Compendium of Humanity’s End
Compendium of Humanity’s End
Was the emergence of life simply a mistake? The oldest human in the universe Marco Chung may believe so, and that it’s up to him to correct the error.
Marco Chung is the oldest human in the known universe.
Displaced in time by his job ferrying people and supplies to the extrasolar colonies around the galaxy, Marco finds no semblance of peace or belonging upon his rare returns to an ever-changing Earth. Meanwhile, despite centuries of exploration and settlement, there have been no signs of past or present life anywhere that humans have looked. Whether it is nearby Mars or far away Novissimus, it appears more and more likely that Earth is uniquely filled with life, at least within the Milky Way.
Despite these setbacks, colonization of the stars continues unabated and has even become the epicenter of popular culture. Due to the fanaticism around all things related to the Human Expansion Program, Marco now finds himself an unwitting celebrity in his own right. All he has witnessed is that on these so-called “Earth-like” planets, nature seems to be constantly trying to wipe every living thing off of their surfaces. After participating in so many journeys to the outer reaches and having a hand in helping to implement the occupations of these exoplanets, Marco is starting to wonder: if we are truly alone in the cold emptiness of space, then is life simply a mistake? And if existence was made in error, what should he do about it?
Compendium of Humanity’s End
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After
- Record #00: Glimpse
- Overview of Records
Destruction
- Record #01: Parade
- Record #02: Rumor
- Record #03: Distance
- Record #04: Children
- Record #05: Age
- Record #06: Speed
- Record #07: History
- Record #08: Co-workers
- Record #09: Court
- Record #10: Math
- Record #11: Homestead
- Record #12: Seeds
- Record #13: Backup
- Record #14: When
- Record #15: Petition
- Record #16: Belief
- Record #17: Requirements
- Record #18: Panic
- Record #19: Adieu
Annihilation
- Record #20: Visitor
- Record #21: Survival
- Record #22: Trend
- Record #23: Gantt
- Record #24: Pit-stop
- Record #25: Departure
- Record #26: Scope
- Record #27: Garden
- Record #28: Curtain
- Record #29: Check-in
- Record #30: Satellite
- Record #31: Incomplete
- Record #32: Hope
- Record #33: Walk
Before
- Record #34: Later
- Closing Thoughts
Compendium of Humanity’s End is a work of mixed fiction and nonfiction elements. With the fiction elements, any names, characters, places, events, and incidents that bear any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental. For the nonfiction elements, no names have been changed, no characters invented, no events fabricated except for hypothetical situations.
Note from the Author
One of the core tenants of this novel is exploring how futuristic technologies can be pushed to their absolute extreme capabilities, most notably resulting in unintended and often uncontrollable consequences. This is especially of interest for readers of works like Matthew Mather’s THE ATOPIA CHRONICLES, Ben Elton’s TIME AND TIME AGAIN, and George R.R. Martin’s TUF VOYAGING. At the same time, as the story that takes place in an era when these technologies are commonplace, there are readers looking for the emotional realism of everyday people just getting by in those worlds, such as with Lavie Tidhar’s CENTRAL STATION and Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky’s ROADSIDE PICNIC.
Of course, all of these novels share a common thread of focusing on actual and true scientific principals as a device to chronicle their impact directly on individuals. How the specific technologies function is only relevant so far as the machinery can move the characters along. This can be seen in similar works like Allen Steele’s ARKWRIGHT, Stephen Baxter’s PROXIMA, and Kim Stanley Robinson’s 2312. Still, this is not a “feel good” book where everything is going to nicely wrap up in a “happy ending”. Being realistic means that, at best, this narrative is bittersweet throughout, and that is something readers of tales like Andy Weir’s PROJECT HAIL MARY, Lawrence M. Schoen’s BARSK: THE ELEPHANTS’ GRAVEYARD, and Peter Cawdron’s ANOMALY completely understand and desire in their choice for hard science fiction.
Learn more about COMPENDIUM OF HUMANITY’S END and author J.P. Prag at www.jpprag.com.
