first position in academia was at UC Berkeley, followed by many other universities including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, followed by the UC San Diego, the University of Virginia, then UC Riverside, and finally the University of Pennsylvania. He took intermittent breaks from academia, as a novelist, and as a freelance scholar. He has also been a visiting professor at Chicago, Harvard, and Cambridge, as well as various schools in Europe, Japan, and China. Collins has published almost one hundred articles since finishing his undergraduate education. He has also written and contributed to several books with a range of topics such as the discovery of society to the sociology of marriage and family life.
Dr. Collins grew up in a slew of different cities and countries, his father being a diplomat (and possible spy) with the US State Department during the Cold War. They lived in Germany immediately following World War II, and later in Moscow, among other places such as Uruguay.
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