April 2023

The Children of the Company by Kage Baker

The novel “The Children of the Company” by Kage Baker was published for the first time in 2005. It’s part of the cycle of the Company.

Labienus is the name used by one of the cyborgs created by Dr. Zeus Incorporated who carry out the company’s plans but over time has reached a level of power far beyond what a cyborg can typically achieve. His work over the millennia started from posing as a deity in Sumeria and in many other missions he took advantage of every opportunity for his personal gain.

During his long life, Labienus also developed his plans against Aegeus, another important Dr. Zeus cyborg. This means among other things striking at Victor, a protégé of Aegeus. In that fight, the life of mortals counts for nothing.

Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in Surrender (Image courtesy Paramount+ / Amazon Prime Video)

“Surrender” is the eighth episode of the third season of the TV show “Star Trek: Picard” and follows “Dominion”. It’s available in various countries on the Paramount+ streaming platform and in many other countries on Amazon Prime Video.

Vadic (Amanda Plummer) appears to have taken full control of the USS Titan and threatens to kill her hostages one by one if Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) doesn’t turn himself in. The only hope seems to be using Data (Brent Spiner) to regain control of the ship’s systems but he can only do so if he prevails over Lore.

The Tide Went Out aka Thirst! by Charles Eric Maine

The novel “The Tide Went Out”, later republished in a revised edition as “Thirst!”, by Charles Eric Maine was published for the first time in 1958.

The magazine Outlook is pulled from newsstands by order of the British government due to the presence of an article by Philip Wade. The journalist hypothesized a link between nuclear tests in the Pacific and a series of earthquakes and the lowering of sea levels. Confidentially, his publisher Walter Stenninger tells him that his hypothesis is correct and governments around the world started controlling information on what could be a global catastrophe.

For Philip Wade, it’s difficult to think that the Earth’s crust could really have been split by nuclear tests causing a slow drain of seawater. However, Walter Stenninger sold his magazine and informed Philip that he will be contacted by the Secret Service to work for them. Could the seas disappear completely? What consequences could there be globally if that happens?