{"id":4388,"date":"2022-05-11T10:19:22","date_gmt":"2022-05-11T15:19:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lfs.org\/blog\/?p=4388"},"modified":"2025-05-05T22:55:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T03:55:12","slug":"author-update-karl-k-gallagher-continues-writing-his-fall-of-the-censor-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/author-update-karl-k-gallagher-continues-writing-his-fall-of-the-censor-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Author update: Karl K. Gallagher continues writing his Fall of the Censor series"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author Karl K. Gallagher, a frequent Prometheus Awards nominee and Best Novel finalist, is keeping busy and catching up with an ambitious writing schedule \u2013 including a new novel just published: Captain Trader Helmsman Spy.<\/em><\/p>\n

This is the fourth novel in the Fall of the Censor series for the Texas-based writer, currently a 2022 Best Novel finalist for two different novels (the second and third) in that series.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Captain Trader Helmsman Spy<\/em>, published \u00a0May 9, 2022 by Kelt Haven Press, focuses on an exploratory mission to gather more information about the authoritarian Censorate in the ongoing series about a complex interstellar conflict between two long-separated but newly connected sets of human-colonized solar systems \u2013 one relatively free and peaceful, blending diverse cultures through mutual trade, and the other near-totalitarian in its murderous control of many planets and Orwellian cancellation of history and culture.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Although it has a very different narrative focus than the two previous books in the series,\u00a0Captain Trader Helmsman Spy\u00a0<\/em>follows the ongoing war and related events of Between Home and Ruin\u00a0<\/em>and Seize What\u2019s Held Dear, <\/em>respectively Book 2 and Book 3 of the series.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Gallagher launched his epic series with\u00a0Storm Between the Stars<\/em>, a 2021 Prometheus Best Novel finalist.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a description of the first volume, which sets the stage for the subsequent novels:<\/p>\n

\u201cStorm Between the Stars\u00a0<\/em>explores a vast interstellar polity’s use of narrative control and memory-holing to cement power.<\/p>\n

Merchants in a ship from an isolated group of solar systems discover a new hyperspatial route to regain long-lost contact with the rest of humanity. They must deal with a centralized human empire founded on a fictitious history while establishing trade relations with businesses that operate through family ties and underground barter.<\/p>\n

Gallagher offers a timely cautionary tale about official truth, censorship, and the denial of history, while exploring strategies for economic survival and the pursuit of knowledge under a repressive government.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

While Books 2 and 3 of the series focus on and largely introduce a large set of new central characters, Captain Trader Helmsman Spy\u00a0<\/em>returns to the central characters of Storm Between the Stars: <\/em>starship captain Niko Landry and his crew, who found an interstellar empire far more dangerous than they could have imagined when the barrier separating their Fieran homeworld from the rest of the human race reopens after centuries.<\/p>\n

In Book 4, Gallagher said, Landry and his crew risk their lives to go undercover on a starship mission to penetrate and infiltrate Censorate space with hopes of learing more about the authoritarian culture that has become an adversary and serious threat to his free and independent colonized worlds.<\/p>\n

Here is Gallagher’s teaser description of the new novel, now available on Amazon:<\/p>\n

“Niko Landry needs to infiltrate the Censorate to find a weakness before it launches its next assault. The Censor bans maps of hyperspace, forcing freighters to find their way by word of mouth.<\/p>\n

“Landry knows Fiera needs better data than that to fight off the\u00a0Censorate. He\u2019s going to take his ship and crew into enemy space in an\u00a0undercover mission as simple traders to explore what\u2019s really there.\u00a0Any mistake could leave them bankrupt . . . or executed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Karl Gallagher, trying to write despite distractions from one of his cats. Photo credit: Laura Gallagher<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By the way, if you find the title of his latest novel somewhat familiar or evocative, Gallagher confirms that\u2019s not an accident. \u00a0He borrowed the template for his title from British-Irish author John le Carre\u2019, the spy-thriller writer who wrote\u00a0Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, <\/em>\u00a0a best-selling 1974 Cold War spy novel.<\/p>\n

