Introducing Equinox (the sequel to Containment)

Posted on by

equinox_on_shelf

Equinox is available starting today.

My first novel, Containment, is no longer just Containment. It is now the first book in the “Children of Occam” series. And the second book, Equinox, launches today (not coincidentally, just before the spring equinox).

I took my time in writing a follow-up to Containment (publishing a second novel, Kingmaker, in the meantime) until I was confident that I knew what readers wanted to see in a sequel. Without giving anything away, this is what they will get:

  • A much broader perspective on the Containment universe. Equinox pulls away from V1 and thoroughly explores the different worlds introduced in the first book.
  • A continuation of the plot. Equinox picks up exactly where Containment leaves off. (Then goes far beyond.)
  • A little less technical detail. Although there is still plenty of new and exotic science and technology in Equinox, I spend a little less time describing how it works, and a lot more time inside the heads of characters.
  • Much more of everything. At 575 pages, Equinox is almost twice the length of Containment. The stories of all the characters from Containment are thoroughly explored, as are the lives of several new characters.

I really love Containment, and I wouldn’t have released a sequel that I wasn’t completely happy with. I put a huge amount of time and effort into Equinox, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed the writing.

4 thoughts on “Introducing Equinox (the sequel to Containment)”

  1. Could you quantify the amount of work you put in to write Equinox? Sorry, if my question is a bit nosy but I’m interested in people who can focus for extended periods of time to finish large-scale deep-thought projects like a novel. I guess in the case of this most recent book it would be *at least* 600 hours at 1hr/page (incl. first draft + revisions) or even close to 1000hrs?
    I also enjoy your podcast darkmatter.fm very much, Christian, especially episode 3 about fitness. I’ve become fascinated with treadmill desks. Maybe you’d like to finish your next novel with the help of such a contraption? :-)
    Here’s Neal Stephenson’s account of his experiences with a TD (you probably already know this):
    http://www.nealstephenson.com/news/2015/03/09/notes-on-416-days-of-treadmill-desk-usage/

    Like

  2. Christian, I have just finished Equinox and thought it was brilliant. I’m excited to see you refer to the Children of Occam as a “Series” – can I ask if there are further books planned?

    Like

  3. Thanks, Stephen. I appreciate the kind words and support. As long as there’s demand, I’ll keep writing them.

    Like

  4. This book is amazing, I was so glad that I pre-ordered it so that I could read it as soon as it hit. It seems to me that there are few sci fi writers who are as careful with the scientific and technical aspects of their stories, and that’s why I refer to Cantrell’s book as “real” science fiction. I love to pause to think and consider after reading a particular section, and can almost actually visualized the described scene. I’m also glad that it is longer, because as with his other books, I hate to see them end.

    Like

Comments are closed.