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
LITERARY TITAN 