Ned Marcus — Blog

Feb 8, Blue Prometheus Free on Amazon

Sun, 8 Feb 2026 04:29:07 -0500

If you'd like to read an adventure on a distant planet, download your free copy by clicking the link below. It's free for the next three days...

Jan 4, A dystopian fantasy novel

Sun, 4 Jan 2026 05:46:16 -0500

A dystopian fantasy novel where a loss of belief leads to a spiritual vacuum, which nature fills with something else...

Sep 21, Charlie Kirk - A Turning Point

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 03:37:56 -0400

His assassination has changed something inside me. As his wife said, it has ignited a fire. I can feel it too.

Aug 31, Kindle Unlimited

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 01:48:05 -0400

All my books are now free to read on KU. As I mentioned below, this wasn't an easy decision, and it may not be final, but for now I think it's the best choice.

Aug 17, The Theme

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 23:29:47 -0400

The theme of my new novel is what happens when the truth is no longer valued or even disdained as being harmful. In this post-truth society, the people are weak. No one need work because AI does everything better, including governing the country. Universal income, excellent medical care, and other needs are met. Drugs are cheap and said to be safe. But there's a spiritual vacuum, and when there's a vacuum, something always fills it.

Aug 14, Changes

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 03:52:27 -0400

There have been and will be many changes to my publishing and writing. More on that later, but one thing I want to mention now is about the availability of my books. Recently, I've had technical problems with Kobo that they seem unable to solve and remaining on the platform is becoming untenable. Because of this, and because I sell few books on Apple or B&N, I've decided to stop selling books on platforms other than Amazon. This is a little hard for me as I've always enjoyed working with Kobo. At the moment, my books are still available there, but I've already removed them from most other platforms. I expect my books to be in Kindle Unlimited in the next 5 or 6 weeks—I'm still waiting for some of the smaller platforms to delist my books. It's possible that I'll go wide again, but for the immediate future I'll be shifting to Amazon. Of course, the paperback and hardback versions will still be available for order from bookshops.

Mar 2, Smashwords Sale!

Sun, 2 Mar 2025 08:32:52 -0500

Another sale on Smashwords. Some of my books are free—some a bit cheaper. A good opportunity if you want to read both series!

Feb 9, All My Books are Free on Kobo Plus

Sun, 9 Feb 2025 05:03:53 -0500

Kobo Plus (Kobo's equivalent Kindle Unlimited) is becoming more popular. At least, more people are reading my books using it. All my novels are free to read there...

Feb 2, Transition

Sun, 2 Feb 2025 08:05:08 -0500

My writing is undergoing quite a big transition, and because of this I've been posting less here and on social media. Later in the year, I hope to restart posting. At the moment, I'm thinking and writing about topics unrelated to my first five novels. I could discuss some of these issues, but then people may buy my earlier novels, and be confused that they are quite different from my current writing and thoughts. I love my early novels, but I could no longer write in the same style nor tell the same stories.

Dec 12, Smashwords Sale

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 09:57:18 -0500

The Blue Prometheus series is on sale at Smashwords. You can pick up Young Aina and Blue Prometheus for free. The Darkling Odyssey and Fire Rising have 25% off till the end of the month!

Nov 16, A Change

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 09:22:16 -0500

I've not posted in a while because I've been so busy, but I'm still writing. I've finally made the shift from earning my income offline to earning it completely online—mostly from teaching. The next step is to earn it mostly from writing.

Sep 22, Warriors with Sheathed Swords

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 08:52:29 -0400

A short science fiction story set on a forest planet. Two warriors meet in the midst of war...

