Cover illustration by Duncan Long.
Jake is young, and his life seems boring. Phaedrus is
old, and his life seems empty. Phaedrus seems to think
that a nightmare is about to happen. Jake just wants to go
on dreaming. Does Phaedrus really know something? Or is he
just a broken old man? Jake must choose. If Phaedrus is
right, then Jake’s life is going to change, and Jake will
have to rethink everything he ever knew.
Fugue in Ursa Major is post-apocalyptic science fiction in the brainy tradition of Isaac Asimov. Author David Dalton says that Asimov's Foundation series was one of the inspirations for Fugue in Ursa Major.
“It’s often said that nothing ever happens in the Foundation
books,” said Dalton. “Asimov takes the intelligence of the
reader for granted, and Asimov understands that people read
science fiction not only for a story, but also for ideas.
Well, lots of things happen in Fugue in Ursa Major,
but there also are many conversations — it might be better
to call it Socratic dialogue — in which the characters
grapple with ideas. The ideas they grapple with are far from
abstract, though. As with Asimov’s Foundation, the
ideas in Fugue in Ursa Major are all about our
civilization — where it came from and where it is going.
Where did we go wrong? Can it be fixed? The ideas in Fugue
in Ursa Major may seem radical and heretical to some.
But it’s obvious that nothing would ever change if people
just went on thinking what they’ve always thought. I dare to
imagine alternatives. That's what science fiction is for.”
“Yes, there's a setup for a sequel,” said Dalton. “Jake’s
adventures are just beginning.”
Fugue in Ursa Major is available in all popular
formats. You can buy the paperback or Kindle version on
Amazon. The Apple iBooks version is available in the iBooks
store. The Nook version is available from Barnes &
Noble. Booksellers can order the paperback edition through
their usual distributor. Ask your local bookstore to carry
it!
The ISBN number for the paperback version is 978-0-9916132-0-5.
For the digital editions, the ISBN number is 978-0-9916132-1-2.