# My two novels are back in print **URL:** \ **Category:** Marketplace\ **Created:** [July 17, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715 "2013-07-17T01:57:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/1 "2013-07-17T01:57:26Z")
My novel, **[Staroamer’s Fate](http://www.amazon.com/Staroamers-Fate-Chuck-Rothman/dp/1617207462)** is now back in print from [Fantastic Books](http://fantasticbooks.biz/), a small press reprint publisher.\* In addition, the sequel, **[Syron’s Fate](http://www.amazon.com/Syorns-Fate-Chuck-Rothman/dp/1617207470)**, is also available. When it came out, the book was named to the _Locus_ Recommended Reading list and Reader’s Poll. Reviewers at the time said: > [@](#): > > Worth passing on….Rothman brings to his novel a certain freshness and vigor which makes Staroamer’s Fate anything but hackneyed. Very little is dull here. – Dan Chow, Locus > > Nothing profound, but fun. I liked it. – John Betancourt, Amazing Stories > > One of the unique heroines to come along . . . This is the sort of action/adventure story that can be enjoyed on several levels, and by people who are not necessarily hard-core SF fans. Definitely a good read. – Roberta Rogow, Voya. The novels follow the adventures of Quarnian Dow, a space adventuress who is guided by her irresistible intuition, forcing her to take actions without knowing why. It’s part space opera, part troubled superhero. Here’s an excerpt from **[Staroamer’s Fate](http://www.amazon.com/Staroamers-Fate-Chuck-Rothman/dp/1617207462)** > [@Staroamer's Fate](#): > > Quarnian noticed the sound of a pair of footsteps behind her. They were speeding up, tap-tapping on the stone pavement, and they were obviously going to overtake her. Someone had chosen her to be a victim. > > “Excuse me, lady.” The voice was like a ratchet. “We thought you were looking for another place to drink.” > > And they knew of one; Quarnian was sure of that. Her drink would be delicious – and laced with a sedative. Then, who knew --robbery, rape. She had heard Borna was interested in human women for slaves. She’d soon disappear like the legendary Staroamer. > > It sounded like fun, but not tonight. “I’ll be glad to go with you, Mr. . . .” > > “Smith,” the ratchet-voiced man said. “Let me help you.” > > The two of them led her through the streets. The roadway slowly darkened; if Quarnian had had any sense, she would have turned back. But she didn’t care. The drinks had emboldened her and, besides, she was used to trusting her luck. > > “Here we are,” Smith said. > > The doorway was discolored by grime and there was a darkened spot where years of oily hands had pressed. As she looked, the door jerked open. Quarnian saw a few dingy tables visible in the murky room and a man leading a woman up a flight of stairs in the back. > > Quarnian felt indignant. If they were going to sell her into prostitution, they should at least have the decency to take her to a classier place than this. And one from **[Syron’s Fate](http://www.amazon.com/Syorns-Fate-Chuck-Rothman/dp/1617207470)** (which Amazon has misspelled): > [@Syron's Fate](#): > > “I killed someone on Zeno,” Quarnian said as she stared at the wall in front of her. She looked at her friend. “Aren’t you going to ask me why?” > > Sindona shifted uncomfortably. > > “I don’t know why,” Quarnian said tonelessly. “I just had to. I didn’t feel any emotion the whole time. All I knew was that I had to kill her.” > > “Well, you are a syron,” Sindona said, her voice tentative, “I understand how it looks, but there must have been some reason to do it. There always is.” > > “Don’t you think I’ve been saying that to myself? All I know is what happened. I killed someone.” > > It was several minutes before Sindona could speak. “Maybe it’s not as bad as it looks,” she said. > > “Then what the hell could it be? And even if there was some reason for that poor woman to be dead, why was I chosen to be her executioner? And why couldn’t I have decided for myself?” She shook her head before Sindona could answer. “I know what you’re going to say. I’m a syron. For me, free will is a myth. I have to do what I have to do, whether I want to or not.” She looked at Sindona. “I’m sick of it. And I don’t even have the luxury of quitting. It just won’t let me.” If you’re in the mood for an old-fashioned, fast-paced science fiction novel, I think you’ll enjoy the two books. \*Other authors published by Fantastic include Mike Resnick, Alan Steele, Michael Moorcock, James Gunn, and Tanith Lee. Even if you aren’t interested in my books, there are other that may interest you (Keith Taylor’s **Servant of the Jackal God** is especially good). ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/2 "2013-07-17T10:39:29Z")
Are there any e-book editions available, or just the physical version? Also, Amazon says it “Usually ships in 1-3 weeks,” is that accurate? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/3 "2013-07-17T19:21:54Z")
No ebook yet, though that’s possible. I’m not sure of the shipping time, but I don’t think it’d be more than a week. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/4 "2013-07-21T06:17:54Z")
[Can’t wait!](http://www.sfreviews.net/staroamer.html) ---
**Author:** ![smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smoke)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/5 "2013-07-22T20:54:18Z")
That’s one harsh review. Did you piss that guy off somehow? Is any of his critique valid? Anyways, good luck with the reprinting, it’s pretty cool to get a second shot to have your works out there. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/6 "2013-07-24T02:06:42Z")
> [@Yorikke](#): > > [Can’t wait!](http://www.sfreviews.net/staroamer.html) Well I’m sold. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/7 "2013-07-24T02:23:45Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Well I’m sold. Haven’t we all? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/8 "2013-08-02T22:35:36Z")
