Tag Archives: Science fiction

New Release: Love and Other Punishments Anthology Out Now

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I’m thrilled to announce that Love and Other Punishments, my new dystopian sci-fi anthology, is now available in ebook and paperback. To whet your appetite, here’s the blurb from the back of the book.

From the author of Children of the Folded Valley and Peaceful Quiet Lives, a gripping selection of dystopian science fiction novellas and short stories.

A journalist investigates a company manufacturing nightmare suppressing nanotech for children.

A civil servant suspects terrorists hacking the Driverless Vehicle Network and crashing vehicles may be an inside job.

A man and woman conduct an illegal workplace affair, finding ingenious ways to fool corporate brain monitoring.

All these stories and more in this compelling collection of futuristic satire, technological speculation, alternative realities, and melancholy obsessions. Includes The Thought Improvement Programme, Driverless, Bleed with Me, The Traffic Warden, Sweet Dreams, Apocalypse 1983, and Love and Other Punishments.

Some of these stories had previously been available on Medium (all except one are now removed), but three are brand new and exclusive to this volume. Two never-before-seen novellas of about 20,000 and 18,000 words each, and one new short story at around 12,000 words, have been added to the other earlier novellas and stories earmarked for inclusion. The total word count for the volume is around 85,000 words.

For the most part, each story explores one aspect of futuristic technology (for example, nightmare-suppressing brain implants for children), but is otherwise set in a relatable contemporary-ish setting, just a little way into the future. The stories aren’t bogged down in scientific theory but are much more about the potential repercussions of these speculations on humans.

Here is the complete rundown of titles, plus a little about each story.

Sweet Dreams

A journalist investigates a tech company manufacturing nightmare suppressing nanotech for children. “Sweet Dreams” refers to the technology involved, which the journalist comes to believe may be linked to an increase in suicidal tendencies among young people. Her investigations uncover conspiracies, cover-ups, and eventually murder.

If you want a taster of this collection, all five parts of Sweet Dreams are currently available on Medium, beginning here (each instalment contains a link to subsequent parts).

The Thought Improvement Plan

In a world where thought monitoring brain implants are standard employment practice, a man and woman conduct a secret workplace romance against company policy. Together they find devious ways to fool their thought supervisor by providing false brain metrics. New and exclusive to this volume.

Driverless

When terrorists hack the Driverless Vehicle Network, threatening to crash cars unless their demands are met by the British government, a civil servant begins to suspect there may have been an inside job. New and exclusive to this volume.

Bleed with Me

In the not-too-distant future, ghost sightings are found to be “quantum contamination” or “memory bleeds” that can be easily disposed of via scientific means. A quantum contamination cleaner becomes secretly obsessed with the unsolved murder of a young woman whose memory bleeds occupy his home. New and exclusive to this volume.

The Traffic Warden

A curious IT technician discovers a surreal, sinister truth about traffic wardens. I almost left this darkly comic tale out of the volume, but ultimately felt it made a nice a palate cleanser following the emotionally intense finale of Bleed with Me. Exclusive to this volume, previously available on Medium.

Apocalypse 1983

In a parallel universe, a Soviet Air Force officer holds the fate of the world in his hands. Inspired by the real-life 1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident, in which Stanislav Petrov essentially saved the world from nuclear annihilation. Exclusive to this volume, previously available on Medium.

Love and Other Punishments

In a fascistic future London, a widowed salesman begins to suspect he has repressed memories when he encounters a mysterious woman. Exclusive to this volume, previously available on Medium.

To order a copy of the Love and Other Punishments anthology, click here (for Amazon in the US), or here (for Amazon in the UK). If you have scruples about Amazon, digital versions are also available from Smashwords here.

Cover Reveal: Love and Other Punishments

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Here is the cover for my new dystopian sci-fi anthology, Love and Other Punishments, which is out this Friday (2nd June).

I’ll say more about the novellas and short stories in this compelling collection this Friday. In the meantime, to pre-order a copy of the Love and Other Punishments anthology, click here (for Amazon in the US), or here (for Amazon in the UK). If you have scruples about Amazon, digital versions are also available from Smashwords here.

Coming Soon: New Dystopian Sci-Fi Anthology

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been polishing short stories and novellas to include in a planned new anthology release. Akin to my earlier collection, Infestation: A Horror Anthology, this one won’t be horror but dystopian science fiction. The anthology will be entitled Love and Other Punishments, after one of the stories, previously published on Medium.

