The Aristillus Series
The Aristillus Series is a pair of science fiction novels about anarchocapitalism, economics, open source software, corporate finance, social media, antigravity, lunar colonization, genetically modified dogs, strong AI…and really, really big guns.
Earth in 2064 is politically corrupt and in economic decline. The Long Depression has dragged on for 56 years, and the Bureau of Sustainable Research is making sure that no new technologies disrupt the planned economy. Ten years ago a band of malcontents, dreamers, and libertarian radicals used a privately developed anti-gravity drive to equip obsolete and rusting sea-going cargo ships – and flew them to the moon.
There, using real world tunnel-boring-machines and earth-moving equipment, they’ve built their own retreat. If Ayn Rand’s ‘Galt’s Gulch’ had American capitalists, Chinese refugees, Mexican hydroponic farmers, Nigerian restaurant owners and Vietnamese space suit mechanics and was located in the underground tunnels of a lunar border-town, you’d have something like the city of Aristillus.
There’s a problem, though: the economic decline of Earth under a command-and-control economy is causing trouble for the political powers-that-be in Washington DC and elsewhere. To shore up their positions they need slap down the lunar expats and seize the gold they’re mining. The conflicts start small, but rapidly escalate.
There are zero-gravity gun fights in rusted ocean going ships flying through space, containers full of bulldozers hurtling through the vacuum, nuclear explosions, armies of tele-operated combat UAVs, guerrilla fighting in urban environments, and an astoundingly visual climax where -in the midst of all out warfare…well, you’ll have to read the novels.
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Thanks for contacting me on Twitter when I mentioned I was reading The Moon is a Harsh Mistress!
TJIC,
I just read your post on Vox Popoli, saw your book description and link. I thought, “an homage to Galt’s Gulch…I’ve got to see this.”
After just a quick look at the book’s blurb I’ve got to say I’m impressed! I was just thinking about something along these lines recently (not an idea for a book…just a thought about a future population that flees earth for the moon, etc.) so this really struck a chord with me.
I’m going to sign up for release date notification for PoTE.
Bob,
Thanks for your kind words!
I’m working my butt off to make this the best book it can possibly be (I’m writing a really cool scene right now – I hope to be done with draft 3 just before Christmas).
Thanks for signing up, and please add morlockpublishing.com to your RSS reader – I post excerpts a few times a week, take feedback from readers, answer questions, etc.
The only mistake was not writing “What? Too early?” at the end of the blog post.
Read your comment on Popehat. These sound great. Might there be an ebook version before deadtree version?
Yes, there will definitely be an e- version. Prob at the same exact time as the dead tree version.
Expect it summer 2014.
Hi-
Found your link off of John Wright’s page, and I decided to give your summary a read-through and see if it was something I’d be interested in. You seem to have a spelling error at the end of the first paragraph; did you mean “ships”?
“Ten years ago a band of malcontents, dreamers, and libertarian radicals used a privately developed anti-gravity drive to equip obsolete and rusting sea-going cargo ship – and flew them to the moon.”
Normally I’d never point out a spelling error on an internet site, but since this is your advertising copy, where you’re trying to impress readers with your writing ability to the point where they’ll pay you money, I figured you would want to know about it.
“Ten years ago a band of malcontents, dreamers, and libertarian radicals used a privately developed anti-gravity drive to equip obsolete and rusting sea-going cargo ship – and flew them to the moon.”
Typo fixed – thanks!
Where can I get book 2?
The 2nd book will be available at Amazon sometime in 2018. Thanks for your interest!
I’m old enough to have read Heinlein when his books were published. He’s view of libertarianism and utopia shaped many of my attitudes about how things should be. I read Moon in 1966, the year it was published. I enjoyed your book and it’s narrative of different social and political structures, all flawed. I liked the action, the idea of using old seagoing ships with AG drives. It was quite the image. As much as I liked the book, it pissed me off how abruptly you stopped. It was more like a serial rather than a novel. And what’s with the inability to leave a rating on Amazon via my Kindle. You should check on this. Hope you finish the second one soon. My attention span and memory are shot at my age. I really don’t want to forget the first book before I read the second.
Travis – really enjoyed book one and looking forward to book two. But not available through iBooks or Kindle (as a standalone)?
