Ander Nesser

Biography

Ander Nesser is a fiction author. He labored in several factories in his youth. After graduating university, he taught English in Asia. He wrote his first novel in Polynesia, where he lived for several years before moving to California.

Smashwords Interview

Tell me about your first novel. What were you trying to accomplish with it?
In many ways, *Unbounded* is a typical space exploration story, but in others it is quite different. This novel is basically a reaction against the Space Opera genre; it's a kind of criticism of *Star Trek* and its imitators. To be clear, I am a *Star Trek* fan, but we have to take it for what it is, which is sociological SF, not Hard SF. Also, I have nothing against any particular genre, so long as the story is interesting.
Then why would you react against Space Opera? What's wrong with it?
Nothing, if that is what you want. But I wanted to see if space exploration stories could be told with a little more realism--in the back of the book, you will find a bibliography of some of the sources I used for my research. The Space Opera genre is characterized by vast scope and high stakes, fictional technology, and an overall epic and melodramatic feel. I wanted to eschew all this, as I started with the premise of writing a book of scientific fiction rather than fictional science. So, the scope is restricted to one ship and one crew; most of the crew are in the background, as I wanted to put few characters in focus; the emotional atmosphere is very understated. Only the lives of the crew are at stake, not whole worlds. Obviously, there can be no wormholes, warp drive, FTL travel, universal translators, humanoid aliens, teleporters, gravity plating, etc. Most of the science in this novel is found in the biology and geology, rather than the physics of space travel. I researched known exoplanets and simulated possible atmospheres, for example. The method of space travel is one of the more questionable scientific aspects, as the ship has a ramscoop and fusion drive. (To learn more about this, I recommend the website Atomic Rockets.) It doesn't seem impossible from a physics point of view, but it might be practically impossible from an engineering point of view. Also, modern humans would not survive the trip, so my characters are genetically modified in a particular way.
Read more of this interview.

Where to find Ander Nesser online

Books

Unbounded
Price: Free! Words: 54,350. Language: English. Published: February 17, 2017 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Adventure, Fiction » Science fiction » Hard sci-fi
In the future, probes are launched from Earth to nearby star systems. After transmitting their findings back to Earth, a starship ferries colonists to a new world. But the manned expedition finds something very different from what the probes promised. Now, while struggling to fit in with a crew of scientists, ship’s clerk Ryder Kask works to uncover the growing mysteries surrounding their mission.
The Vandal's Shadow
Price: Free! Words: 14,560. Language: English. Published: January 21, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Hard-Boiled, Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories
When an unknown substance on a public sundial is thought to be evidence of foul play, Detective Wyatt Kask is called in by the police to help determine the nature of the crime. Over the course of the night, Kask and the Sheriff of Wellington are pulled into a bizarre labyrinth of industrial espionage.
Tower of the Lost Ways
Price: Free! Words: 7,490. Language: American English. Published: September 5, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Utopias & dystopias
(3.00 from 1 review)
In the far future, a young woman named Aoi explores forbidden regions of her ancient city. She soon stumbles upon evidence of a possible looming catastrophe. But will the powerful elites of her society heed her warning before it is too late?

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