It was a blast reading about the saratoga Ballston area. I grew up about a half hour from there. When I was getting flight training as a private pilot that was my playground. Very pretty area. For those of you who can, take a trip to Battle of Saratoga memorial. If you pay attention on the self guided tour you will find the only memorial to Benedict Arnold. Look close because his name is not on it and all it shows is a leg in a riding boot
Keep safe. I’ve been through a few and it is mostly boring as check. You can’t do anything outside the house. Only the foolish go out in that weather. Move to Vegas. We have a decided lack of natural disasters.
Just purchased it. I had the feeling another was on the way to publishing because you we’re not as active here. Very understandable and a great way to get our juices flowing.
If Guardian is going to be the next book, it’s because I think I can put both that and True Dark together over the next few months. Guardian would be on a November timescale and True Dark would be early next year, but I won’t leave too long between them.
Thanks for the notice.
Was recommending Perilous Waif (Alice Long #1) to a friend the other day and the first description I thought of was “It’s like Aneka Jansen but with less immediate sex”. The more I thought about it the more it struck me as true, so I thought I’d put the recommendation here, especially after seeing it on your to read list on Goodreads.
Saw it, bought it, read it. Thumbs up. This is a good one.
Although there were some eerie impressions of deja vu. Immediately in the beginning I thought “Shouldn’t that be Cygnus scanning the docks for smugglers?” And late in the book there was some strong resemblance to one of Anneka’s actions – which I don’t want to spoil here.
The docks scene was actually more of a Ghost in the Shell thing.
Not sure which of the other bits you’re talking about, but it’s not impossible. Certainly wasn’t conscious.
As I was reading this one, I was wondering – have you ever read any Robert Heinlein’s science fiction, especially “If This Goes On” and similar timeline? He talks about a concept of “psychometry”, which takes psychology and continues on with the concept, saying ideas and thoughts can be measured, ideas can be monitored and tracked (ie making it a hard science, not a soft science). Interestingly, that was the first thing as I read more and more of the Fox series, and the tracking of memetics and their impact.
No, I’ve not read that one. OTOH, I didn’t invent memetics. It goes back to The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. He suggested that a meme is a cultural information unit by analogy to a gene and various people have run with the idea. It’s not uncommon in cyberpunk-style settings.
Interestingly, when I think of ‘psychometry,’ I think of a psychic ability to read the history of objects or places. That, or something similar, has appeared in the Ultrahuman books.
The themes in the Fox books make me think more of Asimov than Heinlein. The robotics parallels are obvious, but the memetics reminded of psychohistory from the Foundation series, even though that was about predicting the behavior of large populations over long periods of time.
Those anxiously awaiting the next Fox novel might want to check out Asimov’s _The Caves of Steel_. It is more of a detective story than police procedural.
@Tharcion, you suggested in a previous post to read carefully for a certain TV reference. “Carefully” wasn’t required. The reference was not exactly subtle. (Not a complaint, just amused by it) I was looking for something like a woman on the moon with purple hair or a secretive organization hidden behind some kind media production company. 🙂
Heinlein’s idea of psychometry was the metrics of psychology :). And true, Asimov (one of the other great three grandfathers of science fiction) did have many of the same themes and concepts. Fun fact, Heinlein, Asimov, and DeCamp all worked together during WWII on Navy research. Would loved to have been a fly on that wall. In any event, LOVED this story (even the parts that made me sad), looking forward to more in this and all the rest of your series
!
Psychohistory is called sociometry these days: the application of psychology to bulk populations. If memetics were a discipline, sociometry would be part of it.
So models…? Kit’s new frame? Naomi? I keep seeing Melinda Clarke for her. Terri? Helen? Marie? Anything you got would be awesome. I don’t remember if you did any of these earlier in the series.
I think I have, but I have new models for some characters so an update may be in order. I’ll put it on my to do.
TBH, yesterday was my birthday and I really didn’t do a lot of anything. I played Destiny 2 and the one bit of work I did was writing up stats for Delphine, the Secret Service telepath. She’s going to be playing a role in the next Ultrahumans book.
That’s the second time someone’s mentioned this. I think I looked this up specifically and the version I’m using is Canadian French, but equally, that’s a better explanation of what I could have got wrong. I’ll check it.
Witches and Ray-Guns 
It was a blast reading about the saratoga Ballston area. I grew up about a half hour from there. When I was getting flight training as a private pilot that was my playground. Very pretty area. For those of you who can, take a trip to Battle of Saratoga memorial. If you pay attention on the self guided tour you will find the only memorial to Benedict Arnold. Look close because his name is not on it and all it shows is a leg in a riding boot
will down load in a mo …
got it ….. will start reading , now …..
Stuck in the house due to hurricane so this is perfect timing. (Thankfully we are safe so far)
Good luck. I haven’t been keeping track of that one.
Keep safe. I’ve been through a few and it is mostly boring as check. You can’t do anything outside the house. Only the foolish go out in that weather. Move to Vegas. We have a decided lack of natural disasters.
