A Long Time Until Now is a military science-fiction novel by Michael Z. Williamson, published in 2015 by Baen Books. It tells the story of US soldiers in Afghanistan who are transported in time to the paleolithic era. The novel was praised for its characters and survival elements.
A Long Time Until Now takes place in a setting different from Williamson's previous novels. [1] In an essay on the Baen Books website, Williamson describes the research he undertook to enhance the realism of the story. This included reading papers on paleolithic Central Asia, experimenting with making fire with friction, and cooking bugs. [2]
A Long Time Until Now was released in hardcover and as an e-book in May 2015. [3] [4] A paperback release followed in July 2016. [3] The cover by Kurt Miller shows soldiers from different time periods defending against prehistoric animals. [5] Miller is a frequent illustrator of military science fiction covers, known for his detailed and vivid depictions of warriors. [6]
The book tells the story of ten US soldiers on patrol in Afghanistan. They are transported back into the paleolithic past where they meet people native to that time period as well as other groups displaced in time, including imperial Roman soldiers. The plot incorporates survival story elements as the soldiers must use their wits and equipment to survive in a hostile, foreign environment.
The novel was favorably received. In a review for Analog Science Fiction and Fact , Don Sakers described it as a "fascinating story" and especially praised the survival elements. [7] A review in Stars & Stripes emphasized Williamson's drawing on his own military experience. [8] Mark Lardas of the Galveston Daily News praised the "different and fully developed" characters and described the book as "outstanding entertainment". [1] Bill Lawthorn of SFRevu criticized the depiction of female characters but called the book a "good novel". [9]
That was Now, This is Then, a novel by Michael Z. Williamson, was released in 2021, a direct sequel to A Long Time Until Now. [10]
Baen Books is an American publishing house for science fiction and fantasy. In science fiction, it emphasizes space opera, hard science fiction, and military science fiction. The company was established in 1983 by science fiction publisher and editor Jim Baen. After his death in 2006, he was succeeded as publisher by long-time executive editor Toni Weisskopf.
The Liaden universe is the setting for an ongoing series of science fiction stories written by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. The series covers a considerable time period, some thousands of years in all, although since it also covers more than one universe the exact chronology is unclear. However the main timeline extends across only a few generations.
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John Ringo is an American science fiction and military fiction author. He has had several New York Times best sellers. His books range from straightforward science fiction to a mix of military and political thrillers. He has over seven million copies of his books in print, and his works have been translated into seven different languages.
Michael Z. Williamson is an American military science fiction and military fiction author best known for his libertarian-themed Freehold series published by Baen Books. Between 2004 and 2016, Williamson published eight Freehold novels, exploring military and political themes as well as first contact with alien beings. This was followed by the Forged in Blood (2017) and Freehold: Resistance (2019) anthologies, consisting of short stories taking place in the Freehold universe, some by Williamson and some by other authors, including Larry Correia, Tony Daniel, Tom Kratman and Brad R. Torgersen.
Edward M. Lerner is an American author of science fiction, techno-thrillers, and popular science.
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The Grantville Gazettes were a series of anthologies of short stories set in the 1632 universe introduced in Eric Flint's novel 1632 that was published as a bi-monthly electronic magazine from 2003 until shortly after Flint's death in 2022.
The Grantville Gazette III is the third collaborative and the fourth anthology in the 1632 series edited by the series creator, Eric Flint. It was published as an e-book by Baen Books in October 2004. It was released as a hardcover in January 2007, and trade paperback in June 2008 with both editions containing Flint's story "Postage Due".
Sharon Lee is an American science fiction, fantasy and mystery author who lived in Winslow, Maine from 1988-2018 before moving to nearby Waterville. She is the co-author of the Liaden universe novels and stories, as well as other works, and individually the author of several mystery and fantasy novels.
Thomas P. Kratman is an American military science fiction author and retired United States Army officer whose work is published by Baen Books. Kratman's novels include the Desert Called Peace series which has been praised for its action sequences and attention to philosophy of war. He authored three novels with John Ringo in the Legacy of the Aldenata series. Kratman's works often reflect right-wing political perspectives and some have been seen as deliberately crafted to offend left-wing sensibilities. During the Sad Puppies campaign in 2015, Kratman was nominated for a Hugo Award for his novella Big Boys Don't Cry.
The Assiti Shards series is a fictional universe invented by American author Eric Flint. It is a shared universe concerning several alternate history worlds, related to a prime timeline. The defining characteristic of the fictional universe is the existence of the "Assiti Shards effect", and the impact that strikes by Assiti Shards have on characters in the stories. The series is rather large and expansive, having started publication in 2000, and as of 2008, consisting of 15 print books, and 21 e-magazine anthologies, in two different published timelines of the same multiverse.
Freehold is a military science fiction novel by Michael Z. Williamson, published in 2004 by Baen Books. The book tells the story of Kendra Pacelli, a young soldier who begins the book in the service of a world-dominant, authoritarian United Nations. Accused of a crime she did not commit, she flees Earth for the Freehold of Grainne where she struggles to adapt to the climate and culture of an ultra-libertarian planet. She eventually joins the Freehold military and fights in a war against a UN invasion.
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1636: The Devil's Opera is a stand-alone novel in the alternative history 1632 series with minor character overlaps. Published on October 1, 2013 the book is written by David Carrico and Eric Flint. It is a semi-detective novel set in a growing industrial city that is a continuation of two series of stories that David Carrico had originally written in the electronic versions of the Grantville Gazette that were serialized over several issues and later compiled into the compilation 1635: Music and Murder, one series involving criminal investigation and crime fighting and other series involving music and social revolution.
1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies is a novel in the 1632 series written by Eric Flint and Charles E. Gannon and published on June 3, 2014.
Ryk E. Spoor is an American science fiction and fantasy author, who also writes research grant proposals for a technology firm. He published his first novel, Digital Knight, in 2003, and has gone on to publish over a dozen more novels, often in collaboration with author Eric Flint on their Boundary series. He is nicknamed "seawasp" or "Sea Wasp", an online handle he has been using since 1977 in venues such as LiveJournal, Dreamwidth and Usenet.
William Ledbetter is a science fiction writer whose short stories have been published in Fantasy & Science Fiction, Analog: Science Fiction & Fact, Jim Baen's Universe, Writers of the Future, Escape Pod, and other magazines. His novelette "The Long Fall Up" won the 2016 Nebula Award.
Uncompromising Honor is a science fiction novel by American writer by David Weber, released on October 2, 2018 by Baen Books. It is the fourteenth novel set in the Honorverse in the main Honor Harrington series. It was the first main series Honor Harrington book in five years.
Forged in Blood is a science-fiction anthology edited by Michael Z. Williamson and published in September 2017 by Baen Books. The book consists of 16 short stories tracing the story of a single sword. The first story takes place in feudal Japan and the book continues in chronological order into the future of Williamson's Freehold universe. Five of the stories are wholly or partly by Williamson and the rest by other authors, including Larry Correia, Tony Daniel and Tom Kratman.