Grim Reaper or Dying Universe?

One of the great things about serials is exploring the depths of complex alternate world. Writer-friend Jonathan Gillespie has done just that in his new BeaconSaga serial about a dying universe with a small speck of hope… in the form of a miracle baby, that may be the last child ever born.

Just for fun, Jonathan and I are pitting our worlds against each other: the dire, dying universe of his Beacon Saga serial vs. the chilling world of my DebtCollector serial.

You get to vote which you’d rather live in! And enter to win a free episode!

The World of the Debt Collector Series

If you choose to populate the dystopian landscape of the Debt Collector, then your life will never be the same again. In fact, your life might not even be yours anymore: suffer a crippling injury or a terminal illness—or even just grow old—and you might find Lirium or another collector visiting you, ready to take your life energy and “transfer” it to someone else.

Here, your years have value. Here, the elites with the greatest “potential” are given priority for the life force of others. Here, your life span is regulated. Your health is the subject of absolute scrutiny.

And even though the system swears it doesn’t, it subverts its own rules at will. Collectors might be rigorously trained, and the public might be well aware of what they can and can’t do, but power is everything, and those that broker in life force are so many bones in a truly horrific skeleton.

The Beacon Saga Universe

Or, you could join the centuries-old refugee fleet in orbit around Beacon, the last star left in the Universe. When the Shroud moved across space swallowing stars, planets and civilizations, the end of existence arrived ahead of schedule. Beacon was mysteriously spared that fate, so you might think you’ve lucked out. You might think you’re safe.

But in many ways, the star’s orbit is a cursed place. Here, you’ll live alongside every being left in the Universe, for better or worse. Vast “layers” of ships smother this speck of light, and the further out you go, the more lawless it gets. Your sanctuary is really a prison, and you are locked inside it with some very dangerous inmates.

Worse, something has attacked the fertility of the inhabitants. Each generation has gotten smaller than the last. When you hear about the Beacon Saga’s lead characters (Tersias and Mally) expecting a child, you’ll share the fleet’s joy over the miracle. You’ll sign up for the celebration. You’ll follow them as they nervously navigate the months to their delivery date. But you’ll also assume theirs will be the last child ever born.

And then something will reach right out and contact mankind, something terrible, something thought long-destroyed, and you’ll wonder if the end of time will see a final war.