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Tales of the Continuing Time and Other Stories
THIS IS THIRTY-seven years of work.
Not thirty-seven consecutive, of course. I’d have published a lot more books if I’d written instead of raising children all these years. But thirty-seven years first to last. I was nineteen when I wrote “The Gray Maelstrom,” and I was fifty-six, today, when I finished “A Son Enters, Stage Right.”
So there are likely to be some tonal shifts in the work. Can’t be helped, and probably doesn’t matter. The kid who wrote “Gray Maelstrom” isn’t me and hasn’t been for decades. He still entertains me, though, which helps; and he’s stopped embarrassing me, which also helps. (With the exception of the movie tie-in “The Ring,” I’ve never published anything that had flaws in it that I knew how to fix. My immediate response to my own work is almost always delight: this is some good stuff, world! And then I start to get some distance on it, and think, Oh, hell, that doesn’t work. And a few years after that, it’s actually painful to read that material. I don’t know if that’s progress, exactly, but it’s certainly the impact of distance.)
But time continues to pass, relentlessly. The kid who wrote “Gray Maelstrom” and “Realtime” did the best work he knew how to do. He was younger than all but one of my five children, today. He was a good kid and when it came time to set aside writing to earn a living and raise children, he focused on what mattered and did. I’m not embarrassed by him these days.
Not thirty-seven consecutive, of course. I’d have published a lot more books if I’d written instead of raising children all these years. But thirty-seven years first to last. I was nineteen when I wrote “The Gray Maelstrom,” and I was fifty-six, today, when I finished “A Son Enters, Stage Right.”
So there are likely to be some tonal shifts in the work. Can’t be helped, and probably doesn’t matter. The kid who wrote “Gray Maelstrom” isn’t me and hasn’t been for decades. He still entertains me, though, which helps; and he’s stopped embarrassing me, which also helps. (With the exception of the movie tie-in “The Ring,” I’ve never published anything that had flaws in it that I knew how to fix. My immediate response to my own work is almost always delight: this is some good stuff, world! And then I start to get some distance on it, and think, Oh, hell, that doesn’t work. And a few years after that, it’s actually painful to read that material. I don’t know if that’s progress, exactly, but it’s certainly the impact of distance.)
But time continues to pass, relentlessly. The kid who wrote “Gray Maelstrom” and “Realtime” did the best work he knew how to do. He was younger than all but one of my five children, today. He was a good kid and when it came time to set aside writing to earn a living and raise children, he focused on what mattered and did. I’m not embarrassed by him these days.
317 pages, ebook
Published December 16, 2018
34 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 28, 2018
Look, there are two ways to look at this. For those who remain huge fans of an an obscure scifi series that ended abruptly thirty years ago, only to continue ten years ago as occasional ebooks, this is a wonder. At last we meet Ola Blue, at last we learn more about the long future.
For everyone who has no idea what I'm talking about, this is a great place to start. Well worth picking up. Ideas and theme appear here that are further explored in other books, and it's a great big collection of interesting pieces coming together in unexpected ways.
For everyone who has no idea what I'm talking about, this is a great place to start. Well worth picking up. Ideas and theme appear here that are further explored in other books, and it's a great big collection of interesting pieces coming together in unexpected ways.
August 16, 2021
Recent Reads: Tales Of The Continuing Time And Other Stories. A collection of Daniel Keys Moran's short fiction is a treat from a favourite writer, a peek into his Continuing Time saga unveils hinted key characters. But it's the other fiction that intrigues. An excellent primer.
April 11, 2023
Somehow I missed the original release of this, so only read it after I'd bought & read Great Gods.
There was a time there when we didn't think we'd get the books that Daniel Keys Moran had planned when he was younger. Life gets in the way for many plans, even for great authors, I get that. This book was written and released when DKM himself didn't think he'd get around to finishing the stories in the larger universe. That makes this book incredibly valuable. A collection of short stories that spans a large period of the continuing time, and introduces us to many players. Several of these short stories feel like synopsis's of stories that could have been richer.
Nowadays, DKM has retired and is concentrating on his writing. Which means we've a good chance of getting the fuller version of these stories. I hope we do, but I suspect this book might not stand up to the fuller stories. Until then, this compendium is now on my re-read list :-)
There was a time there when we didn't think we'd get the books that Daniel Keys Moran had planned when he was younger. Life gets in the way for many plans, even for great authors, I get that. This book was written and released when DKM himself didn't think he'd get around to finishing the stories in the larger universe. That makes this book incredibly valuable. A collection of short stories that spans a large period of the continuing time, and introduces us to many players. Several of these short stories feel like synopsis's of stories that could have been richer.
Nowadays, DKM has retired and is concentrating on his writing. Which means we've a good chance of getting the fuller version of these stories. I hope we do, but I suspect this book might not stand up to the fuller stories. Until then, this compendium is now on my re-read list :-)
January 28, 2019
An amazing amalgam
I love the toss in on the Lakers in the last,
I miss Jalian d'Arsennette. Some of the stories, I couldn’t track the timelines as intended, but I’m troubled. Def happy I purchased this, and it too shall become a reread.
I love the toss in on the Lakers in the last,
I miss Jalian d'Arsennette. Some of the stories, I couldn’t track the timelines as intended, but I’m troubled. Def happy I purchased this, and it too shall become a reread.
May 25, 2022
Not for me. Too much death and war for my liking. Perhaps someone more into Military Science Fiction would appreciate it more.
July 13, 2023
Need more stars to give an accurate review.
February 15, 2022
Over the years, I've read many of these stories in various forms, mostly web pages or blog entries by Moran. To have them all collected in one place, polished and ready for market, has been excellent. And there are new stories, too; ones that hadn't yet seen the light of day (or the Net).
For people who haven't read Moran's "The Continuing Time" series, start by reading "Shepherds" in this collection. Then go read the novels Emerald Eyes, The Long Run, The Last Dancer, and A.I. War: The Big Boost, in that order. Then come back this volume and read the rest of the Tales, starting with "LeftBehind" (one of my all-time favorites, and as poignant today as it was when it was first written). Then settle in to wait impatiently for new stuff.
For people who haven't read Moran's "The Continuing Time" series, start by reading "Shepherds" in this collection. Then go read the novels Emerald Eyes, The Long Run, The Last Dancer, and A.I. War: The Big Boost, in that order. Then come back this volume and read the rest of the Tales, starting with "LeftBehind" (one of my all-time favorites, and as poignant today as it was when it was first written). Then settle in to wait impatiently for new stuff.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews