The Backwards Mask

Hello everyone,

My name is Matt Carson. I'm the author of the latest Traveller novel: "The Backwards Mask." This was a collaborative effort with Marc Miller to round out the New Era novel trilogy that started under GDW.

First, I wanted to let all of you know that the novel is out in several electronic formats. We're also working to make a hard copy version of the book available as well.

So, if you're jonesing for Traveller adventure fiction, we think you'll be pleased with this book. There's plenty of content for you to sink your teeth into. If you've read the first two novels in the series ("The Death of Wisdom" and "To Dream of Chaos"), that's great. This book finishes out that arc. But, if you haven't read them, The Backwards Mask works well as a standalone book, too.

Second, I wrote a pair of tie-in novellas that go along with this novel. I've submitted them to Marc Miller for his review and so far his feedback has been very positive. We hope to make at least one of them ("The Errand") available for download in the very near future. It helps to fill in the gaps of what happens "off stage" in the main story and adds quite a bit of content to boot.

Third, I encourage you to post any questions or comments you have about the book on this thread. I will try to answer them as best I can. Or, if you've read the book, feel free to share your thoughts and/or write a review. All feedback is welcome.

If you want to check out the Backwards Mask, you can find it in one of four places:

Amazon.com (For Kindle)

http://www.amazon.com/Backwards-Mask-TNE-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B004Q7CO5W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1309491210&sr=8-1

Amazon.com.uk (For Kindle)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Backwards-Mask-TNE-Trilogy ebook/dp/B004Q7CO5W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309491267&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble.com (For Nook)

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Backwards-Mask/Matthew-Carson/e/2940012274304/?itm=1&USRI=the+backwards+mask

DriveThruRPG.com (Standard PDF)

http://scifi.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=88898


Thanks!
 
Quick question then since I have both of the originals in paperback and have read them more than a few times over the years.

The comment on Drivethrough says the novel was written to follow on the story then the original manuscript was found and included. Could you explain this, at 650 pages the book is a bit long. Is this Paul Bs original ending plus your newly written one.

Are they the same or separate and hence sort of making 4 novels out of the trilogy?

Many thanks for your time and information.
 
I bought the Brunette and Carson versions of BM not too long ago from DriveThru and I agree with Somebody's review. With all respect to Mr. Brunette's work, I found Mr. Carson's story line with the Hornet's crew more "meaty" and satisfying. It seems to complete the history of the Hornet better and the poignancy of the character development really brought home to me the viewpoints and life decisions of people recovering their lives in a post-apocalypse environment.

All IMO, of course, but it did change my mind from dumping all my TNE collection to keeping it and going through it all with a different mindset.

I guess the best way to sum it up is, for me, Mr. Brunette's book is a fun TNE campaign which I'll mine for ideas. Mr. Carson's work is a great Traveller novel which I'll re-read for years. The moment it becomes available in dead-tree format, it'll be on my bookshelf next to Poul Anderson and H. Beam Piper.
 
Question for Mr. Carson...

When is the book that follows after "Backward Mask" coming out?



*NUDGENUDGE*


:wink:
 
Hello again,

Thanks for the feedback! Here are my responses up to 7/2:

@Captain Jonah – Somebody commented on this one, but here are my thoughts. When we first started this project, Marc Miller and I had only the cover art and the name to go on. We had no idea what direction Paul Brunette had in mind, or if there had been any discussion about the storyline before GDW closed its doors. So, we created our own third act to the trilogy. I read the first two novels *many* times in the hopes of making the story consistent and, if you’ll forgive the expression, backwards compatible.

When I was about 80% into my version of the book, the original Paul Brunette manuscript surfaced. Marc Miller decided to release both versions, with my continuity being the ‘canon’ version of the two. That's why there are two versions of the book.

I refrained from reading Brunette’s version of BM until after my version was published. So, to answer your question, the two versions of BM have very little in common. I inherited the characters and some of the situations from his Death of Wisdom and To Dream of Chaos novels, but otherwise that’s it.

