When I read this novel, I noticed that Michael Brachman has developed a lot as an author since the first novels were written. He writes more confidently, thoughtfully and fluently than before and pays more attention to small details that spice up the story. In the earlier novels his prose felt at times a bit unfinished, but in this novel it feels fluent and good. It's nice that he has developed so much as an author, because he's one of the few authors who genuinely seem to be enthusiastic about writing about science and scientific inventions. He also has more imagination than many other authors.
One of the best things about The Milk Run (and the whole series) is that the author knows how to combine entertainment, technology and science fiction in an entertaining way. This novel is a perfectly balanced combination of different elements - science, humour, action, love and technology - that together form a stunningly original vision of a possible future of mankind. It's perfect escapism for science fiction readers who want science, adventure and intriguing concepts from their novels.
Tomorrow, the final part of the review.
Entry 3-133: May 8, 2015
Risingshadow review of The Milk Run, Pt 5 of 5
Risingshadow is one of the largest science fiction and fantasy book databases. Here you can find detailed book information and absorbing reviews. Run by dedicated speculative fiction fans for other bookworms!
This past month, Risingshadow decided to review The Milk Run. The review itself is fairly long and goes into a lot of depth so I am going to break it up into a few parts. Here is a link to the original article. I got the reviewer's permission (his handle is Seregil of Rhiminee) to reprint it here.
Part 5: Fans of the previous novels will probably want to know if Rome and Rei are featured in this novel. I can mention that the author writes about them and something happens to them, but I won't reveal anything else (it wouldn't be fair to readers to give too much away of the story). I'm sure that fans of the series will be pleased to read about what happens to them.
This may sound like an odd comparison, but in my opinion Michael Brachman's The Milk Run and its predecessors are equivalent to Karen Azinger's fantasy series (The Silk & Steel Saga) in terms of entertainment values, complex worldbuilding and epic storytelling. Both authors have the same kind of approach to speculative fiction - they both aim to entertain and thrill their readers as well as they can without resorting into cheap tricks.
Michael Brachman's The Milk Run is one of the most entertaining space opera adventures I've ever had the pleasure to read, because it's pure science fiction entertainment from start to finish. The author has done his best to please both newcomers to the series and experienced readers and he has succeeded in it. I sincerely hope that the author will soon write a sequel or a companion novel, because it would nice to read more about the characters and their adventures.
My final words are:
The Milk Run is excellent entertainment and wonderful escapism for science fiction readers. It's intriguing entertainment with a strongly beating human heart at its core. Everybody who loves epic sci-fi romps should read this novel, because it's difficult to find similar kind of engaging and thoughtfully written novels.
Pretty cool, huh?
Entry 3-134: May 9, 2015
Silane Fluoride
In my new novel The Milk Run, when Aason, OMCOM and Junior get to Ay'den, they discover the atmosphere is less breathable than they would like. Here is that scene:
“He’s in the cargo hold,” Junior announced. “I filled it with this planet’s atmosphere as it’s a little different then you are used to.”
“What do you mean?” Aason asked.
“It’s very high in oxygen,” Junior said. “Nearly 30%. Nitrogen, carbon dioxide make up the rest. There is a trace amount of silane fluoride. Not enough to be explosive, however.”
“Can I breathe it?” Aason asked.
“The silane compound will be rough on your lungs and throat,” OMCOM chimed in. “But the extra oxygen should compensate. I would say it is breathable for short periods of time.”
I need to explain a little bit about the compound and why I invoked it. To understand silane fluoride, you first have to know what silane gas looks like. Here is the molecule
It is made up of a silicon molecule with four hydrogen atoms attached. I wanted to make the molecule more exotic so I said it was silane fluoride. This is the molecule I was intending for it to be, one silicon atom with four fluorine atoms attached:
However, technically, this molecule is called silicon tetrafluoride. The chemical formula for silane fluoride is actually H4F4Si meaning the fluorine atoms are attached to the hydrogen atoms, not the silicon atom. Oh well, I screwed up.
Regardless, whatever it is called, why was there any of it in the atmosphere, let alone enough to make Aason have coughing fits? The answer lies in the living crystals which inhabit the equator of Ay'den. I figured if they were alive, they would have to have some of the attributes of life. They would have to have a metabolism, show growth, reproduction, and respond to stimuli or adaptation to the environment. Metabolism means they ingest food, respire and produce waste products. Well, what would the waste produce be from a silicon-based life form? I figured it had to be something made of silicon hence my invocation of the improperly named silane fluoride.
Both chemicals (silicon tetrafluoride and silane fluoride) exist on Earth. Silicon tetrafluoride is notable for having a remarkably narrow liquid range (its boiling point is only 4 °C above its melting point). It is fairly volatile and is only used in the manufacture of microelectronics and the occasional organic synthesis. Interestingly, volcanic plumes contain significant amounts of silicon tetrafluoride. The moisture in the atmosphere rapidly modifies the molecule to form hexafluorosilicic acid. I guess that's why we don't find it much here.
