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Plot/Idea: 9 out of 10

Originality: 8 out of 10

Prose: 8 out of 10

Character/Execution: 8 out of 10

Overall: 8.25 out of 10

Assessment:

Plot: Hurzeler turns a failed colonization mission into a gripping study of survival, leadership, and the thin line between order and chaos. Once Dauntless crashes onto a pair of hostile asteroids, survival becomes a fragile balancing act shaped by failing life-support systems, dwindling resources, competing visions of leadership, and a killer among the survivors....

I have been working hard on Book Two: Hell or High Water

Spoiler alert: at the end of Book One, Jeronimus orders Marty and his crew to the Terminator Zone to mine ice there, and sends Corporal Hayes and his Marines to P-47 (the other asteroid) for the same purpose. Book Two opens with Zevank and Peskanov piloting a shuttle with twelve male colonists in the back. They've been told they're on their way to P-47 to help the Marines, but all is not what it seems. Zevank orders the men into the...

I wanted to talk about one of the major themes of the book, and how it connects to the source material that is the true story of the Batavia shipwreck: which is more dangerous, nature, or the dark side of human nature?

The Batavia saga is about, among other things, survival against impossible odds on a desert island. In the aftermath of the shipwreck, the colonists and crew battled unrelenting heat and thirst amid the harsh conditions of the Houtman Albrohos island chain off the west coast of...

"Truth is stranger than fiction" is my mantra, and this week I'm giving you another example of how it informed the creative process behind my book. The first major turning point is the decision by senior officers on the Dauntless to mutiny, and seize the colony ship by force mid-voyage. Historically, mutinies were very rare in sailing vessels because of the major deterrents, mainly capital punishment if you got caught. It was a major risk, not worth it to most, even in the face of the...

My writing technique for Wreck of the Dauntless uses “historical allegory,” in which fictional narratives, characters, and settings are inspired by actual historical figures and events. It is not new to science fiction; for example, Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” is based on the Roman Empire and "Star Trek" was inspired by the British Navy. However, my book is the first to transform the historical event that was the Batavia shipwreck of 1629 into a fictional narrative. I chose this event because...