As for the length of the book, 309,000 words is a pretty hefty size for a manuscript. That’s the equivalent of two good-sized novels or maybe three or four small ones. So far the length of the book has been the biggest criticism of it. In fact, here's one review of it from RPG.net that says exactly that:

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/15/15228.phtml

Well, my original intent was to write the “director’s cut” of the book. I included everything I wanted to put in it, holding nothing back. After all, the last time these characters had seen the light of day was back in the mid-90s, and the New Era setting was no longer active. I felt that the book needed a bit more content and space to rekindle the fires of this storyline from the ashes. Perhaps I got carried away a little.  But, stories often take on a life of their own, and BM was no exception.

I fully expected to cut upwards of 100,000 words or more out of the story during the editing process. To my surprise, Marc Miller didn’t cut *anything* out of it. He was satisfied with it as is. So, you guys are getting the full text, the extended edition. Personally, I love a book that has a lot of content. So long as the story doesn’t lag out, I’m fine with it being long. That’s just my personal opinion.

Finally, thanks for taking the plunge. By all means, please let us know what you think of the book here and/or where you downloaded it.


@Somebody – Thank you for your kind words. It's *always* appreciated to hear that.

As for 1248, can you elaborate on the ways BM doesn't fit into the official timeline? I conferred with MJD extensively at the very beginning of this project before 1248 came out. At the time, he sent me his timeline and I tried my best to make my story work with it. With his permission, I even had a cameo appearance by his heroine from the "Yesterday's Hero" New Era stories.

It was not my intent for the events of BM to be taken as "the" Solee War. As I recall, the Solee War was when the Coalition finally invaded Solee space using the Sandman Virus. Since BM happens several years before that (in late 1203), I pictured the events of BM as sort of the first round of what would grow into a lasting Coalition victory.

But, the beauty of Traveller is that you can cherry pick from all the sources to form what happens "IMTU." If you choose to see the conflict in BM as the definitive Solee War, so be it. :)

@SSWarlock – Again, thanks for giving BM a read. I'm glad I could help to save New Era books from the used bookstore, recycle bin or dumpster! Like many Traveller fans, there are elements of New Era that I'm not a fan of (ask me about Coalition taccodes sometime). As I developed the story for BM, I grew to like the setting much more than when I started out.

As for a sequel to BM, that will depend on a great many things, not the least of which is exposure.

With that in mind, I would ask each of you that have read the book to post a review on the website where you found it (or all of them if you're feelin' froggy). The more we can get the word out, the more we move the needle, the better the chances that other projects like BM can get off the ground. That's the power of the review and the "Like" button.


Well, that's all for now. I will be glad to answer more questions as they come in.
 
Hello again,

First off, I want to share some good news concerning the Backwards Mask. The book is now #17 on DriveThruRPG's Top 100 sci-fi titles!

Second, (at the risk of sounding like a broken record) I encourage any and all readers of this book to post a review either here or on the website where you downloaded it. Preferably both, if you can. Hitting the "Like" button is a good idea too. Just sayin'.

Third, if you enjoyed the Backwards Mask, please recommend it to your friends, co-workers, family, etc. If you think they would enjoy a good sci-fi adventure, tell them about it. Strangely enough, some of the best feedback I've received so far has been from people that didn't know anything about Traveller or gaming; they were just general sci-fi fans. So, word of mouth is what keeps the ball rolling.

Fourth, we're working on the release of the tie-in novella, The Errand. Without giving away too much, it deals with the journey of Lieutenant Cassandra Mayfield and her desperate attempt to rally the Coalition fleet. It's almost a kind of 'lost chapter' from the Backwards Mask.

Fifth, the Backwards Mask may soon make a debut on Facebook. It should have its own page there in the near future. I'll announce it here when it goes live.

Sixth, if anyone following this post has any other questions or comments, don't be shy. If you've got something to say, let's hear it (or read it as the case may be).

