{"id":4084,"date":"2022-01-24T22:59:21","date_gmt":"2022-01-25T04:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lfs.org\/blog\/?p=4084"},"modified":"2025-06-19T20:31:51","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T01:31:51","slug":"author-update-two-new-books-by-prometheus-winning-author-travis-corcoran-but-theyre-not-what-youd-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/author-update-two-new-books-by-prometheus-winning-author-travis-corcoran-but-theyre-not-what-youd-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"Author update: Two new books by Prometheus-winning author Travis Corcoran (but they\u2019re not what you&#8217;d expect)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Note: The Prometheus blog periodically posts updates about authors who have been recognized over the years through the Prometheus Awards, especially to report recently published or upcoming books. Submissions of news and updates from authors, publishers or fans are welcome, and will be considered for publication. Here&#8217;s the latest update on a relatively recent Prometheus winner:<\/p>\n<p>By <a href=\"https:\/\/lfs.org\/blog\/interview-lfs-founder-michael-grossberg-on-how-he-became-a-writer-critic-sf-fan-helped-save-the-prometheus-awards\/\"><strong>Michael Grossberg<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Prometheus-winning author Travis J. I. Corcoran has been busy writing and publishing books, with more to come.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_530\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-530\" style=\"width: 255px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tjic_snowy_face.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"530\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/travis-corcorans-acceptance-speech-for-powers-of-the-earth-award\/tjic_snowy_face\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tjic_snowy_face.jpg?fit=255%2C254&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"255,254\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"tjic_snowy_face\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Sf novelist Travis Corcoran (Photo courtesy of author)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tjic_snowy_face.jpg?fit=255%2C254&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tjic_snowy_face.jpg?fit=255%2C254&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-530\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tjic_snowy_face.jpg?resize=255%2C254&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"255\" height=\"254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tjic_snowy_face.jpg?w=255&amp;ssl=1 255w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/tjic_snowy_face.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 255px) 100vw, 255px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-530\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sf novelist Travis Corcoran (Photo courtesy of author)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Corcoran is a two-time Prometheus winner for Best Novel in 2018 and 2019 for\u00a0<i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/anarcho-capitalism-on-the-moon-predatory-earth-government-lunar-resistance-flawed-humans-intelligent-nonhumans-and-libertarian-science-fiction-an-appreciation-of-travis-corcorans-the-pow\/\">The Powers of the Earth<\/a>\u00a0<\/i>and its sequel\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/anarcho-capitalism-on-the-moon-predatory-earth-government-lunar-resistance-flawed-humans-intelligent-nonhumans-and-libertarian-science-fiction-an-appreciation-of-travis-corcorans-the-pow\/\"><i>Causes of Separation<\/i>.<\/a> Both novels, part of Corcoran\u2019s Aristillus series, explore government threats to a working anarchs-capitalist colony, established on the Moon by a libertarian dissident who became wealth after discovering anti-gravity in the mid-21<span style=\"font-size: 12.75px; vertical-align: super;\">st\u00a0<\/span>century.<\/p>\n<p>Since Corcoran\u2019s explicitly libertarian sf novels were published, his fans (including but far from limited to Libertarian Futurist Society members) have been eagerly awaiting publication of the next novel in that projected four-novel future history.<\/p>\n<p>But as Corcoran explained in a recent email to the LFS, we\u2019re going to have to wait a while longer to actually read more in the Aristillus series, because the two massive books that Corcoran published in 2021 were actually long-planned non-fiction works.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Corcoran, who works for tech companies remotely while living with his wife and dogs on a 56-acre farm in New Hampshire, has strived for a long time to create what he calls \u201cthe perfect guide\u201d for people who live in the city or suburbs and want to move to the country \u2013 as he did.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Escape-the-City-Corcoran-Vol.-1-03200_.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"4088\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/author-update-two-new-books-by-prometheus-winning-author-travis-corcoran-but-theyre-not-what-youd-expect\/escape-the-city-corcoran-vol-1-03200_\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Escape-the-City-Corcoran-Vol.