Book 2 is available!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B5283G2
Book cover with the large freighter sitting on the moon…. Who did the cover? And can you get a print for framing of it? I have some space art and this would be a nice compliment to what I have.
The artist is
Pavel Mikhailenko
his website is
http://mpavelart.com
I licensed the art to use as a cover image only; I am not in a position to sell prints.
(That said, my wife who composed the covers for me actually did run off one print for me as a birthday present!)
Halfway through the audio version of “Causes of Seperation”. My favorite book series in years. Really looking forward to more work from you.
Are you planning book 3?
I’ve already started writing it!
What happened to your Twitter?
Just finished Causes of Separation. Looks like books 3 & 4 have been planned for a number of years now. Change of plans, or are they still in the works? Thanks.
Still in the works!
I write slowly (I have a full time job as a software engineer, plus I also raise my own food on my farm – see here https://escapefromthecity.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders !).
The first two books took 6 years, start to finish.
The first draft of books 3 and 4 are about 1/3 done.
I will get back to working on them around 1 Jan 2021.
Good to hear, looking forward to reading them when they become available. I’m also a sw developer, BTW. Happy holidays.
I just finished reading 1 and 2,and am hungry for more. Hope you’re doing well and I can’t wait to buy the next ones in the series! Any updates on how that’d coming along? Thanks again.
Richard,
Thanks for your kind comment!
Right now I’m in the absolute final steps of pushing my two volume homesteading how-to book “Escape the City” ( https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tjic/escape-the-city-a-how-to-homesteading-guide/ or buy it here https://escapefromthecity.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders ) out the door.
As soon as that’s done (2 weeks? 6 weeks?) I will turn back to Ari 3 & 4.
I’d sure like to see a “prequel”…. More “Speculative Fiction” than “science Fiction”… Just how the “progressives” rose to power and took control, and then turned on the CEO’s of the Corporations… (Just how DID we get to the point where the “moon” was the limit?
As a long time science fiction fan, these are some really good concepts. Thanks for posting this I hope he takes it to heart, even if it’s not the framework he’s working on right now.
Travis, I truly enjoyed books 1 & 2 and have read everything else that you’ve written as well! Really looking forward to books 3 & 4! This would make a fantastic movie! Any screen plays in the works?
Eric Smith
Eric,
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Made some posters for the series. They are one DeviantArt under “Aristillus Militia Posters”. Enjoy
Dude I loved Powers of Earth and Causes of Separation! When is the third book coming out! I would love to live on a farm or better yet a cabin in the middle of nowhere! I could use a really good knife for camping! The ones I have seem to go dull really quick!
Thanks so much, Kevin!
I’m working on 3 & 4 right now; hopefully in ~2 years or so they’ll both be released.
I really liked books one and two. Can’t wait for your next book!
Thanks, Steve!
I was hard at work this past weekend, grinding on the outline for books 3 and 4
Hi!
First of all, since I’m not a native speaker, I apologise for any possible mistakes.
Just finished Causes of Separation and really enjoyed it (with the first book of course, since they are one story) but there are a few places I don’t fully understand. Probably due to the lack of background information. Could you please explain some of them a bit? You’d really satisfied my curiousity (because Google doesn’t have a clue about them either).
1) Chapter 47. Carrie-Ann says Vince she’s working on something called “Community Ring. For the Peace Faire.” Is it some kind of refference I just didn’t get or simply an insignificant title?
2) Chapter 56, the very beginning (BTW the assault including orbital strike AND the second attack on Aristillus, the Launch part with the “brief history of moon” are parts I enjoyed the most and I’d love to see more of such in books 3 and 4). John sees “Distinction Training Officer” plaque at the parking there. It’s more of a joke, I get it, but what’s the meaning of this “Distinction Training” as you understand it?
3) Chapter 59. One Nigerian goes “Oh, that how it is, mugu abuna?” at Louisa. What’s that “mugu abuna” part means?
4) Chapter 78. Hackerspace member Jake says: “The Autonomous Music Machine was cool. And the Dead Man’s DanceBot was radical.” It’s the same as my first point here, I suppose. Dead Man’s DanceBot – a refference or just a pun?