It’s up all over Amazon.
Just purchased it. I had the feeling another was on the way to publishing because you we’re not as active here. Very understandable and a great way to get our juices flowing.
And bought.
Going to amazon now… and… bought
Bought. If Dominance is replaced by Guardian will True Dark still quickly follow on from it?
If Guardian is going to be the next book, it’s because I think I can put both that and True Dark together over the next few months. Guardian would be on a November timescale and True Dark would be early next year, but I won’t leave too long between them.
Thanks for the notice.
Was recommending Perilous Waif (Alice Long #1) to a friend the other day and the first description I thought of was “It’s like Aneka Jansen but with less immediate sex”. The more I thought about it the more it struck me as true, so I thought I’d put the recommendation here, especially after seeing it on your to read list on Goodreads.
That one’s on my waiting list.
Saw it, bought it, read it. Thumbs up. This is a good one.
Although there were some eerie impressions of deja vu. Immediately in the beginning I thought “Shouldn’t that be Cygnus scanning the docks for smugglers?” And late in the book there was some strong resemblance to one of Anneka’s actions – which I don’t want to spoil here.
The docks scene was actually more of a Ghost in the Shell thing.
Not sure which of the other bits you’re talking about, but it’s not impossible. Certainly wasn’t conscious.
SPOILER
A robot girl riding on the outside of a spacecraft to invade the enemy’s headquarter doesn’t ring a bell?
Yeah, it did. Took me a day to remember what you were getting at, but I figured it out.
SPOILER ALERT
Thanks for the book. I think it’s your best Fox story so far. Apart from what you did to Jason.
Any news on next Thaumatology book.
Not as yet. Sorry.
Thanks
Keep writing
As I was reading this one, I was wondering – have you ever read any Robert Heinlein’s science fiction, especially “If This Goes On” and similar timeline? He talks about a concept of “psychometry”, which takes psychology and continues on with the concept, saying ideas and thoughts can be measured, ideas can be monitored and tracked (ie making it a hard science, not a soft science). Interestingly, that was the first thing as I read more and more of the Fox series, and the tracking of memetics and their impact.
No, I’ve not read that one. OTOH, I didn’t invent memetics. It goes back to The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. He suggested that a meme is a cultural information unit by analogy to a gene and various people have run with the idea. It’s not uncommon in cyberpunk-style settings.
Interestingly, when I think of ‘psychometry,’ I think of a psychic ability to read the history of objects or places. That, or something similar, has appeared in the Ultrahuman books.
The themes in the Fox books make me think more of Asimov than Heinlein. The robotics parallels are obvious, but the memetics reminded of psychohistory from the Foundation series, even though that was about predicting the behavior of large populations over long periods of time.
Those anxiously awaiting the next Fox novel might want to check out Asimov’s _The Caves of Steel_. It is more of a detective story than police procedural.
@Tharcion, you suggested in a previous post to read carefully for a certain TV reference. “Carefully” wasn’t required. The reference was not exactly subtle. (Not a complaint, just amused by it) I was looking for something like a woman on the moon with purple hair or a secretive organization hidden behind some kind media production company. 🙂
Heinlein’s idea of psychometry was the metrics of psychology :). And true, Asimov (one of the other great three grandfathers of science fiction) did have many of the same themes and concepts. Fun fact, Heinlein, Asimov, and DeCamp all worked together during WWII on Navy research. Would loved to have been a fly on that wall. In any event, LOVED this story (even the parts that made me sad), looking forward to more in this and all the rest of your series
!
I’m still betting plenty of people didn’t get it.
Psychohistory is called sociometry these days: the application of psychology to bulk populations. If memetics were a discipline, sociometry would be part of it.
Wow. Quite a lot going on there and I have to admit that I did not see it coming. Well done!
Hell truly hath no fury like an aggravated infomorth.
I admit, you made me cry at part so the story. Then I cheered!
Best line-
‘Oh, that was Fox. She liked Thermobaric grenades.’
So models…? Kit’s new frame? Naomi? I keep seeing Melinda Clarke for her. Terri? Helen? Marie? Anything you got would be awesome. I don’t remember if you did any of these earlier in the series.
I think I have, but I have new models for some characters so an update may be in order. I’ll put it on my to do.
TBH, yesterday was my birthday and I really didn’t do a lot of anything. I played Destiny 2 and the one bit of work I did was writing up stats for Delphine, the Secret Service telepath. She’s going to be playing a role in the next Ultrahumans book.
Well Happy Birthday! And that all sounds good. Looking forward to it. 😁
Hi,
Just re-reading the book and stumbled over the French. “mon” is male, “chère” female. He should say “ma chère”, she could say “mon cher”.
That’s the second time someone’s mentioned this. I think I looked this up specifically and the version I’m using is Canadian French, but equally, that’s a better explanation of what I could have got wrong. I’ll check it.
My only complaint, and it’s really a minor one, is that several places in the books 20C (or less) is treated like a hot day, but 20C is only 68F.