Blog Archives
The Next Leap Into the Universe
Those Alien Skies follows three gripping stories that explore the uneasy bonds between humans and aliens as flawed, desperate people search for truth, redemption, and meaning across the vast unknown. For readers new to the Milijun universe, what do you hope they take away from Those Alien Skies as their first entry point?
As the scope of the Milijun books developed, I grew to love the characters [human, alien, and robotic] decorating their pages. ‘Those Alien Skies’ is a cosmic extension of their escapades and a substantial broadening of their horizons; the next leap into the universe, if you like.
For readers new to the Milijun universe, I hope they can closely relate to the various personalities, the situations they face, and the world-building of their universal surrounds. After finishing this book, I hope they remember the intimate reflections on survival and belonging. Hopefully those will linger long after the final page.
Humans are unique and wonderful creatures—but likely not the zenith of creation. We should remain open to sharing our life journeys and unafraid of what may seem paranormal or beyond our understanding. Where do we lie within the vast measure of creation? What is our relationship with the universe and what lies within it?
Elias Weber’s moral unraveling is one of the most memorable parts of the collection. What inspired his internal struggle, and did you always know where his arc would end?
Elias Weber first came to the fore in ‘Alien Whispers: Conflict and Communion’, Milijun Book 3, where he was a strong leader of an aggressive Tellurian military group based on the moon. The Tellurians are a powerful world-wide organization with an archaic mandate for their home planet—no exploration beyond Earth’s atmosphere. They are also the sworn enemy of the breakaway ‘Alien Communication Enterprise’, known as ACE, a group that vehemently opposes the Tellurian creed. There is a warlike rift between the Tellurians and ACE.
Captured by ACE, and totally embittered, he endures a meaningless life on Mars. Resentment grows, and Elias needs to understand what has happened to the Tellurian cause on Earth, and why it appears to be waning.
His future is in his own hands. He can accept the ACE doctrine of universal exploration with the alien Rbuzen, or he can seek revenge fuelled by a wistful desire for days long gone.
Each novella balances awe-inspiring sci-fi concepts with deeply personal emotional beats. How do you decide which element leads a given scene?
There is no conscious decision making involved. The overall immediate plot comes first—something that can be described in a few sentences. From then on, it is the characters that create their own sub-plots and the flow of events: what they think, how they react with other people and their surrounds, how they overcome adversity, how they develop, how they succeed or fail.
The characters’ actions in given circumstances tell the story, and I just need to get inside their heads and make their reactions plausible. Quite often it is a balance between action and reaction – as are many of the things in our daily lives. Life is full of decisions – some of them minor, others critical to our future.
In a nutshell, I believe the plot is the foundation of the book, the characters are the stuff it’s made from.
The stories touch on belief, doubt, and the shaping of truth. What drew you to explore these themes in a futuristic setting?
I wonder at our universe, even though we are seemingly only a small part of it. Transitioning to interstellar space and coming across other lifeforms is just another mode of creative exploration that can become a wonderful backdrop to any story. How close would aliens be to ourselves? How different?
Ideas can come from everywhere and anywhere. Pondering the universe. Pondering religions. Checking out the human condition. Exploring possibilities. And quite often surfing thoughts on waking up in the morning.
From the Milijun Series there is a Terran translation of an Rbuzen idiom, well before the aliens’ discovered extra-dimensional space: ‘Like the worm in the soil, or the spider in the web, we know nothing of creation, save that of our immediate surrounds, for that is all we need to know in order to survive.’
I believe that well describes the human condition. Who knows what lies outside our visible spectrum?
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website
✅ Few and Far Between is a story of a search born out of love, an otherworldly encounter, and a reminder that children are the future. The action takes place on Venture and a strange alien artificial planet. As always, nothing can be taken for granted.
✅ Battle Lines takes place on the alien planet Glieze, and illustrates the futility of war and the necessity of trust. It is a contest between World War and extinction or survival and faith in the future. Sometimes the way forward springs from the most unlikely source.
Each novella offers a glimpse into strange new worlds, where danger, wonder, and discovery go hand in hand.
Perfect for both longtime fans and newcomers who enjoy bold ideas and thought-provoking adventures, Those Alien Skies is a smart, suspenseful collection that challenges the limits of imagination and defies expectations.
It is a timely reminder that the universe still has secrets waiting to be found.
The perfect addition to your sci-fi library.
