Thomas Watson

by Thomas Watson

About

Book One of Five.

An age of peaceful exploration has ended.

With the discovery of the Leyra'an, the centuries-old dream of meeting an intelligent, nonhuman species has finally come true. But that dream becomes a disturbing enigma when the Leyra'an prove to be more than just humanoid. They are like us to a degree that cannot be explained by chance alone. The search for an answer to this mystery will reveal a universe stranger and more dangerous than anyone could have imagined, and expose both Humanity and the Leyra'an to the threat of extinction.

For better or worse, that search has begun.

About

Thomas Watson

I've always been a storyteller, and very early in my life found the written word to be my preferred method for telling tales. I grew up enjoying words for their own sake, with some of my earliest memories being of family members reading to me and teaching me to both read and write. Most of my childhood was spent in houses full of books, and reading inspired writing. The experience of reading stories, of having feelings and images conjured from...

Books

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The Luck of Han'anga

War of the Second Iteration, Book One

Book #1 from the series: War of the Second Iteration

Book One of Five.

An age of peaceful exploration has ended.

With the discovery of the Leyra'an, the centuries-old dream of meeting an intelligent, nonhuman species has finally come true. But that dream becomes a disturbing enigma when the Leyra'an prove to be more than just humanoid. They are like us to a degree that cannot be explained by chance...

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Founders' Effect

War of the Second Iteration Book Two

Book #2 from the series: War of the Second Iteration

While Robert and Alicia MacGregor, survivors of the ill-fated probeship William Bartram, work to rebuild their lives, the Commonwealth seeks a way to end the long, bitter conflict between the Republic and the Leyra’an. But the leaders of the Republic, suspicious of the motives that drive their long-sundered kin and faced with unrest among their...

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The Plight of the Eli'ahtna

War of the Second Iteration Book, Book Three

Book #3 from the series: War of the Second Iteration

On a mission to bring aid to a beleaguered star system, John Knowles and Eb'shra Wirolen have been hurled by a freak accident across countless light years, and are marooned in uncharted space. As they work to repair their damaged ship, the Eli'ahtna, and the friends they've left behind launch a desperate rescue mission to bring them home, the...

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Series

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War of the Second Iteration

The Luck of Han'anga, Founders' Effect , The Plight of the Eli'ahtna, The Courage to Accept, and 2 more

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179 Degrees From Now: Four Stories from Just Past the Edge

The Process: Nine Essays on the Experience of Writing Fiction & “Muse” A Short Story

The Soul of Wit

Chance Encounters: Three Short Stories, 179 Degrees From Now: Four Stories from Just Past the Edge, and The Process: Nine Essays on the Experience of Writing Fiction & “Muse” A Short Story

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Other Writing

The Tea Ceremony

If you are a writer and have ever wondered why you keep at it...

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Second Chance: A Tale of the Second Iteration

While developing the War of the Second Iteration series, ideas came to me for other tales set in that imagined future universe. A couple of them came to life. One became a standalone tale, its plot and characters having no role to play in the series. The other became something very different. In the short story Second Chance I found myself developing a character who would go on to play pivotal role in War of the Second Iteration. He was too interesting a character to not use there. And when...

Latest Updates

June 1, 2025

Lucky 13

So, about June…

Thirteen years ago this month I published The Luck of Han’anga, my first self-published novel. In the years that have passed since then, others have followed. I...