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About Douglas Phillips
Doug has two science degrees, has designed and written predictive computer models, reads physics books for fun and peers into deep space through the eyepiece of his backyard telescope. Doug splits his time between Seattle and Tucson, travels the world with his wife, hikes with his two sons, and becomes a child all over again with his grandchildren.
"I love science fiction, especially stories that begin with real science and go from there. I've studied a wide range of science throughout my life. Now, I'm turning that experience into the stories I've always wanted to read."
http://douglasphillipsbooks.com/
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Blog postAs an author of science fiction, I’m fascinated with invisible worlds – places that are very real, but beyond human senses. A particle accelerator (like the one described in Quantum Space) acts like a microscope capable of peering into the subatomic world, but also like a stopwatch able to slow high-speed particle collisions down to an event we can observe. They’re incredible machines.And, while I’m no particle physicist, I pretend to know one. Her name is Nala, and if I’m being completely
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Blog postSay you live in a dense city. Your apartment is on the 14th floor with tall buildings all around. And, for this mental exercise, let’s pretend you’re an avid voyeur. Each evening, you pull out your binoculars and spy on your neighbors. There’s a cute guy cooking dinner just across the street. In the next building over, an old woman reclines in front of the TV. You can even see what show she’s watching. In another apartment, lovers kiss, never realizing they’re being watched.You quickly realize
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Blog postMy first degree was in Physical Geography – the study of the Earth’s surface. Landforms, erosion, water cycles – that kind of thing. Our planet is a gem among millions and an inspiration as I learned its many secrets. Geography also involves lots of maps, something we cartophiles (map lovers) love. I’ve spent hours (or weeks) pouring over a single map. I post maps on my office walls. I even have an accurate map of the Milky Way which marks hundreds of stars, clusters, and nebulae. That map is a
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Blog postYou’re walking down a street. A stranger stops you, claims special powers, and pronounces that you left the bathroom light on in your apartment over on 85th street, forty blocks away. Naturally, you should: a) ignore this nut case and walk on, b) tell David Blaine to pester someone else, or c) ask if this stranger is a scientist. The correct answer is c, but you knew that in advance, right? If you’re like me, you already know and love the astonishing methods of remote sensing. If not, read on!
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Blog postEnglish. This language that many of us speak is quite old, with roots going back to the 6th century when it was brought to Britain by Saxons migrating from northern Europe. Every language evolves, but what I find most interesting about modern English is that it isn’t pure. Not even close. Many of the words we speak every day are borrowed from other languages, sometimes without us even realizing their non-English nature. Go to Starbucks, for example and order a venti cappuccino. Or make
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Blog postA few months ago, I posted a blog about the weak force (read it here), and it got me thinking about each of the processes of radioactive decay. There are three kinds: alpha, beta, and gamma. Alpha decay is when an alpha particle (two protons and two neutrons) is ejected from the nucleus of an atom. Alpha particles are low energy and short-range – they can be stopped by a piece of paper (or your skin) and fizzle out after one or two centimeters.Beta decay causes an atom to miraculously chan
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Blog postI’ve always enjoyed storytelling hiccups that involve the “fourth wall” – you know, that imaginary barrier between fictional characters and the audience. The name, fourth wall, comes from theater where performances have three physical walls, to the left, right and behind the stage. Characters in a stage play aren’t supposed to know that somewhere off in that fourth direction, there are people watching them. Once in a while, those characters figure it out, and that’s when the comedic fun begins.