Those Alien Skies
Those Alien Skies is a sharp and imaginative collection of three novellas that dive into the vast unknown of space and the strange corners of the human mind. Each story, The Hunt for Elias Weber, Few and Far Between, and Battle Lines, is a window into a galaxy thick with mystery, alien worlds, and the stubborn will of people trying to find meaning in chaos. The tales follow the aftermath of Graham’s Milijun series, exploring how humans and aliens intertwine, clash, and sometimes find common ground across unimaginable distances. It’s part science fiction, part reflection on what drives us to explore, to fight, and to survive.
I enjoyed this book more than I expected. The writing is crisp and easy to fall into. There’s no heavy technobabble or confusing jargon, just vivid storytelling that pulls you along. Graham’s imagination is wild, but he keeps his worlds grounded in emotions like grief, loyalty, guilt, and curiosity. Elias Weber, one of the central figures, feels real in his flaws and his desperation. His moral decay is slow and chilling, and I found myself both frustrated by him and oddly sympathetic. Graham balances those shades of humanity so well. Sometimes the pacing dips a little, and a few scenes run long, but the payoff always comes. There’s a rhythm to his storytelling that feels cinematic, yet somehow deeply personal.
What really got me, though, was the heart behind the words. This isn’t just about aliens and spaceships. It’s about what happens when belief and doubt collide. It’s about the need for redemption in a universe that doesn’t seem to care. I felt that in every page. Some parts made me stop and think about the way we treat truth, how easily we bend it to suit ourselves. There’s a subtle sadness that lingers underneath all the adventure, like a quiet hum of loss and hope mixed together. And when Graham lets his characters breathe, when he slows things down and lets them wrestle with their fears, that’s when his writing shines the most.
I’d recommend Those Alien Skies to readers who love thoughtful science fiction but don’t want to get buried in technical detail. It’s perfect for anyone who likes their space stories with a touch of philosophy and a pulse of real emotion. If you’ve read the Milijun trilogy, this feels like coming home; if you haven’t, it stands well enough on its own. It’s a book that makes you think and feel at the same time, and that’s a rare thing these days.
Pages: 347 | ASIN: B0FRG7VK6P
The Ultimate In Enquiring Minds
Alien Whispers: Conflict and Communion follows a woman and her son who return to Earth to find it taken over by an authoritarian regime, and they must work with their Martian alliance to save humanity. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The inspiration is derived, of course, from the flow of the first two novels in the series, where the alien characters and their modus operandi were introduced. Beyond that, a prime plot source was the current day behaviour of our own species with a stretch to imagined post-conflict world orders.
Mix that with the presence of the Rbuzen aliens and the developed hybrid beings working with Laura on Mars, plus other aliens who bear ill will to Earth, and the inspiration for the plot directions became almost self-creative.
Another prime inspiration was the distinct possibility of other dimensions. To quote a Terran translation of an Rbuzen saying, before the aliens’ discovery of extradimensional space: Like the worm in the soil, or the spider in the web, we know nothing of creation, save that of our immediate surrounds, for that is all we need to know in order to survive.
What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?
Laura Sinclair is a wonderful person to work with. Her love for her son, Jason, is unbound, even if they drift apart somewhat after the events of Milijun. She endeavours to be a strong character, a scenario improved a little by nanobotic enhancements, but still possesses the mental and physical frailties that haunt us all.
In Alien Whispers: Conflict and Communion two other characters spring to mind in terms of a writing challenge: Damien Dayananda, the autocratic leader of the Tellurians, and Belle Aubertin, a Tellurian operative. Of the two, Belle was probably the most challenging to write into the story. After all, there are plenty of despots in the world to use as models.
Belle, though, was different. For one thing, she is French, and for another, she has the ultimate in enquiring minds. In the novel, she is torn between two worlds, eventually becoming a lead character—but for which side is not always clear.
And then there are the hybrids…but that is another story.
What was your process in writing the characters’ interactions to develop the bond they have?
I give the characters a background, sometimes exotic, sometimes not, and then I put myself in their shoes. And then I let them talk. Nothing complex, just natural conversation, depending on the situation they are in—and what part of the universe they come from! That is, I let them react pursuant to their inner thoughts, and the influence of their surroundings and who happens to be with them.
The bonds between humans are sometimes fraught with uncertainty. The bonds between hybrids and humans, however, carry no such qualms. The entire history of humankind is given to the hybrids in their birth chamber. They know us even better than we know ourselves.
