The Ocypete
B.D. Landis’ first novel, and the entry point to the Beacon Field series of novels, novellas, and short stories.
Now Available!
In the late 29th century, humanity has seized control of its own evolution and begun to explore the galaxy. An enormous interstellar vessel undergoes its seventh mission to a far off star system, but something goes catastrophically wrong in the transit. The ship is all but destroyed; the few survivors are scattered and disoriented.
The Ocypete tells the story of that ship and those survivors as they scramble to piece together what happened, why, and whether there is any chance of rescue.
The Ocypete is B.D. Landis’ first book, and the first entry into a wider set of books, novellas, and short stories to explore the societies and technologies of the future, and more importantly, the people who made them. Fascinated by the interplay between culture and technology, he set out to explore the relationship between machine and human minds as they struggle to survive the unsurvivable. More than a tale of a crippled ship, The Ocypete also tells the story of the survivors as they uncover some unexpected truths, not just about themselves, but their mission and, ultimately, humanity’s place in the stars.
A future written in the stars
Glimpse the Far Future of Humanity
The Ocypete introduces the reader to a sweeping new vision of Humanity’s future as we take our place among the stars. In the 29th century, our societies and bodies have evolved side by side, with each shaping the other in unpredictable ways. Entire societies have grown, free from the chains of Earth and Sol with their punishing gravity and solar radiation. Though many of the old ways are gone, their echoes can still be felt in the thoughts and actions of the people doing the work of galactic exploration.
Selected from the billions upon billions of people, eager to leap from the surface of one of the Sixteen Worlds, the crews of the Expeditionary Fleet are among the very best of us.
Even the best of us have limits, and surviving the Ocypete will push everyone left alive to their breaking point… and beyond. The bonds of crew, already strong, will only grow stronger, forged by the necessity of survival. In the dark, quiet places, a malignant fear waits for any chance to enter the minds and hearts of those who would dare to dream of returning home.
Familiar, New Worlds Await
The Ocypete’s survivors will have to grapple with difficult choices as they try to make sense of the wreckage around them. As the full picture of the calamity comes into focus, piece by piece, they’re faced with a final dilemma. How far would you go if it meant a chance to get home? What would you give?
You’ll find hints about the complicated relationships between Earth, Mars, and Unified Proxima Centauri, the most influential of the Sixteen Worlds as the crew bands together. Each citizen has been shaped by their home, some more dramatically than others. Beyond the Worlds themselves, the inhabitants have also changed; advanced genetic technology has enabled humanity to take direct control of its evolution, giving individuals the chance to elect specific traits and changes to their own genome as their life goes on.
Biology, technology, and intelligence all intertwine in unpredictable ways. On worlds where all intelligence is somewhat artificial, person and machine minds become impossible to separate. Semi-biological ships roam the stars with augmented crews, all seeking to express their great drive: to explore.
More Books
The Biogen's Lament
A short story set 146 years before the events of The Ocypete, as two people work to build the ship as they face their own transformation.