The volume is about 80,000 words long. Over half (around 50,000 words) will be new, exclusive material, consisting of two novellas and a short story never seen before. The remaining short stories and novellas have previously been available to Medium subscribers.

Most of these novellas or short stories explore one aspect of futuristic technology, but otherwise takes place in relatable settings a short way into the future. The stories aren’t bogged down in scientific theory but are much more about the potential repercussions of these speculations on humans. Some of them are akin to potential technologies presently being discussed in places like the World Economic Forum.

Here are the titles, plus a little about each story.

The Thought Improvement Plan (exclusive to this volume) – In a world where brain monitoring implants are standard employment practice, a man and woman conduct a secret workplace romance against company policy, finding devious ways to fool their thought supervisor by providing false brain metrics.

Driverless (exclusive to this volume) – When terrorists hack the Driverless Vehicle Network, threatening to crash cars unless their demands are met by the British government, a civil servant begins to suspect there may have been an inside job.

The Traffic Warden (previously available on Medium) – A curious IT technician discovers the truth about traffic wardens in this surreal, sinister, darkly comic conspiracy thriller.

Bleed With Me (exclusive to this volume) – In a world where ghost sightings are found to be “quantum contamination” or “memory bleeds” that can be easily disposed of via scientific means, a quantum contamination cleaner becomes secretly obsessed with the unsolved murder of a young woman whose memory bleeds occupy his home.

Sweet Dreams (previously available on Medium) – A journalist investigates a tech company manufacturing nightmare suppressing nanotech for children. “Sweet Dreams” refers to the technology involved, which the journalist comes to believe may be linked to an increase in suicidal tendencies among young people. Her investigations uncover conspiracies, cover-ups, and eventually murder.

Apocalypse 1983 (previously available on Medium) – In a parallel universe, a Soviet Air Force officer holds the fate of the world in his hands.

Love and Other Punishments (previously available on Medium) – In a fascistic future London, a widowed salesman begins to suspect he has repressed memories when he encounters a mysterious woman.

I shall be announcing a publication date and revealing a cover image very soon. Watch this space.

The George Hughes Trilogy Returns

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Those of you who have followed my writing over the years will know I once self-published a science fiction adventure trilogy primarily aimed at the Harry Potter/Alex Rider demographic. They were entitled George Goes to Mars, George Goes to Titan, and George Goes to Neptune. I withdrew these novels from publication as they didn’t exactly sell in great numbers, but now they have been published again, this time with new titles.

Why the new titles?

After a bit of research, I discovered people thought the originals sounded like picture books for very young children, when in fact these are aimed at all readers. For the young and young at heart, if you will. Anyone who enjoys a great science fiction adventure, child or grown-up, will enjoy these novels. Consequently, the novels were retitled The Martian Inheritance, The Titan War, and The Neptune Conspiracy respectively, under the umbrella title The George Hughes Trilogy.

Are the titles all that’s changed?

No. Because my standard of writing has improved a great deal since the original manuscripts were written (as it should), I decided to give them a thorough polish before re-releasing them. I’ve removed lots of superfluous dialogue tags, unnecessary descriptions, redundant or repetitious passages, and in the first novel in particular, quite a bit of unnecessary political backstory that rather held up the action. These new versions are brisker, tighter, and frankly more fun to read. I shaved off about 9,000 words from the first novel (originally written in 2006) and about 5,000 words off each of the subsequent sequels (originally written in 2012 and 2014, respectively).

Rest assured, the stories themselves have not changed.

What’s The George Hughes Trilogy about?

I’m glad you asked. In 2005, I came up with the story of thirteen-year-old orphan George Hughes, in what is now The Martian Inheritance. He goes from rags to riches when he discovers he is the sole proprietor of the planet Mars, due to a land registry claim made by his ancestor. Because humans are landing on Mars, he has exclusive rights to sell plots of land to film stars, pop stars, former presidents, and other celebrities with more money than sense, who want to build Martian holiday homes.

Unfortunately, this makes George an assassination target, as other sinister parties covet Mars for themselves. George is protected by the Mars Trust, an organisation set up by his late ancestor, and by a mysterious secret agent called Giles. They journey to Mars together and uncover a sinister conspiracy as well as an alien threat. Along the way, they are joined by the spoiled but spirited Meredith, the daughter of a rich industrialist who wants to build on Mars. An action-packed, thrilling, twist-laden adventure ensues.

What about the sequels?

I originally intended the first novel to be a standalone. But the voices in my head wouldn’t allow it. I don’t want to get into spoilers regarding the sequels, but I’ll say three things about them.