You’d help me a lot. Thank you for your attention and for your novels.
> 1) Chapter 47. Carrie-Ann says Vince she’s working on something called “Community Ring. For the Peace Faire.” Is it some kind of refference I just didn’t get or simply an insignificant title?
Just an insignificant made up thing.
> 2) Chapter 56, the very beginning (BTW the assault including orbital strike AND the second attack on Aristillus, the Launch part with the “brief history of moon” are parts I enjoyed the most and I’d love to see more of such in books 3 and 4).
Good to know – I’ll try to remember to add that in Ari 3 and 4 !
> John sees “Distinction Training Officer” plaque at the parking there. It’s more of a joke, I get it, but what’s the meaning of this “Distinction Training” as you understand it?
Again, just an insignificant made up thing.
> 3) Chapter 59. One Nigerian goes “Oh, that how it is, mugu abuna?” at Louisa. What’s that “mugu abuna” part means?
? I literally have no idea. I started writing the books in 2011 and finished in 2017 – so the last time I even saw this was 5 years ago. Sorry !
> 4) Chapter 78. Hackerspace member Jake says: “The Autonomous Music Machine was cool. And the Dead Man’s DanceBot was radical.” It’s the same as my first point here, I suppose. Dead Man’s DanceBot – a refference or just a pun?
Again, just a made up reference, referring to the kind of thing that Hackerspace and Burning Man-type people do.
> You’d help me a lot. Thank you for your attention and for your novels.
Thanks for taking the time to read them! I appreciate your questions!
Okay, thank you once again. Good luck and inspiration for your new books!
Can you help me visualize the dogs? Based on the written description I thought they were quadrupeds, but at different points in the story John keeps handing them things – camping gear, a rifle for Max, etc.
They can’t be holding things in their jaws inside a pressure suit. Do their suits have extra manipulator arms? Did the uplift involve making their forepaws into hand-analogs?
I’m confused.
The dogs are much like gorillas – they can operate on either 2 or 4 legs. Their front paws are hand-like, but squat – later in the book there’s discussion of the details.
Please, for the love of G-d, write a third book! Oh, and then if you could get with The Expanse team and figure out how to connect the two worlds it would make for the most epic mega series ever.
I know there are some gaps…the dogs, Gamma, AG drives and such, but the timeline would almost work, if the UN ended up going and occupying Luna after Gamma’s exodus.
But seriously, both series’ have a similar cadence and style that just seem like they could fit. (Probably why I love them both so much)
Thanks for you kind words!
I am in the process of writing books 3 and 4 …and also writing a YA (Young Adult) novella set in between books 2 and 3.
It’s slow going because I’ve got my day job, my side gigs, the farm, and I’m running for political office right now …but it will get done!
Is there a way to give you money in exchange for your book(s), other than going through Amazon and the rigamarole of dealing with their DRM?
you can paypal me the price of the book as listed at Amazon. Send it to tjic_pp@tjic.com and I’ll mail you back a PDF or other format.
Hello Mr Corcoran,
I thoroughly enjoyed Aristillus 1 & 2 – a crazy cool concept that kept me on the edge of my seat. I know you’ve been asked this countless times, but Aristillus 3 & 4?? Any rough timeframe as to when they will be available?? Thanks.
Thanks so much for your kind words!
Last year I wrote a YA set in the Aristillus universe that happens after the end of Ari 2.
This year I am writing another YA in that sub-series.
You can think of these as Ari 2.1 and 2.2.
I expect to finish 2.2 and release both around the end of this year.
Next year, 2025, I intend to write a book on zoning law and my experience uncovering massive corruption in the town of Weare, NH.
Then in 2026 I intend to get back to Ari 3 and 4, which are approximately 1/3 done.
Thus I hope to release Ari 3 and 4 as soon as the end of 2027.
I realize that this is quite a slow process, but I plead in my defense that (a) I’m not independently wealthy or a professional writer; I’ve got a full time day job, (b) I also serve in the NH House as a state representative, (c) I live on a homestead / hobby farm and have to mow the lawn / cut down trees / stack firewood.
Thanks for taking the time to share your enthusiasm, and I’ll do the best I can to get the book done as soon as I can.