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Downloads

I've made my first novel, Ventus, available as a free download, as well as excerpts from two of the Virga books.  I am looking forward to putting up a number of short stories in the near future.

Complete novel:  Ventus

 

To celebrate the August, 2007 publication of Queen of Candesce, I decided to re-release my first novel as an eBook. You can download it from this page. Ventus was first published by Tor Books in 2000, and and you can still buy it; to everyone who would just like to sample my work, I hope you enjoy this version.

I've released this book under a Creative Commons license, which means you can read it and distribute it freely, but not make derivative works or sell it.

Book Excerpts:  Sun of Suns and Pirate Sun

I've made large tracts of these two Virga books available.  If you want to find out what the Virga universe is all about, you can check it out here:

Major Foresight Project:  Crisis in Zefra

In spring 2005, the Directorate of Land Strategic Concepts of National Defense Canada (that is to say, the army) hired me to write a dramatized future military scenario.  The book-length work, Crisis in Zefra, was set in a mythical African city-state, about 20 years in the future, and concerned a group of Canadian peacekeepers who are trying to ready the city for its first democratic vote while fighting an insurgency.  The project ran to 27,000 words and was published by the army as a bound paperback book.

If you'd like to read Crisis in Zefra, you can download it in PDF form.

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writer in residence

Mar 22, 2010

Book Buzz at TPL

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I'll be chatting online tomorrow night, March 23 2010, starting at 7:00 p.m.

The chat will be happening athttp://bookbuzzdiscussion.torontopubliclibrary.ca.  All are welcome!  You can chat with me and Dawn Connolly from TPL, about writing, the thrilling roller-coaster ride that is the life of a writer, and everything cool and wacky that's going on in the world right now.

Mar 04, 2010

I'll be talking about SF and foresight this Saturday

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... at the Metro reference library here in Toronto, starting at 7:00 pm.

Here's the full itinerary from the TPL website, along with a little teaser on my next event, coming up on March 24, that you might want to participate in:

Science Fiction and Foresight: Is it true that science fiction is about predicting the future? Karl Schroeder discusses when science fiction and foresight are the same and when they are different.
Saturday, March 6, 7-8:15 pm
Toronto Reference Library
Beeton Auditorium

Live Online Chat
Chat online with Karl Schroeder - a Book Buzz event.
Wednesday, March 24, 7-8 pm

 

 So come on down on Saturday for the talk!  It's supposed to be a glorious spring-like day, so why not visit the library then take a stroll down Yonge?

Feb 03, 2010

Writer in residence blog

I have a new weblog over at Toronto Public Library's site, specifically for the Writer in Residence stuff

As if blathering about myself on twitter, facebook, and here were not enough, I can now be found over at the Toronto Public Library as well.  This is all to the good:  I will continue to post updates here about schedule changes (if any) and generally promote the program whenever I can.  Over at TPL, I'll have the opportunity to talk more about the process of writing as such, and about my experiences as writer in residence.  I will not be talking anywhere about the individual writers who've come to me with their work; our discussions are between us and confidentiality is extremely important to me.  But I'll let you know how I'm getting on, how the process gets refined, and any insights and learning that I've come to during my time with TPL.

Jan 27, 2010

Yikes! Do I have to sign up right now?

Short answer: no. I'll be writer in residence until the end of May

Due to the last-minute dogpile of publicity about my writer in residence tenure, it may look as though you'll have to scramble to participate.  After all, the program starts in just a few days.  

Not to worry.  I'll be accepting manuscripts for critique and discussion for the next several months.  Obviously, if you hand me something on the last day of my appointment, I may not be able to give you the time you deserve, so the sooner the better.  But don't panic if you're not ready this week.  

I'll continue to post information and links about how to join the program, and I'll also be blogging about it all over at the TPL website (link and more details forthcoming).

Now, the workshops are a little more time-constrained.  The sooner you tell TPL if you want to attend those, the easier our organization of the events will be.  But I'm not expecting to have gone through a reading/critiquing cycle with you before the workshops.  We may not get to meet at all before they happen, but they're different from the one-on-one meetings, so that's fine.

