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Zany Humor and Absolute Seriousness
Meteor Mags: Permanent Crescent and Other Tales follows a space pirate on a mission to save a dying moon that she may have had a part in destroying. What was the inspiration for this collection of stories?
The main idea in Permanent Crescent is Mags’ ongoing evolution from a rogue pirate on the fringes of society into a leader who can advance social change and affect the course of human history. Given her reckless nature and obvious anger-management problems, that’s not something that comes easily to her. So we see how she brings new people into her crew to help her advance her idealistic and seemingly unrealistic goals—and all the challenges that come along with that, especially since some of those people were once her enemies and rivals.
Although I like for every “episode” to feel like a self-contained story with a fast-paced adventure that confronts some new kind of science-fiction madness, mystery, or horrifying monster, I also think of myself as Mags’ biographer and want all the stories to connect in a larger narrative about her unique and interesting life.
And, as you point out, we explore how some of her problems are ones she created or are unintended consequences of her existence. That theme will continue in the next book.
Tell us a little about how you developed the character of Mags. Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma, or something else?
It actually started with a tragedy. A year before I started the series, I lost someone special to me. I wasn’t dealing with it very well, so I created Meteor Mags as a tribute to her, to honor her memory and the creativity we shared. Mags is named after her, shares her love of piracy, and embodies the same kind of hard-edged self-determination I admired so much about her—combined with a softer and more caring side that not everyone got to see, but only those closest to her.
But I’m a huge science-fiction geek, too, so it made sense to take that kind of character and put her in a space-based setting, and send her off on ill-advised adventures with her totally awesome cat. And so, Meteor Mags was born! I’ve discussed this all in much more detail in my book of essays, Virtually Yours: A Meteor Mags Memoir about the origin and creation of the character, and what she means to me.
Who are some of your favorite authors that you feel were influential in your work? What impact have they had on your writing?
The mix of zany humor and absolute seriousness owes a lot to one of my favorite comic-book series: Nexus by Mike Baron and Steve Rude, with Paul Smith. Science-fiction comics such as Alien Legion and Jim Starlin’s Dreadstar also played a huge role in how I approach telling a story with an ensemble cast of rebels and adventurers in space. When I started the series, I envisioned it as just a handful of short comic-book stories, but I can’t draw sequential art to save my life—so I did it in prose, and Mags quickly took on a life of her own.
As for the concept of pirates as not just criminals but a multicultural labor rebellion against capitalist oppression—that was heavily influenced by Marcus Rediker’s brilliant book, Villains of All Nations. The idea that these outlaws would try to build a utopian micro-society comes from the chapter “Of Captain Mission” in A General History of the Pyrates.
The historical research I did on the classical Atlantic pirates really comes through in the story “Hang My Body on the Pier” which concludes the first omnibus and tells how one of Mags’ ancestors rose to power in the early 1700s. It’s a bit of historical fiction in an ostensibly sci-fi series, but it’s one of my favorites. The episode “One Last Night on Death World” in Permanent Crescent is a follow-up to that story—again, with a lot of historical fiction and research going into it.
Do you have more space pirate stories featuring Mags to share with readers, or are you working on a different story?
Oh, there are so many more Meteor Mags adventures to tell! I’ve been posting drafts of new stories on my blog at MarsWillSendNoMore.com, with plans to publish another collection in 2024. If you’re new to the series, everything that happened before Permanent Crescent is collected in Meteor Mags: Omnibus Edition and Meteor Mags: The Second Omnibus. Together, the omnibuses are well over a thousand pages with a total of thirty stories plus illustrations, poems, song lyrics, and even a mini-comic. There’s enough anarchy, asteroids, and excessive ammunition to keep even the most voracious reader busy for quite some time!
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Permanent Crescent: The Moon is about to die, and it’s all Mags’ fault. Join a hell-raising space pirate and her indestructible calico cat as they confront a lunar death cult whose alien leader plans to take his revenge on humanity by destroying Earth’s ancient satellite.
