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June 6, 2026
Hidden worlds, lost legends and wasps
Work on the final Martians book continues apace, after my recent breakthrough. The characters are at each other's throats, the Martians are breathing down their necks, and things couldn't be more fraught. Am I going to give them a break, a chance to breathe? Of course not.
In other news, we're now in the midst of a gale-force storm after the heatwave of the previous week. So far the majority of the garden has survived, but frankly I'll be astonished if nothing blows away, snaps in half or is stripped of all its leaves. If you have any suggestions for wind-hardy flowers and veg, send them our way along with some windbreaks and sandbags.
But weather and writing aside, read on for some space telescope and mythological news, along with an update on Cheeky Charlie.
Space News
NASA's Roman telescope could reveal 100,000 hidden worlds
NASA is proposing another space telescope, and this one is incredibly impressive. Where Hubble was a high-magnification, small-area powerhouse, this will be providing a much wider view of the skies.
So far every exoplanet we've found has been relatively nearby, in astronomical terms. Our section of the galaxy is pretty unremarkable, but it's also not representative of the rest of the universe. The Roman telescope will be looking further afield; through the bulge at the centre of the Milky Way and right across our galaxy.
Following up on the work of the Kepler telescope, it will not only monitor for the minuscule dips and variations in light that a planet transiting its star would cause, but will also use gravitational lensing of stars between us and the target to extend its visual range. Each approach has its benefits, and scientists hope to find both 'hot jupiters' like the one in the illustration (large planets close to their star) and more earth-like rocky bodies further away.
It is named after Nancy Grace Roman, the first female administrator of NASA, who is often called the 'Mother of Hubble' for her role in planning that space telescope.
Source: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center via ScienceDaily
Book Recommendations
Sci-Fi
A Memory Called Empire
I absolutely devoured this book. The world-building is exceptional, the characters fully realised and utterly believable, and the plot absolutely drives along. Just when you think you've got your feet under you, there's another twist and you're off again.
The Teixcalaanli Empire is wondrous, their language so intrinsic to their culture that each sentence is a reference to generations of poetry, a carefully chosen word can insult an Emperor or bring down a politician, and yet the book itself is incredibly readable. Martine brings us into the heart of the Empire through the eyes of an ambassador who has been studying it her entire life, only to discover that living there (or even just surviving) is utterly different to the beliefs she has formed from studying the art and culture.
Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn't an accident―or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court.
Highly recommended, a superb political intrigue blended with a fish-out-of-water thriller and a sci-fi setting that effortlessly draws you in.
Fantasy
Under the Pendulum Sun
Brontë in Fairyland.
Catherine Helstone's brother Laon has disappeared in Arcadia, legendary land of the magical fae. Desperate for news of him, she makes the perilous journey, but once there, she finds herself alone and isolated in the sinister house of Gethsemane. At last there comes news: Her beloved brother is riding to be reunited with her soon - but the Queen of the Fae and her insane court are hard on his heels.
This masterfully blends the darker side of fairy tales with the repression of the Victorian era, and there is theology at the heart of it all. Absolutely my cup of tea, and I enjoyed it immensely. A strong and wily female protagonist is always great to see, and one who overcomes the gender restrictions of her time is even more welcome. The fairyland of Arcadia is utterly strange and baffling in the best way, but feels completely real at the same time.
Comparisons with Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell are very apt, but fans of the Brontë sisters will feel soothed and rattled in equal measure.
Strange News
Ashburton casts a spell as witches and writers gather for folklore festival
Sadly I missed the Dartmoor Tors festival, in Ashburton in Devon. It's in its second year and yet had bypassed me completely. It sounds like just my sort of thing: celebrations of local myths and legends, workshops and exhibitions, and a recreation of a mass walk to Bellever Tor on Beltane.
The local legends are given more strength by being conjured up by protesters who want to keep the moors open and free for all to enjoy. It goes to show how deep some beliefs can run, and how close to the surface they can still be, even in modern times. As one festival-goer put it:
"That’s when I realised that folklore [and] storytelling was colliding with modern-day ecological activism.”
That and descriptions of the local art scene as "DIY, sort of anti-establishment, a bit punk" is incredibly appealing to me.
Source: The Guardian
Miscellany
- New species named after David Attenborough to celebrate his hundredth birthday
- English Heritage unveils recreation of 4,500-year-old Neolithic hall near Stonehenge
- This crocodile ran like a greyhound across prehistoric Britain 200 million years ago
And Finally
For Charlie fans, we have an update. His name is actually Stan, he has a loving home that he visits whenever he likes, but he's still sneaking in to steal a little food and sit on the coffee table to be admired.
I'm curious: what are some local customs or stories that might not be well known outside your local area? What beliefs are so strongly held where you live that they're just taken as read? Shropshire is full of them, in particular the devil seems to be here so often he has any number of landmarks named for him. He's planned to divert rivers to flood towns before being distracted by the view (I know the feeling) and dropping his rocks. He's taken a seat on most of the high land and trodden his way through every valley.
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