The Threshold Bookcast : Chapter 10 : South Side Of The Sky

[Christopher Stewart]

Chapter 10 : South Side Of The Sky

The tenth episode of the Threshold Bookcast focuses on Jake Harvey, the popular leader of the New Light Party.

At the start of the chapter, the rookie politician is enjoying a stargazing break on the observation deck of the space station his team and him are visiting.

« But life as an overly busy developing businessman had barely afforded him the leisure for socialization and entertainment, unless the activities served some work-related objective or another. As a somewhat less overly busy front running candidate, it was part of his duty to engage with people everyday and visit the far reaches of the Federation. And although he still had difficulty with the tedious travelling, he had recognized the value of savouring each one of the new spectacles offering themselves to his pale green eyes. Whether he were witnessing the often desolate landscapes of the sadly disfigured Ovel, or the lofty spacescapes which he had been awed to watch ever since the Progressive Parties had begun their tour of the stations, he would at least attempt to receive the beauty they conveyed. He had always thought he had seen stars in his youth, growing up in a remote farming community, away from the glitter and the greyness of the megapolises, yet this was nothing compared to the vista he was presently revelling in from one of the observation decks of Harmonia Eleven. The earnest and pragmatic administrator he used to be would not have dared to go sightseeing just prior to such a crucial meeting as the one he was about to attend. The wiser person he now was knew better. And given how off-worlders were generally significantly more respectful than their fellow Ovelians, there really was no reason to deprive himself of the pleasure. »

The pensive man is soon brought back to the reality of his agenda by his personal assistant. We then follow them as they proceed towards what could turn out to be a defining moment of the electoral campaign.

I hope you enjoy « South Side Of The Sky, » this week's instalment of The Threshold Series !

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On a background of environmental and financial crises, and religious influences intertwining with political manoeuvres to determine the fate of an overpopulated planet, The Threshold Series chronicles the saga of the Ovelian civilization, a society very similar to our own, as it heads towards one of the most dramatic chain of events of its history.

The first book, « 2206 : Window Onto A New World, » focuses on the end of the year 2206, which culminates on an important federal election that will be impacted by the discovery of an anomaly in the nearby outer space.

Each episode of The Threshold Bookcast consists in a complete chapter of the series, made available for free online reading.

For more details about the series and the bookcast, please see the introduction.

The previous chapters are available here :

• Chapter 1 : Homeworld
• Chapter 2 : Going For The One
• Chapter 3 : Togetherness
• Chapter 4 : Machine Messiah
• Chapter 5 : Space Oddity
• Chapter 6 : It Can Happen
• Chapter 7 : Giants Under The Sun
• Chapter 8 : Nous Sommes Du Soleil
• Chapter 9 : Careful With That Axe, Eugene