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Blog postOur universe is quite organized, with physics that follows well-defined rules. For example, the only way bits of mass are pulled together or pushed apart is through a specific force. So far, physicists have discovered four fundamental forces: electromagnetism, gravity, the strong nuclear force that holds protons and neutrons together inside an atom, and the weak force that governs radioactive decay of the atomic nucleus. For years, I never quite understood that last one, the weak force, and whe
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Blog postNinety-one and five sixteenths. It’s an important number in the relationship between Earth and Sol. That’s how many times Earth rotates for each quarter revolution around our star. It’s equivalent to 365.25 rotations for each full trip around the sun, a number more recognizable to most people.But there are four key positions that our planet passes through each trip around the star: two equinoxes and two solstices, and the rotations between each position are almost exactly 91 and 5/16 *. We
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Blog postThanks for all the email. I love it! I thought I’d answer a couple of questions that came up for Quantum Time.Q: One thing I'm curious about is the issue of force (mass times acceleration) in empros time. People are moving so fast relative to forward time, that touching someone might impart a fatal contact.A: Several readers pointed this out! As Mathieu and Zin explain in the book, transitioning to empros time causes forward time to dramatically slow down to just a trickle. One tick of the
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Blog postWhat if this was the argument that we were having... ? A commercial break ends and the television switches to a busy newsroom. The Fair News talk-show host looks up from papers spread across her desk.Host: “Welcome back. In our next segment we focus squarely on the big debate raging across our country. Earthquakes. Are they natural? Or human-caused? Joining me now are representatives from both sides. Lawrence Temblor is a senior geologist with the State of California and is the author of the
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Blog postI’ve always enjoyed time travel stories, primarily because I’m fascinated to see how the author depicts the method of time travel. It might be a powerful machine that uses spinning crystals, a magic telephone booth, or a DeLorean fueled by garbage that accelerates to 88 miles per hour. When I read a story that skips the method (and many do) by suggesting the hero only needs to think about the year or rubs a magic penny to jump to that year, I usually tune out. Those stories tend to become
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Blog postThe aliens are coming and we’re in deep trouble! It’s a common theme in science fiction. Those evil overlords with their powerful weapons are planning to take over Earth and a) subjugate us as slaves, b) stick probes into our bodily orifices, or c) eat us. But why? What is it about Earth that these aliens covet?When writers get stuck, they invent something. One answer is that these slime-dripping arachnids covet our water. You see, their planet is bone dry, or maybe they used to have water,
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Blog postI write on a computer like every other author. But I also have a pile of paper on my desk, my hand-written design notes and sketches. Paper gives me a place to work out the plot, or handle the math, or just think about the geometry of multiple dimensions of space. This blog might be a little goofy, but I thought I’d share a few of the sketches and notes from the first three books.Let’s start with Quantum Incident. Do you recall the story where Daniel is called to Nevada to solve the mystery
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Blog postScience fiction and fantasy books often share shelf space in both physical and electronic book stores. I’ve never quite understood why. Okay, I see that both genres involve places, people and fantastic events that are beyond our current reality. Both genres introduce the reader to creatures that don’t exist in our world or the story dives headfirst into an entirely new world. So yes, there are similarities, mostly in settings and characters.But that’s where the similarity ends. In my opinion,
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Blog postImagine the Big Bang. What would it have “looked like”? A gigantic fireball? The most colossal fireworks explosion you’ve ever seen? A blinding flash of light?None of those comparisons come close, but hey, we’re only human. We have nothing in our world that compares to an event that couldn’t possibly have been “seen”. After all, at the moment of creation, even photons didn’t exist (not to mention eyeballs). Thus, any drawing of a cataclysmic explosion is not even close to what happened in the
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Blog postI’m a scientific tourist. Regardless of where I travel, I add science to the itinerary (often with full support from my wife). We visit observatories, laboratories and other famous places of science, including scientist’s homes. While planning a trip to Ireland, I was surprised to learn I’ll be staying just around the corner from where Erwin Schrödinger lived when he led the department of physics at Trinity College in Dublin. Cool, let’s go!Most people know the name Schrödinger from th
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Blog postCol. Sandurz: Prepare ship for light speed!Dark Helmet: No, no, no, light speed is too slow!Col. Sandurz: Light speed, too slow?Dark Helmet: Yes, we’re gonna have to go right to…ludicrous speed!Luckily, the Space Balls ship has just such a setting on their control panel and off they go to catch up with a flying Winnebago.In Quantum Space, Daniel Rice also suggests that light speed is too slow, but for a slightly more serious reason. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is mind-boggling big, about
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Blog post“I call our world Flatland, not because we call it so, but to make its nature clearer to you, my happy readers, who are privileged to live in Space.”Thus, begins the classic science fiction book, Flatland, written in 1884 by Edwin A. Abbott. Abbott was not a writer or a scientist or a mathematician – he was a school teacher – and while his story never had the impact of his contemporaries, Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, it remains today a masterpiece of imagination.The story is told by A
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Blog postThe Infinity Motel. It’s a welcoming place where the vacancy sign is always lit. The room numbers start at 1 and by the time you get to room 24,578,378,833,012 you’re still no closer to the end of the hallway. Dang, should have opted for the suite by the pool.The concept of infinity isn’t easy to fathom. No matter how big a number you can imagine it’s puny by comparison. Here’s a pretty big number: if you could compact quarks literally side-by-side, how many would it take to fill the entire
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Twenty-three intelligent species. One ancient mystery. And two humans thrust into the middle.
