About
The Starlit Ship series consists of three books: The Starlit Ship, The Hemstadlt Project, and The Coveted World. Their overarching genre is science fiction, but with a focus on planetary-scale ethical dilemmas, governmental responsibilities in times of crisis, and the roles of individuals in shaping the future.
The books follow a young man named Rhydian Callyswell, who has grown up on a remote island at the edge of civilisation. The majority of the world’s population lives in the Capitals: two sprawling, twinned cities in one tiny corner of the continent, where all creative and technological advances are born. The Capitals are also the home of the government, a single organisation controlling every aspect of life around the globe.
After Rhydian and his brother see a giant silver ship drifting through the northern lights, they find themselves pursued by a government official, who will seemingly stop at nothing to suppress news of the ship from spreading. Over time, they learn more about the ship and its origins, and why the government are so frightened of its existence. The story shifts from cat-and-mouse into a political battle, with a handful of individuals staging an intellectual insurgence against the stubbornness of their leaders. Eventually, we are asked to consider the extent to which individuals should control their own lives, and the cascading effects of decisions made in good conscience with incomplete facts.
The Starlit Ship
Having grown up on a windswept isle at the edge of civilisation, Rhydian Callyswell never imagined there was anything more to the world than churning grey seas and clouded skies. When he and his brother see a giant silver ship drifting among the northern lights, their fates are irrevocably diverted. As the accidental witnesses of an event neither of them can comprehend, the brothers find themselves on the run from powerful government officials who will stop at nothing to quash any rumours of the starlit ship. However, even while fleeing for his life, Rhydian can’t help but wonder about the ship’s origins. How did it get there? What is its purpose? And why are the politicians of a distant city so desperate to keep it a secret?
(SPOILER WARNING: Very minor spoilers for book one in the blurbs of books two and three! Proceed with caution!)
The Hemstadlt Project
Against all odds, Rhydian Callyswell has made it to the Capitals – the sprawling twin cities from which the government control the globe. Reaching this city safe-haven began as a far-fetched dream, but having finally arrived, Rhydian quickly realises that his journey is far from over. The world’s inhabitants are still none the wiser to the starlit ship drifting through their skies. They still have no idea that their society is rigged to keep them eternally ignorant. In fact, they haven’t a clue that anything is amiss – even though cracks are starting to show. When a university student named Chryss Hemstadlt is charged with terrorism on seemingly baseless evidence, the world’s fragile semblance of societal stability finally begins to unravel. Using this momentum, Rhydian has a chance to spread the truth – if he can only stay one step ahead of government officials.
The Coveted World
With the future looking increasingly uncertain, Rhydian starts to question his own decisions. Finally, Mendacym has provided an explanation for his atrocities – leaving Rhydian to wonder if any of it was justified. The true intentions of the voyagers aboard the starlit ship are finally starting to surface, alongside the distant, forgotten truths of Rhydian’s home world. After all he has been through, there is a chance that his actions caused more harm than good, disrupting a plan centuries in the making. The tables appear to be turning, with Mendacym losing his grip – and all the while, a greater threat lurks in the shadows, resurfacing from the shrouded confines of the past.
C. W. Clayton 