In order to save humans from a dying Earth, arkships are send out to colonize earth-like planets in a foreign planetory system. B. Morris Allen takes you on the voyage of one of the space ships. Cold sleep periods of years alternate with duties and chores on board. As you can imagine years and years on a space ship have an effect on the crew.
Two crew members decide to bear a child. The girl, Elyse or “Ark angel” discovers what the possibilities of survival are. Actually she is one of the few survivors once her shuttle lands on the planet. The target planet however is in a permanent state of winter. Icefields all around, no open water. Snow white, empty, like death. Flash backs and short storylines in the present time gives this novella a feeling of loneliness. The Speed of Winter is the first of the Four Seasons quintet exploring the voyages of four arkships and the fate of those left on Earth.
B. Morris Allen has been a biochemist, an environmental activist, a lawyer, and a foreign aid consultant. He grew up in Latin America and Europe, and has by now lived and worked in countries all over the world. He was a fan of Russian literature until Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ Barsoom and C.S. Lewis‘ Chronicles of Narnia introduced him speculative fiction at an early age, and he’s been reading science fiction and fantasy ever since. He started writing seriously in 2010. He blogs occasionally at www.metaphorosis.com. ( )