After three years of writing, the Floating Point saga is now complete. Read the full Chapter 3.6 :: Ends, and enjoy.
Of my three major serialized novels — anachronauts, City of Angles, and now Floating Point — this was by far the hardest. It came from a place of anger at the shifting tides of online culture, soaked in hate and injustice. I needed an outlet, some way to express my feelings about how miserable people had become towards each other… and how we could and should proceed forward into a brighter future.
Year by year it reflected the world around me, steeped in politics, grounded in hard reality despite being a crazy scifi world populated by living Programs. I saw the rise and quasi-fall of GamerGate, I passed through the passing of my beloved father, and endured the collective societal insanity of 2016. As a result the writing was difficult going at best and nearly impossible at worst, dragging me down with it. Ultimately I knew it would uplift, but I had a long road ahead of me to get there.
Now, that road has come to an end. The characters I’ve loved for years are moving on with their lives, and so am I.
Some odds and ends remain. Proofreading and the print version, notably. Also, the 3.7 bonus chapter is still coming; if you’d like early access consider joining the Patreon, it’ll be a paid update in the days ahead.
And what else is ahead…? More personal blog posts. Game reviews, cultural commentary, the like. I’ve experimented with it a bit and I’d like to do more, getting back to my roots. And yes, I do have another project planned… but more on that later. I’ve promised myself a bit of a vacation from really cranking on a new project, time to unwind and experience life without being heads-down.
For now, let’s just celebrate the closure of another novel trilogy. If you’ve read all the way through, following me through thick and thin… I can’t even begin to express my gratitude. Thank you. Thank you. I’d love to hear from you in the comments below, on the three year journey you’ve had alongside mine.
singlewordedpoem says
A worthy end to an amazing series! I’ve really come to like these characters.
One cool thing about following along from the very beginning (I was referred to City of Angles shortly before it ended, have been following ever since) is the way details and worldbuilding are slowly revealed. In the beginning, just finding out how the world of Netwerk works and then anticipating the reveal of the “spacer theory” was a lot of fun. It’s amazing to realize how familiar the virtual world of floating point has now become for me, when reading this last chapter.
Thank you for writing this series, and I’ll be interested in whatever project you decide to do next :)
caspianseamonster says
I’ll grant that it’s because the thematic elements mesh so well so well with my preexisting interests and biases, but Floating Point has become more meaningful and important to me than any other work of fiction I’ve personally experienced in the past thirty years. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for this weird and wonderful journey!
…I lack the composure to say anything more constructive than that right now. But I’m thinking that a complete reread would be a good way to spend my spring break.
Stefan "Twoflower" Gagne says
This was a difficult book, one I was never really sure was “working” as intended — but knowing it resonated so well with you is terrific. I appreciate it!
graytmatter says
Thank you for all of this. If I didn’t have a midterm tomorrow morning I’d give you a proper quite possibly rambling thank you. But gotta study that sweet sweet calculus. But thank you. It’s been a wonderful journey.