You reviewed your own book and gave yourself \*\*\*\*\*!?!:eek: > **[Staroamer's Fate: Rothman, Chuck: 9781617207464: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Staroamers-Fate-Chuck-Rothman/dp/1617207462)** > > Staroamer's Fate \[Rothman, Chuck\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Staroamer's Fate ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2013, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/9 "2013-08-07T02:24:54Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > You reviewed your own book and gave yourself \*\*\*\*\*!?!:eek: > [Staroamer's Fate: Rothman, Chuck: 9780445201026: Amazon.com: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Staroamers-Fate-Chuck-Rothman/dp/0445201029/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375482796&sr=8-1&keywords=Staroamer%27s+Fate) It was early and I put it there as a joke. I never expected the book to be available again. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/10 "2013-08-07T02:39:25Z")
> [@smoke](#): > > That’s one harsh review. Did you piss that guy off somehow? Is any of his critique valid? Well, of course not. 🙂 Seriously, if you read the review, you’ll note he doesn’t talk about the things that most people think make a good book: plot and characterization. His ox is that I got the science wrong. The problem is that _he_ gets the science wrong. His main complaint is that I didn’t understand how evolution works, yet his comments indicate that he assumes that evolution was based upon mutations. But in the book, I specifically said that the evolutionary issues were due to two factors: 1. Genetic engineering. 2. The fact that the evolutionary traits were always present, but only became apparent in a different environment. My model was things like antibiotic resistant bacteria. It’s not that they mutate to gain resistance; it’s that there always were antibiotic resistant bacteria, but that they were very few. Once antibiotics are introduced, it killed the non-resistant bacteria, but the few that were resistant were able to survive and pass that trait along. The more subtle point I’m making is that there are people with these genetic traits _right now_, but that they aren’t important in our current environment. Similarly, he complains vehemently about how little time it takes to get to the Staroamer. It took six weeks, and I did the math: assuming Earth escape velocity, the Staroamer is about 28 million miles away. Not a great distance, but a significant one, and it’s also established that it’s not in a place anyone bothers looking. The book may have some fanciful science, but it’s not bad science. No one complained about the science when the book came out, and most of the reviews were positive. It was listed on the Locus Reader’s Poll for best first novel – which was quite an accomplishment since the book had only been out two months when the poll was taken. But criticizing the science is missing the point. The book is a space opera/superhero book; it is not meant to be hard SF, but rather an entertaining adventure. If you want hard sf, this isn’t the book for you. But if you want a good story, you won’t be disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/11 "2013-08-07T04:20:14Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It was early and I put it there as a joke. I never expected the book to be available again. I suggest you delete it, then. If you like, you can send me a copy and if I like it, I’ll review it for you. Amazon calls me a Top Reviewer. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2013, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/12 "2013-08-07T12:52:08Z")
I can’t really delete it myself, since I didn’t log in to post it (this was in 1995, when they allowed anonymous comments). Would Amazon respond to a request to remove it? I can send you pdfs. Where should they go (PM me)? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/13 "2013-08-07T15:33:20Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I can’t really delete it myself, since I didn’t log in to post it (this was in 1995, when they allowed anonymous comments). Would Amazon respond to a request to remove it? > > I can send you pdfs. Where should they go (PM me)? Hmm. Fair dinkum. Ask anyway. pdf is problematic, takes a long time to read, unless it’s Kindle? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/14 "2013-08-07T15:36:29Z")
Grats. Have you looked into e-pub for these? That’s where the mid and backlist lies for the future, I think. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2013, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/15 "2013-08-07T17:06:29Z")
It’s up to my publisher, though the contract does have a provision for an ebook. He’s been sticking to print so far, though. I might consider epubbing one of my other novels. I have a nice little YA fantasy about a woman who’s changed into a man, and another fantasy novel set in New York City in 1934. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/16 "2013-08-07T17:09:00Z")
It’s relatively easy to self-publish to epub. If you have any backlog of works that are out of print, it can be far more profitable to manage it yourself than let even a dedicated small press handle it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/18 "2014-01-22T00:31:12Z")
[Amazingstoresmag.com](http://amazingstoriesmag.com/2014/01/excerpt-staroamers-fate-chuck-rothman/) has published an excerpt of the novel. If you log on and comment on the excerpt, you can win a free copy of the book. Contest ends Saturday. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/20 "2014-04-19T17:50:40Z")
I’ve been curious ever since I saw mention of this book here, and I’m genuinely not being facetious about this: Why did you title the book “Staroamer’s Fate” instead of “Starroamer’s Fate” or “Star-Roamer’s Fate”? Every time I see that title, part of my mind wonders if the characters are roaming stas or oaming stars. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2014, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-two-novels-are-back-in-print/663715/21 "2014-04-19T22:20:05Z")
In Rochester, Stars oam YOU! [notbeingfacetious][okayiambutonlymakingajokeaboutrussianreversalnotpublishing]