Through the course of my writing (actual and notes) I’ve been building a star map in my head as to where my stories are set and how expansive the star empires are.

Now we have the indispensable tool to getting the layout even more right - The 30 Light Year Star Map!

Of course, this is just the first of many quality tools available for the budding intergalactic empire cartographer.

But it certainly is the shiniest I’ve found so far.

Really.

Their album Black Holes And Revelations is easily a soundtrack for a sprawling Science Fiction intergalactic epic.

I’m not much of a fan normally (their not being prog) but they do rock.

If anyone has any suggestions for any other particular music to write to I’d appreciate it.

On Saturday, before my current bout of the flu finally kicked in, I picked up a couple of books with Christmas vouchers.

Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds and Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Chasm City is set in Reynolds’ Revelation Space universe and is the second in the series after, you guessed it, Revelation Space.

Revelation Space is a huge, magnificent space opera that rampages across the universe.  And If Chasm City is anything like it then I’m in for a treat.

And just to note:  It’s not like the story from one book continues directly to another, but it does give me an excuse to start with the first one again.

If you can find a copy I do encourage you to do so.

So the reading for this week is sorted.  And it’s the turn of Mr Vonnegut next week.

Providing, of course, that I’m not still working through Revelation Space/Chasm City by next week.  I am a very slow reader…