Daniel Rice hasn’t felt right since his return from a dystopian future now extinguished. Curious dreams repeat with detailed precision. A voice – or something – seems to be calling him. His problem isn’t medical, it’s not even scientific, and it’s driving his wife crazy.
Nala is worried, and she’s not the type to pace the halls while her overly analytic husband procrastinates. Earth’s scientific power couple is soon halfway around the world to consult with alien android, Aastazin. Zin is no doctor, but he has friends in high places. Very high.
Next stop, a thousand light years from home where an alien megacity shaped in a six-petaled flower hosts species from dozens of worlds. An inexplicable attack leaves Daniel wandering across an inhospitable planet and Nala alone among a confusing mashup of sentient beings. With little hope of finding each other, they learn there is more going on at this alien gathering place than they knew – aggressive security bots, an ancient mystery, and a pending vote that could shun humanity from the greatest collection of civilizations the galaxy has ever known.
In book #4 of the series, Daniel and Nala will need to make friends, avoid enemies, and leverage newfound knowledge to reconnect with each other and boost humanity’s chance of galactic membership.
Phenomena is a story of intrigue, psychological distress, and one scientist’s quest to untangle the mysteries of human consciousness…
Amelia Charron is a neuroscientist researching brain disorders. She routinely uses astonishing mind-linking technology that allows her to enter the dream world of patients. Each night, Amelia acts as a guide through the bizarre wonderland of the mind – an assisted lucid dream. It’s a technique that reroutes neural pathways to heal the brain, but it’s not without psychological dangers for both the patient and the guide.
Orlando Kwon will do anything to keep the frightening voices at bay. Alien voices, he’s sure, but he has no idea what they are saying. The medical diagnosis: early stage schizophrenia. With his life in tatters, a referral to a specialized neuroscience team might be his last chance.
Amelia is startled by what she sees in her newest patient’s mind. Frightening dreams of an unknown world are accompanied by knowledge the man couldn’t possibly have invented and a language no one has heard. In a race against time, Amelia must uncover the deep implications for her patient, herself, and humankind – before Orlando inserts the final component into a strange device he feels compelled to construct.
From the author of Quantum Space comes an exciting new novel that begins in real science and inexorably pulls the reader toward the deepest wonders of our universe.
Acclaim for Phenomena
“I couldn’t stop reading it! Phenomena got better and better with each page, with twists and turns I didn’t expect.” – Debi
“I love Douglas Phillips’ books and have read his Quantum series of books at least twice! This newest book is also outstanding - a lot of fun and very unusual in its premise and conclusion. Another winner!” – Joy Tracey
“If you have read any of the author's previous series you will come into this book with high expectations, prepare to have those expectation exceeded!” – Shawn P Bolan
“Started off fast and kept me engaged.” – Jennifer
“His books just keep getting better and better. I have long been a fan of GOOD scifi, but lately the current offerings are only the same dismal dystopian themes. What keeps me coming back to this author is the science, which is at the heart of all his books. And also the optimism that all that science brings with it. Not all that end-of-the-world rubbish!” – jeanmarie
“I guess I’m a sucker for this type of novel: intriguing technology speculation, a fast-paced read, plus some curveballs thrown in.” – Stever
“This book is such a page turner, I finished it in three days instead of making it last the entire vacation.” – John Stephens
“His storytelling has evolved to the point where his vivid imagery stayed in my mind long after finishing this book. Don’t start reading this and think you’ll be able to put it down!” – Nancy B
“Understandable and fascinating due to the author's usual definitive way of incorporating facts and figures into the story line. I loved every single page of this book.” – magaliasue
“A quick paced story delving into the human consciousness unlike any other SciFi story I've read.” – Joe Z
“I'd really enjoyed the Quantum Series before and Phenomena is even better.” – Charles Martel
Everyone knew time travel was impossible. Then reality intruded.
