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Meniscus: The Village at Themble Hill

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Meniscus: The Village at Themble Hill

by Alexandra Tims

an illustrated long poem

fourth in the Meniscus Series

science fiction – romance – adventure

~

 

~

Follow the adventures of Odymn and the Slain!

 

 

 

 

~

Meniscus: The Town at Themble Hill

 

… On the alien planet Meniscus, against all odds, a small group of Humans works to forge a new life together. When a Dock-winder drone pays them a visit, Odymn and the Slain trek along the heights of The Fault, to make certain the community is not in danger of invasion. They find a new way to scale The Fault and a perfect location for building a new village. Matters are complicated when Odymn is injured on a parkour run and the Slain’s former girlfriend joins the group. Faced with a dangerous journey through the Themble Wood and the hardships of building a new community, are the Humans in more danger from themselves, the alien landscape, or their Doc-winder overlords?

 

… In the fourth book of the Meniscus series, The Village at Themble Hill chronicles the first days of community life on a planet where Humans are not allowed to associate and freedom is always at risk.

 

   home is the safest place … so build a home …

 

www.amazon.com/Meniscus-Village-Themble-Alexandra-Tims/dp/1546475982

 

Excerpt

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“What is that sound?”

says Odymn.

Looks north-west.

~

Green light creeps

towards zenith,

blinking its way.

~

The Slain rolls to standing.

Grabs Odymn’s arm.

~

“Hide,”

he says.

~

Slips over the limb of banyan.

Pulls Odymn after him.

Covers her with his body.

~

Tugs at his armour,

five snaps per side

(its electric current

detectable, trackable).

~

The armour detaches.

A grid of inert copper

between them.

~

Above, the drone

nudges sideways,

sinks among the trees.

~

Odymn holds her breath.

The Slain lays his mouth on hers

but she peeks around him,

wants to see.

~

The drone hovers

a minute or more.

It blinks, effortless

on its cushion of air.

~

Then it rises.

Swoops

to the north-east.

~

The Slain lifts Odymn to her feet.

Finds a path

through banyan,

in the direction of Garth.

~

Flawless navigation in dark

and Odymn wonders

what amethyst eyes see

in places where light

does not shine.

~

 

 

 

About the Author

Alexandra Tims is a botanist, writer and artist living in rural New Brunswick, Canada. Her first five books in the Meniscus series, Meniscus: Crossing The Churn, Meniscus: One Point Five – Forty Missing Days, Meniscus: South from Sintha, Meniscus: Winter by the Water-climb, and Meniscus: The Village at Themble Hill were published with CreateSpace in 2017 and 2018. She has also published two books of poetry, within easy reach (2106) and in the shelter of the covered bridge (2017), under the name Jane Spavold Tims (both with Chapel Street Editions, Woodstock). In 2016 she won the Alfred G. Bailey Prize in the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick Writing Competition for her manuscript of poems about bird calls. She is a fan of science fiction – books, television and film, including Star Trek, Stargate and Firefly. Her websites feature her drawings, paintings and poetry.

 

www.offplanet.blog

www.janetims.com

 

Other books in the Meniscus Series

~

Meniscus: Crossing The Churn

Meniscus: One Point Five – Forty Missing Days

Meniscus: South from Sintha

Meniscus: Winter by the Water-climb

 

Copyright Jane Tims 2018

 

Meniscus: Crossing The Churn

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Meniscus: Crossing The Churn

by Alexandra Tims

an illustrated long poem

first in the Meniscus Series

science fiction – romance – adventure

 

~

Follow the adventures of Odymn and the Slain!

 

 

On the alien planet Meniscus, Humans are slaves. Every twilight, Odymn runs through the forests outside the city, practicing the art of parkour. Her runs give her strength, flexibility and endurance, and a way to survive a life of servitude under the oppressive Dock-winders. When the silent Slain rescues her from a brutal encounter with a gang of Gel-heads, Odymn believes she has reached the end of her search for freedom. In their travels through the Prell’nan District of Meniscus, she and the Slain encounter dangerous woodlands, dramatic water-climbs and an impassable water churn. Odymn and the Slain work together to evade the Gel-heads and overcome the dangers of the landscape. But is Odymn really free or is she caught in a cycle of trying to escape the inevitable?

 

In the first of the Meniscus series, Crossing the Churn tells the story of the meeting of a young woman and a genetically-engineered Slain whose kindness may not be consistent with his purpose.

 

try …. fail … repeat …

sometimes no matter how hard you run, the past grabs at your heels …

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542342635

 

Excerpt

~

The sky congeals,

coughs up churning darkness,

and the air moves.

 

Reminder of home, on Earth.

The creaking weathervane

above the hay barn door.

 

The wind tosses sparse droplets.

Plucks handfuls of dust.

Pebbles like sleet.

 

The broken hills kilometres away.

Obscured by a looming sandstorm.

 

The Slain walks faster.

Distance widens between them.

She stumbles, falls to her knees.

 

“Why should I follow?” she whispers.

 

His hand grips her arm, drags her to standing.

Forward in uneven strides.

Leaning into wind.

 

About the Author

Alexandra Tims is a botanist, writer and artist living in rural New Brunswick, Canada. Her first four books in the Meniscus series, Meniscus: Crossing The Churn, Meniscus: One Point Five – Forty Missing Days, Meniscus: South from Sintha and Meniscus: Winter by the Water-climb, were published with CreateSpace in 2017 and 2018. She has also published two books of poetry, within easy reach (2106) and in the shelter of the covered bridge (2017), under the name Jane Spavold Tims (both with Chapel Street Editions, Woodstock). In 2016 she won the Alfred G. Bailey Prize in the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick Writing Competition for her manuscript of poems about bird calls. She is a fan of science fiction – books, television and film, including Star Trek, Stargate and Firefly. Her websites feature her drawings, paintings and poetry.

 

www.offplanet.blog

www.janetims.com

 

Other books in the Meniscus Series

~

Meniscus: One Point Five – Forty Missing Days

Meniscus: South from Sintha

Meniscus: Winter by the Water-climb

 

 

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