The Endurian Universe is a parallel reality superficially similar to our own, yet with a more liberal set of physical laws. This permits more expansive technologies and more interesting events than our own more restrictive cosmos allows. Given the infinite number of parallel universes, many of which are hard to tell apart, the Endurian Universe is unique for one reason alone: the presence of Endurance.

Endurance is a singular, enigmatic being who has no counterpart in any other universe. He does not appear in every one of the novels, and he does not dominate any of them, but his presence, or at least his legend, ties them all together. He is the only character who exists throughout the entire time span of the series, and beyond.

The series features about two dozen major characters, too many to list or describe here. A few of the most prominent include:

Read them in the order shown on the Novels page, beginning with The Astronomer Who Didn't Like Magic. While you could treat them as three separate trilogies (Ronar, the Vigil, and Space Mariners), if you read them like that you will encounter elements from the other trilogies that won't make much sense to you. Ultimately, all the books and characters do interact and come together.

The first elements of the saga formed in my mind in the mid-to-late 1960s. Most of the major themes, elements, plot lines, and characters existed by the early 1970s. I began to write the actual novels in the early 1980s, beginning with The Astronomer Who Didn't Like Magic.

I consider them science fiction, though many of them contain fantasy trappings such as gods, elves, and magic. I wrap all these phenomena in a vaguely scientific shell, and I provide reasons for their existence. In my universe, magic is not a wild power competing with nature, but a highly localized phenomenon. The books also contain obvious "superhero" elements, though these are not the kind of superheroes who spend much time assisting the police or fighting crime. Their concerns are bigger than that.

No. As I stated above, almost everything in these books has existed in pretty much its present form since the 1970s. Since then, other creators have come up with things that vaguely resemble some of my own characters or ideas. This is not surprising. In a few minor cases, my characters refer to things which are obvious homages to other bits of geek culture.

This is not to say that I don't have influences. Like any writer, I do. Some of the more obvious ones include John Carter of Mars, Solomon Kane, Captain Nemo, Gort, and Tom Swift Jr.

Because I love astronomy and stargazing. If those passages bore you, feel free to skim over them.