After all, their alien half-parents have been surveying Earth for a very long time!
Will there be book 4 in the Milijun series, and if so, when will it be available?
There is likely to be a sequel to the trilogy. However, I am toying with the idea of a collection of short stories based on the Milijun concept and the future of the characters within the books. There are a diverse series of events to be built upon, and an anthology would be a good way to tackle those events, and the destiny of several leading players.
As time is just a permanent spiral of events, it could be available tomorrow or two years from now—whenever now is.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
A hundred years after her abduction to the alien planet Glieze, Laura Sinclair returns to Earth on a mission to find out what happened to her long-lost husband. But she finds the planet in turmoil under the oppressive regime of the authoritarian Tellurians. Humans are confined to the surface of their world and all extraterrestrial activity is forbidden.
Laura is a member of an ancient organization, now led by her son, Jason, which pioneered alien collaboration. From their secretive Martian base, they must find a way to free mankind from brutal tyranny. But one dangerous man stands in their way, a man who’ll stop at nothing to achieve his domination of Earth.
Weapons of mass destruction have been forbidden on the planet for a century, but something strange is happening on the moon—and alien insurgents stand ready to take advantage of the chaos. The future of humankind hangs in the balance. With her alien allies and members of Earth’s Underground, Laura must find a way to defeat both the renegade aliens and the overwhelming might of the Tellurian Empire.
The stage is set for an electrifying showdown that will decide the future of the Earth and that of the entire universe.
Alien Whispers: Conflict and Communion is the standalone third book in the Milijun series. Join the battle to save Earth from a fate that is crushing the planet’s will to survive.
Alien Whispers
Alien Whispers: Conflict and Communion is the long-awaited third installment in the Milijun series by science fiction writer Clayton Graham. It is a century after the events that shook Laura and her son Jason´s world, when aliens appearing out of the blue and abducted them with mysterious intentions.
Laura returns to planet Earth to figure out what happened to her long-lost husband. Backed by her son Jason, now the leader of a longstanding alien organization, she soon realizes that things are not as they once were.
Earth has been taken over by a tyrannical regime—the oppressive Tellurians—with a power-hungry leader seeking world dominion. Humans and their alien allies find themselves oppressed by the current regime with no access to weapons, and their communications closely monitored. In addition, something strange is stirring on the moon where another alien group is actively preparing to take advantage of Earth’s precarious situation. Laura finds herself facing not only the Tellurian Empire but also the aliens preying on humankind from the shadows. Will she overcome these dangerous enemies, or will she succumb to whatever fate they have prepared for Earth and the universe?
Author Clayton Graham’s worldbuilding is absolutely incredible. Set 250 years in the future, the author had to imagine a world with futuristic problems and what it took to get to that point. Surprisingly enough, while intergalactic and alien elements are integrated into our future, many of our present-day issues are still on these characters´ minds. In terms of the writing, this is a steady, fast-paced novel: one event is followed after the other without dwelling on a single situation. This by no means signifies that it’s sloppily written; on the contrary, the author leaves no stone unturned and is incredibly detailed in his descriptions.
The plot is thoroughly engaging, and while it is the third installment in the series, it is a standalone novel, which means that you can read it easily enough without having read the previous books. I would, however, recommend looking through the rest of the series to get a better view of the characters´ growth and history. I highly recommend this book for its great world and storyboarding.
Alien Whispers: Conflict and Communion (Milijun Book 3) is perfect for anyone looking for a thrilling read, but especially for die-hard sci-fi fans who will undoubtedly thoroughly enjoy this hidden gem.
Pages: 466 | ASIN : B0BBLGWS1S
Science and Speculative Fiction
Looking for Life is a collection of thought-provoking and fun science fiction stories. What was the inspiration behind this collection of stories?
Imagining universal situations and populating them with fascinating characters, usually with a dilemma to solve—now that’s an infinite depository of inspiration. After all, the stories may all be true, or become true in the future [or is it the past?
The size of this universe, the possibility of other universes and dimensions; they are all a source of wonder to me. They are also a cradle of countless possible happenings—just by the act of being there. It’s a challenge, yes, but it’s also a load of fun. And if you can make ends meet, so to speak, there’s a wonderful sense of satisfaction in completing a short story; any story really.