Sep 21, C.S. Lewis on Tolkien

Sat, 21 Sep 2024 09:53:58 -0400

A very interesting quote by CS Lewis on Tolkien. Publishing again because one of the authors at my critique group today submitted quite a nice story that fitted this theme. The quote is now added to my quotes page. "Tolkien once remarked to me that the feeling about home must have been quite different in the days when a family had fed on the produce of the same few miles of country for six generations, and that perhaps this was why they saw nymphs in the fountains and dryads in the woods – they were not mistaken for there was in a sense a real (not metaphorical) connection between them and the countryside. What had been earth and air and later corn, and later still bread, really was in them. We of course who live on a standardised international diet (you may have had Canadian flour, English meat, Scotch oatmeal, African oranges, & Australian wine to day) are really artificial beings and have no connection (save in sentiment) with any place on earth. We are synthetic men, uprooted. The strength of the hills is not ours."

Aug 28, Wrong Leads to Evil

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 06:06:06 -0400

"Wrong leads to evil," is an old idea that seems to have been forgotten. In my work-in-progress, Friar Mo, an itinerant friar speaks these words in his efforts to counter the re-enchantment of Britain where the truth is no longer of any importance.

Aug 10, A Reptilian Head

Sat, 10 Aug 2024 05:44:50 -0400

He jumped when a piece of panelling was ripped from the wall. A long reptilian snout pushed itself inside, and it turned to look at them. “It’s grinning,” the woman said. She was right, and he shivered at the implications. From Orange Storm

Aug 6, "I summon the Orange Witch."

Tue, 6 Aug 2024 00:49:48 -0400

“I summon the Orange Witch.” She felt herself shifting towards another plane. The colours changed, and she left the room in London behind... The image of the planet of ice and fire returned, and then she was in a steaming jungle. A pair of bright eyes watched her. She shuddered but focussed on her breathing. This was too real. A head materialised before her—the witch. From Orange Storm

Aug 5, Lucy Returns to Britain

Mon, 5 Aug 2024 04:45:26 -0400

Several flowers in the forest glade glowed in greeting, and a large yellow bird watched her from a branch. From The Orange Witch When Lucy arrives back in Britain, after having spent the past few years on the planet of Prometheus, she finds changes in the English forest.

Jul 30, End of Sale on My Books

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 21:40:28 -0400

July 31st is the last day of the sale of my books on Smashwords. It's your last chance (probably for quite a while) to get Blue Prometheus and Orange Storm (the first books in each of my series) for free. There are discounts on other books too!

Jul 22, The River Fleet in 1844

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 00:41:57 -0400

The River Fleet used to be a major London river. Now it's the largest subterranean river beneath London. Sadly, it's been polluted for centuries, and now it's a sewer. But in the novel I'm writing now, the Fleet is a part of subterranean London where the poorest people, the outcasts, and the misfits live. It's also where the re-enchantment of Britain takes an unusual turn.

Jul 20, Magic Forests

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 00:08:41 -0400

Magic forests have always been a part of fantasy and were a part of mythology before that. The attraction of the deep, mysterious forest is strong. During the day, they can be beautiful. At night, a forest can easily become a threatening place. Forests have been places of sanctuary and danger. If you leave the path, the forests near my home are still dangerous: full of poisonous snakes and spiders. The picture below shows the bright side.

Jul 8, Natural Magic

Mon, 8 Jul 2024 03:21:49 -0400

Natural magic involves aligning yourself with the power that pulses through the universe. It also gives the ability to call on the help of sympathetic animals and insects. Black magic is magical coercion: forcing spirits to do as the sorcerer wills. It’s carried out for personal gain. Because of this, natural magic is less certain, but when the universe is behind you, it’s unstoppable. The hyena appears in Blue Prometheus.

Jul 7, Kobo Plus

Sun, 7 Jul 2024 07:23:00 -0400

A quick reminder that all my books are available on Kobo Plus—free to read if you're subscribed. Also, Kobo has just launched Kobo Plus in Spain.

Jul 1, All My Books are On Sale on Smashwords!

Mon, 1 Jul 2024 09:14:10 -0400

All my books are for sale in the Smashwords Summer Sale! Series starters (Blue Prometheus and Orange Storm) are free. All other books have 25% off. It's a good opportunity to try both series.

