Anthony Camber

Between Two Worlds is book 1 of the Pod of Capricorn series. Which might make you wonder: Who or what are Pod and Capricorn? Explain!

Let’s dive in.

Who or what is Capricorn?

Capricorn is a generation ship. It’s an enormous colony wheel that’s been travelling for thousands of years towards a destination that its inhabitants have long forgotten. The wheel spins to generate gravity that’s roughly Earth-normal. It has ten sectors separated by thick walls, and the walls extend – the inhabitants call them ladders – to the central spherical hub.

The book will include diagrams at the start to help readers understand the geography and the terminology — I’ll write a post that includes them once they’re all done. I’m creating them using Blender for 3D rendering, and Affinity for labelling. Here’s an image from Blender for now:

This wireframe look is what you’ll see in the graphics in the book. I think it works well.

The area of the wheel where inhabitants live and work is the tread, on the inner surface. The long edges of the tread are the rims. Transparent panes up and over the tread from rim to rim form a tube that maintains an atmosphere. Inhabitants have a constantly changing view of the stars as the wheel spins, with the wheel itself apparently hanging motionless above. Objectively astounding; to the inhabitants, mundane.

That’s one meaning of Capricorn: the wheel. But there’s another.

Capricorn is also the name of the AI that runs the wheel. It monitors the systems, and it monitors the people. It maintains order and discipline, assigning work and chores to the inhabitants to ensure the ship continues to run smoothly.

The AI manifests itself in two ways.

In public spaces — on large and small paths crossing each sector, and in places where people gather — surveillance balls rest on top of tall poles. These balls see, hear and note everything around them, and can talk.

Within buildings — such as the cabins dotting the tread, in which most people live — the surveillance balls are also mobile, darting through the air under their own propulsion.

Unlike static pole balls, mobile balls can administer electric shocks as punishment. The inhabitants of Capricorn call this sparking.

Who or what is Pod?

Pod is the protagonist of the series. In Earth years he’d be about 19. He’s lean and trying to build up some bulk. His dark, wild hair was buzzed short just before Between Two Worlds starts, and at the same time he got his first tattoo. His skin has a warm, copper tone: he’s a fireskin, in Capricorn terms.

Pod’s clever, and a bit of a loner despite sharing a cabin with five others around his age. At the start of the book he’s frustrated and antsy about life and his place within it, and feeling negative about the whole thing.

This is partly because Capricorn-the-AI wants Pod to learn about how Capricorn-the-wheel works, and it sends him to Systems lectures each morning at the academy in the nearest town. But as far as Pod can see, systems is a euphemism for sewers — something the AI can’t manage itself.

(Even though the AI is in charge, there’s a balance: actual flesh-and-blood people are essential to keep the wheel running. And this means a large number of the inhabitants of Capricorn are farmers. In fact the tread of the wheel is mostly a mix of farmland and cabins: it’s an agrarian society in a massively high-tech setting. There’ll be a map of Pod’s sector in the book, assuming I finish drawing it.)

Despite what Capricorn says, Pod knows he doesn’t want to work on the sewers. But he doesn’t know what he wants to do instead — except he’d quite like to pair up with a nice boy.

What’s next?

I’ll reveal the cover for Between Two Worlds soon – you’ll see it here first – and at the same time I’ll make the ebook available to preorder on Amazon. You can help by liking, reposting and commenting on my posts, and it’s even better if you post something yourself.

At the moment, I’m recruiting ARC (“Advanced Review Copy”) readers. ARC readers receive a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I’m aiming to send ARC copies out in early August in ePub format, with publication planned for early September. Apply to be an ARC reader.

Subscribe (if you aren’t already) to be among the first to see the cover.