Shattered

by Susannah J. Bell

A Neanderthal man sees a space station streak across the sky On Observation Platform 5, preparations are being made for the arrival of the Queen of Galinthia, due to visit the forbidden planet. Ziann Mara, communications officer, contacts her conspirators using space-red, a drug that expands space and time. She’s secretly in love with Commander Heltz but whose side is he on? Can she trust him? While events race towards political disaster and an inevitable war, the Queen takes her “holiday” in the body of a Neanderthal woman called Yani. Learning to survive on a primitive world, she discovers a different kind of power – and the truth about the one they call “Meridian.” The scream was pulled from her, long and thin, a wail that went on and on until, in the end, she was where she always in the water, shivering, naked, hair dripping in her face.Someone handed her a white sheet and she stood up, wrapping it around herself, fingers numb with cold. The sheet clung to her and did nothing to warm her but at least she was hidden from view.“Every time,” said the other. “Can’t you think of another way to arrive?”“Every time,” said Ziann crossly, “you ask me that question.” This is a stand-alone novella, the first in what will be the second volume of the Exodus Sequence. Reading the first volume will enhance this story, but it isn’t necessary for full understanding.

144 pages, Paperback

Published July 22, 2019

About the author

Susannah J. Bell is a writer of science fiction and other strange and surreal works. She was born in London but grew up in South Africa, escaping when she was twenty to be a writer. Not able to find much success in London, she dreamed of living in other parts of the world: the Scottish Highlands, New York, Mars, but never got much further than travel guides. Nowadays, she would like to live in a tower in a forest and dreams of travelling to the fantastical worlds of her imagination. Her writing has taken her from the familiar landscapes of Mars and Io and Titan, to worlds far beyond ours, even to the edge of the galaxy. She has explored other dimensions, realms, and space beyond. Within her writing, she explores different styles, voices and concepts, always returning to the theme that fascinates her the most: immortality. She has published several series such as The Fleet Quintet and The Exodus Sequence, and is working on a new series of novels, as well as a large literary work, more Exodus Sequence stories, and biographical short stories. She hopes one day to complete the fifth Fleet novel. She loves the sound of falling water, is passionate about trees, and is happiest when writing. She still lives in London.