A Son of the Rock

Runner-up for the BSFA Award for best novel.

A Son Of The Rock explores the effects on society if no-one appears to age. There is a drug called Euthuol which everyone takes to stop the ageing process at whichever age they take it. When ageing does occur at the end of life, it is rapid and the victims are shunned and hidden away.

Alan is a young mining engineer whose family has a genetic defect which may mean he will age before his due time if he takes the drug. He is on a final trip round the mining planets before taking up his career when he and his girl-friend meet an old man — the last of his religion — who has never taken Euthuol. The ramifications of this encounter dog Alan his whole life as he struggles with the decision to take the drug or not, and with the morality of mining and the wider society.

This scenario allowed me to explore issues of cultural colonisation, intolerance, prejudice and the rights of small cultures vis a vis larger ones.

From the novel’s cover.

“A Son of the Rock is hewn from solid, living stuff. It makes you take a long, cool look at our cool, cool world. It’s a rara avis, a truly Scottish SF novel, that makes subtle but profound statements about colonialism, political and cultural. But it’s the characters that give this book its inner strength. Real people, real lives, real dilemmas, real emotions.” – Ian McDonald

Praise for A Son Of The Rock.

“A jewel in the crumbling substrate of popular fiction.” Foundation

“A notable achievement.” Vector

“A pretty damn fine debut novel. I recommend this to anyone who has even a passing interest in Science Fiction.” – bookmole.vox.com. (As vox is no more, this link no longer works.)

“This guy never seemed to write anything else, which is a damned shame.” Good Reads (The review is down the page a bit.)

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(£3.50. Postage is included in the price.)