Odonata’s Revenge: Mags faces double trouble when an alien menace and an ex-mercenary converge on Ceres to end the pirate’s life and steal her secret technology.
Infinite Spaces: Mags and her crew discover signals emanating from the depths of the subterranean ocean on Ceres and risk their lives in uncharted waters to find the source. What they find makes Mags reconsider her role in humanity’s evolution and the final fate of her universe.
Farewell Tour: A band of telepathic octopuses and their interspecies friends bring a message of liberation to the solar system one last time. Mags and Patches fight to rescue them from the forces of law and order.
One Last Night on Death World: On the last night of Gramma’s life, Mags takes her drinking at a west-coast bar to shoot pool and have fun. Between games of billiards, they discuss the future of the solar system and reminisce about their past, revealing details about Gramma’s childhood, her relationship with her piratical mother, and the development of GravGen technology.
Pieces of Eight: Mags and her friends in Small Flowers return to Earth to seek a new home for the dying octopuses, but what they find is not at all what they expected.
Might be unsuitable for children and other carbon-based life.
The Eyes Behold Tomorrow
The Eyes Behold Tomorrow by Ken Hart is fast moving action filled fantasy novel. Ken Hart describes his writing perfectly, “believable, without incredibly ridiculous situations that suddenly appear to solve all the character’s problems” (Hart p166). This novel merges human and a race called the Feletian into an intertwined future encompassing alliances and some galactic waring with other races. Feletian is a matriarchal society where the men are claimed into what are called stables. Women rule and men are expected to defer to them in almost every situation. They are also known for their peace keeping ways. They are non-violent and only use force when absolutely necessary. The two main characters are Robert Teach, a millionaire playboy from Earth, and Kamini a Feletian recruiter and Princess from Feletia. The two of them end up having a volatile relationship with good and bad moments, but always working together for what is in the best interest of Feletia, even if their views and tactics don’t always agree. Robert is a hot shot that likes to shoot first and ask questions later, Kamini prefers a more peaceful approach and always looks to see the good in others.
The story starts out with the recruiting of men from Earth. Typically, the Feletian’s were looking at the best military men Earth had to offer when Kamini approached Robert and asked him to join up. Having nothing better to do with his life at that point he agreed. The character of Robert is your typical arrogant playboy that thinks he knows it all and doesn’t take orders well. He makes an enemy in the first few days with another recruit, Desaris. Robert and Deasaris’s relationship is almost as interesting as Robert and Kamini. They might not like each other but will have to work together to save the Feletian’s and ultimately Earth from the alien races known as the Lyonians and eventually the Grrulagan.
Queen Aphelia is the peace keeper; she takes great interest in Robert from the start. In reference to the title, The Eyes Behold Tomorrow, some of the women of Feletia have what they call the gift. This is an ability to see into the future. She sees Robert’s future and his importance to her world. Because of this, she puts up with a lot from him, his lack of conforming to protocol, and his unorthodox, by their standards, tactics in just about every area of this life. He is a great commander and becomes the captain of their new prototype space craft. His role as captain makes things challenging as his relationship with Kamini and her family grows. Robert develops a strong attachment to Kamini’s little sister Princess Selena. This attachment starts showing Robert there is more to the world than himself and what he wants to do, he starts thinking critically and growing. The transformation in Robert is dramatic by the end, but not so much he loses his charm. Kamini proves to be a strong leader and capable of enduring the worst the world throws at her. Together they set out to create peace in the galaxy they reside in.
Overall the world that Hart has created is original and captivating. The strong female roles show how women can be strong and nurturing and still rule without faltering. I think this book would appeal to a wide variety of readers, science fiction lovers, people looking for strong independent women fiction, and anyone that just want a little less outlandish science fiction. The book does not have happy resolutions, there is no perfect bow to wrap up the story line. The book is open ended enough to leave room for sequels but even if Hart does not continue this story line, there is a satisfying ending. It does end on a happy note for those that want a book that can stand on its own.
Pages: 274 | ISBN: 1629891177
LITERARY TITAN 