Jan Musil

As to who I am, US Navy veteran, disenchanted ex-corporate middle manager and long time entrepreneur covers the ground fairly well. I owned a pair of Southwestern Gift and Jewelry stores here in Austin, Texas for many years. Since then I assisted in getting a pair of high tech start up companies up and functioning.

In 2008, as I was wrapping up my portion of the latest new venture I realized that a previous idea for a computer game would make an excellent starting place for a book. Living in Austin and associating with all the programmers in town it is easy to get enthused and say, hey we can do better than those guys did. Which may or may not be true, but finding adequate money to actually do so is a far from trivial challenge.

Developing the idea as a book was not though and pursuing the project would allow me to exercise my storytelling skills. And yes, while I might not have a million of them, I can share lots of stories. A lifetime of practice so to speak.

Once embarked on the project it quickly became clear that I could not do justice to the ideas underlying life on Sarnia in a single book. After a few more months of work there was enough outlined material to do five books. As I progressed in writing the tale the material eventually became the seven book, two saga total listed for the series concerning life on Sarnia.

Welcome to Sarnia

Science Fiction, Epic Adventure

This well written, captivating tale takes the reader seven centuries into the future to the planet known as Sarnia. Located at the junction of the Orion and Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, Sarnia is also near the junction of three space faring empires. Previous events have left Terrans living on the planet dealing with life amongst six other intelligent races. For Sarnia host’s three intelligent indigenous species, who are unwillingly sharing their native world with two other species imprisoned there, while being administered by another alien species that has been hired by yet another, Sarnia’s current rulers, alien species. The nine book Planet Sarnia series examines the interactions of the various intelligent species over the period of a few quite interesting years, on Sarnia.

For those interested in plot, the series has a large, multi-threaded plot that plays out over the entire nine book series as well as a tale related by each book in its turn. The storytelling is very good, with the tale freely flowing from section to section, in a very readable and entertaining manner. And there are many interesting characters, Terran and alien, for the reader to come to know.

For more information about life on the planet known as Sarnia please visit www.planetsarnia.com to view full color maps, review the list of interesting characters and read samples from the initial volume, ‘Welcome to Sarnia’.

What happened to Terrans living on Sarnia? In their desire to expand Terrans decided that the risks involved in capturing and colonizing the planet known as Sarnia were well worth incurring. A mere forty years on they lost that gamble. Big time. 136 years later, many things have changed. Some never do.

‘Welcome to Sarnia’, the initial book, starts by introducing the core characters as they cope with realities of life on Sarnia. The reader is then launched into a somewhat traditional tale, though with many twists and turns, following our heroes as they learn of a new threat to the Terran community, decide what is to be done and begin their response. While the reader will encounter much that reminds him of home, life on Sarnia is very different, and much more dangerous than ours. The tale tracks an ongoing series of adventures affecting, sometimes afflicting, the group of very interesting characters recruited to assist the core heroes as Terrans begin to confront their new danger.

Through The Hills

Science Fiction, Epic Adventure

The second book picks up two mornings after the events of WtoS. The tale of TTH is on one level a straightforward road story. The party led by Lionel has left Terran inhabited lands and is marching by a circuitous route cross-country to Taryn’s Hall. The party encounters a steady stream of problems and dangers; things that they successfully deal with as they reach Roaring Gorge, the crossing point over the Yenisey River and where they will begin their final approach. In addition to the plentiful action, the tale provides the reader with a steady stream of character building about all manner of individuals on Sarnia.

On a separate level the depth of the tale steadily deepens as the initial tale expands beyond the personal level. As the party progresses the reader will learn a great deal more about life in any number of Terran inhabited locations. The many supporting threads of the tale, particularly information about the various alien races also present on Sarnia, provide multiple opportunities for the reader to compare and contrast. Who are we? What are we like? It will also be possible to begin to answer questions such as: Who are they? What are they like? There are also multiple opportunities to wonder about why it is we humans value courage so much.

Nor are the husband and wife team of Rhys and Li Na quite the clear-cut hero’s initially described. There is a great deal to learn about each of them. Information each reader will have to process and evaluate for themselves as the Planet Sarnia series as a whole unfolds.

By the end of TTH, Lionel’s party has successfully crossed the Yenisey River and is preparing to make the final approach to Taryn’s Hall. The first casualties have been suffered and the muleskinners that were to quietly return to Rangers Cliff after the crossing at Roaring Gorge have been ambushed and the survivors scattered.