The anthology is the product of the second Clarke-Bradbury International Science-Fiction Contest with is run by the European Space Agency, and my second story with the ESA after appearing in the anthology selection of stories from the first contest ("Teratesla"). This time around, the contest was specifically concerned with issues revolving around space elevators, theoretical constructs built on vertical rails that would allow for rapid transit between the planet's surface and a space station in orbit. The anthology covers varied aspects of the space elevator, including construction, applications, colonization, etc.
My story differs somewhat from the progressive, positivist tone of the anthology, and asks not what the space elevator can do for modern man, but with how it might be conceptualized by post-modern man; more specifically a cleric in a post-apocalyptic version of Earth that has been devasted by plague and has sunk back into a religion-based state of knowledge akin to the Middle Ages. The cleric takes a rare ride in this futuristic artifact, and discovers that the Heavens may not be as friendly as he had believed...
The anthology is currently available from Lulu.com here, and will be available from Amazon.com shortly. |