1) The second novel, The Titan War, involves Titan, time travel, and parallel universes. It’s probably the most action-packed of the three and features a much darker, deadlier alien threat than in the first novel.

2) The third novel, The Neptune Conspiracy, still has plenty of action, involving Neptune, miniaturisation, and a lot of big twists. But at the same time, the focus here is on a more psychological, emotionally complex character arc for George.

3) I think the novels get better as they go along, so yes, I like the third one best. 

They’re not just for children?

I’m very proud of these novels, and no, they are absolutely and emphatically not just for children. Along the way, some of the preoccupations present in my other novels manifest themselves, including themes of fundamentalist religious oppression, abuse of power, and the responsibilities of the rich. Not that I mean to be preachy. I wrote these novels with no loftier intent than to craft exhilarating, gripping sci-fi tales, with an emphasis on adventure. 

There isn’t enough fun sci-fi on bookshelves in my opinion. It all tends to be very highbrow and serious. Despite their occasional darker, more serious themes, the George Hughes adventures are meant to be great entertainment for all ages. So why not give them a go?

Where can I buy them?

Paperbacks and ebooks are available from the usual outlets, including Amazon and Smashwords. By far the best option is to pick up a paperback or ebook of the omnibus edition, which contains all three novels at a discounted price of three for the price of two (on Amazon in the UK here, in the US here, or on Smashwords here). Failing that, the novels can be purchased individually.

Novels Update October 2022

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Credit: Pixabay

Things have been exceptionally busy for me on multiple fronts lately, with ongoing articles on Medium, short stories, Patreon, and further writing opportunities that have come my way. However, I thought it high time I gave an update as to the status of the novels I’m actively working on, or actively showing to literary agents and publishers.

Ravenseed

This Dark Ages-set fantasy of love, lust, betrayal, and vengeance rather hit a dead end when I submitted it to literary agents and publishers earlier this year. I considered self-publishing, but my instinct is to hold on to it for the time being. I have a sneaking suspicion I’ve not exhausted mainstream publication possibilities. I suppose I’m disappointed by the initial response, but then again, the novel is quite unconventional in a number of ways. It has three points of view – one present tense first person, one third person, and one past tense first person, depending on which part of the story is being told (there are two additional framing device narratives in the present day, though the bulk of the story is the Dark Ages stuff). On top of this, the story is fantasy, with a hefty dash of forbidden romance, which genre-wise falls outside my primary gothic mystery oeuvre.

The White Nest (not the real title)

This gothic mystery thriller is currently being considered by literary agents, and I’m pleased to report some interest has been shown, so there is potential hope on that front. If I manage to land an agent and publisher, naturally I’ll break the news here, so watch this space. I should add The White Nest isn’t the real title. I’m hanging on to that information for now. Well, I was, until I accidentally let it slip in a video update on Patreon. So, if you’re a Patreon supporter you know the real title. Please keep it secret for now, like we discussed.

The George Hughes Trilogy (new titles to be confirmed)

I previously published what I call the George Hughes trilogy under different titles: George Goes to Mars, George Goes to Titan, and George Goes to Neptune. These novels are science fiction adventures aimed at the Harry Potter/Alex Rider demographic (and the young at heart) packed with interplanetary action and thrills. I’m very proud of them. However, I’m not proud of the titles they were originally released under, as in retrospect, it makes them sound like books for much younger children. Hence why they are currently unavailable. I’m retitling them, and also taking an opportunity to do a hefty redraft, to tidy up the manuscripts. These novels were some of the first I wrote, and having learned a great deal since those days, I want to bring the text up to my current standards. But the stories themselves have not changed. I hope to have the newly titled versions out by the end of the year, which is a deadline I may not manage, but I shall certainly aim for it.

I’ll add an update soon concerning the status of the various short stories I’ve worked on this year. It will include where you can read my latest ghost story, Vindicta, and my plans for a second short story anthology. Watch this space.

Opening Chapters: Children of the Folded Valley

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Over the past few weeks on Medium, I’ve been showcasing some of the opening chapters from my novels. The series draws to a close with this initial segment of my dystopian sci-fi coming of age novel Children of the Folded Valley. Since it partly draws from my own experiences of growing up in a cult, it is perhaps the most “personal” of my novels currently in publication (though the term “personal” always strikes me as faintly absurd, as I consider all my stories personal in some way).

Here are the first few paragraphs:

We spend our adult lives trying to regain what we lost in childhood.

I do not claim to be unique in that respect. Whilst it might be argued that I lost more than some, we all, I think, chase after what we once had or never had. What we lost cannot be replaced, but we chase after it nonetheless.