A dying man stumbles into a police station and collapses. In his fist is a mysterious coin with strange markings. He tells the police he’s from the future, and when they uncover the coin’s hidden message they’re inclined to believe him.
Daniel Rice never asked for fame but his key role in Earth’s first contact with an alien civilization thrust him into a social arena where any crackpot might take aim. When the FBI arrives at his door and predictions of the future start coming true, Daniel is dragged into a mission to save the world from nuclear holocaust. To succeed, he’ll need to exploit cobbled-together alien technology to peer into a world thirty years beyond his own.
The third book of the Quantum series goes far beyond extra dimensions of space to expose the curious paradoxes of time in a wild ride along the edges of scientific knowledge.
Acclaim for Quantum Time
Intense, edge of your seat entertainment, Quantum Time will push readers to stay up until all hours of the night to read one more page. Sci-fi and action adventure enthusiasts will love it! 5-Stars. - Midwest Book Review
Quantum Time manages the impossible: creating a time travel story with a plausible science basis and all the intricacy that quantum theory can provide. Add the complexities of human motives and frailties and a countdown to disaster, and you have a mind-bending journey to the future and back! - Kathryn Hoff, author of Bloodstone
Space turned out to be deeper than anyone imagined.
High above the windswept plains of Kazakhstan, three astronauts on board a Russian Soyuz capsule begin their reentry. A strange shimmer in the atmosphere, a blinding flash of light, and the capsule vanishes in a blink as though it never existed.
On the ground, evidence points to a catastrophic failure, but a communications facility halfway around the world picks up a transmission that could be one of the astronauts. Tragedy averted, or merely delayed? A classified government project on the cutting edge of particle physics holds the clues, and with lives on the line, there is little time to waste.
Daniel Rice is a government science investigator. Marie Kendrick is a NASA operations analyst. Together, they must track down the cause of the most bizarre event in the history of human spaceflight. They draw on scientific strengths as they plunge into the strange world of quantum physics, with impacts not only to the missing astronauts, but to the entire human race.
If you liked the authenticity of The Martian, the page-turning pace of Da Vinci Code, and the inspirational world view of Arthur C. Clarke, you'll love Quantum Space. A mind-bending journey from the ultra-small to the vast stage of the Milky Way.
Acclaim for Quantum Space
Awarded the indieBRAG Medallion for 2018
“Dazzling tale of weird science” - Publisher's Weekly
“Quantum Space is well-crafted, fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat entertaining!” - Robin Praytor, author of the Dark Landing series.
“If you are a fan of Ben Bova, David Brin or Greg Bear this is a book for you.” – BB&C
“Highly enjoyable, highly recommended. Now if you will excuse me, I have two more Quantum novels to read and not a lot of time (speaking in relative terms)…” – Catcher
“Quantum physics explained well with a great plot and characters. It is a great escape in times like these, cerebral with little sex and no violence!” – Jane Rubisch
“Could not put it down. Very believable. Loved it and as a person who wanted to be an astrophysicist but did not have enough smarts, the real science was a joy.” – Amazon customer
“Thought provoking, fast paced adventure into multi dimensions. I loved the physics explanations at the end of the book.” – DDC
“Fast paced, excellent character development, full of suspense with climactic moments that were compelling along with a great resolution. Great storytelling! Just finished and I'm already starting your next book.” – Lyn Blair
“Firmly rooted in real science, not the technological fantasy that passes for most of sci-fi these days. The story was well developed, good characters, great plot. My only complaint was that the novel read way too quick.” – Ian Adams
“The protagonists have an almost poetic underpinning that had me rooting for their success. I enjoyed this book thoroughly.” – J. Kareski
“Favorite book of the year.” – Karen
“Astonishing story. Rooted in real science, yet goes far beyond in a believable way. Not enough superlatives in my language to favorably comment on this story. Isaac Asimov would have loved it.” – James F. Goughenour
“This is probably one of the most entertaining and intellectually stimulating sci-fi stories that I’ve read in a very long time… and I read a LOT!” – Jason Blackford
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Eight months after the astounding discoveries made at Fermilab…
Particle physics was always an unlikely path to the stars, but with the discovery that space could be compressed, the entire galaxy had come within reach. The technology was astonishing, yet nothing compared to what humans encountered four thousand light-years from home. Now, with an invitation from a mysterious gatekeeper, the people of Earth must decide if they’re ready to participate in the galactic conversation.
