BEYOND HONOURED that the world’s greatest podcast gave Nineteen and Far From Vastrid a shout out in their excellent two part Masters Of The Universe episode.
If you haven’t come across MARVEL VERSUS MARVEL before and are into superhero and such like movies and comics DEFINITELY check it out… it’s full of research, insight and big time laughs. If it’s not part of your leisure time you’re doing leisure time wrong,
It’s on ALL the podcasting platforms but I’m guessing most of you use Spotify so click here!
And then get subscribed to their Patreon bonus content. The OBSCURE shows are less than the cost of a pint and are hilarious. Check them out here!
When Ryan Tyler leaves his mundane day job to join the Royal Guard in the Kingdom of Vastrid, he finds himself flung into battle on day two, alongside a cosmically-powered warrior, a thief and a hybrid cat-monkey.
Meanwhile, fellow Royal Guard Callie Haywood yearns for adventure and the chance to use her squandered talents as a pilot.
As the malevolent Shadox Corporation unleash their sinister attack on Vastrid, Ryan and Callie must face threats forged from the far reaches of space and master the strange, repeating visions which plague their minds and hint at a fate that is both frightening and fascinating.
SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE and NINETEEN AND FAR FROM VASTRID are fast paced, fun to read futuristic fairy-tale space operas filled with humour, horror and heart. The novels tell the story of a wild galactic adventure that mixes snappy, humorous dialogue, intense action and tense, edge-of-your-seat horror.
His portrayal of Villa in Blake’s 7 was and remains a huge influence on my writing. Of course most notably when I write Caleb Scudder in the SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE books (the character was always intended to be Villa mixed with the spirit of certain kids I went to school with). However I also think there’s shades of Keating’s very British style of downtrodden and weary humorous delivery in BITE BACK! too.
Michael Keating as Villa in Blake’s 7
Either way it’s always a delight to watch him try to duck and dodge, outwit and wrangle his way out of anything that looks like danger or (even worse) hard work. It’s also a delight to draw inspiration from his performances, there’s a bit of business with Caleb Scudder in the upcoming NINETEEN AND FAR FROM VASTRID that’s wholesale me channeling Villa. And I make no apologies for it, I welcome the opportunity for his legacy to live on and only hope my use of the inspiration serves as a worthy tribute.
Yes indeed, 19&FFV is available there for you to (hopefully) add to your TBR lists and eventually review (please). If you could take a minute or two to express an interest and tickle the algorythm I’d really appreaciate it.
CHILDREN OF THE TIDE REJOICE💫 Yes indeed my new space opera novella NINETEEN AND FAR FROM VASTRID will be available for kindle download on 29/05/26 and as all formats ebook freebie through my mailing list from June.
It’s my intention that this should be available for free for as many people as possible (and I’ll be attempting to launch using a free for 5 days promo on Amazon) HOWEVER should any kind souls wish to tip your author and help with the accursed algorithms of the digital age you can get it via the presale here: https://amzn.eu/d/00CT4N7G
Fancy a synopsis? Well I’ll give you a synopsis…
Nineteen years old. Captain of a stolen starship. Chosen by a cosmic force he barely understands.
Ryan Tyler thought surviving the massacre at the Vastridian Debutant Ball would be the hardest part. He was wrong.
Now a captain of the rogue vessel the Salvatore, Ryan and his unlikely crew of fugitives, outcasts, and reluctant heroes are drifting deeper into a universe consumed by fear, corruption, and war. The sinister Shadox Corporation continues to spread its influence across the stars, twisting alien energies into terrifying new weapons and leaving entire colonies swallowed by ruin.
The crew of the Salvatore’s latest mission leads them to Terra Ferus, a lawless wasteland smothered in toxic green mist and haunted by secrets nobody was meant to uncover.
There, Ryan encounters Kelita Finch, a sharp-tongued teenage scavenger surviving one day at a time amongst the wreckage of forgotten lives, and Arbie, her strange empathic floating companion whose quiet compassion hides deeper mysteries. Drawn into a desperate fight for survival alongside the weary bounty hunter Aric Lammont, Ryan begins to uncover horrifying experiments linked to corrupted creatures known as synistrails and rumours of something even worse waiting in the darkness.
But Terra Ferus holds more than mysterious laboratories and deadly secrets.
Far out beyond the drifting mist, something ancient and grieving watches the world below.
As Ryan struggles with the growing power of the Tide of Light inside him, loyalties begin to fracture aboard the Salvatore. Sacrifices must be made, painful truths begin to surface, and Kelita finds herself searching for answers about her own past amongst the ruins of a galaxy that has discarded countless others before her.
Fast-paced, emotional, and filled with cosmic mystery, Nineteen and Far From Vastrid is a sci-fi fantasy adventure about destiny, survival, friendship, sacrifice, and the fragile light people leave behind in one another.
The universe is in danger. The light is calling. And somewhere in the space between hope and oblivion, Ryan Tyler is running out of time.
Phoenix Phil Morley - author 