My favorite story from the collection is ‘Looking for Life’. Do you have a favorite or stand out story from the collection?
That’s a bit like asking a parent to choose a favorite child. ‘Looking for Life’ covers many facets of science and speculative fiction, but if you twisted my arm it would be a battle between ‘Desperate Times’ and ‘Looking for Life’ and ‘Mother’. And it would be a prolonged battle with no outright winner.
Did you write these stories for this collection or did you write them separately over time?
I certainly didn’t compile the stories one after the other with a view to hurriedly compiling a collection. I write a short story when an idea surfaces, and it may lie fallow for a quite a while before it clamours to join the nest of possible publications. I would say the majority of these stories were written over the past two or three years. But they are well-loved creations and never leave my mind.
Do you have plans to publish more works of short stories? Or possibly expand on a short story?
‘Looking for Life’ follows on from my first collection of short tales ‘Silently in the Night’, which was published in 2018. I guess that means I enjoy writing them. In between, I have also written three novels, so they are a love also. Currently my prime focus is writing the third book in the ‘Milijun’ series.
I often get reviewers or team members asking about expanding a short story into a novel, one particularly in ‘Looking for Life’ was ‘Mother’, which may very well suit that scenario. I think that ‘Worthy of Consideration’ would also fall into the basket.
However, I have never done it yet, but I guess it would be a new challenge. It’s nice to know something is there that readers appreciate and could serve as an inspiration for future tales.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
From a stranded alien comedian to the darkest depths of the human psyche; from a mind-blowing galactic adventure to clandestine extraterrestrial behaviour on Earth. They’re all here in this spell-binding collection of short stories to keep you guessing at every turn.
With tales of alien invasion, deep space mystery, time travel, and dystopian future Earths, this is a collection which takes inspiration from the much respected ‘old masters’ of Science Fiction. Here be new realms to explore—can you cross the void and challenge your dreams?
Explore Looking for Life and escape to strange and wonderful new worlds. From the author of Milijun, Amidst Alien Stars, Saving Paludis, and Silently in the Night.
Looking for Life: A Collection of Science Fiction Short Stories
![Looking for Life: A Collection of Science Fiction short stories by [Clayton Graham]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51vWvrRbMBL.jpg)
Looking for Life by Clayton Graham is an enthralling collection of science fiction short stories. They’re fast-paced adventurous intergalactic romps that are by turn, nail-biting and hilarious. Without giving too much away, my favorites definitely included the title tale and somewhat doom-filled (in the best way!) “Looking for Life” and the oddly philosophical “The Comedian” Nearly all of the seventeen stories have a twist at the end that was either thought-provoking or made me laugh.
Clayton Graham has a wonderful way of storytelling: he’s not a wax-lyrical author. He writes in a manner that is concise and gripping without giving too much away. And even though there is very little slow-burn element to the stories, he manages to structure the dialogue and action in such a way that it’s hard to put down any of the stories. The characters are limited by their own flaws and very realistic- making them oddly endearing. Surprisingly enough, even the plots are realistic- which is a commendable feat for any science fiction story. I suppose this is a combination of the author’s prowess and the way the stories depict alien life rooted in the same everyday realities as human life.
There’s definitely an element of dark humor throughout, lending to a somewhat philosophical theme to all the stories. I felt pleasantly detached and chin-scratchy after finishing the stories. There’s basically every conceivable sci-fi plot from deep space conspiracies to Artificial Intelligence to alien invasions- all of them unique and immersive.
It’s often the case with short stories that some of them are duds. Surprisingly enough, I didn’t find myself feeling like any of the seventeen didn’t belong or were disappointing. Some of them I definitely enjoyed more than others, but they’re all individual gems.
I’d recommend this to not only science-fiction fans, but also anyone who enjoys a solid action-adventure romp. It’s a fun ride that kept me entertained without asking too much of my time and keeping all of my attention.
Pages: 202 | ASIN: B08DLK6PMS
An Equally Ferocious Misery
Clayton Graham Author Interview
Milijun follows Laura and her son Jason as they witness aliens arriving on Earth which begins a strange trial involving the impregnation of human females with hybrid embryos and exploration of spiritual compatibility with the aliens. This is definitely one of the more original plots I’ve read all year. Where did this idea originate and how did it grow into a novel?
