Introduction to a New Book

AETHER SAILING by J. R. Delcamp

Story atmosphere: Steampunk on overdrive. Hypersteampunk

　

Ancient Physics:

The ancients believed there were five principle elements: Earth Water Fire and Air, and a fifth element in Space, Aether, containing the stars and planets. To travel beyond the Earth a ship able to traverse the Aether would be required, to ride the Aether wind to new worlds, a ship capable of Aether Sailing.

Today physicists postulate the existence of strings and branes and a kind of multidimensional aether that permeates the universe or rather multiverses. Someday maybe we will build ships to sail the aether into other ‘verses. Perhaps some already have.

"In string theory spacetime becomes fuzzy."  Edward Witten

There is no inevitability to history and nothing that was done that cannot be undone.

Outline
1. Fire
Chicago Fire 1871

         2. Aether
         traversing hyperdimensional space.

         3. Earth and Water
         Nations of the Lakes, Prairie, and Forest
 
         4. Fire and Ice
         War against the Empire of the East.

         5. Air
         Battles in the sky

         6. Air
        Sky Pirates

Here is my new novel Aether Sailing wherein the reader is flung from the present into the past and then hurled into the unknown future. It is history and future history of America as it might have been and still might be someday. It is full of the strangest and wildest and most extreme adventures imaginable.

It belongs in the steampunk genre, but it is steampunk at high pressure. I call it hypersteampunk.

What if the Native Americans were able to hold onto vast regions of North America - had never been robbed of their land? (And how did they do it?) What if the American revolution was lost? What if a monstrous empire with technologically advanced weapons but a work forces of factory slaves had taken the East, and sought to subjugate the West.

What would have become of America in this maelstrom of social chaos.

Here is my 200 page manuscript entitled “Aether Sailing”. This science fiction novel is the story of a ship and crew who pass through another dimension into an alternate 19th century history of the United States.

The book suggests an answer to the question of what America might have been like if kept by people who actually cared about the natural world, and the land and resource hungry pioneers had not had their way.

In this history, the Native Americans west of the Appalachian Mountains have held on to the land. The natural resources of America remain intact instead of becoming exploited and devastated

The novel begins with an Iowa farm boy leaving home to experience the horrors of 19th century Chicago, including the Great Fire. He becomes a sailor on a Great Lakes Schooner that disappears from our world without a trace like so many others on the Great lakes; (like the sailors of the Edmund Fitzgerald). But we follow him and his ship into the 5th dimension and out again into another 4 dimensional Earth where America is still a pristine wilderness and Native Americans still hold sway. With the sailors help, the natives fight a desperate war to stem the tide of invaders who would take their land and lives. What happens next in history is a sequel presently being written.

You may recognize the book as fitting within the purview of Steampunk novels, and it does evoke the technologies of that new (old) genre, but it goes beyond in depth and scope, and seriousness; and humor too.

What if :

the Native Americans had kept the land;

the pioneers and settlers had not taken and raped the land;

the American Revolution had been lost;

and the Civil War never happened;

then what would America Be?

The results of history are certain and inevitable. Or are they? Would just a small difference here or there change all of history? Or must the events be great for the outcomes to be great? And how much influence do individuals really have anyway? Would there have been a Roman Empire without Caesar? Would there have been a United States without Washington? Strange and subtle are the currents that determine the outcomes of history. The victors of battles, the rise and fall of nations or Empires, and the fates of civilizations may be decided by some seemingly trivial event. A mis-spoken word, a foolish deed, an errant thought, a misunderstanding, a false hope, just a little too much pride or greed,or not quite enough resolve at a pivotal moment; and civilizations rise or fall, and the fates of billions are decided.

The story suggests: A better and more beautiful world might be more wild and natural and less dominated by machines, technology, business and commercialism without resulting in poverty, misery, hunger and chaos. A world where nature is intact might be better than an industrial jungle. Commercialism and industrialism may cause profligate waste, be ugly and enslaving, and may place technology in the hands of people not competent to use it.

Principle Characters:
Windrose: A schooner of the Great Lakes, a timber drougher and lumber pirate 

Eli::  Ships boy - novice sailor

Zee: Captain owner of the Windrose and a  fanatically frugal old Dutchman.

Reb: Mate of the Windrose  a former confederate sailor

Thor: A Norwegan sailor, and disciple of Thoreau.

Witchy: The Cook, and ships doctor - a woman who wants to be a sailor, not a cook.

Bark: From the French 'barque' - boat  A former voyager, now a sailor.

Otto: A warrior of the Ottowa tribe, A native American.

Stu: A student of Reimann  discoverer of hyper dimensional spac.
Jesuits: Physicians to  the 50 Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy.

Shamen: Spirit men and women of the 50 Nations.

Wendigo: destructive spiri:t:  "They are possesed by a wendigo spirit. We must conjure, must unleash our own wendigo spirit, to stalk the land until their power is broken, and the Wendico spirit within their twisted hearts is extinquished"..

Plea of common men:

Of fire and ice is the world made, and of wind and wave and dirt and rock. A few simple elements.  Of flesh and bone and blood and muscle are we made, a few simple elements. And the things made by us - of lumber iron and the food that energizes us are a few simple elements too. And the Aether - of what is it made? We want to know that we may sail upon it and within it . Is Aether made of a few simple elements too?  Give us, the simple men, you wise men, you sophisticated men, the equation of its element (for they are hidden) that we may sail upon the Aeather and so common folk like us may gain altitude, perhaps, may even sail to Heaven.