writing

I'm flip-flopping between two novels set in the same universe but thousands of years apart with completely different casts.

In one, I'm playing with the rather retro idea of a sci-fi universe where psychic powers are used for industrial/shipping/logistics purposes, and the nation would break down if their psychics went rogue because their other types of tech are massively under-developed. Naturally--some psychic or another is always going rogue. Including my main character. Right after he got really expensive AI cranial implants that he shouldn't just be running off with.

In the other...I was playing Skyrim, and went, "Huh, why isn't there any truly genre-defining book about Summoners? There's tons about sorcerers and mages and the like...but what about, specifically, Summoners?"

I decided it's because people probably think it's too easy to get god-mode by summoning the right god-like thing. Or, the writers are hardcore introverts, and a good Summoner would have to have social skills and management skills out the wazoo and that doesn't sound appealing to nerds. After all, a main character's biggest skill being Staff Management doesn't sound all that sexy.

But I'm writing it as a thing where the Summoner and his rather set entourage of summoned creatures are kind of like a Captain of a Star Trek starship. It's an ensemble cast, and each summoned creature has their own fully fledged personality, wants, and needs. So it's working pretty well, from that perspective.

Both of these are sci-fi, but more space-opera-y sci-fi with fantasy elements.