Jun 30, The Future is Indicated not Predetermined

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 22:28:00 -0400

The future is indicated not predetermined The ancient mariner in Blue Prometheus.

Jun 26, Norwegian Fables

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 00:41:41 -0400

One of the older books in my library. A 1943 edition of Norwegian fables. It was my father's (he spoke Norwegian and knew the author). For me it's just a beautifully bound book.

Jun 25, Ideas

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 00:53:52 -0400

Sometimes, many ideas come at once; other times, they flow more slowly. I've taken part in a flash fiction challenge, and it was a time when ideas flowed. I've outlined four stories (science fiction and fantasy). I like all of them and plan to develop them. The one I've written is a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk. I've taken an earlier version where one of the characters turns into a murderous basilisk. I didn't realise, but this story may date back to the Bronze Age.

Jun 15, My Current Fantasy Reading

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 05:07:54 -0400

I'm slowly working my way through the Serpentwar Saga again.

Jun 10, Warriors with Sheathed Swords

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 20:33:37 -0400

Warriors with Sheathed Swords has just been published by Penumbric. Click to read for free... The image was the inspiration for the story which I wrote as part of a flash fiction challenge.

Jun 10, One Advantage

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 09:17:08 -0400

One advantage of it often taking years to sell a short story is that you get plenty of time to edit and polish it.

May 31, Review of The Darkling Odyssey

Fri, 31 May 2024 05:35:30 -0400

Absolutely love these books, best I've read. Perfect fantasy books, pulls you in. Definitely worth the money. Lisa (Amazon UK) I created the image by pasting the review into AI.

May 30, Blue Prometheus Audio Version

Thu, 30 May 2024 05:21:27 -0400

Would you be interested in an author audio version of Blue Prometheus? I'm thinking of making YouTube videos of me reading Blue Prometheus. I'd use images based on parts of the story and read over them. I'm not a professional voice actor, nor would I be using high-tech equipment, but they would be free to listen to. Is this something you may be interested in? Let me know in the comments!

May 25, History of Religious Ideas

Sat, 25 May 2024 06:17:31 -0400

I've just finished Mircea Eliade's A History of Religious Ideas Vol 1. It covers the period from the Stone Age to the Eleusinian Mysteries. With the Stone Age, basically they're guessing. "The documentary evidence is opaque." I'm not surprised. It goes back over 30,000 years. The documentary evidence is bones (particularly skulls), objects found in graves, stone tools, and cave paintings. The educated guesses are still interesting. The book covers Ancient Egypt, the old Iranian religions, the ancient Greek religions, the Old Testament days, and more. It ends with the Eleusinian Mysteries: the story of Demeter and her daughter Persephone, who was dragged to hell, and only (partially) escaped because Demeter messed up the world's weather systems. Interesting that after the destruction of the last pagan temples in Greece (around 500AD) the ideas continued in mystery traditions and are still alive today in modern day paganism. Books like this give me many ideas to explore in my stories.

May 13, Evil follows after wrong

Mon, 13 May 2024 07:18:47 -0400

"Evil follows after wrong." Spoken by a Capuchin friar in an old alchemical text. I can't get it out of my mind. It's a truth I can see playing out around the world. The evil may not come immediately, of course. The idea has become a motif in my current fantasy story.

May 10, Return to the enchanted world

Fri, 10 May 2024 10:01:53 -0400

The re-enchantment of the world is not all it seems. The hallucinogenic drugs touted as safe are not all they seem. They call something from a realm that touches ours. At first, you see cool faces and funny things. But then it changes...

May 5, Can we know the future?

Sun, 5 May 2024 04:57:27 -0400

The future is indicated not predetermined. From Blue Prometheus

May 1, My Local Bus Stop

Wed, 1 May 2024 04:35:27 -0400

Waiting for a bus to the city...

