Where to Start With the Virga Series

 With Ashes of Candesce coming out in the next week or so, my crazy far-future steampunk Virga saga comes to an end. But assuming you're interested in these books, where should you start? Of course you can begin at the beginning, with Sun of Suns. But, here's the thing: I wrote these books to stand alone as much as possible. More importantly, although they do constitute one gigantic story, there are two parts to that story. The first three books can be read as one story; The Sunless Countries and Ashes of Candesce make up a second.

Add in the fact that Sun of Suns and Queen of Candesce have been combined in a Trade omnibus edition entitled Cities of the Air, and you have the following buying strategy, which will give you maximum story with minimum threads left dangling:

Cities of the Air and Pirate Sun make up a complete trilogy, since Cities contains both Sun of Suns and Queen of Candesce. Buy 'em both and you get a complete and rollicking far-future adventure.

The Sunless Countries and Ashes of Candesce make up a second full story arc, but also resolve the minor plot threads left unfinished in the first trilogy--and, yes, answer the major question of just what Artificial Nature is and why it threatens Virga.

So: two arcs, two books each. And, of course, you can also buy the audiobook editions, and upcoming, read the Sun of Suns graphic novel online!

Ashes of Candesce

Ashes of Candesce will hit the shelves on February 14, but meanwhile, Tor.com has an excerpt you can read online! I hope you like it.

About the Book

Nearly five years have passed since the  mysterious force known only as Artificial Nature first tried to breach the walls of Virga.  Its incursion has set off wars, revolution, and brought together an unlikely group of men and women united only in their opposition to it.  They are the famous sun lighter, Hayden Griffin; mad, irrepressible princess Venera Fanning and her husband, Admiral Chaison Fanning; winter wraith and former Home Guard soldier Antaea Argyre; and, most unlikely of all, former history tutor and now spokeswoman for an alien civilization, Leal Hieronyma Maspeth.

Their courage has kept Virga secure--until now.  Because Artificial Nature has decided upon a new strategy.  If it can't force its way into Virga, it will cultivate new allies within the vast bubble-world. 

If it can't batter the gates down, it will talk them open.  And with Leal and Hayden missing, Antaea cast out of the Guard and shunned by all, and the Fannings preoccupied by the collapse of Slipstream's brief empire, no one is there to stop it.  Unless rogue and former despot Jacoby Sarto can exploit the situation and save Virga. . . and perhaps, seize it himself.

Masters Degree Complete!

I've completed and defended the Major Research Project, the last requirement for my Masters in Strategic Foresight and Innovation at OCAD University (that's it on the right).  As a professional science fiction writer I'm already called upon to consult about the future, and have been a consulting futurist for nearly ten years now.  So far, though, I've provided raw imagination to foresight projects spearheaded by other people.  My current studies are giving me expertise in many tools that take my work from speculation to science:  qualitative and quantitative research methods, systems theory and business process design methods.  I've also just finished helping run an ongoing workshop called 2020 Media Futures, as well as other foresight projects for major government clients.

Strategic foresight is something of a growth industry, with new degree-granting programmes popping up everywhere.  Foresight--futurism, if you want to call it that--has traditionally been something of a black art, and also a subject of well-deserved suspicion when practiced by self-styled gurus who claim to be able to foretell the future.  It's good that it's becoming more widely practiced, and also good that some standards of professional conduct and ability are starting to be recognized.  The most basic is this:  that we all recognize that no one can predict the future, and we don't pretend to.  You can't predict the future, but you can work to minimize surprise.  Knowing what's going to happen is impossible, but being prepared for the unforeseen... is just barely possible.  And that's what foresight practitioners seek to do.  The consequences of a little foresight can be billions of dollars saved, or many lives. And that makes it worth doing, difficult as it is.