Writers notes from my latest book. I thought it worth sharing some the "why" of the book. To that end, I have added this set of notes – in no specific order. I hope this is of some help to you, the Dear Reader, to see/better understand the underlying story set. --Robert Heinlein has "Neodogs" in his 1959 Star Ship Troopers book. In the RAH book, the NEOdog is not merely a talking dog; it is not a dog at all. Heinlein's neodog is an artificially mutated symbiont, derived from dog stock and is tied to one handler. If the symbiont dies, the handler becomes a basket case. If the handler dies, the animal suicides or is killed. In both cases, this make his view of the animal worthless for combat in too many ways to enumerate. Sorry, Robert. Also, the animal is also referred to as a neodog or Neodog. Neo meaning 'new' In this story, NEO mean Neuron Enhanced combat Operational dog. NEOdog have the capacity to run limited mission sets, sans handler - "as smart as some of the Grunts" eh? Communication does not depend on a cyber link. and so on. Woof! --This is mostly the stuff that leaks out from all the voices in my head. There is a lot more rattling around in there. That's why this time I'm doing the story in what some might se as 'disjointed segments'. Like a couple of Vet buds sitting around drinking some barley pops and telling war stories. --People ask what I do for a living, I tell them I'm a writer. A regular paying gig. But... It also allows me to live in a fantasy world of my own creation for a couple of days a week. Better than Disneyland! --This is a future world. A possible future world. If you aren't a vet, you won't have an idea just how much the Big Army has changed in the last decade. Just as the conflict in Vietnam left a mark on the US military culture and operations, so has the current mess in Southwest Asia. As we saw, the PMC were a major part of deployed forces, in the future, it may just be the 'point of the spear' that's in 'the Army' with the rest (logistics and support) all contracted out. That transition is ongoing right now. Imagine a future - Corporation(s) taking over even more of the economy. Displaced workers either work for what is offered or starve. No safety nets in this future, and nobody could live on Basic Welfare. Politicians and Bureaucrats are even more willing to sell out to these same Corporations (hard to believe, I know, but this is fiction) Schools in the future are both too dangerous and expensive, so what little "public" education might be available is on-line. There are a ton of on-line schools today. With the latest COVID cr@p, millions are turning to home schooling. Now - add in an out of control military - industrial complex feeding off the fears of something horrible, (say, a famine sweeping across Africa) to keep the contracts coming and the credits flowing. Not a place I'd want to live, but Roscoe has no choice. So, we see what he can do to survive...and maybe, do a bit more. Before you say - this could never happen.... My own father recently passed away . He was born in the 20s. He couldn't believe the world he saw every day... Remember, the pace of change accelerates with the advent of new technology. Scary, eh? --How do/can the NEOs 'talk' with humans? At the root of the problem with any communications attempted, is that NEOdogs are, in every way that matters, Aliens. When readers see "Alien" (not withstanding any bug-eyed monsters clutching scantily clad maidens) the idea that Alien thought processes can be defined is seen as nearly imposable. That difference is certainly the basis for more than a few books and movies. Fluffy as an Alien. Friendly, to be sure, but just as Alien in his thought processes as something from Beta Reticulai IV. Sure, maybe he and the humans he has worked with have developed the equivalent of a Trade Language, but what is going on inside the mutt's noggin? Therein lies the problem with how I can portray Fluffy "Speaking". I thought - what if I treat how the NEO dogs and human interact as a kind of trade language - that will work. Now, I have introduced a flyer in this whole conundrum... Tess is an expert in this Trade Language (Positional Speak) Sirona, on the other hand, has the equipment to communicate directly with the Alien that is Fluffy (self identified as "Rufster"). Despite that, Fluffy has to have a consistent Voice in any dialog he does get with All humans. And now you have an idea of why Fluffy was, in essence, mute in the beginning. And a further wrinkle is the CeeDees (Combat Dogs) . These are bigger NEOdogs, with larger brain cases. Their language is colored by combat in the jungles of The Gut. What does PTSD look like in a NEOdog, or is that something that they would even suffer with? --The Gut. Guatemala. Yes, Guatemala. A possible battleground of the future as the Chinese move further into the Western hemisphere? Why not? Ah – you, the Dear Reader might exclaim. Impossible. I say - "Perhaps not". I would point out the war with the Eastern hegemony (the Chinese) in the Heinlein book "Starship Troopers" was written to have lasted 150 years. Take the cue that Nixon 'opened up' trade with China in 1972. So, that would put us 49 years into the battle – eh? Going with the Korean conflict as the real or at least open start of hostilities, well, that now makes it 71 years into the on-going non-war. Not quite halfway into the 150 years posited by RAH. Doesn't seem so impossible now, don't you think? The book should pop up on my Amazon page in a couple of days - this is just the pre-pub pimping that I do to a limited extent. Since this book has bits in common with Starship Troopers, I thought some here might be interested in another view of possible future war - given the book discussion that took place some time back. And as an aside, the volcanoes in the Caribbean Basin are heating up, showing real activity after decades of 'sleeping'. A massive eruption is a key plot point in this book. Vincentians on alert with seismic activity increase at La Soufriere volcano - Caribbean Life News Earthquakes in or near Caribbean today: latest quakes past 30 days - complete list and interactive map
La Soufrière last erupted in 1979 but did not cause any harm due to warning, while a 1902 eruption led to 1,600 deaths. In an unrelated incident early last month, authorities from the nearby Caribbean island of Martinique issued a yellow alert due to seismic activity under Mount Pelée, the Independent reported. Fabrice Fontaine from the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Martinique told AP that it is the first time an alert of its kind has been issued since the volcano last erupted in 1932. Mount Pelée also erupted in 1902 and killed almost 30,000 people, making it the deadliest eruption in the whole of the 20th century.
If the finished work is as entrancing as the rough draft from years ago, it will be a worthwhile read! Last I recall was the return from the scouting mission...
The book is 'in work' at Amazon. Takes a couple of days from posting to publishing/available to purchase.. Since this is a cool crowd, thought I'd post a tip ahead of the reveal. Book 1 of at least 2. Set up of characters and the 'Universe'. Book 2 is the Exodus of the NEOs to the bayou lands.near what is left of FL. They will accumulate a lot of Vets along the way. At least the ones not sold out/killed by the GID....
