More Stories

The two stories below relate events in John Shuford’s life before the novels and provide background information. Reading “Tau Ceti: A Ship from Earth” first may make these stories more relevant, but I think they stand alone fairly well. I hope you enjoy them.

For fans of those intrepid explorers, Jack, Diego, and Russell, here’s two stories. “Building the Road” doesn’t appear in any novel, but “Applegate Falls” does appear in the first two editions of “Tau Ceti: A Ship from Earth.” Many reviewers felt this novel was too long and I will issue a third, somewhat shorter edition with “Applegate Falls” deleted.

Some Tau Ceti fans have commented on the treatment of foods, especially in the first book, where colonists are limited by the crops they can grow and have imported from Earth. For those fans, I present the official recipe for Pitcairn chili. Remember that Pitcairners have developed a taste for spicy food, however, so try the original recipe at your own risk.

The stories below have nothing to do with the Library Ship Saga. The first two present alternative views of what might happen if a computer really did become conscious. The third, “Forgiveness,” is something else entirely.