Gallagher\u2019s ongoing fiction-writing was delayed somewhat this year when a routine colonoscopy in January revealed a malignant tumor, one completely removed by surgery three days later.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsider me a poster child for getting tests your doctor recommends,\u201d he said in a recent email.<\/p>\n

Happily, Gallagher reports that he\u2019s fully recovered \u2013 confirmed by follow-up tests \u2013 and is back writing more fiction.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Author Karl K. Gallagher (Creative Commons license)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His ambitious outline for his Fall of the Censor series projects a grand total of nine novels, to be completed over the next several years.<\/p>\n

Taking breaks from editing and proofing Book 4 and from his day job, Gallagher has recently resumed writing Book 5, now titled Swim Among the People.<\/em><\/p>\n

ABOUT GALLAGHER<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gallagher\u2019s love of science-fiction and fantasy, appreciation for space exploration and familiarity with the military is closely related to his career. After earning engineering degrees from MIT and USC, he designed weather satellites for TRW, controlled weather satellites for the Air Force, designed a rocket-ship for a start-up and done systems engineering for a fighter plane. He is husband to Laura and father to Maggie, James and \u201cdearly missed\u201d Alanna.<\/p>\n

For more information about Gallagher\u2019s published and upcoming works, visit Kelt Haven Press at www.kelthavenpress.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Note: The Prometheus Blog occasionally posts Author’s Updates on any and all writers currently or previously recognized in some way by the Prometheus Awards – whether winners, finalists or nominees.\u00a0Submissions of publishing news by such authors are always welcome. Send timely news to publications@lfs.org<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/u><\/strong>* Prometheus winners:\u00a0<\/strong>For a full list of winners, finalists and nominees \u2013 for the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards \u2013 visit the enhanced\u00a0Prometheus Awards page\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>on the LFS website, which now includes convenient links to the full set of published appreciation-reviews of past winners.<\/p>\n

* Read\u00a0\u201cThe Libertarian History of Science Fiction,\u201d<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0an essay in the international magazine\u00a0Quillette<\/em>\u00a0that favorably highlights the Prometheus Awards, the Libertarian Futurist Society and the significant element of libertarian sf\/fantasy in the evolution of the modern genre.
\n\"\"<\/a>*\u00a0Join us<\/strong>! To help sustain the Prometheus Awards,\u00a0join\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>the Libertarian Futurist Society (LFS), a non-profit all-volunteer association of freedom-loving sf\/fantasy fans.<\/p>\n

Libertarian futurists believe that culture matters! We understand that the arts and literature can be vital, and in some ways even more powerful than politics in the long run, by sparking innovation, better ideas, positive social change, and mutual respect for each other\u2019s rights and differences.<\/p>\n

Through recognizing the literature of liberty and the many different but complementary visions of a free future via the Prometheus Awards, the LFS hopes to help spread better visions of the future that help humanity overcome tyranny, slavery and war and achieve universal liberty and human rights and a better world (perhaps eventually, worlds) for all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author Karl K. Gallagher, a frequent Prometheus Awards nominee and Best Novel finalist, is keeping busy and catching up with an ambitious writing schedule \u2013 including a new novel just published: Captain Trader Helmsman Spy. This is the fourth novel in the Fall of the Censor series for the Texas-based writer, currently a 2022 Best … Continue reading Author update: Karl K. Gallagher continues writing his Fall of the Censor series<\/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":[32,10,2605],"tags":[414,1494,1524,1521,1006,1523,46,1495,1017,1525,1526,1527,1522],"class_list":["post-4388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-author-updates","category-news","category-sequels","tag-best-novel-finalists","tag-between-home-and-ruin","tag-captain-trader-helmsman-spy","tag-fall-of-the-censor-series","tag-karl-k-gallagher","tag-memory-holing","tag-prometheus-awards","tag-seize-whats-held-dear","tag-storm-between-the-stars","tag-swim-among-the-people","tag-the-lost-war","tag-the-war-revealed","tag-torchship-trilogy"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pe8nGl-18M","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4388","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=4388"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4490,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4388\/revisions\/4490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}