Milijun actually started as a short story. The birth of the alien RNasia occurred in the short story, and when they decided to wing their way to Earth I knew it could not end there. They seemed to want their universal journey to be worth something; they wanted their mission fulfilled. So I decided to oblige them. I trust the book is about more than an alien incursion into the Australian outback. The story challenges the reader to contemplate our place in the universe, or multiverses (as we are now led to believe may be a possibility). I wanted Milijun to explore how humanity would react when faced with an intelligence it cannot understand? It’s a good question, for it may happen someday. We are not currently prepared, of course, we are light years away from understanding how we should behave in such a circumstance. Milijun challenges our mindsets through the eyes of a mother and son, and as such is perhaps more powerful and meaningful than if that challenge was through the eyes of the United Nations or the President of the United States. The spirituality aspect is critical to the story. I have always been interested in the links between science, religion and the spirit and believe one day they will come together. Currently on our planet there appears to be a tremendous amount of high level investigative energy devoted to studies into the afterlife; how it relates to our known universe, what it is and where it can possibly be. In the end, Milijun probably asks more questions than it answers. But it does raise the questions. We cannot relax on Earth forever, ignorant of our cosmic surroundings, idling our time away, creating a mirage of prosperity, which appears to create an equally ferocious misery.
I felt that the relationship between Laura and Jason was deep. What was your inspiration for their mother-son relationship?
The novel certainly explores the relationship between a mother and son. How far can it be stretched before the links break? How far would a mother go to save her son? Would she be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, or undertake actions she would never have deemed possible prior to the alien incursion? I lost my own mother shortly after the Second World War. Thus, I grew into the teenage years under the guidance of my grandmother. Thinking back, they were more inspirational than they appeared to be at the time. Laura and Jason, I feel, have the connection which most mothers and sons would want – full of love, strong and unbreakable. If only all relationships, human and international, were like that!
Have you always been fascinated with alien invasion stories? When did your interest in it begin?
It’s our connection with the rest of the universe which fascinates me. Science Fiction has been with me since I was a teenager, escaping to new worlds in the back streets of Stockport, England, where I grew up as a child. Halcyon days, when education and school milk were free, and summers were real summers. We didn’t have much, but we had enough. I have always had an interest in Science Fiction and where it places humankind within the universe we know and love. I treasured the ‘old school’ science fiction written by authors such as HG Wells, Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov and John Wyndham – well before many were made into films.
What is the next book that you are writing and when will it be available?
I am working on ‘Saving Paludis’ at the moment, which is set in the year 3898 AD, some one hundred and forty light years from Earth. It explores the links between an alien culture and mankind, interplanetary economics, military force and power. It also asks the question: what happens when a culture concentrates on a single purpose-driven technology over a period of hundreds of years? Paludis is a far-flung world on the edge of Earth’s universal exploration. When the bottom drops out of the bauxite market, desperation is seeded as the planet begins to suffer. However, the discovery of a new technology that can dramatically change the way humans explore the universe looks like it will save the day. The mother planet, however, does not see it that way, especially when several savage attacks on Earth appear to emanate from Paludis. Inevitable conflict results, and it is only the combined efforts of a group of renegade humans and their alien allies which can ensure the survival of Paludis. They have to battle Paludis cultists, who wish to use the new technology for their own bizarre ends, the Paludis establishment and the earth military using their own unique brand of wits, strengths and intellect. Only perseverance, faith and bravado will win the day amongst the verdant marshes and snowy mountains of Paludis. But can they overcome the military might of the mother planet? Availability should be in the first half of 2017.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
It is Australia in 2179. On a moonlit Nullarbor night, Laura Sinclair and son, Jason, witness aliens descend to Earth. The extraterrestrials endeavour to form a symbiotic relationship with humankind, and Jason is chosen as a genetic link in a bizarre trial involving the impregnation of human females with hybrid embryos and exploration of spiritual compatibility. Laura crosses swords with Major General Sebastian Ord from the Australian Defence Force, Eucla and Uriel, the enigmatic head of Milijun, a reclusive research facility in the outback. Following a disastrous armed attempt to capture aliens at Cocklebiddy Cave and a fierce confrontation at Eucla, Jason is abducted by an alien swarm. What follows tests the resolve of Laura to the core. Caught in a relentless web of frightening new technologies and alien mystery, spurred by the undying love of her son, she gains a strength of character she never thought possible. All she has to do is save herself, Jason and several women and unborn children from the scheming plans of man and alien alike …