Well, that's all I've got for this go round. You have the floor.
 
Bought it on drivethrough.

Finished it.

Good read. Good novel. I would recomend it to anyone. Actualy I may have to go back and read the first two because to my mind the backwards mask is better.

So about that next trilogy then :lol:
 
Hello again,

@Captain Jonah -- Great! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now if I could ask one teensy-weensy favor. Could you write a review of it on DriveThru? The more voices that speak out in favor it, the better the chances that there will be more projects like it.

New trilogy, eh? Well, we'll see what the future holds.

Until next time...
 
Hello again,

I wanted to let everyone know that the Backwards Mask is now #10 on DriveThru.com’s Top 100 science fiction titles!

By all means, let’s keep the momentum going forward. So, if you haven’t read it yet, please consider giving it a try. If you have read it and like it, please write a review.

If you *really* want to be active (and want to see sequels or more Traveller fiction like it), recommend it to your friends. Have them recommend it to their friends. And so on…

Stay tuned…more BM news as it becomes available.
 
Just a quick update...

My novella "The Errand" will be available for download on September 1st.

This "lost chapter" of the Backwards Mask deals with Lt. Cassandra Mayfield and her eleventh hour attempt to rally the Coalition fleet.

So, if you've been itching for some Traveller fiction (or more in the BM continuity), keep it in mind.

More on the release as it draws near.

Thanks!
 
Hello again,

I have more details for you on the release of the New Era novella "The Errand."

The story will be available September 1st through DriveThru.com. The best part? It will be a FREE download. That's right, it's 21,000 additional words in the Backwards Mask continuity that's yours as a bonus.

If you've read the Backwards Mask, and wish to know more about what was going on behind the scenes, this one's definitely for you. Or, if you haven't read the book (and would like to get a feel for it), it's a chance to get your hands on some Traveller fiction for free.

Of course, you are welcome to post any reviews/thoughts/comments you have on The Errand here as well. I both welcome and encourage this.

I'll post the link here as soon as it goes live.

Until then...
 
Thanks for the update. Will The Errand be available for the Kindle or PDF only? I have the Kindle version of The Backwards Mask and am about half way through; I think the Kindle is far superior to PDF for reading.
 
Greetings,

@AKAmra -- Yes, I was able to confirm today that The Errand will be available for Kindle and Nook as well. We're working towards a September 1st release in those venues as well.

In other news, the Backwards Mask now has its own newly minted Facebook page (i.e. it was just created today). Feel free to "Like" it the next time you log on. It's a bit bare bones right now, but we'll be posting more news and information there as we move forward.

Thanks!
 
The Errand is now available at DriveThru. It's a free PDF download. Just follow this link:

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=94484&src=social_media_link#.Tl5oh5fdo0g.facebook

For all the Nook and Kindle readers out there, the story will be up on Barnes&Noble/Amazon soon.

Just as with the Backwards Mask, please feel free to post your comments/thoughts/reviews of this story right here (or on the venue where you downloaded it).

One last thing, the Backwards Mask also has its own Facebook page now. Please take a moment to hit the ever-present "Like" button next time you log on.

Later, folks!
 
@Andrew -- Yes, that's an error that we've identified, and one that we'll correct in the upcoming print-on-demand version. Thanks for your input!

Speaking of errors, if any followers of this thread happen to spot something that's just not right in the text of the Backwards Mask (such as a repeated or missing word, etc.), feel free to post it here and let us know. With a manuscript of 309,000+ words, even the keenest of proofreaders can overlook something. Perhaps your eagle eyes can catch something they missed. :wink:

I open the floor up to you.

Thanks!
 
Hello everyone,

Today (March 1st) marks the 1-year anniversary of the Backwards Mask release! I'd like to give thanks to everyone who revisted New Era with me and this book. The support you've shown this past year has been incredible.

We're not done yet.

Until next time...
 
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