All fans of Science Fiction are accustomed to the fantasy aspect of many works which treat the enormous distances between star systems with a disregard that is easily solved by trans-light travel speeds. My particular venture attempts to deal with the 'reality' aspects of travel to a near star without resorting to any post-Einstein leap of faith. While my work does contain a slight fantasy aspect travel of an extremely rapid rate, it speculates on the need for hibernation for a multi-century period even with this remarkable rate. It addresses the challenges a crew traveling those distances might face and how they adapt to needed changes after reviving in order to land on a habitable planet. Once they land, they discover the planet is already inhabited by people in the early stages of organizing and controlling a civilization. Following landing, the crew uses their talents to create transportation on the lengthy river they have landed near in order to find a sanctuary where they can continue their life. When their arrival is discovered, however, locals begin to pursue them in the mistaken impression that they have been sent by mysterious Gods of the Far Star. But, the crew's success in fleeing is limited and eventually the locals do capture them and take them to the ruler of their kingdom. When introduced to the ruler, discoveries are made which present an almost paradoxical riddle for the crew and ruler to resolve.
About the Author: The author was born in Buffalo, New York before World War II. He grew up on a farm that was near Norwalk, Ohio, where he developed a keen interest in astronomy and botanical sciences. His high school years were spent in Trenton, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. After graduating from high school, he elected to join the US Army. He served in the communication security services in Germany for two years, stationed in Bavaria, near Nuremberg. Following honorable discharge, he enrolled at Bowling Green State University, in Bowling Green, Ohio, where he spent three years of undergraduate study in Political Science and English. After transferring to nearby Wayne State University, in Detroit, Michigan, he received his BA in Political Science. He entered the 'new' profession of software development in its infancy, long before personal computers sat on almost every desk in the country. For many years he flourished in the field of software development, working for large financial institutions (e.g. Federal Reserve Bank, Charles Schwab Inc.) where he became an expert in database system testing, assisting development programmers by providing valid test environments for testing code before release to the public. The field was open to creative expression providing the opportunity to blend the precise nuts and bolts of writing code with a vision of ordered elegance. He moved to California in 1970, living in San Francisco for five years. Now living in Marin County, north of San Francisco he continues to devote time to the study of all branches of science. Still a passionate amateur astronomer, his days begin with a three mile, pre-dawn run in the wonderful silence, fresh air, and clear skies of a very 'green' county. This 'meditative, ' daily activity allows him the chance to take in the vastness of the cosmos as he tracks the progress of constellations and planets across the morning sky. While a lifelong fan of conventional science fiction, 'Escape to Proxima' was written as a quasi-realistic speculation of dealing with travel between our home world and our nearest star system (Proxima Centauri) in a 'non-warp' world. He was an avid reader of the works of Isaac Asimov and Frank Herbert from childhood. A second passion of his has been the study of history and political systems. Returning to the academic world, he spent two years in advanced Political Science studies in a Master's program at San Francisco State University.