Bewildering Stories welcomes...

Dan Reed

Dan lives in New Jersey, where he works as an account planner. He has been writing science fiction for about two years and is interested in the ways in which technology affects the sense of community.

“Boys from the Neighborhood” is a serial but is complete on line as of this issue. It has a number of interesting characters. Tom Farrell is a crusty old space pilot who suddenly finds himself thrust against his better judgment into the role of a godfather to two brothers, the sons of Sophia Quadrini, a benefactress to whom Farrell owes a great moral debt. Sophia is herself the heroine of the story; and yet, though a strong character, she appears not on stage but quite effectively at a second level of narration.

While the personal intrigue supplies the action, the setting creates tensions on a broader scale. In a medium-near future, life on Earth and in the Solar System is governed by a kind of corporate feudalism, where oligarchs rule with impunity. Farrell himself might have become one, but his vision of community casts him in the role of a social dissident, an activist whose strategy stands against regression to a dark age of kings and serfs.

Dan Reed’s bio sketch can be found here.

Welcome to Bewildering Stories, Dan. We hope to hear from you again soon and often!