That's all I have on my misnamed molecule. It was there to entertain you so we'll just pretend that I meant it to really be the more complex molecule after all. I mean, if I didn't tell you what I was really thinking, how would you have even known?
Entry 3-135: May 10, 2015
The night Zac was conceived
In all of my previous novels, I have used the intensity of the mind-meld between the various characters and interwoven it with lovemaking and nine months later a baby is born. This was true when Aason was conceived Rome's Revolution as well as in Rome's Evolution when Lupe was conceived. It was the same with Rome. Here is a brief excerpt from The Ark Lords when Rome and her father were discussing Rome's mother:
“That makes no sense,” Rome said, turning to look out one of the cabin windows as they entered the deeper water. If anything, the color changed to an even deeper, more beautiful shade of indigo. Rome gasped at the stunning beauty in front of her. Reluctantly, Rome tore her eyes away from the water to look at her father. “So I am a direct result of orders from the Overmind to mate with Mea?”
“One could look at it that way,” said Fridone. “But the reality is quite different. Your mother knows.”
“Why did no one ever tell me this? How is it that you and Mea still ended up cesa (Vuduri for married)?”
“I do not think that is what the Overmind intended. I think it wanted her just to use me then be gone.”
“But the Overmind encouraging interbreeding mandasurte with Vuduri, what…” Rome shook her head. “I do not understand. How did it come about?”
“The Overmind gave Binoda the espansor bands. The ones you used with Rei, yes?”
Rome nodded.
“Well…I was curious. Here was this beautiful woman, sent specifically for me, she was injured and disheveled. I was kind to her, made her comfortable. She revealed to me what she said was her true mission. However, you know the Vuduri. They are always hiding something. Frankly, I did not believe her. She offered to use the bands with me which I accepted. I thought I was so clever. I thought I would use the bands to find out her true motives. But as it turned out,
the bands malfunctioned, or maybe they did not. But what happened to you and Rei, it happened to me and your mother. We are Asborodi Cimponeti. After that experience, we were truly in love. That was the end of her being a good, obedient Vuduri. Not too long after that, you came along.”
So it is in the new novel The Milk Run, Aason and Aroline are forced to have sex because Aason had to learn how to communicate mind to mind without external equipment. They succeed. But what is not stated at any point in the book is that during the session, their first child, Zac, was conceived. I have no idea what adventures he will be involved with. I know his younger brother Rory will be at the core of the novel Vuduri Knight if and when I ever get around to writing it. But for now, at least you know it has happened three generations in a row. After their experience, Aason and Aroline knew they were soulmates and got married very soon after they returned to Deucado following Aason's journey documented in The Milk Run.
Entry 3-136: May 11, 2015
Sustainability - Artificial Leaves
I have no regrets being an animal and having to eat. But you have to be a little envious of plants who literally turn air, water and sunshine into food. Plus they give off oxygen as a waste product, thank goodness for that. That's why I featured The K'val as the plot-movers in my new novel, The Milk Run.
The molecule behind the miracle of plants is chlorophyll.
Wouldn't it be neat if we could make our own version of chlorophyll? We wouldn't need it to make food, we have genuine plants for that but they could make other chemicals.
Well, it turns out, this is on the verge of happening. A magazine called The Conversation published an article not too long ago that claims a ‘bionic leaf’ turns solar energy into chemicals and fuels. A Harvard University professor by the name of Daniel Nocera has already produced a catalyst, the “artificial leaf”, that is capable of breaking water into its component elements.
Dr. Nocera then uses a modified version of a common soil bacteria called Ralstonia eutropha which lives on hydrogen and carbon dioxide. You couple that with the artificial (or as they like to call it the bionic) leaf and you have a solar powered chemical factory that only needs air and water to create a complex molecule. In this particular case the chemical is isopropyl alcohol which can be used to make fuel.
It may not seem that incredible the Sun provides us with limitless energy, we have plenty of air and water. No pollution, its only waste product is oxygen. How cool is that?
Entry 3-137: May 12, 2015
Sustainability - Fuel from air
Yesterday, I described a scientist who invented a "bionic leaf" that can create isopropyl alcohol using only sunlight, water and carbon dioxide with oxygen as its waste product. However, there are no cars on the road today that can burn isopropyl alcohol directly. It has to be modified to make a fuel that ordinary people can use.
Audi has taken this concept one step further and has figure out how to make e-diesel fuel directly again only using sunlight (or any renewable source of energy), water and carbon dioxide. E-diesel is an experimental fuel which combines standard No. 2 diesel with ethanol to produce a cleaner burning version with significantly reduced emissions.
The reason this is important is because it requires no retro-fitting or modification of existing vehicles. Since the process takes carbon dioxide in and the final output is carbon dioxide, there is a chance that such an e-fuel could be carbon neutral.