-1-03200_.jpg?fit=400%2C500&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"400,500\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Escape the City Corcoran Vol. 1 03,200_\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Escape-the-City-Corcoran-Vol.-1-03200_.jpg?fit=240%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Escape-the-City-Corcoran-Vol.-1-03200_.jpg?fit=400%2C500&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4088 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Escape-the-City-Corcoran-Vol.-1-03200_-240x300.jpg?resize=240%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Escape-the-City-Corcoran-Vol.-1-03200_.jpg?resize=240%2C300&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Escape-the-City-Corcoran-Vol.-1-03200_.jpg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><\/a><em>Escape the City: A How-To Homesteading Guide, <\/em>which might well be of interest to some LFS members, achieves that goal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy two volume homesteading how-to encyclopedia&#8230; draws from my eight yearsof experience living on a farm, raising and butchering livestock,\u00a0felling trees and heating with firewood, making maple syrup, storing\u00a0hay, and planting gardens, orchards, and vineyards,\u201d Corcoran wrote in a recent email to the LFS.<\/p>\n<p>Published in two volumes (Part I and 2), the \u201cmissing manual\u201d is described on Amazon as offering \u201cabsolutely everything you need to know on thousands of topics that you never even realized existed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Among them: starting garden seeds in a grow tent, planting a berry patch, arranging for firewood delivery, shopping for a used tractor, breeding sheep, installing solar electric power, making 10 gallons of hearty soup from a pig skeleton and fighting invasive species.<\/p>\n<p>His books even include, as a bonus near the end, dozens of recipes for farm-to-table dishes, such as Maple Cr\u00e8me Brulee, Pork and Pumpkin Soup, Duck Leg Confit and even a Whole Pig Roast. (Sounds yummy.)<\/p>\n<p>Corcoran explains that he wrote his <em>Homesteading Guide\u00a0<\/em>books \u2013 despite the availability of many other books on farming, gardening and homesteading which he\u2019s read and owns \u2013 because he felt that all the other books lack sufficient breadth, have blind spots and don\u2019t include the itemized lists, step-by-step instructions or alternative choices for different budgets and enthusiasm levels that he made a point to include in his books.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey forget that thousands of things aren\u2019t obvious to everyone,\u201d Corcoran writes.<\/p>\n<p>Among them: The differences between straw and hay, sweet corn and feed corn, pastures versus fields, discing versus plowing versus rototilling, plus how to haul logs safely, how utilities differ from the suburbs to the countryside, etc.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Escape-City-Vol-2-Corcoran-200_.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"4089\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/author-update-two-new-books-by-prometheus-winning-author-travis-corcoran-but-theyre-not-what-youd-expect\/escape-city-vol-2-corcoran-200_\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Escape-City-Vol-2-Corcoran-200_.jpg?fit=400%2C500&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"400,500\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Escape City Vol 2 Corcoran ,200_\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Escape-City-Vol-2-Corcoran-200_.jpg?fit=240%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Escape-City-Vol-2-Corcoran-200_.jpg?fit=400%2C500&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-4089 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Escape-City-Vol-2-Corcoran-200_-240x300.jpg?resize=240%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Escape-City-Vol-2-Corcoran-200_.jpg?resize=240%2C300&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Escape-City-Vol-2-Corcoran-200_.jpg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><\/a>All of that information, and more from Corcoran\u2019s eight years of experience as a farmer-homesteader, is packed into his two-volume set, which has sold more than 10,000 copies. (Apparently, there was a real need for his books \u2013 a gap in the marketplace that Corcoran\u2019s books have fulfilled.)<\/p>\n<p>To pack all that information in, the first volume runs 653 pages and the second volume, 652 pages. Both books are <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Escape-City-How-Homesteading-Guide\/dp\/B093BC3K1T\/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=WH5I9HL1TA6C&amp;keywords=travis+corcoran+homesteading&amp;qid=1642963918&amp;sprefix=travis+corcoran+homesteading%2Caps%2C144&amp;sr=8-1-spons&amp;psc=1&amp;spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExMDI0Wkg5QkFKN1VJJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDU3MzA5MkZJSU41NU5aUUxGNyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODI5MzA1TFdCVlFLRVVTTDBUJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==\">available<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>in hardback, paperback and Kindle e-books.