Solaris Book To Be Written In Space

Press Release:

Solaris Book To Be Written In Space

In a bold move for the independent SF and fantasy publisher, Solaris will announce later today that their upcoming book, Engineman, will be written in space.

Oxford-based imprint Solaris will be sponsoring a European Space Agency mission - currently scheduled for the 13th May - to provide supplies for the International Space Station, at a cost of approximately £18m. In exchange, they have been extended permission to place author Eric Brown aboard the shuttle, from which he will transfer to the Station and spend an expected six weeks writing the science fiction epic.

Brown (pictured) is said to be "cautiously enthusiastic" about the project.

"I've never written in space before," said Yorkshire-born Brown, 49, "but I expect it'll be pretty similar to writing in the office. I should have fewer distractions, so it should go well."

Solaris Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Oliver said this morning, "This will be the first science-fiction novel written in space.

"I mean there were the Letters From Mir, but they were strictly in the epistlary form. This will be a science fiction novel, written in a science-fiction environment. How futuristic is that?

"I would expect this book to be up to eighty percent more science-fictiony that anything else on the market."

The project is part of Solaris's new "Realism in Fiction" project. Future offerings are expected to include using eldritch enchantments to send fantasy author Gail Z. Martin into a magical parallel universe, and commissioning horror icon Brian Lumley to stalk and kill several people on the streets of Durham.