Building out a fictional universe is so much fun.
I’m only getting started with delving into stories of numerous characters who inhabit the universe first chronicled in my Alien People Chronicles trilogy. That series will be a cornerstone upon which I plan to construct an immersive science fiction universe that will eventually include numerous novels, novellas, short stories, and serialized stories.
Under a Fallen Sun represented my first novel within this expanded universe. This sci-fi thriller chronicles an origin story for a major Alien People character and functions as a prequel/companion story to the opening chapter of the trilogy.
Hollow Planet will be my first expanded universe novella.
This latest sci-fi tale is set two years after the events of Among Hidden Stars and will serve as a bridge story between the Alien People Chronicles and my next sci-fi novel planned for spring 2024.
Here’s your exclusive first look at the blurb for Hollow Planet:
A barren planet holds a startling secret. Will discovery come at a deadly cost for these explorers?
Thomas led a team of astronauts from a nascent colony orbiting Alpha Centauri B to the Proxima Centauri system after detecting an unusual radio signal. A barren wasteland greets the astronauts on an exoplanet in the star's habitable zone.
The stripped atmosphere and bone-dry soil hide a startling truth about the planet's past. Their search for the radio signal's origin turns up a cave nestled in a mountain chain.
But Thomas and his fellow astronauts have uncovered no ordinary cave. It shows evidence of being carefully engineered from a long-forgotten mysterious alien race.
Could these aliens become a valuable new ally? Or will making first contact lead down a terrifying and deadly path?
Hollow Planet is a suspenseful new science fiction story set in the Alien People Chronicles universe. If you love ominous characters and mysterious worlds, you'll enjoy John Coon's latest thrilling galactic tale.
Exciting, huh?
Hollow Planet will be published through Samak Press and released on April 11th in digital and paperback formats. The eBook version of my forthcoming novella is already available to pre-order at various booksellers, including Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, and Smashwords.
Excited to see the universe growing. Really glad it's in a shared cosmos.
I know I already said on twitter but I love this cover. It would stand out to me in a bookshop that's for sure
Sounds great! Best of luck with it :-)