Some think of what they lost with romantic rose-tinted spectacles, whilst others are more pragmatic. Some deny it, others get angry about it, others still accept it and seek help from friends, family, lovers, therapists, priests, gurus, or anyone else who will listen. But I cannot do that. I can never tell my friends, my colleagues, my wife, or my children what happened to me in the Folded Valley.

Since escaping all those years ago, I have been searching; but mine is not a sentimental journey. I do not long for the past, yet nor do I think of it as exclusively bad. I don’t ever want to go back, but I want things that are trapped there, lost forever.

What I lost, I lost on the railway line that runs along the southern edge of Dartmoor. I can still see the train disappearing; a silhouette against the bleak moors and darkening sunset skies. I can still smell the freshly cut grass, sense the cool breeze and feel the stinging tears. I remember the relief at escaping, the fear of what lay ahead, and the horrible churning sensation at the knowledge that everything I had ever known was gone.

That happened in August 1982.

From Children of the Folded Valley by Simon Dillon

You can read the whole of the chapter here, and read my companion piece article on this series here. Alternatively, to purchase a copy of Children of the Folded Valley (ebook or paperback) click here (for the UK), here (for the US), or here, if you wish to purchase via Smashwords.

Sweet Dreams: All Parts Out Now

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Credit: Pixabay

Medium publication Fictions have recently serialised my new short story Sweet Dreams. A science fiction thriller set in the near future, it concerns a journalist investigating a tech company that manufactures nightmare suppressing nanotech for children. “Sweet Dreams” refers to the technology involved, which Ali, the journalist, comes to believe may be linked to an increase in suicidal tendencies among young people. Her investigations uncover conspiracies, cover-ups, and eventually murder.

Themes of playing God and the dangers of mollycoddling are inherent in the subject matter, but quite honestly it isn’t meant to be terribly deep. My main motivation in writing was to create a gripping tech-murder mystery. I’ve had lots of great feedback on Medium so far, and I hope you enjoy it. All five parts are now available for your reading pleasure.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

New Short Story: Sweet Dreams

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Credit: Pixabay

I’ve a new short story entitled Sweet Dreams currently being serialised in Fictions on Medium. It concerns a journalist investigating a tech company that manufactures nightmare suppressing nanotech for children. I’ll talk more about this story once all five parts are published, but for now, you can check out part one here. Enjoy!

More Five Star Reviews

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I’ve recently had a few more encouraging five-star rave reviews for some of my novels, on Amazon and Goodreads.

Peaceful Quiet Lives

“A futuristic book about a post-civil war America. The east is ultra-liberal and the west is ultra-conservative. What I loved about this book is the detailed thought Mr. Dillon put in about what an extreme society would look like. In my personal life, I live mainly on one side of the aisle. The description of the other side’s extreme made sense to me. The description of the extreme side of my ideals was shocking. It made me understand what the other side of the aisle is so afraid of. Quite an eye-opener. I’d like to believe the proverbial “slippery slope” will never end in the extremes described in this book. And hope this book is a warning to us all of what could happen if we continue to widen the gap and refuse to compromise.” – Heather K, Amazon.

Children of the Folded Valley

“Dystopian sci-fi with a high level of haunting creepiness that begets humans in some situations. Interesting character development and interactions.” – Aimee Gramblin, Goodreads.

The Irresistible Summons

“An extraordinarily imaginative tale, the supernatural infused with technology, love and hatred and an intense sense of dread and mystery. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I recommend you check out more of Simon’s extensive body of work both here and on Medium.” – Alison, Amazon.

Spectre of Springwell Forest

“Great read! I enjoyed it immensely. The tension was great and I was engaged from the start.” – Jennifer Brewer, Goodreads.

Phantom Audition

“Simon Dillon has done it again with this gripping story full of intrigue and mystery. Characters full of emotions that a reader can invest in.” – AM Cummins, Goodreads.

If you enjoy my novels, please do leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever you picked them up. They are an encouragement to me, but much more importantly, they mean the algorithms show my work to more potential readers, which is a great support to me as an independent writer. Reviews literally help me put food on the table, so a huge thank you to everyone who shows their appreciation in this way. Even a one-liner helps (as you can see from the above), so they don’t have to be long.

I know I’ve not written a great deal of book/writing related articles here over the last month, but I expect that to change soon. I’ve been busy on a number of other fronts, including writing a new short story which I hope to announce here soon. Watch this space.

All titles are available from Amazon here (in the UK) and here (in the US). Some of the above titles are also available from Smashwords.