Apr 29, Our Understanding of Ourselves

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 20:11:23 -0400

I've been rereading Jung's The Undiscovered Self recently. So much that's good here, but one thing stood out was his idea that it's astounding that we (humans) have made ourselves so negligible, despite having achieved so much. Astronomers love to show the Earth as an insignificant speck in the universe. This is one perspective, but not the only one. I think this view comes about more because of a contempt for religion than anything else. Jung's point, however, is that we lack understanding of ourselves, which I completely agree with.

Apr 27, My Two Sleeps

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 05:59:35 -0400

I couldn't sleep, so got up at 2:30 AM this morning and began writing. Not bad. I got three hours writing in. I'm moving ahead with my new novel. But I think my sleeping patterns are strange. Perhaps I'm becoming a medieval person. In medieval times, people used to practice segmented sleep patterns with what they called the first sleep in the evening, and a second sleep in the morning or afternoon. One difference is that I don't have to put up with bedbugs, lice or fleas.

Apr 22, What makes you give up on a book?

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 09:09:18 -0400

For me, it's boredom, poor writing, or a story going in a direction I'm not interested in. Mostly, I'd never buy these books. Not after reading a sample. After I buy a book, I'll usually try to push on for a few more chapters, even if I'm bored. Some books, like Dune Messiah, have slow starts but become brilliant later. If a book is loved by many people, I'll push on a bit further than I otherwise would just in case I'm missing something. In practice, I don't often give up on books I've bought. How about you?

Apr 15, The Orange Witch

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 08:56:01 -0400

One of my favourite images of the Orange Witch.

Apr 11, A Walk by the River

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 05:19:22 -0400

Taking a walk near my house.

Mar 31, An Orange Wasteland

Sun, 31 Mar 2024 21:56:40 -0400

An orange wasteland shall cover your world. Orange Storm

Mar 22, Value of Submitting Short Stories to Magazines

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 22:53:27 -0400

Recently I had an online discussion with another writer who said that we shouldn't accept sub-par payment from fantasy and SF magazines. I respect this writer for the help he gives other writers, and I agree the payment isn't worth the time and effort put in—not directly. But I disagree that it's therefore not worthwhile submitting short stories to magazines. There are indirect payments that can potentially be worth much more. First, is the practice you get writing. Second, you're tested. And some of the comments from magazines can be quite blunt. On the other hand, when your stories start reaching the final round of consideration more often, you learn which stories are working, too. The third benefit comes from getting your stories in front of people who would never normally see them. It's a form of marketing that may pay back in the future. Recently, I've had a sudden increase in people visiting this website from a short story I wrote years ago—The Boatmen—that was originally published in a fantasy forum, and has since been republished as a reprint (and audio). While I don't expect anything to come from it except perhaps an extra sale or two, it's an example of the possible marketing value of submitting stories to magazines.

Mar 15, Original Blue Prometheus Cover

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 07:31:42 -0400

The original Blue Prometheus cover. Now only to be found in a handful of secondhand bookshops in Taipei.

Mar 13, All My Novels Available on Kobo Plus!

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 23:29:20 -0400

Kobo Plus has recently expanded to Taiwan and Hong Kong (this post links to the HK store). Most recently, it's expanded to South Africa and Ireland. All my novels are there!

Mar 11, AI God

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 08:54:32 -0400

One of my fears about AI is that it will become a new god, but a god controlled by a rich elite.

Mar 7, The Intelligent Alien Species

Thu, 7 Mar 2024 10:01:21 -0500

"But, most of all, I wanted to meet the intelligent alien species that lived hidden in the great primeval forests of the planet. Of course, now I know it's the humans who are the aliens." From Young Aina

Mar 6, A Selkie in the Faeroes

Wed, 6 Mar 2024 04:37:44 -0500

Mar 4, Frank Herbert on AI

Mon, 4 Mar 2024 21:11:41 -0500

“Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.” Frank Herbert, Dune