Audi wants to go further and use this process to produce e-gasoline but that is a way off. They already produce e-gas which is synthetic methane. Maybe some day such a process will allow us to free ourselves of the yoke of fossil fuels forever!
This image, courtesy of Audi, shows Minister of Research, Prof. Dr. Johanna Wanka, and Reiner Mangold, Head of Sustainable Product Development at AUDI AG, who just refueled the Minister’s official car - an Audi A8 3.0 TDI clean diesel Quattro - with the first five liters of Audi e-diesel. Very cool!
Entry 3-138: May 13, 2015
Sustainability - Tesla's Powerwall part 1
Elon Musk is a genius. There is no other way to describe him. He was co-founder of Paypal, he is CEO of SpaceX, he is CEO of Tesla Motors. You'd think that would be enough but it isn't. He wants to completely transform the Earth from a fossil fuel-based economy to a solar-based economy.
In my series on solar power, I enumerated just a few of the methods we can use to harness the power of the Sun. These include hydroelectric, ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), wind farms and true solar power. The problem with basing the entire world's economy on these is that they are intermittent sources. For example, the wind doesn't always blow and, of course, the Sun does not shine at night.
What is missing is a economical storage system to capture the power and retain it for when you need it. That means collecting solar power during the day and using that power at night to power your home. Up until now there have been no battery systems cheap enough and reliable enough and compact enough to tie into these power sources. Elon Musk is going to change all of that. He has introduced the Tesla Powerwall which is just an upgraded version of the lithium-ion batteries he uses in his Tesla vehicles in an aesthetically pleasing, compact and reliable form for coupling to energy sources. They are not inventing anything new here, just exploiting the economies of scale. During Mr. Musk's introduction, he showed two images which bring home, in a striking fashion, how these simple devices can change life fundamentally. (Click here for YouTube Video by VideoMisery showing this introductory speech.)
Here is an image (forgive the quality) of what Mr. Musk claims is the amount of surface area required to capture enough sunlight to power the entire United States. It is just that tiny blue square situated on the Texas/Oklahoma border:
And this image (again forgive the quality) is how much room the new battery packs would take up to store the energy to provide power when it is dark:
Tomorrow, how it all works.
Entry 3-139: May 14, 2015
Sustainability - Tesla's Powerwall part 2
Yesterday, I introduced you to Elon Musk's announcement of the Tesla Energy Powerwall. This compact battery is Musk's vision of how to change the world. I also showed you what Musk claims is the total amount of surface area to power the entire United States. It is remarkably small. However, unlike the graphic, it really doesn't need to be a single square. It can be distributed on rooftops, hung on poles and so on. Here is a screen cap of his introductory video:
Just from this one image alone, you can draw several conclusions.
First, the Powerwall is pretty cool looking. Musk says it even comes in your choice of colors. The particular model shown in the screen cap is their entry level version. It is designed to mount on the wall either inside your house or outside. If you are lucky enough to have solar panels on your roof, you can pipe them directly into the Powerwall. Musk believes that a whole subset of people will be able to go "off-grid" meaning they would be completely self-sufficient from a power perspective.
These Powerwalls are surprisingly affordable. The model shown in the image is their 10 kWh model and only costs $3500. You can gang these Powerwalls together if you'd like up to 9 at a time. They are guaranteed for 10 years.
Musk and Tesla Energy are also building industrial-sized versions of these power packs for energy-producing utilities. In his speech, Musk said over a 20 year period, he could build 2 billion of these power packs and the Earth could be done with fossil fuels forever. It would mean the end of greenhouse gas emission and begin to reverse the trend toward global warming. Once the world makes the commitment to become 100% solar, as battery technology advances, you just swap them out for newer, better models. Chinese scientists have already announced the next generation of batteries that can be 70% recharged in just two minutes. Astounding!
I don't know about you but I'm just bought one share of stock in Tesla Energy (actually Tesla Motors). I think this could be really
, really big!
Entry 3-140: May 15, 2015
A prequel?
While it took me some 40 years to write Part 1 of the original long-form version of Rome's Revolution entitled VIRUS 5, Part 2 of that adventure only took me a few months to write. This was due to the documented Ark Lords Effect. The Ark Lords only took me about six weeks to write the entire first draft. Rome's Evolution took me a little longer, mainly because I thought it was going to be a novella but after I discovered MASAL's Sipre was behind the plot to kill Rome and Rei, the rest came fairly quickly.
The Milk Run was different. This book took me 16 months to write. I emphasize the word write because all of the other books felt more like transcribing than writing. It was like I had a clear vision of the story and all I had to do was get it typed into the computer. Maybe this is because these stories are true, maybe it's because a consistent universe produces consistent characters and the plots seem natural.
But The Milk Run had to be built from scratch. All I knew was that Aason and Lupe were going to have an adventure. What that adventure was I really didn't know. It was almost painful. I had to figure out about Hades, Ay'den, turning OMCOM into a starship and so on. The only part I had known was the Epilogue which I had been saving for eight years.