<\/p>\n<p>Corcoran, who posts occasional updates on his own <a href=\"https:\/\/morlockpublishing.com\/over-at-lfs-org-an-essay-by-me-on-the-movie-serenity\/\"><strong>Morlock Publishing blog<\/strong><\/a>, also recently shared with the LFS some exciting glimpses into some of the elements and plot threads that he is incorporating into the next two work-in-progress novels in his Aristillus series.<\/p>\n<p>More about that in the <a href=\"https:\/\/lfs.org\/blog\/author-update-part-2-a-preview-of-travis-corcorans-next-two-novels-in-his-prometheus-winning-aristillus-series-and-a-possible-story-anthology\/\">next Prometheus blog,<\/a> so stay tuned!<\/p>\n<p>(Hey, don&#8217;t most sf fans appreciate reading suspenseful cliff-hangers? Moreover, doesn&#8217;t it seem these days that most novels and publications are part of a series?)<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, to whet your appetite and refresh your memory about all the intriguing and imaginative elements that Corcoran sets up and juggles in his first two Aristillus novels \u2013 such as dogs with enhanced intelligence &#8211; \u00a0read William H. Stoddard\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/lfs.org\/blog\/anarcho-capitalism-on-the-moon-predatory-earth-government-lunar-resistance-flawed-humans-intelligent-nonhumans-and-libertarian-science-fiction-an-appreciation-of-travis-corcorans-the-pow\/\"><strong>combined Appreciation<\/strong><\/a> review-essay of Corcoran\u2019s Prometheus-winning novels <em>The Powers of the Earth\u00a0<\/em>and <em>Causes of Separation.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/cropped-lfs-logo.png?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"45\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/the-libertarian-futurist-society-made-progress-in-2020-with-enhanced-website-blog-new-video-page-and-greater-outreach-and-here-are-the-links-to-explore\/cropped-lfs-logo-png\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/cropped-lfs-logo.png?fit=248%2C123&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"248,123\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"cropped-lfs-logo.png\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;https:\/\/lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/cropped-lfs-logo.png&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/cropped-lfs-logo.png?fit=248%2C123&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/cropped-lfs-logo.png?fit=248%2C123&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-45 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lfs.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/cropped-lfs-logo.png?resize=248%2C123&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"248\" height=\"123\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>* Join us<\/strong>! To help sustain the Prometheus Awards,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/join.shtml\"><strong>join\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><strong>the Libertarian Futurist Society\u00a0<\/strong>(LFS), a non-profit all-volunteer association of freedom-loving sf\/fantasy fans, and help nominate, judge and vote for the annual Prometheus Award winners. Libertarian futurists believe upholding and advancing culture is even more important, in the long run, than politics in spreading positive visions of the future, achieving a flourishing society based on cooperation instead of coercion and a better, free-er world (perhaps eventually, worlds) for all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>* Other Prometheus winners:<\/strong>\u00a0 For a full list of past winners \u2013 for the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards \u2013 visit the recently updated and enhanced<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/awards.shtml\"><strong>Prometheus Awards page<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on the LFS website. (This page contains convenient direct clickable links to each Appreciation for Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction, as they are published on the Prometheus blog.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Note: The Prometheus blog periodically posts updates about authors who have been recognized over the years through the Prometheus Awards, especially to report recently published or upcoming books. Submissions of news and updates from authors, publishers or fans are welcome, and will be considered for publication. Here&#8217;s the latest update on a relatively recent Prometheus &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/author-update-two-new-books-by-prometheus-winning-author-travis-corcoran-but-theyre-not-what-youd-expect\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Author update: Two new books by Prometheus-winning author Travis Corcoran (but they\u2019re not what you&#8217;d expect)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[32,10,2664],"tags":[122,1401,1400,1399,135,42],"class_list":["post-4084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-author-updates","category-news","category-travis-corcoran","tag-causes-of-separation","tag-escape-the-city","tag-homesteading","tag-prometheus-winner","tag-the-powers-of-the-earth","tag-travis-corcoran"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pe8nGl-13S","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4084"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9425,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4084\/revisions\/9425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}