The world anxiously watches as a team of four katanauts suit up to visit an alien civilization. What they learn on a watery planet hundreds of light-years away could catapult human comprehension of the natural world to new heights. But one team member must overcome crippling fear to cope with an alien gift she barely understands.
Back at Fermilab, strange instabilities are beginning to show up in experiments, leading physicists to wonder if they ever really had control over the quantum dimensions of space.
The second book of the Quantum series rejoins familiar characters and adds several more as it explores the frontiers of human knowledge and wisdom. Of course, it wouldn’t be part of the series if it didn’t have a few twists along the way!
Acclaim for Quantum Void
Anyone who likes a good, rousing edge of the seat romp through the unknown will like it as well. 5-Stars. - Midwest Book Review
Forget everything you know about reality. The quantum world doesn't play by those rules.
Daniel Rice is a government science investigator whose specialty is solving seemingly intractable problems through scientific inquiry.
But Daniel's intellectual strength is sorely tested by the bizarre realities he finds in the quantum world. Extra dimensions of space trap the unwary, probability replaces cause and effect, and time isn't what anyone imagined. The other side of the mirror is a place full of dangers, but it's also somewhere a dedicated scientist can uncover secrets that connect humans with something greater.
If you liked the authenticity of The Martian, the page-turning pace of Da Vinci Code, and the inspirational world views of Arthur C. Clarke and Carl Sagan, you'll love The Quantum Series. A mind-bending journey from the ultra-small to the vast stage of the Milky Way.
Acclaim for The Quantum Series
Awarded the indieBRAG Medallion for 2018
"Dazzling tale of weird science" - Publisher's Weekly
"I can't recall when I last enjoyed a hard science series as much as this one. The concepts were astounding, the characters were easily believable, and the action emotionally driven. Very hard to put down. It kept me reading half the night. You'll be thinking about the far out science ideas promulgated in this series for a long time." - Chuck Juzek
"A great story, no hatred, no evil people trying to destroy others, just a wonderful adventure with a fantastic outcome." - Ric Mannen
"Fermi's Paradox is finally explained." - PE Gwinn
"An exciting plot that kept me glued to my chair instead of mowing the lawn." - PE Gwinn
"Probably one of the most entertaining and intellectually stimulating stories I've read in a long time... and I read a LOT!" - Jason Blackford
"Great story that proves the universe is indeed full of magic!" - Rand
"The protagonists have an almost poetic underpinning that had me rooting for their success." - J. Kareski
"BTW, all three books show respect and admiration for women scientists as well as men." - Robin C.
"Mr. Phillips is the only person who explained quantum physics to me in a way that was not only understandable but entertaining." - Edward L. Heins
Prologue to the Quantum Series
(1 Quantum Space, 2 Quantum Void and 3 Quantum Time)The long sought Higgs boson has been discovered at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva. Scientists rejoice in the confirmation of quantum theory, but a reporter attending the press conference believes they may be hiding something.
Nala Pasquier is a particle physicist at Fermi National Laboratory in Illinois. Building on the 2012 discovery, she has produced a working prototype with capabilities that are nothing less than astonishing.
Daniel Rice is a government science investigator with a knack for uncovering the details that others miss. But when he's assigned to investigate a UFO over Nevada, he'll need more than scientific skills, he'll need every bit of patience he can muster.