Does this all make sense?  If you've got any questions, don't hesitate to contact the library, or me at karl(at)kschroeder.com

Jan 25, 2010

First Writer in Residence event: Meet the Author

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This is happening next Monday afternoon!

Event Meet the Author Tea (Beeton East Auditorium, Toronto Reference Library, Feb 01, 2010 01:30 PM to 04:00 PM)
I'll be meeting the public at a Meet the Author Tea at the Toronto Reference Library.

 

Jan 23, 2010

Writer in Residence details

Where I'll be and how I can help new and aspiring writers between February 1 and May 31, 2010

Toronto Public Library has put up its web page detailing my writer in residence tenure this spring.  That means I can reveal the details here too; I'll give you some here, but I'll also be placing the events into my calendar, which you can access at any time through the "Events" menu item on the left of the site's window (or the "upcoming events" box on the right).

Here's how to participate

Submit your manuscript for an opportunity to have a one-on-one evaluation with me or attend the writer-in-residencereadings and workshops.

Karl Schroeder
  • Manuscripts should be sent via email to Karl Schroeder, writer in residence at the Merril Collection.
  • All manuscripts should include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address.
  • Manuscripts should be 5,000 words in length. I will read only the first 5,000 words of longer submissions and base his comments on that word length.
  • After your manuscript has been read, the Merril Collection staff will contact you and book an appointment for you to discuss your writing.
  • I'lll will need 1 –2 weeks lead time in order to read submissions before an appointment is booked.
  • The library reserves the right to limit the number of manuscripts accepted.
  • Toronto Public Library is not responsible for returning manuscripts. Please submit a COPY of your work.

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About Me

I'm a member of the Association of Professional Futurists with my own consultancy, and am also currently Chair of the Canadian node of the Millennium Project, a private/public foresight consultancy active in 50 nations. As well, I am an award-winning author with ten published novels translated into as many languages. I write, give talks, and conduct workshops on numerous topics related to the future, including:

  • Future of government
  • Bitcoin and digital currencies
  • The workplace in 2030
  • The Internet of Things
  • Augmented cognition

For a complete bio, go here. To contact me, email karl at kschroeder dot com

Example: The Future of Governance

I use Science Fiction to communicate the results of actual futures studies. Some of my recent research relates to how we'll govern ourselves in the future. I've worked with a few clients on this and published some results.

Here are two examples--and you can read the first for free:

The Canadian army commissioned me to write Crisis in Urlia, a fictionalized study of the future of military command-and-control. You can download a PDF of the book here:


Crisis in Urlia

For the "optimistic Science Fiction" anthology Hieroglyph, I wrote "Degrees of Freedom," set in Haida Gwaii. "Degrees of Freedom" is about an attempt to develop new governing systems by Canadian First Nations people.


I'm continuing to research this exciting area and would be happy to share my findings.

 
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    Coming on June 18, 2019

    "Science fiction at its best."

    --Kim Stanley Robinson

    A Young Adult Scifi Saga

    "Lean and hugely engaging ... and highly recommended."

    --Open Letters Monthly, an Arts and Literature Review

    Sheer Fun: The Virga Series

    (Sun of Suns and Queen of Candesce are combined in Cities of the Air)


     β€œAn adventure-filled tale of sword fights and naval battles... the real fun of this coming-of-age tale includes a pirate treasure hunt and grand scale naval invasions set in the cold, far reaches of space. ”
    β€”Kirkus Reviews (listed in top 10 SF novels for 2006)

    "With Queen of Candesce, [Schroeder] has achieved a clockwork balance of deftly paced adventure and humour, set against an intriguing and unique vision of humanity's far future.
    --The Globe and Mail

    "[Pirate Sun] is fun in the same league as the best SF ever has had to offer, fully as exciting and full of cool science as work from the golden age of SF, but with characterization and plot layering equal to the scrutiny of critical appraisers."
    --SFRevu.com


    "...A rollicking good read... fun, bookish, and full of insane air battles"
    --io9.com


    "A grand flying-pirate-ship-chases-and-escapes-and-meetings-with-monsters adventure, and it ends not with a debate or a seminar but with a gigantic zero-gee battle around Candesce, a climactic unmasking and showdown, just desserts, and other satisfying stuff."
    --Locus